An Investigation into the Micromixing Characteristics in a Spinning Disc Reactor
Special Symposium - EPIC-1: European Process Intensification Conference - 1
EPIC-1: Poster Session (EPIC - Poster) - P1
Keywords: Process intensification; Micromixing characterisation; segregation index; Spinning disc Reactor; stirred tank Reactor; microchannel reactor.
An Investigation into the Micromixing Characteristics in a Spinning Disc Reactor
Salah Ramadan Al-hengari* and Kamelia V.K. Boodhoo,
School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
* Corresponding author (E-mail: salah.al-hengari@ncl.ac.uk)
Abstract
Micromixing phenomena (i.e. mixing at molecular level) plays a very important role in the chemical industry and the study of micromixing improves the understanding of important processes such as polymerization, crystallization and competing fast chemical reactions. It has long been recognised that the intense mixing characteristics of thin films in the spinning disc reactor (SDR), in particular at the molecular level, play an important role in improving reaction performance. However, to date, there has been no systematic study of mixing in SDR thin films.
This paper concerns the characterisation of the micromixing process within a thin film flowing on the SDR. A parallel-competitive reaction test scheme will be used to quantify micromixing in terms of the segregation index, micromixing time, micromixing length etc. Various parameters will be investigated including: effects of disc rotation rates, feed flowrates, disc surface configurations (smooth, grooved, etc.), liquids of varying concentrations, viscosities, and wetting characteristics etc. The SDR mixing data will be benchmarked against experimental data for both the microchannel reactor and the conventional stirred tank reactor in order to evaluate the micromixing efficiency in the SDR relative to these systems. The preliminary results from our study are presented and discussed in this paper.
Kay words: Process intensification; Micromixing characterisation; segregation index; Spinning disc Reactor; stirred tank Reactor; microchannel reactor;
Presented Wednesday 19, 13:30 to 14:40, in session EPIC-1 Poster Session (EPIC - Poster) - P1.
