Liquid holdup and wetting efficiency in a rotating trickle-bed reactor

A rotating trickle-bed reactor (RTBR), having the advantage of mass transfer enhancement of 1-3 orders of magnitude higher than a packed column reactor, can intensify the apparent reaction rate of gas-liquid-solid catalytic reactions. However, studies of hydrodynamics like liquid holdup and wetting efficiency, which are essential for the RTBR design, are scarce. In this work, we have systematically, for the first time, investigated the liquid holdup and wetting efficiency in a RTBR packed with alumina spheres. The quantitative results revealed that the rotation reduced the static liquid holdup by about 80% at rotational speed from 0 to 2,400 r/min. The average wetting efficiency can reach 100% at rotational speed of 1,600 r/min and liquid superficial mass velocity of 3 kg/(m(2)center dot s). Correlations to predict the liquid holdup and wetting efficiency in the RTBR were developed, and deviations between experimental and calculated values were within +/- 15 and +/- 10%, respectively. The findings of the current work provided basic data for the potential catalytic reactions limited by mass transfer in the RTBR.