Flow characteristics and thickness distribution of liquid film in trickle bed reactor

In trickle bed reactor (TBR), the gas-liquid mass transfer is closely related to the thickness of liquid film and the wetting of catalyst particles. Therefore, knowledge on the flow and distribution of liquid film on particle surface is critical for evaluating the performance of TBR. In this work, high-speed camera was used to study the flow behavior of liquid film by using continuous droplets impacting on the top of particles with several layers. It was found that liquid tends to accumulating toward the contact point between adjacent particles due to capillary force. When the liquid inlet flow rate doubles, the wetting ratio of the particle surface increases by about 30%, while the liquid film thickness doubles. With the particle surface wettability increasing, the wetting ratio of particle surface can be improved while the liquid film thickness remains almost unchanged.