Swirling flows can be applied for gas-liquid mass transfer process intensification. Experiments and simulations were conducted to investigate the bubble size, gas holdup, and interfacial area in a swirling contactor which was divided into twelve subregions. Bubble breakup and coalescence processes between all bubble size classes were considered using appropriate models.
Abstract
The bubble size, gas holdup, and interfacial area in a swirling contactor were investigated through experiments and simulations. The interfacial area was obtained for liquids and gases with Reynolds numbers Re l and Re g, respectively. The contactor was divided into twelve subregions. Re l was negatively related to bubble size, gas holdup, and interfacial area, whereas Re g was positively associated. The maximum bubble interfacial area for the entire swirling contactor was 196.3 m−1 with a gas-liquid ratio of 0.022. There is a trade-off between centrifugal acceleration and bubble size for interfacial area.