Mass transfer in a fixed-bed gas-liquid catalytic reactor with concurrent upflow

Mass transfer coefficients for the hydrogenation of α‐methylstyrene were measured in a packed‐bed reactor with concurrent gas and liquid upflow. The packing was 0.29‐cm alumina spheres coated with palladium catalyst. Mass transfer coefficients increased as the 1/2 power of the liquid rate and increased with gas rate to a gas phase Reynolds number of about 50. The severe decrease for higher gas rates may be due to pulsing flow.