Effects of Liquid Surface Tension on the Heat Transfer Coefficient in a Three-Phase Slurry Bubble Column

Characteristics of overall heat transfer were investigated in a three-phase slurry bubble column with relatively low surface tension media, which has been frequently encountered in the fields of industry. The heat transfer phenomena was examined in the system which was composed of a coaxial vertical heater and a proper of bubble column. The heat transfer coefficient was estimated from the measured mean value of temperature difference between the heater surface and the column proper at the steady state condition. Effects of gas velocity (U-G), solid fraction in the slurry phase (C-S) and surface tension (sigma(L)) of continuous liquid media on the overall heat transfer coefficient (h) in the bubble column were determined. The mean value of temperature difference was estimated from the data of temperature difference fluctuations with a variation of time. The amplitude and mean value of temperature difference fluctuations with respect to the elasped time appeared to decrease with decreasing the surface tension of liquid phase. The overall heat transfer coefficient between the immersed heated and the bubble column increased with an increase in the gas velocity or solid fraction in the slurry phase, but it decreased with an increase in the surface tension of continuous liquid media. The overall heat coefficient in the slurry bubble column with relatively low surface tension media was well correlated in term of operating variables and dimensionless groups within this experimental conditions.