Hydrodynamic Study of Bubbles in a Bubble Column Reactor Part I – Image Processing

Abstract

The study of bubble column reactors has its significance in applications such as multiphase reactors, aerators and in industrial waste-water treatment. Extensive works has been done in studying the hydrodynamics of a single gas bubble flowing through stationary liquid phase. The natural breakup of bubble during its motion has been studied in the past. In the Part I of the present work, hydrodynamics of an air bubble after its artificial splitting using a stainless steel mesh is experimentally studied using image processing and high speed photography. The significance of bubble splitting is that it increases the surface area of contact between stationery and moving fluid which in turn increases the rate of reaction desired during the process. The motion of the bubble is captured during its release and after splitting using High-Speed Camera. The velocity, area and diameter of the bubble before and after splitting are calculated by applying Image processing technique on the high speed photograph. The splitting of the bubble is found to vary with the superficial gaseous velocity. The splitting of bubbles into two bubbles of nearly equal size is considered and its hydrodynamic characteristics are studied.