Separation and Purification Technology 186 (2017) 156165

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Separation and Purification Technology

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/seppur

Mass-transfer characteristics in a rotating zigzag bed as a Higee device

Yumin Li , Yongsheng Lu, XueJun Liu, Guangquan Wang, Yong Nie, Jianbing Ji
Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Biofuel, College of Chemical Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310014, China

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: A rotating zigzag bed, as a Higee device, has successfully achieved the industrialization of Higee in the
Received 20 November 2016 commercial continuous distillation process. To increase applicability of rotating zigzag bed in the gas-
Received in revised form 23 May 2017 liquid mass-transfer processes, the mass-transfer characteristics of the rotor of rotating zigzag bed were
Accepted 28 May 2017
examined. The effective interfacial area (ae) and local liquid-side mass-transfer coefficient (kL) were mea-
Available online 30 May 2017
sured using a chemical absorption of CO2 in NaOH solution. Based on two-film theory, the local gas-side
mass-transfer coefficient (kG) was obtained from the overall volumetric gas-side mass-transfer coefficient
Keywords:
(KGae) which was measured using a stripping of ethanol from an ethanol-water mixture by air. The effects
Rotating zigzag bed
Rotating packed bed
of rotational speed, liquid volumetric flow rate and gas volumetric flow rate on these mass-transfer
Effective interfacial area parameters were investigated. Compared to the conventional rotating packed bed, the kL of the rotor
Mass-transfer coefficient of rotating zigzag bed was as about 2.5 times higher as that of conventional RPB rotor, and the ae and
kG of the rotor of rotating zigzag bed matched with those of the rotor of conventional rotating packed
bed. Therefore, rotating zigzag bed has good mass-transfer performance with a great potential for the
industrial application.
2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction The chemical method of the chemical absorption of CO2 in aque-

A Higee device, also called a rotating packed bed (RPB), which
creates a high gravity environment up to several hundred times
larger than the gravitational acceleration by rotating a specially
shaped rigid bed as a rotor in a casing, enhances the mass transfer
of gas-liquid and improves the flooding characteristics. A rotating
zigzag bed (RZB), as a Higee device, is appropriately applied to
the commercial continuous distillation process because its inge-
nious rotor with a baffle structure allows the upper disc to be sta-
tionary and the lower disc to rotate, thus achieving median feed
and a multi-layer rotor configuration [1,2]. The RZB has pioneered
the industrialization of the Higee device in distillation processes
for the first time and actually achieved non-column distillation
[3]. To date, nearly a thousand RZBs have been used in continuous
distillation, batch distillation, extractive distillation, etc. Detailed
theoretical and experimental studies on and computational fluid
dynamics (CFD) simulation of the hydrodynamics of the RZB have
been performed [47]. However, the studies on the mass transfer
of the RZB are rare. Only the number of theoretical plates of RZB
distillation was measured [2,8]. The gas-liquid effective interfacial
area and mass transfer coefficients are unknown.
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: liym@zjut.edu.cn (Y. Li).
ous NaOH solution is usually employed to determine the gas-liquid
effective interfacial area in RPBs. With this method, Munjal et al. [9]
measured the effective interfacial area in an RPB that was several-
fold higher than that in a conventional packed column, meanwhile
discovering the end effects of the effective interfacial area in the
RPB. Rajan et al. [10] reported that the effective interfacial area in
a split-packing RPB was larger than that of a conventional RPB
because the split-packing RPB design allowed co-/counter-
rotation of adjacent packing rings. Yang et al. [11] determined that
the effective interfacial area of an RPB rotor increased with reduc-
tion of the outer radius of the RPB rotor. Guo et al. [12] used an
innovative approach to isolate the packing area in an RPB and mea-
sure the interfacial area in the shell zone. The interfacial area in the
shell zone can reach 30% of the interfacial area in the whole RPB.
Luo et al. [13] proposed an empirical correlation to calculate the
effective interfacial area of a conventional RPB rotor with stainless
steel wire mesh packing. Luo et al. [14] measured the effective
interfacial area in a novel RPB equipped with blades in the packing
section of the rotor. They proposed that the novel RPB could signif-
icantly intensify the mass transfer, and the interfacial area in the
novel RPB was 4%40% higher compared to the conventional RPB.
Tsai et al. [15] evaluated the interfacial area in a rotating blade
bed equipped with static baffles. The experimental results showed
that the bed with static baffles had a higher interfacial area than the
bed without baffles. Luo et al. [16] obtained the effective interfacial

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2017.05.049
1383-5866/ 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
 Y. Li et al. / Separation and Purification Technology 186 (2017) 156165 157

