Quality of Mixedness Profiles Based on Spatial Distribution of Local Mass Transfer Coefficients in a Bubble Column

Local kLa measurements were performed during physical absorption of carbon dioxide into deionized water in a 0.289 m diameter bubble column equipped with a perforated plate gas distributor (31 holes * (empty set) 0.002 m, free plate area 0.15 %). Three superficial gas velocities (ug) were examined (0.018, 0.031 and 0.038 m/s) under clear liquid height of 0.56 m. The spatial kLa distributions were treated by the quality of mixedness (QM) algorithm. It was found that at the regime transition velocity (Utrans = 0.034 m/s) to churn-turbulent flow regime both lower and upper column zones are characterized with the same QM indices.