Gas-liquid flow mass transfer in a T-shape microreactor stimulated with 1.7 MHz ultrasound waves

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2017.03.010

Abstract

Abstract: This paper describes the application of ultrasound waves on hydrodynamics and mass transfer characteristics in the gas-liquid flow in a T-shape microreactor with a diameter of 800 μm. A 1.7 MHz piezoelectric transducer (PZT) was employed to induce the vibration in this microreactor. Liquid side volumetric mass transfer coefficients were measured by physical and chemical methods of CO₂ absorption into water and NaOH solution. The approach of absorption of CO₂ into a 1 mol·L^-1 NaOH solution was used for analysis of interfacial areas. With the help of a photography system, the fluid flow patterns inside the microreactor were analyzed. The effects of superficial liquid velocity, initial concentration of NaOH, superficial CO₂ gas velocity and length of microreactor on the mass transfer rate were investigated. The comparison between sonicated and plain microreactors (microreactor with and without ultrasound) shows that the ultrasound wave irradiation has a significant effect on k_La and interfacial area at various operational conditions. For the microreactor length of 12 cm, ultrasound waves improved k_La and interfacial area about 21% and 22%, respectively. From this study, it can be concluded that ultrasound wave irradiation in microreactor has a great effect on the mass transfer rate. This study suggests a new enhancement technique to establish high interfacial area and k_La in microreactors.

Key words: Ultrasound waves, Microreactor, Gas-liquid flow, Mass transfer, Absorption

摘要： This paper describes the application of ultrasound waves on hydrodynamics and mass transfer characteristics in the gas-liquid flow in a T-shape microreactor with a diameter of 800 μm. A 1.7 MHz piezoelectric transducer (PZT) was employed to induce the vibration in this microreactor. Liquid side volumetric mass transfer coefficients were measured by physical and chemical methods of CO₂ absorption into water and NaOH solution. The approach of absorption of CO₂ into a 1 mol·L^-1 NaOH solution was used for analysis of interfacial areas. With the help of a photography system, the fluid flow patterns inside the microreactor were analyzed. The effects of superficial liquid velocity, initial concentration of NaOH, superficial CO₂ gas velocity and length of microreactor on the mass transfer rate were investigated. The comparison between sonicated and plain microreactors (microreactor with and without ultrasound) shows that the ultrasound wave irradiation has a significant effect on k_La and interfacial area at various operational conditions. For the microreactor length of 12 cm, ultrasound waves improved k_La and interfacial area about 21% and 22%, respectively. From this study, it can be concluded that ultrasound wave irradiation in microreactor has a great effect on the mass transfer rate. This study suggests a new enhancement technique to establish high interfacial area and k_La in microreactors.

关键词: Ultrasound waves, Microreactor, Gas-liquid flow, Mass transfer, Absorption

Mona Akbari, Masoud Rahimi, Mahboubeh Faryadi. Gas-liquid flow mass transfer in a T-shape microreactor stimulated with 1.7 MHz ultrasound waves[J]. , 2017, 25(9): 1143-1152.

