MASS AND HEAT TRANSFER FROM A SPHERE UNDER PRESSURE

Experiments of mass and heat transfer from a sphere to flowing gas were carried out under several moderate pressures. The process was analyzed and proved to be a combination of natural and forced-convection transfer. The effect of natural convection becomes dominant with increasing pressure. Based on the experimental results (vaporization of benzene and water from a porous sphere) empirical correlations for the combined process are proposed. The oxidation of methanol with a platinum catalyst of the same size was carried out. The transfer rates for the reaction were measured and comparison of the data with the correlations proved that the rates were well estimated by the proposed correlations.