A mathematical model considering the inter-phase mass transfer both in the down-comer and the riser of an external-loop airlift reactor was established in this paper. The calculated global volumetric mass transfer coefficient based on the assumption of continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) was different from the local volumetric mass transfer coefficients by the newly proposed mathematical model and the difference was discussed. The effects of mass transfer in the down-comer, the hydrodynamic pressure and the experimental time on the mass transfer coefficient measurement model have been studied in detail. And it was also proved that only the global volumetric mass transfer coefficient, but not the local volumetric mass coefficient, can be obtained from a time-concentration curve in the external-loop airlift reactor.