References

[1] G. Chen, J. Yue, Q. Yuan, Gas-liquid microreaction technology:Recent developments and future challenges, Chin. J. Chem. Eng. 16(5) (2008) 663-669.
[2] C.W. Choi, D.I. Yu, M.H. Kim, Adiabatic two-phase flow in rectangular microchannels with different aspect ratios:Part I-Flow pattern, pressure drop and void fraction, Int. J. Heat Mass Transf. 54(1-3) (2011) 616-624.
[3] H. Ganapathy, E. Al-Hajri, M. Ohadi, Mass transfer characteristics of gas-liquid absorption during Taylor flow in mini/microchannel reactors, Chem. Eng. Sci. 101(2013) 69-80.
[4] K. Yamamoto, S. Ogata, Effects of T-junction size on bubble generation and flow instability for two-phase flows in circular microchannels, Int. J. Multiphase Flow 49(2013) 24-30.
[5] A. Özkan, E. Yegân Erdem, Numerical analysis of mixing performance in sinusoidal microchannels based on particle motion in droplets, Microfluid. Nanofluid. 19(2015) 1101-1108.
[6] Z. Zhang, Z. Qian, L. Xu, C. Wu, K. Guo, Deviation of carbon dioxide-water gas-liquid balance from thermodynamic equilibrium in turbulence I:Experiment and correlation, Chin. J. Chem. Eng. 21(7) (2013) 770-775.
[7] F. Yang, S. Zhou, X. An, Gas-liquid hydrodynamics in a vessel stirred by dual dislocated-blade Rushton impellers, Chin. J. Chem. Eng. 23(11) (2015) 1746-1754.
[8] W. Li, X. Geng, Y. Bao, Z. Gao, Micromixing characteristics in a gas-liquid-solid stirred tank with settling particles, Chin. J. Chem. Eng. 23(3) (2015) 461-470.
[9] Z. Jia, Q. Chang, J. Qin, A. Mamat, Preparation of calcium carbonate nanoparticles with a continuous gas-liquid membrane contactor:Particles morphology and membrane fouling, Chin. J. Chem. Eng. 21(2) (2013) 121-126.
[10] E. Santacesaria, M. Di Serio, P. Iengo, Mass transfer and kinetics in ethoxylation spray tower loop reactors, Chem. Eng. Sci. 54(10) (1999) 1499-1504.
[11] J.A. Delgado, M.A. Uguina, J.L. Sotelo, V.I. Águeda, A. Sanz, Simulation of CO₂ absorption into aqueous DEA using a hollow fiber membrane contactor:Evaluation of contactor performance, Chem. Eng. J. 152(2-3) (2009) 396-405.
[12] S. Krumdieck, J. Wallace, O. Curnow, Compact, low energy CO₂ management using amine solution in a packed bubble column, Chem. Eng. J. 135(1-2) (2008) 3-9.
[13] C.P. Stemmet, M. Meeuwse, J. van der Schaaf, B.F.M. Kuster, J.C. Schouten, Gas-liquid mass transfer and axial dispersion in solid foam packings, Chem. Eng. Sci. 62(18-20) (2007) 5444-5450.
[14] F. Yi, H.-K. Zou, G.-W. Chu, L. Shao, J.-F. Chen, Modeling and experimental studies on absorption of CO₂ by Benfield solution in rotating packed bed, Chem. Eng. J. 145(3) (2009) 377-384.
[15] H. Niu, L. Pan, H. Su, S. Wang, Flow pattern, pressure drop, and mass transfer in a gas-liquid concurrent two-phase flow microchannel reactor, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 48(2009) 1621-1628.
[16] T.Y. Chan, G.H. Priestman, J.M. MacInnes, R.W.K. Allen, Development of a microchannel contactor-separator for immiscible liquids, Chem. Eng. Res. Des. 86(1) (2008) 65-74.
[17] R. Luo, L. Wang, Liquid flow pattern around Taylor bubbles in an etched rectangular microchannel, Chem. Eng. Res. Des. 90(8) (2012) 998-1010.
[18] M. Heuberger, L. Gottardo, M. Dressler, R. Hufenus, Biphasic fluid oscillator with coaxial injection and upstream mass and momentum transfer, Microfluid. Nanofluid. 19(3) (2015) 653-663.
[19] W. Ehrfeld, V. Hessel, H. Lowe, Microreactors New Technology for Modern Chemistry, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2000.
[20] X. Wang, G. Liu, K. Wang, G. Luo, Measurement of internal flow field during droplet formation process accompanied with mass transfer, Microfluid. Nanofluid. 19(3) (2015) 757-766.
[21] M. Rahimi, M. Akbari, M.A. Parsamoghadam, A.A. Alsairafi, CFD study on effect of channel confluence angle on fluid flow pattern in asymmetrical shaped microchannels, Comput. Chem. Eng. 73(2015) 172-182.