Nomenclature

Variables uG superficial gas velocity based on the area of the inner

ac centrifugal acceleration, m/s2 edge of the rotor, m/s
ae gas-liquid effective interfacial area, m2/m3 V0 volume between the outer radius of the rotor and the
a0p surface area per unit volume of the 2 mm diameter casing, m3
bead, m2/m3 Vt total volume of the casing, m3
at surface area of the packing per unit volume of the rotor, x1,eth mole fraction of ethanol of liquid at liquid inlet
m2/m3 x2,eth mole fraction of ethanol of liquid at outer edge of the
c2 concentration of CO2
3 at outer edge of the rotor, mol/L rotor
c3 concentration of CO2
3 at liquid outlet, mol/L x3,eth mole fraction of ethanol of liquid at liquid outlet
CG total concentration of the gas phase, kmol/m3 y1,CO2 mole fraction of CO2 at gas inlet
CL total concentration of the liquid phase, kmol/m3 y2,CO2 mole fraction of CO2 at outer edge of the rotor;
dp equivalent diameter of the packing, m y3,CO2 mole fraction of CO2 at gas outlet
DL diffusion coefficient of liquid phase, m2/s; yCO2 mole fraction of CO2 in the rotor
DG diffusion coefficient of gas diffusivity, m2/s y1,eth mole fraction of ethanol of gas at gas inlet
G gas volumetric flow rate, m3/h y2,eth mole fraction of ethanol of gas at outer edge of the rotor
Gm molar flow rate of gas, kmol/s y3,eth mole fraction of ethanol of gas at gas outlet
H Henrys law constant of CO2 into aqueous NaOH, kPam3/ z height of the rotor, m
kmol;
Heth Henrys law constant of ethanol out of water, (mol/m3)/ Greek letters
(mol/m3) u ratio of the square opening area of one cell to the whole
k rate constant for first-order reaction, s
1 area of one cell of the wire mesh
kGae local volumetric gas-side mass-transfer coefficient, 1/s e porosity of the packing
kG local gas-side mass-transfer coefficient, m/s qG gas density, kg/m3
kL local liquid-side mass-transfer coefficient, m/s qL liquid density, kg/m3
KGae overall volumetric gas-side mass-transfer coefficient, lG viscosity of gas, Pas
1/s lL viscosity of liquid, Pas
KG overall gas-side mass-transfer coefficient, m/s r surface tension, N/m
L liquid volumetric flow rate, L/h
Lm molar flow rate of liquid, kmol/s Dimensionless Groups
meth Henrys law constant of ethanol out of water in mole
frac gas/mole frac liquid p
Ha DL k=kL ReGa G=3600=2pr av e zqG =at lG
n rotational speed, rpm ReLa L=3:6  10
6 =2pr av e zqL =at lL
P total pressure of gas mixture in RZB rotor, kPa
GrGd dp q2G ac =l2G
3
qL liquid spray density based on the area of the inner edge 2
WeLa L=3:6  10
6 =2pr av e z2 qL =at r
of the rotor, m3/m2h
6 2
ReL L=3:6  10 =2pr av e zqL dp =lL
ri inner radius of RZB rotor, m 2
FrL L=3:6  10
6 =2prav e z2 =ac dp
ro outer radius of RZB rotor, m
6 2
WeL L=3:6  10 =2pr av e z2 qL dp =r
rave average radius of the rotor, m

area of 93337 m
1 in a two-stage blade-packing rotating packed
bed (TSBP-RPB). Zheng et al. [17] measured the effective interfacial
area in a novel RPB equipped with surface-modified nickel foam
packing (SNP) and found that the RPB with SNP possessed a higher
interfacial area in comparison to the RPB with non-modified nickel
foam packing (NNP) due to the better liquid shearing and disper-
sion effects of the nickel foam packing. Chu et al. [18] developed a
novel multi-liquid inlet rotating packed bed (MLI-RPB) to make full
use of the end effect, with the interfacial area 8%23% higher in
comparison with the conventional RPB. Chu et al. [19] employed a
novel method called five-point to determine the effective interfa-
cial area in a two-stage rotating packed bed with nickel foam pack-
ing (TSNF-RPB) and found that the interfacial area of the upper
packing zone was higher than the interfacial area of the lower pack-
ing zone. Liu et al. [20] measured the effective interfacial area in a
counter airflow shear rotating packed bed (CAS-RPB). The CAS-
RPB, similar to the split-packing RPB, allowed for counter-/co-
rotation of adjacent packing rings. The effective interfacial area
for counter-/co-rotation in the CAS-RPB was, respectively, greater
compared with the area for counter-/co-rotation in the split-
packing RPB.
Physical methods are employed to determine local volumetric
liquid-side mass transfer coefficients, based on physical absorption
or stripping using oxygen or a carbon dioxide and water system.
Chen [21,22] proposed a correlation of the local volumetric
liquid-side mass transfer coefficient of a conventional RPB, consid-
ering end effects and the packings size, shape, material and surface
property. The chemical methods of the chemical absorption of CO2
in aqueous NaOH are also used to estimate local liquid-side mass
transfer coefficients. The advantage is that both the effective
interfacial area and the liquid-side mass transfer coefficient are
determined for the same system [14,1618]. The local volumetric
gas-side mass transfer coefficients are measured using ammonia
physical absorption by water [20,23] and sulfur dioxide chemical
absorption by ammonium sulfite solution [23] or NaOH solution
[24,25]. Chen [26] proposed a correlation of the local volumetric
gas-side mass transfer coefficient of the conventional RPB based
on the two-film theory.
To increase applicability of RZBs in gas-liquid mass transfer pro-
cesses and to design the RZB accurately and economically, it is nec-
essary to launch a full investigation into the mass-transfer
performance of the RZB. Therefore, the aim of this study was to
examine the effective interfacial area and local liquid-side and
gas-side mass transfer coefficient of the RZB rotor using the chem-
ical absorption of CO2 in NaOH solution and stripping of ethanol
from an ethanol-water mixture by air. The results of this study
would provide further insight into the mass transfer characteristics
for the great potential of RZBs in industrial applications.
158 Y. Li et al. / Separation and Purification Technology 186 (2017) 156165

