An MRI Investigation of Trickle Flow

Trickle bed reactors (TBR) are widely used in the chemical industries. These reactors involve gas and liquid flow through a catalyst-packed bed. For optimal TBR performance, it is crucial to achieve a uniform distribution of gas and liquid among the catalyst particles. However, in multi-tubular reactors with slender tubes, flow maldistribution near the tube walls is a common issue. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of local phase and flow distribution is essential for designing and operating reactors with slender tubes. This study employs Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to characterize the three-dimensional distribution of the two-phase trickle flow within a slender tube. Three quantities are characterized: gas-liquid-solid distribution, particle wetting efficiency, and the flow field. Structure and flow MRI images are processed to calculate these quantities. Additionally, a novel post-processing technique is introduced to determine the liquid distribution over individual particle surfaces. This distribution is determined at several axial and radial positions.