Reduction of the wall effect in a packed bed by a hemispherical lining

A new method of eliminating the wall effect is proposed. The main feature of this method is to use an easy-lining sheet of regularly arranged, convex hemispheres. The effects of this method on voidage distribution and channeling are experimentally studied by X-ray computed tomography and by measurements of the radial distribution of liquid flow, respectively. One may use the principle of this method in all packed-bed applications for eliminating the wall effect and for improving the efficiency of heat transfer, reaction and so on by promoting uniform fluid flow