Multiscale structure of gas-liquid flow and interfacial heat and mass transfer in complex channel systems

The paper considers the mechanisms of the development of large-scale instability in counter-current gas-liquid flow in complex channel systems of the structured packing, contributing to deterioration of the separation efficiency for a gas mixture. The paper discusses the contribution of the gravity-induced convective flows and capillary-gravity flooding to the development of the maldistribution of the fluid velocity and concentration fields in the distillation columns filled with Koch 1Y and Mellapak 500Y structured packings. The correlation for prediction of the gas and liquid capacity factors corresponding to the packing flooding is proposed based on the experimental data.