Sherwood (<i>Sh</i>) Number in Chemical Engineering Applications—A Brief Review

Abstract

This paper reviews a series of cases for which the correct determination of the mass transfer coefficient is decisive for an appropriate design of the system and its operating conditions. The cases are of interest for applications in the energy sector, such as the thermoconversion of a fuel particle, processes in pipes, packed and fluidised beds, and corollary unit operations, such as extraction, absorption, and adsorption. The analysis is carried out by examining the expressions for the determination of the Sherwood number (which contains the mass transfer coefficient), and, when possible, generalised relationships (also in graphic form) have been provided, to offer a useful tool to cognoscenti.

Keywords

• Sherwood number
• mass transfer coefficient
• fuel thermoconversion
• packed beds
• fluidised beds
• extraction