Civil and Environmental Engineering Publications
Mixing performances of swirl flow and corrugated channel reactors
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2014
Journal
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING RESEARCH & DESIGN
Volume
92
Issue
11
First Page
2213
URL with Digital Object Identifier
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cherd.2014.01.014
Last Page
2222
Abstract
Four different geometrical solutions for tubular reactors are compared for transfer intensification in fluid processes: (1) a compact multi-tube with helical screw-tape inserts, (2) a plain corrugated channel with a smooth bend curvature, called "wavy channel", (3) a plain corrugated channel with a herringbone pattern, called "zigzag channel", and (4) a plain straight pipe serving as the reference case. The single-phase mixing abilities of these four devices are compared by the chemical probe method (Villermaux/Dushman iodide/iodate system) for a range of main-flow Reynolds numbers between 100 and 4000. The chemical probe method is used here to investigate the global mixing time in the entire reactor volume, as deduced from the segregation index by a phenomenological model. Experimental results reveal better mixing performance and reduced energy expenditures in the helical-insert tube, in both the laminar and turbulent regimes. (C) 2014 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.