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Gas–Liquid Flow Characteristics and Performance Optimization of Industrial Downflow Jet Loop Reactor Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics

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Abstract

The fluid dynamics and structural enhancements of a novel industrial jet loop reactor (JLR) were investigated through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The arc-shaped trajectory of W-shaped baffle facilitated the continued circulation of a substantial portion of the fluid, resulting in increased total gas holdup, axial liquid velocity, and overall liquid circulation volume. Compared to similar reactors with a round baffle, the JLR increased gas holdup from 13.01% to 14.04% and liquid circulation volume from 4.67 m3/s to 4.94 m3/s; the W-shaped baffles increased gas holdup and liquid circulation volume by approximately 8% and 7%, respectively. Additionally, the study explored the influence of various structural parameters such as nozzle diameter, nozzle quantity, draft tube length and shape. Optimal structural parameters were determined based on this analysis. The insights and design proposed in this work will provide valuable perspectives and further understanding for reactor scale-up in industrial applications, serving as a guide for geometric and flow pattern functionalities.

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Abbreviations

C D :

Single bubble traction coefficient

C L :

Lift force coefficient

d p :

Particle diameter, m

D :

Reactor diameter, m

D n :

Nozzle diameter, m

D t :

Draft tube diameter, m

Eo :

Eotvos number

g :

Gravitational acceleration, m s−2

H d :

Distance from draft tube bottom to baffle bottom, m

H n :

Distance from nozzle bottom to draft tube bottom, m

l :

Bubble size, m

L :

Reactor length, m

L d :

Draft tube length, m

Re :

Reynolds number

Re L :

Nozzle Reynolds number

u τ :

The wall friction velocity, m s−1

U SL :

Superficial velocity of liquid, m s−1

V LC :

Liquid volume of circulation, m3 s−1

ɛ :

Gas holdup

τ :

Stress tensor, Pa

μ :

Viscosity, Pas

υ :

Kinematic viscosity, m2 s−1

ρ :

Density, kg m−3

a :

Annular gap

d :

Draft tube

n :

Nozzle

w :

Wall

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks the support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21978199).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, R&D Center for Petrochemical Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People’s Republic of China

    Yonghui Li, Jiayi Wang, Chao Lu, Sheng Wang & He Dong

  2. Zhejiang Institute of Tianjin University, Ningbo, 315201, Zhejiang, China

    Yonghui Li, Jiayi Wang, Chao Lu, Sheng Wang & He Dong

  3. State Key Laboratory of Engines, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China

    Yonghui Li, Jiayi Wang, Chao Lu, Sheng Wang & He Dong

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  1. Yonghui Li
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  3. Chao Lu
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  5. He Dong
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Contributions

Yonghui Li: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing. Jiayi Wang: Methodology, Software, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing. Chao Lu: Methodology, Visualization, Writing—review & editing. Sheng Wang: Methodology, Software, Writing—review & editing. He Dong: Supervision, Formal analysis, Writing—review & editing.

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Correspondence to He Dong.

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Li, Y., Wang, J., Lu, C. et al. Gas–Liquid Flow Characteristics and Performance Optimization of Industrial Downflow Jet Loop Reactor Based on Computational Fluid Dynamics. Korean J. Chem. Eng. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11814-024-00118-0

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