2. Experimental section in the mix gas was set at approximately 2%. Gas samples at G1
and G3 were collected and tested by gas chromatography to
2.1. Experimental apparatus and procedure determine the CO2 mole fraction of the gas samples. Liquid sam-
ples at L2 and L3 were collected to measure the pH values
Fig. 1 shows the diagram of the experimental setup for the mea- and the concentration of the carbonate ions by titration of the dou-
surement of the effective interfacial area and mass transfer coeffi- ble reagents. The liquid sample outlet of L1 was closed. The mole
cients. The major components include an RZB, a blower, a liquid fraction of CO2 at G1, the outer edge of the rotor and G3 were
pump, a CO2 cylinder, two liquid tanks and other auxiliary equip- indicated by y1,CO2, y2,CO2 and y3,CO2, respectively. The concentration
ment. The RZB had a rotor with an inner diameter of 0.101 m, an of CO2

3 at L2 and L3 was indicated by c2 and c3, respectively, as
outer diameter of 0.284 m and a height of 0.051 m, with a casing shown in Fig. 1.
of diameter 0.380 m and height 0.160 m and a liquid distributor The system of aqueous ethanol solution and air was used to
located at the center of the rotor. The structure of the RZB rotor measure the overall volumetric gas-side mass transfer coefficient
was described in our previous paper [15]. The RZB rotor was com- at 20 C and atmospheric pressure. The CO2 cylinder was closed.
posed of nine coupled rotational-stationary baffles and one short Aqueous ethanol solution with a mass fraction of 0.04 (concentra-
stationary baffle. The nine stationary baffles with height 0.038 m tion of 0.87 mol/L) in the liquid stock tank was pumped into the
had diameters of 0.130, 0.158, 0.180, 0.200, 0.218, 0.236, 0.253, RZB, with countercurrent contact with the air introduced by the
0.269 and 0.284 m. The short stationary baffle with height 0.02 m blower inside the RZB rotor. The ethanol in the solution was
and diameter 0.101 m served as the inner edge of the rotor. The stripped by air. Liquid samples at L1, L2 and L3 were col-
nine rotational baffles with height 0.043 m had diameters of lected, and ethanol concentration was measured by gas chro-
0.117, 0.145, 0.169, 0.189, 0.208, 0.228, 0.243, 0.260 and 0.276 m. matography. The mole fraction of ethanol at L1, L2 and L3
Small holes of 0.0015 m diameter and 0.0025 m distance between was indicated by x1,eth, x2,eth and x3,eth, respectively. The gas sample
holes were perforated on the upper parts, having a 0.014 m dis- outlets of G1 and G2 were closed.
tance to the bottom of the rotational baffles. To measure the
mass-transfer of the RZB rotor without outer end effects (mass 2.2. Experimental principle
transfer between the outer edge of the rotor and the casing), a liq-
uid sample collector L2 was installed close to the outer edge of A CO2 gas material balance on an annular element and the inte-
the rotor to collect the liquid spray leaving the rotor. As a result, gral from the inner radius ri to the outer radius ro [10] give
two gas sample outlets G1 and G3 were located at the gas inlet q
PyCO2
and the gas outlet. Three liquid sample outlets L1, L2 and L3 Gm y2;co
y3;co ae kL 1 Ha2 p  zr 2o
r 2i 1
2 2 H
were located at the liquid inlet, at the outer edge of the rotor and at
the liquid outlet, as shown in Fig. 1. where
The experiments of the effective interfacial area and local p
DL k
liquid-side mass transfer coefficient were carried out with the sys- Ha 2
kL
tem of aqueous NaOH solution and mixed gases of air and CO2 at
2025 C and atmospheric pressure. Aqueous NaOH solution In the reaction of CO2 absorption by NaOH, the reaction can be
(1 mol/L or 0.05 mol/L), as the absorbent liquid, was pumped from treated as a pseudo-first-order reaction as long as the NaOH solu-
a liquid stock tank into the RZB rotor via a liquid distributor. The tion is in excess. At high NaOH concentrations (1 mol/L), Ha is far
liquid traveled outward through the rotor because of the centrifu- more than 1, so we obtained:
gal force and was collected in the casing and discharged from the q
liquid outlet. The mixed gas stream of air and CO2 was introduced 1 Ha2  Ha 3
into the RZB casing tangentially from the gas inlet with an inner
Substituting Eq. (3) and Eq. (2) into Eq. (1) gives
diameter of 0.05 m. The mixed gas stream then flowed inward
through the rotor under the imposed pressure gradient, contacting PyCO2 p
the liquid countercurrently in the rotor. The volume fraction of CO2 Gm y2;co
y3;co ae DL kp  zr 2o
r2i 4
2 2 H

