Abstract
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.