Investigation of Addition of Alcohol and Surfactants on the Hydrodynamic of an Airlift Reactor in Three Phase Conditions

In this study، effect of ethanol and anionic، cationic and non-ionic surfactants on circulation velocity، mixing time and gas holdup in a three phase (water and alcohol-air-PVC particles) concentric draft tube airlift reactor have been investigated. In this experiments، Changing of gas velocity، liquid level and solid loading was investigated. Airlift reactor with height، internal tube diameter، outer tube diameter 173، 5 and 8 centimeters respectively، was made of glass. In gas-liquid-solid systems، with increasing gas velocity، gas holdup in riser and liquid velocity increases. The results show that gas holdup increases، surface tension and liquid circulation velocity decreases in the presence of alcohol، furthermore the results illustrate that non-ionic surfactant has greatest impact in proportion with cationic surfactant and ionic surfactant on gas holdup. In this study، the equation has been proposed for liquid velocity and gas holdup and mixing time.