y3,eth 11
y2,eth
y
y1,eth y2,CO2 3,CO2
12 13 14 15
y1,CO2 G1 G3
L1 L2 L3
10 L1
c2 c3
x1,eth x2,eth x3,eth
L2

9 8
6 5 4 3 2 1
L3
7

G1-sample outlet at gas inlet; G2-sample outlet at gas outlet; L1-sample outlet at
liquid inlet; L2-sample outlet at outer edge of the rotor; L3-sample outlet at liquid
outlet
Fig. 1. Sketch of the experimental setup. [1, liquid stock tank; 2, liquid pump; 3, liquid drain tank; 4, liquid outlet; 5, casing of RZB; 6, liquid distributor; 7, motor; 8, blower; 9,
CO2 cylinder; 10, gas inlet; 11, gas outlet; 12, liquid inlet; 13, couples of rotational-stationary baffles; 14, rotor of the RZB; 15, liquid sample collector].
 Y. Li et al. / Separation and Purification Technology 186 (2017) 156165 159

That is, using the equations from the literature by Rajan [10]. Using Eq.
HGm y2;co
y3;co (5) and Eq. (6), the ae and kL of the RZB rotor can be calculated.
ae p 2 2
5 The overall volumetric gas-side mass transfer coefficient KGae of
PyCO2 DL kp  zr2o
r2i the RZB rotor without the outer end effect is calculated by Eq. (7)
where ae is the effective interfacial area for mass transfer of the RZB from the literature by Liu [27]:
rotor without the outer end effect, m2/m3; H is the Henrys law con- h i
y3;eth
meth x2;eth
stant for CO2 into aqueous NaOH, kPam3/kmol. G=3600 ln 1
meth Gm =Lm y2;eth
meth x2;eth meth Gm =Lm
pr2o
r 2i
For absorption at a low NaOH concentration (0.05 mol/L), the zK G ae meth Gm =Lm
1
Ha value decreases, and substituting Eq. (2) into Eq. (1) gives 7
v
  32
u2
u HG y where meth is the Henrys law constant for ethanol out of water in
u m 2;co
y3;co
k L t4 2
 2
5
D L k 6 mole fraction gas/mole fraction liquid; y2,eth and y3,eth are the mole
PyCO2 ae p  z r 2o
r 2i fraction of ethanol gas at the outer edge of the rotor and at the gas
outlet, respectively.
where kL is the local liquid-side mass transfer coefficient of the RZB The values of x1,eth, x2,eth and x3,eth are obtained directly from the
rotor without the outer end effect, m/s. The values of y2,CO2 and experiments. The y2,eth value is calculated from the values of x2,eth,
y3,CO2 in Eq. (5) and Eq. (6) are within the limits of 0 to 0.02 under x3,eth and y1,eth, and the y1,eth value is zero due to the pure air in the
the experimental conditions. gas inlet, as shown in Fig. 1. The y3,eth value is calculated from the
The values of y1,CO2, y3,CO2, c2 and c3 are obtained directly from values of x1,eth, x2,eth and y2,eth. The Henrys law constant meth of
the experiments, as shown in Fig. 1. The y2,CO2 value is calculated ethanol out of water is written as
from the values of c2, c3 and y1,CO2. The yCO2 values in Eq. (5) and
Eq. (6) are the logarithmic mean value of y2,CO2 and y3,CO2, and CL
meth Heth 8
the parameters of DL, k and H in Eq. (5) and Eq. (6) are obtained CG

1 2 3 4

zone of the non-local

gas-liquid contact and
thus non-mass-transfer

11 10 9 8 7 6 5
(a)

