Fluid Distribution in Packed Beds. Part 1. Literature and Technology Overview

This paper offers an extensive review of the scientific literature and the experimental and industrial cases. It highlights how the state of the art in fluid distributors is still claiming for additional dedicated experiments to complement the existing available data and to further improve the knowledge for design and operation purposes. This review has been the basis for the development of an experimental and theoretical study of liquid distributors for packed columns that will constitute the focus of a following paper.