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

Abstract

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 (TL) was measured by a ring-shaped sensor, as was the entrance bed temperature (T0). Shapes of TL 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. © 2005 American Chemical Society.