10

7 6

(b) (c)
Fig. 2. (a) Elevation view of gas and liquid flow in RZB rotor, (b) vertical view at lower liquid flow rate and (c) vertical view at higher liquid flow rate. [1, gas flowing inwards
from the outer edge of the rotor; 2, gas flowing downwards; 3, stationary baffle; 4, liquid flowing radially outwards; 5, gas flowing inwards to the inner edge of the rotor; 6,
liquid film on the inner wall of rotational baffle; 7, rotational baffle; 8, flying tiny liquid droplets resulting from breakup of liquid jet in the transversal gas flowing upwards; 9,
gas flowing upwards; 10, liquid film travelling circumferentially around the stationary baffle; 11, flying liquid droplets leaving the stationary baffle and resulting from
breakup of liquid sheet in the transversal gas flowing downwards].
160 Y. Li et al. / Separation and Purification Technology 186 (2017) 156165

where CG is the total concentration of the gas phase, kmol/m3; CL is
the total concentration of the liquid phase, kmol/m3; and Heth is the
Henrys law constant of ethanol out of water, where Heth is
0.000213 (mol/m3)/(mol/m3) at 20 C from Liu [28]. Therefore, meth
is 0.2845 at 20 C according to Eq. (8).
The overall gas-side mass transfer coefficient KG of the RZB rotor
is calculated by dividing KGae by ae. Based on the two-film theory,
the local gas-side mass transfer coefficient kG of the RZB rotor
without the outer end effect is expressed as [29].
1 1 Heth

9
kG K G kL
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Effective interfacial area ae and local liquid-side mass transfer
coefficient kL of the RZB rotor
Fig. 2 shows the flow of gas and liquid in the RZB rotor. The gas
flows radially from the outer edge to the inner edge of the RZB
rotor, with upward flow and downward flow in the annular gap
between the rotational and stationary baffles. The liquid film
climbs up the inner wall of the rotational baffle due to the centrifu-
gal force and is dispersed and thrown into numerous liquid jets
around the outer wall of the rotational baffle. Then, the liquid jets
break the liquid film into flying tiny liquid droplets in the transver-
sal gas flowing upward, as denoted by number 8 in Fig. 2
(a) and (b). The droplets fly upward due to the drag of gas flowing
upward. The number of the liquid jets increases with increasing
liquid flow rate, as shown in Fig. 2(b) and (c). The liquid droplets
move outward and form the liquid film travelling circumferentially
around the stationary baffle. The liquid film leaves the stationary
baffle as a sheet of liquid, and the liquid sheet breaks into flying
liquid droplets in the transversal gas flowing downward, as
denoted by number 11 in Fig. 2(a). The liquid droplets fly down-
ward due to the drag of gas flowing downward and move outward
to form the liquid film on the inner wall of the rotational baffle
again. The gas-liquid mass transfer occurs at the flying liquid dro-
plets in the gap between rotational-stationary baffles, the liquid
films on the wall of the rotational-stationary baffles and the colli-
sion between the liquid droplets and the liquid films.
Figs. 3 and 4 present the effective interfacial area ae and the
local liquid-side mass transfer coefficient kL of the RZB rotor that
were measured by a CO2-NaOH absorption process. The parameter
ae increased as the rotational speed n, gas volumetric flow rate G
and liquid volumetric flow rate L increased.
It is easy to understand that with increasing rotational speed n,
the shearing force imposed on the liquid by the rotational baffles is
enhanced, resulting in the decrease of the size of the liquid dro-
plets and an increase of ae. The increase of the liquid volumetric
flow rate L not only could produce more liquid jets and tinier liquid
droplets leaving the rotational baffles but also could increase the
wetted wall fraction of the rotational and stationary baffles, thus
increasing ae. The increase of gas volumetric flow rate G intensified
the interactions between liquid droplets and the transversal gas
current and enhanced the turbulent intensity of the liquid droplets,
leading to the breakup of the liquid droplets. Thus, the number of
liquid droplets increased and the size of the liquid droplets was
reduced, so ae increased. The values of ae for the RZB rotor were
as high as 125345 m2/m3 under the above operating conditions.
The local liquid-side mass-transfer coefficient kL of the RZB
rotor increases as the rotational speed n and liquid volumetric flow
rate L increase, as shown in Fig. 4. The kL value increases by an
average of 18.37% when the rotational speed increases from
800 rpm to 1400 rpm. The higher rotational environment produced
smaller flying liquid droplets, which led to a lower local liquid-side
mass transfer resistance and then a higher kL. Meanwhile, the
increase of n led to a higher circumferential velocity of the liquid

350 400
G=10m3/h L=80L/h L=240L/h n=1200rpm
G=10m3/h L=160L/h L=120L/h n=1200rpm
300 350
G=40m3/h L=160L/h L=120L/h n=800rpm
300
a e (m2 /m3 )

250
a e (m2 /m3 )

250
200
200

150
150

100 100
500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
n (rpm) G (m3/h)

(a) (b)
400
n=1200rpm G=10m3/h
350 n=1200rpm G=20m3/h
n=1200rpm G=30m3/h
300
a e (m2 /m3 )

250

200

150

100
60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260
L (L/h)

