Heat and mass transfer in dispersed multiphase turbulence with catalytic particles

Heat and mass transfer in dispersed multiphase turbulence with catalytic particles
1st promotor and 2nd supervisor: Prof. Detlef Lohse
1st supervisor and co-promotor: Assistant Prof. Sander Huisman
2nd promotor: TBA
3rd supervisor: Associate Prof. Chao Sun
Affiliation: University of Twente
Research theme: Smart Biomass Conversion

Dispersed multiphase flows with bubbles and particles are very relevant in flows with chemical (catalytic) reactions, as the bubbles complicate the control of heat and mass transfer in the flow, and so does the presence of catalysts. An extremely relevant example is the Fischer-Tropsch processes. Here the flows are far from laminar, but very turbulent. These flows exhibit a broad range of scales (from micrometers for the catalysts to meters of the reactor). A constant supply of reactants is essential for efficient chemical reactions. Moreover, the egress of the products is also essential, as well as taking away the heat resulting from the reaction.

We propose to study the mixing of heat and mass inside a freely rising bubbly swarm, the effect of bubbles on such a flow, and the effects of salt on the bubbles dynamics, and make direct measurements of the heat and mass transport inside our newly constructed and operational vertical water tunnel.

Keywords:

• Heat Transfer
• Mass transfer
• Multiphase flow
• Turbulence
• Catalytic