[22] A. Schuster, K. Sefiane, J. Ponton, Multiphase mass transport in mini/micro-channels microreactor, Chem. Eng. Res. Des. 86(5) (2008) 527-534.
[23] B. Xu, W. Cai, X. Liu, X. Zhang, Mass transfer behavior of liquid-liquid slug flow in circular cross-section microchannel, Chem. Eng. Res. Des. 91(7) (2013) 1203-1211.
[24] Y. Zhao, G. Chen, Q. Yuan, Liquid-liquid two-phase flow patterns in a rectangular microchannel, AIChE J. 52(12) (2006) 4052-4060.
[25] S. Ferrouillat, P. Tochon, H. Peerhossaini, Micromixing enhancement by turbulence:Application to multifunctional heat exchangers, Chem. Eng. Process. 45(8) (2006) 633-640.
[26] M. Kashid, A. Renken, L. Kiwi-Minsker, Mixing efficiency and energy consumption for five generic microchannel designs, Chem. Eng. J. 167(2-3) (2011) 436-443.
[27] M. Darekar, K.K. Singh, S. Mukhopadhyay, K.T. Shenoy, S.K. Ghosh, Solvent extraction in microbore tubes with UNPS-TBP in dodecane system, Sep. Purif. Technol. 128(2014) 96-105.
[28] U. Novak, A. Pohar, I. Plazl, P. Žnidaršič-Plazl, Ionic liquid-based aqueous twophase extraction within a microchannel system, Sep. Purif. Technol. 97(2012) 172-178.
[29] H. Su, S. Wang, H. Niu, L. Pan, A. Wang, Y. Hu, Mass transfer characteristics of H₂S absorption from gaseous mixture into methyldiethanolamine solution in a Tjunction microchannel, Sep. Purif. Technol. 72(3) (2010) 326-334.
[30] C. Ye, G. Chen, Q. Yuan, Process characteristics of CO₂ absorption by aqueous Monoethanolamine in a microchannel reactor, Chin. J. Chem. Eng. 20(1) (2012) 111-119.
[31] B. Agostini, J.R. Thome, M. Fabbri, B. Michel, D. Calmi, U. Kloter, High heat flux flow boiling in silicon multi-microchannels-Part I:Heat transfer characteristics of refrigerant R236fa, Int. J. Heat Mass Transf. 51(21-22) (2008) 5400-5414.
[32] T. Harirchian, S.V. Garimella, A comprehensive flow regime map for microchannel flow boiling with quantitative transition criteria, Int. J. Heat Mass Transf. 53(13-14) (2010) 2694-2702.
[33] W. Li, Z. Wu, A general correlation for adiabatic two-phase pressure drop in micro/mini-channels, Int. J. Heat Mass Transf. 53(13-14) (2010) 2732-2739.
[34] S.-S. Hsieh, C.-Y. Lin, Correlation of critical heat flux and two-phase friction factor for subcooled convective boiling in structured surface microchannels, Int. J. Heat Mass Transf. 55(1-3) (2012) 32-42.
[35] T. Harirchian, S.V. Garimella, Flow regime-based modeling of heat transfer and pressure drop in microchannel flow boiling, Int. J. Heat Mass Transf. 55(4) (2012) 1246-1260.
[36] E. Jafarifar, M. Hajialyani, M. Akbari, M. Rahimi, Y. Shokoohinia, A. Fattahi, Preparation of a reproducible long-acting formulation of risperidone-loaded PLGA microspheres using microfluidic method, Pharm. Dev. Technol. (2016) 1-8.
[37] V.M. Rajesh, V.V. Buwa, Experimental characterization of gas-liquid-liquid flows in T-junction microchannels, Chem. Eng. J. 207-208(2012) 832-844.
[38] J. Yue, G. Chen, Q. Yuan, L. Luo, Y. Gonthier, Hydrodynamics and mass transfer characteristics in gas-liquid flow through a rectangular microchannel, Chem. Eng. Sci. 62(7) (2007) 2096-2108.
[39] J. Yue, L. Luo, Y. Gonthier, G. Chen, Q. Yuan, An experimental investigation of gas-liquid two-phase flow in single microchannel contactors, Chem. Eng. Sci. 63(16) (2008) 4189-4202.
[40] J. Yue, L. Luo, Y. Gonthier, G. Chen, Q. Yuan, An experimental study of air-water Taylor flow and mass transfer inside square microchannels, Chem. Eng. Sci. 64(16) (2009) 3697-3708.
[41] V. Hessel, W. Ehrfeld, T. Herweck, V. Haverkamp, H. Lowe, J. Schiewe, C. Wille, T. Kern, N. Lutz, Gas/liquid microreactors:Hydrodynamics and mass transfer, 4th International Conference on Microreaction Technology, IMRET 4, Atlanta, USA 2000, pp. 174-186.
