Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol.54, No.50, 12690-12698, 2015
Linear Stability Analysis for a Reactive, Multiphase Bubble Column
Reactive processes often depend on the dynamic states of the fluid in which the reaction takes place. In this study, we consider coupled momentum and solutal mass transport in a multiphase (gas/liquid) bubble column with a chemical reaction, in a configuration often found in columns used for microorganism growth. We model the reaction with a pseudoreaction term in the concentration balance equation, which represents the growth as a function of species and reactor conditions. We present a linear stability analysis on a two-dimensional bubble column with water as the continuous phase and carbon dioxide as the dispersed phase. It is concluded that in the range of variables examined the flow is always unstable.