Pressure equalization approach for flow uniformity in microreactor with parallel channels

[Display omitted] •Flow distribution in parallel channels is studied using CFD and experiments.•Inlet-outlet manifolds significantly affect the flow in parallel channels.•Pressure equalization slot reduces non-uniformity by an order of magnitude.•At least two PSEs at equal distance from inlet and ou...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemical engineering science 2018-02, Vol.176, p.96-106
Main Authors: Madane, Ketan, Kulkarni, Amol A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
CFD
Experiments
Flow distribution
Microreactor
Numbering-up
Parallel channels
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Summary:[Display omitted] •Flow distribution in parallel channels is studied using CFD and experiments.•Inlet-outlet manifolds significantly affect the flow in parallel channels.•Pressure equalization slot reduces non-uniformity by an order of magnitude.•At least two PSEs at equal distance from inlet and outlet are necessary.•Width and PSE’s distance from channel entrance greater than 7 times channel size. Numbering-up using parallel channels helps to achieve higher processing capacity while retaining the advantages of microreactors. However it may also lead to non-uniformity in flow across all the channels. Here we report the CFD simulations and experimental observations on the extent of uniformity in the flow from an assembly of several parallel channels. In the conventional parallel channel geometry, smaller channel size (
ISSN:0009-2509
1873-4405
DOI:10.1016/j.ces.2017.10.021