Rational design of the inlet configuration of flow systems for enhanced mixing
Published version
Peer-reviewed
Repository URI
Repository DOI
Type
Change log
Authors
Abstract
jats:titleAbstract</jats:title>jats:pHigh mass transfer rate is a key advantage of microreactors however, under their characteristic laminar flow, it is dominated by jats:italicslow</jats:italic> diffusion rather than jats:italicfast</jats:italic> convection. In this paper, we demonstrate how the configuration of the inlet, i.e. mixers, can promote different flow patterns to greatly enhance mixing efficiency downstream. A systematic evaluation and comparison of different widely adopted mixers as well as advanced designs is presented using a combination of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and backward particle tracking to accurately calculate diffusion, in the absence of numerical diffusion (false diffusion). In the method, the convection contributed concentration profile is obtained by tracking sampling points from a cross-sectional plane to the inlet point, and diffusion is estimated subsequently. In conventional T- and Y-mixers, the shape of channel, circular or square, is key with only the latter promoting engulfment flow. In cyclone mixers, the resulting average inlet velocity, independent of Reynolds number or geometry, is the dominating design parameter to predict mixing efficiency. This work will serve as a guideline for the design of efficient flow systems with predicted mixing as a way of maximising selectivity and product quality.</jats:p>
Description
Funder: Chinese Government Scholarship; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100010890
Funder: Cambridge Overseas Trust; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100003341
Keywords
Journal Title
Conference Name
Journal ISSN
2063-0212