(c)
Fig. 3. Change in the effective interfacial area of RZB rotor with (a) rotational speed, (b) gas volumetric flow rate, and (c) liquid volumetric flow rate.
 Y. Li et al. / Separation and Purification Technology 186 (2017) 156165 161

film on the stationary baffles, resulting in more turbulence of the
liquid film and an increment of kL. The kL values increase by an
average of 32.58% when the liquid volumetric flow rate L increases
from 80 L/h to 240 L/h. The increase in kL was attributed mainly to
the increase in the velocities of the falling liquid film on the sta-
tionary baffles when L increases. Moreover, the increase in L led
to an increase in the number of liquid jets and a better circumfer-
ential distribution of the liquid around the rotational baffles and
then to an increment of kL. The kL values increase slightly with
increasing gas volumetric flow rate G. The higher G, leading to
the breakup of flying liquid droplets, generates smaller liquid dro-
plets with a higher local liquid-side mass transfer. However, the

0.004 0.004

0.003 0.003
k L (m/s)

k L (m/s)
0.002 0.002

0.001 L=80L/h G=10m3/h 0.001 L=80L/h n=800rpm

L=160L/h G=10m3/h L=80L/h n=1200rpm
0 0
500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
n (rpm) G (m3 /h)
(a) (b)

0.004

0.003
k L (m/s)

0.002

0.001
n=800rpm G=10m3/h
n=1200rpm G=10m3/h
0
60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260
L (L/h)
(c)
Fig. 4. Change in the local liquid-side mass-transfer coefficient of RZB rotor with (a) rotational speed, (b) gas volumetric flow rate, and (c) liquid volumetric flow rate.

1200

1000

800
a e (m2/m3)

600

400

200

0
400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700
n (rpm)
RZB rotor with qL=4.95m3/m2h and uG=0.172m/s
RZB rotor with qL=9.89m3/m2h and uG=0.172m/s
rotating blade bed equipped with static baffles with qL=9.23m3/m2h[15]
multiliquid-inlet RPB rotor with qL=6.51m3/m2h and uG=0.255m/s[18]
conventional RPB rotor with stainless steel wire mesh with qL=6.64m3/m2h and uG=0.205m/s[11]
RPB with nickle foam packing with qL=12.13m3/m2h and uG=0.169m/s[17]
RPB rotor equipped with blades in the packing section with qL=3.27m3/m2h and uG=0.0544m/s[14]

Fig. 5. Comparison of effective interfacial area between RZB rotor and RPB rotors.
162 Y. Li et al. / Separation and Purification Technology 186 (2017) 156165

higher G led to a lower local liquid-side mass transfer of liquid film
on the stationary baffles because the thickness of the liquid film on
the stationary baffles increased with increasing G because the gas
flowing upward between the rotational and stationary baffles hin-
dered the downward flow of liquid film on the stationary baffles
under the gravitational force. As a result, the higher local liquid-
side mass transfer of flying liquid droplets was offset by the lower
local liquid-side mass transfer of the liquid film on the stationary
baffles, so the kL values increase slightly with increasing G. Values
of kL for the RZB rotor were as high as 0.00190.0030 m/s under the
above operating conditions.
3.2. Comparison of the effective interfacial area ae and local liquid-side
mass transfer coefficient kL of the RZB rotor and RPB rotors
Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate the comparison of the kL and ae of the RZB
rotor and various RPB rotors (without outer end effects) and
various RPBs (with outer end effects) using the liquid spray density
qL and the superficial gas velocity uG based on the area of the inner
edge of the rotors of the RZB and RPBs. The specifications of the
RZB and the RPBs are summarized in the Table 1. The kL and ae
of the RPB rotors and the RPBs were also measured by a
CO2-NaOH chemical absorption process. There exists the difference
between the measured kL values using chemical absorption and the
values using physical absorption, and the difference depends on
the choice and accuracy of Ha in Eq. (1) and Eq. (2). Therefore, it
is just significant to compare the kL values measured by the same
methods of chemical absorption.
The values of ae for the RZB rotor are close to those of rotating
blade bed equipped with static baffles and are lower than the
values of other RPB rotors and RPBs. A possible reason for this is
that the RZB and the rotating blade bed equipped with static baf-
fles had the plate structure rotor with enormous empty space in
their rotors, leading to the lower ae. Other RPBs had the packing

0.0035

0.003

0.0025
k L (m/s)

0.002

0.0015

0.001

0.0005

0
400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700
n (rpm)
RZB rotor with qL=4.95m3/m2h and uG=0.172m/s
RZB rotor with qL=9.89m3/m2h and uG=0.172m/s"
multiliquid-inlet RPB rotor with qL=6.51m3/m2h and uG=0.255m/s[18]
conventional RPB rotor with stainless steel wire mesh with qL=3.26m3/m2h and uG=0.0544m/s[14]
RPB with nickle foam packing with qL=12.13m3/m2h and uG=0.169m/s[17]
RPB rotor equipped with blades in the packing section with qL=3.27m3/m2h and uG=0.0544m/s[14]

Fig. 6. Comparison of local liquid-side mass-transfer coefficient between RZB rotor and RPB rotors.

Table 1
Specifications of RZB and RPBs.

