Bubble Size in a Cocurrent Fiber Slurry

Bubble diameter measurements in a two-dimensional cocurrent bubble column are obtained using a gas−liquid−solid system in which the solid component is a cellulose fiber. Flash X-ray radiography, a noninvasive measurement technique, is used to record bubble size in the opaque slurry at various operating conditions. Results are presented for a range of fiber mass fractions (0 ≤ C ≤ 1.5%), a range of superficial gas velocities (1 ≤ υg ≤ 4 cm/s), two superficial liquid velocities (υl = 1 or 2 cm/s), and two column heights (H = 15−40 or 115−140 cm). Bubbles are categorized as either large (dB > 10 mm) or small (dB ≤ 10 mm), and all bubble diameter distributions can be characterized by log-normal distributions. The presence of fibers has the most significant effect on the large bubble size and population, even at mass fractions as low as 0.5%. In general, the large bubble size and population increases with column height, superficial gas velocity, and fiber