A versatile correlation of liquid hold-up under the single-phase trickle flow in a packed bed

Abstract

The paper gives a review of present approaches to the problem of a single- and two-phase flow in a packed bed. A new definititon has been given of the flooding point, which, as far as the theory is concerned, rigorously defines critical values of the quantities in the flooding point. At the same time, the definition enables a unambiguous experimental determination of the flooding point from experimental dependence sof the hold-up or pressure drop on the flow rate of phases. Based on extensive experimental data three alternative forms have been proposed of the versatile correlation of liquid hold-up on the velocity of liquid at the zero velocity of gas. The correlations have been formulated on the principle of automodel properties and define the appropriate relationships in terms of normalized variables related to the newly defined flooding point. The dependences on the geometry parameters of the packing and physical properties of liquid appear in the versatile correlations only implicitly. A new possibility has been shown of inverse utilization of the versatile correlations for the determination of the critical values (the flooding point) from two independent measurements of liquid hold-up in a real apparatus.