Higee devices Rotor type Inner and outer Height of Experiments of CO2- Literature
diameter of the rotor rotor (m) NaOH chemical
(m) absorption
RZB Nine coupled rotational-stationaey baffles in the rotor 0.101 and 0.284 0.051 ae and kL without outer This work
end effect
Multiliquid-inlet RPB Three annular packing rings in the rotor 0.139 and 0.331 0.050 ae and kL without outer Chu et al.
end effect [18]
Conventional RPB Stainless steel wire mesh packing with wire diameter of 0.160 and 0.445 0.054 ae without outer end Yang
0.22 mm, voidage of 0.97 and specific area of the packing effect et al. [11]
of 499.7 m2/m3 in the rotor
Conventional RPB stainless steel wire mesh packing with wire diameter of 0.156 and 0.306 0.050 kL without outer end Luo et al.
0.22 mm, voidage of 0.96 and specific area of the packing effect [14]
of 500 m2/m3 in the rotor
RPB equipped with blades Three rings of packing sections with two rings of blades 0.156 and 0.306 0.050 ae and kL without outer Luo et al.
in the packing section in the rotor end effect [14]
RPB with nickel foam Nickel foam packing with porosity of 0.96 and specific 0.035 and 0.080 0.018 ae and kL with outer end Zheng
packing surface area of 2916 m2/m3 in the rotor effect et al. [17]
Rotating blade bed with Three sets of blades with two sets of baffles in the rotor 0.036 and 0.156 0.020 ae with outer end effect Tsai et al.
static baffles [15]
 Y. Li et al. / Separation and Purification Technology 186 (2017) 156165 163

60 1 gas-liquid contacting time in the RZB rotor than in the other RPB
0.9 rotors. The RZB rotor effectively mixed centrifugal force with the
50 gravitational force to achieve the high value of kL due to the novel
0.8
0.7
structure of the RZB rotor.
40
0.6

Heth/k L
1/KG

30 0.5 3.3. Gas-side mass transfer coefficient kG

0.4
20 The overall volumetric gas-side mass-transfer coefficient KGae
0.3
0.2
for the RZB rotor was measured by the physical process of the
10 stripping of ethanol from an ethanol-water mixture by air. The
0.1
overall gas-side mass transfer coefficient KG was calculated by
0 0
700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 dividing KGae by ae, where the ae values were taken from the
CO2-NaOH absorption experiments because the physical properties
n (rpm)
of the 1 mol/L NaOH solution and the 0.87 mol/L ethanol solution
1/K
1/KG
G of G=10m3/h L=80L/h 1/K
1/KG
G of G=10m3/h L=160L/h
were similar, and it was reasonably suggested that the ae values
of these two aqueous phases did not change significantly. Fig. 7
Heth/kLof G=10m3/h L=80L/h
H/KL H/KL
Heth/kL of G=10m3/h L=160L/h
presents the overall gas-side mass transfer resistance 1/KG as
Fig. 7. Comparison between overall gas-side mass-transfer resistance and local 418.7 to 448.9 times greater than the local liquid-side mass trans-
liquid-side mass-transfer resistance of RZB rotor with rotational speed. fer resistance Heth/kL, so Heth/kL is ignored compared to 1/KG [29]. As
a result, Eq. (9) becomes
rotor structure with various packings filling their rotors, leading to
1 1
the higher ae. 10
The values of kL for the RZB rotor were the highest of all the RPB kG K G
rotors and RPBs and were approximately 2.5 times higher than the Therefore, we obtained KG = kG from Eq. (10). The local gas-side
values of the conventional RPB rotors. The liquid, serving as the mass transfer coefficient kG of the RZB rotor increases as rotational
liquid film, fell slowly under the gravitational force on the inner speed n, gas volumetric flow rate G and liquid volumetric flow rate
wall of the stationary baffles of the RZB rotor, allowing a far longer L increase, as shown in Fig. 8ac. The tangential flow in the annular

0.07

0.06

0.05

0.04
k G (m/s)

0.03

0.02

0.01

0
500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500
n (rpm)
G=10m3/h L=80L/h
G=10m3/h L=160L/h
G=10m3/L L=80L/h for conventional RPB rotor[13, 21]
G=10m3/h L=160L/h for conventional RPB rotor[13, 21]

(a)
0.07 0.07

0.06 0.06

0.05 0.05

0.04 0.04
kG(m/s)

kG(m/s)

0.03 0.03
0.02 0.02
0.01
0.01
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 0
60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 220 240 260
G (m 3 /h)
L (L/h)

