Shaoshuo Li1, Yaohui Wang1, Yao Yang1*, Zhengliang Huang1, Jingyuan Sun1, Zuwei Liao1, Jingdai Wang1, Yongrong Yang1, Bing Du2
1 College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou 310027, P.R. China
2 ExxonMobil Research and Engineering, 1545 Route 22 East,
Annandale, NJ 08801, USA
Based on a cold-flow experimental device, the transiti on between trickle flow and pulse flow in a 3D cocurrent downflow three-phase moving bed is investigated by the standard deviation of pressure drop and visual observations. Results show that at a constant gas flow rate, the trickle-to-pulse transition shifts to a higher liquid flow rate with the increasing solid flow rate because the particle movinginhibits the formation of local liquid blockage. Furthermore, an empirical model is proposed to fit the trickle-to-pulse transition boundary by correlating the dynamic liquid holdup at the boundary with the gas Reynolds number and the particle velocity. Finally, the effects of the particle moving on the liquid distribution is investigated, which show that the particle moving makes the liquid distribution more uniform when the solid flow rate is smaller than a certain value. But further increasing the solid flow rate, the liquid distribution becomes uneven.