Generalized correlations for mass transfer and pressure drop in fiber-based catalyst supports

•Mass transfer in fiber-based supports can be described by a packed bed correlation.•The Ergun equation can be applied to fiber-based supports.•The Sauter diameter allows the applicability of the correlations to both structures.•The correlations are validated for Re = 0.01-10,000.

Fiber-based catalyst supports are of increasing interest for different catalytic applications. So far, no reliable correlations for mass transfer and pressure drop with a wide range of applicability are available. The paper shows that in both cases correlations for packed beds of spheres can be applied if the Sauter diameter is used as characteristic length. The findings are confirmed with help of a comparison to literature data and own experimental results on mass transfer and pressure drop. The generalized correlations simplify the design of novel fiber-based supports and of the corresponding reactors.