FLUID DYNAMICS OF STIRRED THREE-PHASE REACTORS.

In the literature there are only a few reports of investigations on fluid dynamics of stirred slurry reactors. This work makes it apparent that pressure-aerated slurry reactors, in which stirring speed and superficial gas velocity are independent process parameters, offer a flexible and large field of application. On account of direct dependence of gas throughput on stirring speed, self-aspirating slurry reactors with surface aeration come into consideration only in special cases. The results obtained make it clear that a higher stirring speed and, as a rule, a higher power input are required to achieve the state of ″complete″ suspension in aerated suspensions than in non-aerated cases. Thereby, the suspension power per unit volume generally increases with increasing particle density, particle diameter and solids concentration. These reactors are used in industry for hydrogenation, oxidation and absorption.