Cold-flow studies for the H-Coal reactor. Part II. Gas-mixing model

The gas mixing in a three-phase fluidized bed was studied in a cold flow reactor model. Experiments were conducted using nitrogen, kerosene, and extrudates of hydrodesulfurization catalyst. Utilizing Argon-41 as a tracer, the residence time distribution was studied. Based on these measurements, it was found that addition of coal fines significantly affected the gas flow inside the reactor. It was found that gas bubbles tend to flow upward in the center of the reactor, with a downward flow of gas bubbles near the walls.