Intensification of Slurry Bubble Columns by Vibration Excitement

We show that application of low-frequency vibrations, in the 30 to 60 Hz range, to the liquid phase of an air – water - silica catalyst slurry bubble column causes significant enhancement of both gas holdup and volumetric mass transfer coefficient over a wide range of superficial gas velocities. The increase in the gas holdup is attributed mainly to a significant reduction in the rise velocity of the bubble swarm due to the generation of standing waves in the column. Furthermore, application of vibrations to the liquid phase serves to stabilize the homogenous bubbly flow regime and delay the onset of the churn-turbulent flow regime.