Study of Liquid Dispersion in Winpak Modular Catalytic Structured Packing: Experiments Vs. CFD Simulations

The response technique was employed to investigate the axial and radial distribution of the liquid phase in Winpak modular catalytic structured packing which was named Winpak-C. Residence time distribution (RTD) experiments were performed at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. The axial and radial dispersion coefficients were obtained by solving a two-dimensional dispersion model analytically from the RTD curves. Based on proper assumption, a three-dimensional model of reaction elements in MCSPs was established to determine the dispersion characteristics with the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Porous flow was introduced by using a specification of an extra body force to account for liquid flow through the reaction element. These measured or simulated dispersion coefficients enable the reliable and predictive design and construction of scale-up models.