Improving the micromixing and thermal performance using a novel microreactor design

• Published in: Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering 2023-07, Vol.45 (7), Article 362
• Main Authors: El-Shazly, Ahmed H., Fuko, Maud Gracious, Sichali, Atusaye G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemical reactions; Computational fluid dynamics; Design parameters; Efficiency; Engineering; Flow velocity; Fluid flow; Laminar flow; Mechanical Engineering; Microchannels; Micromixing; Microreactors; Mixers; Performance evaluation; Simulation; Technical Paper
• ISSN: 1678-5878; 1806-3691
• DOI: 10.1007/s40430-023-04282-y

Mixing and thermal performance are crucial factors to consider in many chemical processes. Microreactor performance is frequently evaluated using the Villermaux–Dushman test reaction. The Villermaux–iodide/iodate Dushman's test reaction method and thermal camera were used in this study to investigate the mixing capabilities of multistage Y-arrow-shaped (Y-A) micromixers at laminar flow. Test solutions were fed through a 500-µm uniform diameter multistage Y-A-shaped microreactor with varied Y angles of 45° and 60°, and different volume flow rates of 100 to 600 ml/h and three different concentration sets 1, 1c, and 2b. A comparison of the absorbance values, segregation index of the products, and micromixing time made by the two mixers revealed that the 45° multistage Y-A-shaped micromixer offered the best mixing performance at volume flow rates under 600 mL/h. For thermal mixing efficiencies, the 45° microreactors had higher output temperatures as compared to the 60° microchannel. In this project, a basis for the design of a microreactor thermal performance was further provided through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The effects of microreactor design parameters on fluid flow and mixing efficiency were studied by CFD simulation whose results showed that the angle of the multistage Y-A-shaped microreactor had a significantly positive effect on the mixing efficiency. Based on the simulation results, the splitting collision mechanism is discussed, and other recommendations have been obtained. Additionally, the experimental results showed that the mixing efficiency for the two microreactors was good for both 60° and 45° microreactors with the segregation index of range 0.007–0.02 and 0.002–0.018, respectively, which showed better performance than other fabricated designs of similar nature.