Dispersed bubble reactor for enhanced gas-liquid-solids contact and mass transfer

摘要

An apparatus to promote gas-liquid contact and facilitate enhanced mass transfer. The dispersed bubble reactor (DBR) operates in the dispersed bubble flow regime to selectively absorb gas phase constituents into the liquid phase. The dispersion is achieved by shearing the large inlet gas bubbles into fine bubbles with circulating liquid and additional pumped liquid solvent when necessary. The DBR is capable of handling precipitates that may form during absorption or fine catalysts that may be necessary to promote liquid phase reactions. The DBR can be configured with multistage counter current flow sections by inserting concentric cylindrical sections into the riser to facilitate annular flow. While the DBR can absorb CO2 in liquid solvents that may lead to precipitates at high loadings, it is equally capable of handling many different types of chemical processes involving solids (precipitates/catalysts) along with gas and liquid phases.

主权项

1. A dispersed bubble reactor for selective absorption of a gas phase constituent into the liquid phase operating at a dispersed bubble flow regime comprising:
a riser where an inlet gas stream rich with a gas phase constituent contacts a circulating liquid stream comprising the gas phase constituent, wherein in the riser, at least a portion of the gas phase constituent is absorbed into a liquid phase, the riser having a dispersion zone where the inlet gas stream combined with the circulating liquid stream form dispersed gas bubbles; a cyclone, wherein the circulating liquid stream with the gas phase constituent from the riser is separated into a separated liquid stream and a separated gas stream; a standpipe where the separated liquid stream from the riser is collected, the standpipe having a bottom portion for concentrating solid precipitates; a non-mechanical valve connecting the standpipe with the riser; and a riser crossover connecting the riser with the cyclone; wherein the reactor is adapted such that liquid velocities entering the dispersion zone of the riser generate a shearing force for dispersion of larger as bubbles of the inlet as stream into the smaller, dispersed gas bubbles, and the degree of dispersion is controllable by controlling the static head of the liquid column in the standpipe; and wherein the reactor is adapted such that in the dispersion zone, liquid flow from tangentially entering jets form a rotating pool of the circulating liquid stream generates enough shear force to break the larger gas bubbles of the inlet gas stream into the smaller, dispersed bubbles in the mean range of approximately 100 to 500 microns in size.