Effect of Column Inclination and Oscillation on Liquid Spreading in a Trickle Bed

Abstract

Trickle bed reactors are widely used in petroleum and chemical processing, and their deployment on floating offshore production units introduces operational challenges due to vessel motions. This study uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to examine how bed inclination and oscillation affect liquid spreading in a cylindrical trickle bed with single-point liquid injection, mimicking conditions experienced during offshore operation.

The effects of bed inclination (0–15°) and oscillations (roll and roll+pitch motions at frequencies of 0.1, 0.2, and 0.5 Hz) were systematically investigated. Increasing the tilt angle from 0 to 15° resulted in increased flow segregation and approximately 20% reduction in pressure drop, with liquid pushed in the direction of tilt. Oscillations were found to improve the index of uniformity in radial distribution of liquid compared to static inclined operation. Roll+pitch oscillation predicted higher radial velocity and liquid spreading compared to roll motion alone. These findings demonstrate that while inclination can significantly impair liquid distribution, oscillatory motions may partially counteract this effect, with implications for the design and operation of trickle bed reactors in offshore environments.

@article{shah2019effect,
  title         = {Effect of Column Inclination
                  and Oscillation on Liquid Spreading in a Trickle Bed},
  author        = {Shah, Milinkumar T and Utikar, Ranjeet P and Pareek, Vishnu K},
  year          = 2019,
  journal       = {Chemical Engineering Research and Design},
  publisher     = {Elsevier},
  volume        = 152,
  pages         = {165--179},
  doi           = {10.1016/j.cherd.2019.09.037}
}