[42] M. Rahimi, N. Azimi, F. Parvizian, Using microparticles to enhance micromixing in a high frequency continuous flow sonoreactor, Chem. Eng. Process. 70(2013) 250-258.
[43] Z. Yang, S. Matsumoto, H. Goto, M. Matsumoto, R. Maeda, Ultrasonic micromixer for micro fluidic systems, Sens. Actuators A 9(2001) 266-272.
[44] Z. Dong, C. Yao, Y. Zhang, G. Chen, Q. Yuan, J. Xu, Hydrodynamics and mass transfer of oscillating gas-liquid flow in ultrasonic microreactors, AIChE J. 62(4) (2016) 1294-1307.
[45] Z. Dong, S. Zhao, Y. Zhang, C. Yao, Q. Yuan, G. Chen, Mixing and residence time distribution in ultrasonic microreactors, AIChE J. 63(2017) 1404-1418.
[46] Z. Dong, C. Yao, X. Zhang, J. Xu, G. Chen, Y. Zhao, Q. Yuan, A high-power ultrasonic microreactor and its application in gas-liquid mass transfer intensification, Lab Chip 15(4) (2015) 1145-1152.
[47] M. Rahimi, B. Aghel, B. Hatamifar, M. Akbari, A. Alsairafi, CFD modeling of mixing intensification assisted with ultrasound wave in a T-type microreactor, Chem. Eng. Process. 86(2014) 36-46.
[48] M. Rahimi, S. Safari, M. Faryadi, N. Moradi, Experimental investigation on proper use of dual high-low frequency ultrasound waves-Advantage and disadvantage, Chem. Eng. Process. 78(2014) 17-26.
[49] M. Faryadi, M. Rahimi, S. Safari, N. Moradi, Effect of high frequency ultrasound on micromixing efficiency in microchannels, Chem. Eng. Process. 77(2014) 13-21.
[50] S. Aljbour, T. Tagawa, H. Yamada, Ultrasound-assisted capillary microreactor for aqueous-organic multiphase reactions, J. Ind. Eng. Chem. 15(6) (2009) 829-834.
[51] A. Brotchie, F. Grieser, M. Ashokkumar, Effect of power and frequency on bubblesize distributions in acoustic cavitation, Phys. Rev. Lett. 102(8) (2009) 084302.
[52] M.D. Luque de Castro, F. Priego-Capote, Ultrasound assistance to liquid-liquid extraction:A debatable analytical tool, Anal. Chim. Acta 583(1) (2007) 2-9.
[53] K.A. Triplett, S.M. Ghiaasiaan, S.I. Abdel-Khalik, D.L. Sadowski, Gas-liquid two-phase flow in microchannels part I:Two-phase flow patterns, Int. J. Multiphase Flow 25(1999) 377-394.
[54] M. Rahimi, M. Dehbani, M. Abolhasani, Experimental study on the effects of acoustic streaming of high frequency ultrasonic waves on convective heat transfer:Effects of transducer position and wave interference, Int. Commun. Heat Mass Transfer 39(5) (2012) 720-725.
[55] P.R. Gogate, I.Z. Shirgaonkar, M. Sivakumar, P. Senthilkumar, N.P. Vichare, A.B. Pandit, Cavitation reactors:Efficiency assessment using a model reaction, AIChE J. 47(2001) 2526-2538.
[56] M. Zanfir, A. Gavriilidis, C. Wille, V. Hessel, Carbon dioxide absorption in a falling film microstructured reactor:Experiments and modeling, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 44(2005) 1742-1751.
[57] A. Schumpe, The estimation of gas solubilities in salt solutions, Chem. Eng. Sci. 48(1993) 153-158.
[58] P.V. Danckwerts, Gas-Liquid Reactions, McGraw-Hill, New York, USA, 1970.
[59] D. Roberts, P.V. Danckwerts, Kinetics of CO₂ absorption in alkaline solutions-I. Transient absorption rates and catalysis by arsenite, Chem. Eng. Sci. 17(1962) 961-969.
[60] H. Hikita, S. Asai, H. Ishikawa, M. Seko, H. Kitajima, Diffusivities of carbon dioxide in aqueous mixed electrolyte solutions, Chem. Eng. J. 17(1979) 77-80.
[61] R. Pohorecki, W. Moniuk, Kinetics of reaction between carbon dioxide and hydroxylions in aqueous electrolyte solutions, Chem. Eng. Sci. 43(1988) I677-1684.
[62] M.M. Sharma, P.V. Danckwerts, Chemical methods of measuring interfacial areas and mass transfer coefficients in two fluid systems, Braz. J. Chem. Eng. 15(1970) 522-528.
[63] J.F. Chen, G.Z. Chen, J.X. Wang, L. Shao, P.F. Li, High-throughput microporous tubein-tube microreactor as novel gas-liquid contactor:Mass transfer study, AIChE J. 57(1) (2011) 239-249.