화학공학소재연구정보센터
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol.57, No.1, 84-92, 2018
Modeling Pore-Scale Two-Phase Flow: How to Avoid Gas-Channeling Phenomena in Micropacked-Bed Reactors via Catalyst Wettability Modification
A model capable of providing a reliable estimation of two-phase flow dynamics and mass-transfer coefficients, is lacking for the design of micropacked-bed reactors via correlations, especially when the particle size of the bed is around 100 mu m. In this work, we present a validation of the use of the phase field method for reproducing two-phase flow experiments found in the literature. This numerical simulation strategy sheds light on the impact of the micropacked-bed geometry and wettability on the formation of preferential gas channels. Counterintuitively, to homogenize the two-phase flow hydrodynamics and reduce radial mass-transfer limitations, solvent wettability of the support needs to be restricted, showing best performance when the contact angle ranges to 60 degrees and capillary forces are still dominant. The tuning of gas-liquid-solid interactions by surface wettability modification opens a new window of opportunity for the design and scale-up of micropacked-bed reactors.