Effects of Different Draft Baffles on the Hydrodynamics in Internal-Loop Airlift Reactors

In this paper, a 2-D airlift reactor was developed. The streamline and hydrodynamic parameters were measured in a 2-D airlift loop reactor （ALR） with different draft baffles. Three regimes were observed under differ- ent conditions. Particle image velocimetry （PIV）measurement showed that the liquid velocity distribution in hori- zontal direction presented different profiles in the three regimes. The length, the height and the spacing of draft baffles were applied in the experiments to optimize the ALR structure. It was found that the draft tube structure is of great importance in determining the hydrodynamics of ALRs. Additionally, the experimental results may serve as a step to the further optimization and design of ALR.