A NEW METHOD FOR MEASURING DIFFUSION COEFFICIENT OF GASES IN LIQUIDS BY PLIF

Mélanie Jimenez (1) , Nicolas Dietrich (1) , Gilles Hébrard (1)

1 LISBP - Laboratoire d'Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés

Gas-liquid mass transfer is a major issue in engineering processes such as wastewater treatment or biogas production since this phenomenon is directly linked to their design and efficiency. In recent years, much research has been done in this area but some gaps still remain in our knowledge of gas-liquid transfer, in particular concerning molecular diffusivity. The determination of molecular diffusivity is commonly based on empirical correlations, such as the widely used Wilke and Chang(13) expression, valid under specific conditions and with relatively high uncertainties. In the present work, an innovative and promising technique is proposed to determine diffusion coefficients of gases in liquids. This technique is based on visualizing and quantifying oxygen diffusion across a flat gas-liquid interface, in a Newtonian medium, using planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) with inhibition. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) experiments were conducted to confirm the hydrodynamic flow field in the liquid phase. Results included the visualization of oxygen diffusion over time, and the quantification of this visualization. The oxygen diffusivity thus determined is in agreement with values found in the literature.

Mots clés: Diffusion coefficient; gas/liquid interface; PLIF; PIV; LASER-INDUCED FLUORESCENCE; AIR-WATER INTERFACES

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Mélanie Jimenez, Nicolas Dietrich, Gilles Hébrard. A NEW METHOD FOR MEASURING DIFFUSION COEFFICIENT OF GASES IN LIQUIDS BY PLIF. Modern Physics Letters B, 2012, 26 (6), ⟨10.1142/S0217984911500345⟩. ⟨hal-01268397⟩