3D Flow Reactors: Flow, Hydrodynamics, and Performance

A device comprised of a sequence of converging or diverging units aligned either in an axisymmetric or nonaxisymmetric manner can be used as a continuous flow reactor. Here we report the analysis of flow and hydrodynamics (pressure drop, residence time distribution, and mass transfer) for an axisymm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Industrial & engineering chemistry research 2014-02, Vol.53 (5), p.1916-1923
Main Authors: Sharma, Mrityunjay, Reddy S, Venkateswara, Kulkarni, Amol A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Axisymmetric
Devices
Fluid dynamics
Fluid flow
Hydrodynamics
Reactors
Residence time distribution
Three dimensional
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Summary:A device comprised of a sequence of converging or diverging units aligned either in an axisymmetric or nonaxisymmetric manner can be used as a continuous flow reactor. Here we report the analysis of flow and hydrodynamics (pressure drop, residence time distribution, and mass transfer) for an axisymmetric geometry of a 3D flow reactor for single phase and two-phase flows. CFD simulations of the single phase flow have been used for identification of the precise geometrical configuration. The sequence of converging units as a flow reactor has been found to always be better than the sequence of diverging units. The residence time distribution analysis also favored the choice of converging flow as a better option. The performance of the device was verified by successfully carrying out a highly exothermic two-phase aromatic nitration of benzaldehyde (ΔH r ≈ −172 kJ/mol) with fuming nitric acid.
ISSN:0888-5885
1520-5045
DOI:10.1021/ie402311y