Prediction of Gas Holdups in a Homogeneous Bubble Column Operated With Water–Alcohol Solutions
Atefeh Mohammadi, Stoyan NedeltchevABSTRACT
A physically motivated gas holdup correlation specifically tailored for alcohol–water mixtures operating under the homogeneous regime was proposed. The model combines a Langmuir‐type interfacial adsorption isotherm with Traube's rule to capture the simultaneous effects of alcohol concentration and carbon chain length on the interfacial dynamics. Experimental gas holdups were measured in a homogeneous bubble column (BC) (0.1 m in ID) using various concentrations of 1‐butanol, 2‐pentanol, and 3‐hexanol to evaluate the influence of superficial gas velocity U G and alcohol structure on gas holdup. The results indicate that the proposed correlation effectively accounts for the suppression of bubble coalescence, which is a key mechanism for gas holdup enhancement. Based on 113 experimental points, the model was validated with an average relative error (ARE) of 3.74%. Compared to other empirical correlations, the novel model provides a more robust framework by incorporating explicit interfacial effects.