A simulation method for predicting mass transfer in gas/liquid slug flow

A study was conducted for the purpose of collecting data and developing a mass transfer model for horizontal gas/liquid slug flow. The work was carried out in 1.5 inch pyrex flow channel using pure carbon dioxide and deionized water. The range of flow rates extended from 16 to 75 pounds per hour for gas and 4500 to 10,000 pounds per hour for the liquid. Liquid concentrations in the channel along with basic flow variables were measured and liquid phase mass transfer coefficients calculated. These were correlated with pressure drop in the channel and the curves closely followed the trends of other cocurrent mass transfer investigations, both in slug and non-slug flow. However, as with the previous slug flow work, a large amount of scatter existed in the correlation. It was shown that most of the scatter vras due to the inability of this type of a model to describe slug flow rather than to experimental error. [...]