L=240L/h n=1200rpm L=120L/h n=1200rpm n=1200rpm G=10m3/h n=1200rpm G=20m3/h

L=120L/h n=800rpm n=1200rpm G=30m3/h

(b) (c)
Fig. 8. Change in the local gas-side mass-transfer coefficient of RZB rotor with (a) rotational speed, (b) gas volumetric flow rate, and (c) liquid volumetric flow rate.
164 Y. Li et al. / Separation and Purification Technology 186 (2017) 156165
space between rotational-stationary baffles developed a secondary
flow that consisted of periodic toroidal vortices. The violence of the
movement of the toroidal vortices increased with increasing rota-
tional speed n, resulting in the increase of the gas turbulence and
kG. The increase in the gas volumetric flow rate G enhanced the
gas turbulence, thus increasing kG, as expected. The higher liquid
volumetric flow rate L increased the number of liquid jets leaving
the rotational baffles, which could intensify the gas-liquid interac-
tions, resulting in the increase of the gas turbulence and kG. Values
of kG for the RZB rotor were as high as 0.0220.069 m/s under the
above operating conditions.
Fig. 8a also illustrates the comparison of the local gas-side mass
transfer coefficient kG of the RZB rotor and conventional RPB rotor
with stainless steel wire mesh packing (wire diameter of 0.22 mm,
void of 97% and specific area of the packing of 499.7 m2/m3) for
the same rotor dimensions, the same gas-liquid system and the
same gas and liquid volumetric flow rate. The empirical correlations
for the kGae and ae of the conventional RPB with stainless steel wire
mesh packing were proposed by Chen [21] and Luo [13],
respectively:
   !1:4
kG ae Vo 1:13 0:14 0:31 0:07 at
1
0:9 0:023Re Ga Re La Gr Gd WeLa
DG a2t Vt a0p
where ReGa G=3600=2prav e zqG =at lG , ReLa L=3:6  10
6 =
2pr av e zqL =at lL ,GrGd dp q2G ac =l2G ,
3
2
WeLa L=3:6  10
6 =2pr av e z2 qL =at r, and a0p is the surface
area per unit volume of the 2-mm diameter bead and has a value
of 3000 m2/m3.
ae
66510ReL
1:41 Fr
0:12
L We1:21
L /
0:74
at
where ReL L=3:6  10
6 =2pr av e zqL dp =lL , FrL L=3:6  10
6 =
2
2pr av e z2 =ac dp ,WeL L=3:6  10
6 =2prav e z2 qL dp =r, and u
is the ratio of the square opening area of one cell to the whole area
of one cell of the wire mesh, set to 1 for the sake of simplicity.
The value of V0 in Eq. (11) was set to zero to obtain the kGae val-
ues of the conventional RPB rotor without outer end effects. The kG
values of the conventional RPB rotor could be obtained as kG = kGae/
ae according to Eq. (11) and Eq. (12). From Eq. (11), kGae is propor-
tional to L to the power of 0.28, while ae is proportional to L to the
power of 0.77 from Eq. (12). As a result, kG( = kGae/ae) is propor-
tional to L to the power of
0.49 ( = 0.280.77); that is, the kG of
the conventional RPB rotor at a higher L value was lower than that
at a lower L value, as shown in Fig. 8a. Fig. 8a illustrates the change
of the kG of the RZB and the conventional RPB rotors with increas-
ing rotational speed, and the kG values of the RZB rotor are close to
or slightly lower than the kG values of the conventional RPB rotor.
The gas flowing across the bottom of the stationary baffles gener-
ates strong turbulence and contacts the liquid, thus leading to a
higher local gas-side mass transfer. However, the gas flowing
through the perforation on the upper part of the rotational baffles
and flowing over the top of the rotational baffles does not contact
the liquid, and then, no local gas-side mass transfer occurs. The
zones of the non-local gas-liquid contact and thus non-mass-
transfer, as shown in Fig. 2(a), offset the higher local gas-side mass
transfer at the bottom of the stationary baffles, leading to no higher
kG values than those of the conventional RPB rotor.
4. Conclusion
The effective interfacial area and the local liquid- and gas-side
mass transfer coefficients of the RZB rotor without outer end
effects were investigated by performing experiments that involved
the chemical absorption of CO2 in aqueous NaOH and the stripping
of ethanol from an ethanol-water mixture by air. Experimental
results demonstrated that the values of ae, kL and kG for the RZB
rotor increased with increasing rotational speed, gas volumetric
flow rate and liquid volumetric flow rate. The kL values of the
RZB rotor were approximately 2.5 times higher than the kL values
of the conventional RPB rotors with stainless steel wire mesh due
to the generation of a far longer gas-liquid contact time in the RZB
rotor. However, no higher kG and slightly lower ae values were
observed in the RZB rotor in comparison with the conventional
RPB rotor with stainless steel wire mesh because the existence of
the zones of non-gas-liquid contact and thus non-mass-transfer
in the RZB rotor leads to no higher kG, and the enormous empty
space in the RZB rotor leads to a slightly lower ae. These results
suggest that the RZB is favorable in a liquid-side mass transfer
resistance-controlled system, and the comprehensive performance
of the mass transfer of the RZB is superior to that of the conven-
tional RPB because of the novel structure of the RZB rotor. The
RZB has great potential for industrial applications.
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