On single bubble mass transfer in a volatile liquid

• Published in: International journal of heat and mass transfer Vol. 125; pp. 1144 - 1155
• Main Authors: Colombet, D., Legendre, D., Tuttlies, U., Cockx, A., Guiraud, P., Nieken, U., Galinat, S., Daniel, C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2018; Elsevier BV; Elsevier
• Subjects: Ambient temperature; Bubble; Bubbles; Cyclohexane; Evaporation; Fluid flow; Fluid mechanics; Gas-liquid systems; Hydrocarbons; Image processing; Liquid phase oxidation; Mass transfer; Mechanics; Oxidation; Particle tracking; Physics; Reynolds number; Fluid mechanics; Bubble; Mass transfer; phase liquide; thermodynamique; méthode de suivi; liquid phase; réacteur; reactor; thermodynamics; particule - surface interactions; transfert de masse; interaction particule surface; cyclohexane
• ISSN: 0017-9310; 1879-2189
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2018.04.149

•Bubble mass transfer into a volatile liquid phase under both high pressure and high temperature conditions is considered.•The coupling between the solute mass transfer and the liquid evaporation is put in evidence.•Bubble diameter variation due to both mass transfer and liquid evaporation is characterized. We consider single bubble mass transfer of an non-condensible gas into a volatile liquid phase in industrial conditions, as observed for example in hydrocarbons liquid phase oxidation processes. Instantaneous bubble size, shape and velocity are measured using image processing with a particle tracking method. The mass transfer rate nitrogen into hot and pressurized liquid cyclohexane is deduced from the bubble volume decrease rate and is compared to literature correlations valid under isothermal conditions. Experiments are performed in a pressurized reactor for P=20bar, 30°⩽T⩽150°C and bubble Reynolds number Re=O(10–100). The analysis of bubble rise dynamics shows that the gas-liquid system studied can be considered as a clean system. The mass transfer results are found to follow isothermal correlations predictions excepted for ambient temperature for which liquid evaporation in bubbles is shown to be coupled with mass transfer. This phenomena seems to be a consequence of having a high Lewis number.