Small scale · Work package b and c
A transparent cylindrical bubble column with a total height of approximately 2 m, designed for column-scale characterization of gas holdup under different operating conditions (different superficial velocities and three different spargers). Gas holdup is determined from differential hydrostatic pressure measurements using relative pressure transducers connected to five pressure ports distributed along the column height. The arrangement allows the pressure difference, and therefore the average gas holdup, to be evaluated over four separate axial sections, providing information on the spatial evolution of the gas fraction along the column.
The facility is intended to characterize the global and axial fluid dynamic behaviour of gas–liquid flows, with particular focus on the effect of operating conditions and liquid properties on gas holdup. In addition to the pressure measurement system, the column includes three dedicated optical-access ports for local optical-probe measurements. These measurements can complement the pressure-based holdup data with local information on the dispersed gas phase, allowing comparison between integral and local measurements.
The facility therefore provides a controlled platform for investigating axial variations in gas holdup, identifying changes in flow behaviour along the column, and generating experimental data suitable for the validation of hydrodynamic and multiphase-flow models.
Measurement set-up
