Analysis of the heat transfer in a packed bed with cocurrent gas-liquid upflow

Heat-transfer studies were carried out in a packed bed with cocurrent air-water upflow for short thermal sections. Several glass packings were used with different particle sizes and shapes. The radial temperature profile above the top layer of the bed (T-L) was measured by a ring-shaped sensor, as was the entrance bed temperature (T-0). Shapes of T-L are influenced by the flow regime. Thermal parameters were calculated using a two-dimensional pseudohomogeneous model. It was observed that both particle shape and size have an influence on the effective radial thermal conductivity and the wall-to-bed coefficient.