Liquid-liquid two-phase mass transfer characteristics in a rotating helical microchannel

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2018.12.026

Abstract

Abstract: In this work, the mass transfer characteristics of two immiscible fluids were investigated in a rotating helical microchannel with hydraulic diameter of 932 μm. Aqueous phosphoric acid solution and 80% tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) in kerosene were selected for the investigation of mass transfer performance in quartz glass/high density polyethylene (HDPE) microchannel. High dispersion between the two immiscible fluids can be obtained in the microchannel due to the intensifying action of centrifugal force, and the majority of the droplets with average diameter of 20-100 μm were produced in the microchannel. The flow rate and rotation speed were found to have great effects on the extraction efficiency and average residence time. The empirical correlation of average residence time based on experimental data was developed by theoretical analysis and data fitting method, and a mathematical model of the mass transfer coefficient in dispersed phase was proposed.

Key words: Microchannels, Mass transfer, Extraction, Immiscible fluids, Multiphase flow

摘要： In this work, the mass transfer characteristics of two immiscible fluids were investigated in a rotating helical microchannel with hydraulic diameter of 932 μm. Aqueous phosphoric acid solution and 80% tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) in kerosene were selected for the investigation of mass transfer performance in quartz glass/high density polyethylene (HDPE) microchannel. High dispersion between the two immiscible fluids can be obtained in the microchannel due to the intensifying action of centrifugal force, and the majority of the droplets with average diameter of 20-100 μm were produced in the microchannel. The flow rate and rotation speed were found to have great effects on the extraction efficiency and average residence time. The empirical correlation of average residence time based on experimental data was developed by theoretical analysis and data fitting method, and a mathematical model of the mass transfer coefficient in dispersed phase was proposed.

关键词: Microchannels, Mass transfer, Extraction, Immiscible fluids, Multiphase flow

Yan Cao, Jun Li, Yang Jin, Jianhong Luo, Yubin Wang. Liquid-liquid two-phase mass transfer characteristics in a rotating helical microchannel[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2019, 27(12): 2937-2947.

Yan Cao, Jun Li, Yang Jin, Jianhong Luo, Yubin Wang. Liquid-liquid two-phase mass transfer characteristics in a rotating helical microchannel[J]. 中国化学工程学报, 2019, 27(12): 2937-2947.

References

[1] G.S. Laddha, T.E. Degaleesan, Transport Phenomena in Liquid Extraction, McGrawHill, New Delhi, 1978.
[2] M.N. Kashid, Y.M. Harshe, D.W. Agar, Liquid-liquid slug flow in a capillary:An alternative to suspended drop or film contactors, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 46(25) (2007) 8420-8430.
[3] V. Hessel, H. Lowe, Microchemical engineering:components, plant concepts user acceptance-Part I, Chem. Eng. Technol. 26(1) (2003) 13-24.
[4] C. Wiles, P. Watts, Continuous flow reactors, a tool for the modern synthetic chemist, Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2008(10) (2008) 1655-1671.
[5] Y.C. Zhao, Y.H. Su, G.W. Chen, Q. Yuan, Effect of surface properties on the flow characteristics and mass transfer performance in microchannels, Chem. Eng. Sci. 65(5) (2010) 1563-1570.
[6] K.F. Jensen, B.J. Reizman, S.G. Newman, Tools for chemical synthesis in microsystems, Lab Chip 14(2014) 3206-3212.
[7] S. Dai, J.H. Luo, J. Li, X.H. Zhu, Y. Cao, S. Komarneni, Liquid-liquid microextraction of Cu²⁺ from water using a new circle microchannel device, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 56(44) (2017) 12717-12725.
[8] Y. Ying, G.W. Chen, Y.C. Zhao, S.L. Li, Q. Yuan, A high throughput methodology for continuous preparation of monodispersed nanocrystals in microfluidic reactors, Chem. Eng. J. 135(3) (2008) 209-215.
[9] L.S. Roach, H. Song, R.F. Ismagilov, Controlling nonspecific protein adsorption in a plug-based microfluidic system by controlling interfacial chemistry using fluorous-phase surfactants, Anal. Chem. 77(3) (2005) 785-796.
[10] M. N. Kashid, A. Renken, L. Kiwi-Minsker, Influence of flow regime on mass transfer in different types of microchannels, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 50(11) (2011) 6906-6914.
[11] J. Jovanovic, E.V. Rebrov, T.A. Nijhuis, M.T. Kreutzer, V. Hessel, J.C. Schouten, Liquid-liquid flow in a capillary microreactor:Hydrodynamic flow patterns and extraction performance, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 51(2) (2012) 1015-1026.
[12] A. Pohar, M. Lakner, I. Plazl, Parallel flow of immiscible liquids in a microreactor:Modeling and experimental study, Microfluid. Nanofluid. 12(1-4) (2012) 307-316.
[13] M.N. Kashid, I. Gerlach, S. Goetz, J. Franzke, J.F. Acker, F. Platte, D.W. Agar, S. Turek, Internal circulation within the liquid slugs of a liquid-liquid slug-flow capillary microreactor, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 44(14) (2005) 5003-5010.
[14] M.N. Kashid, A. Renken, L. Kiwi-Minsker, Gas-liquid and liquid-liquid mass transfer in microstructured reactors, Chem. Eng. Sci. 66(17) (2011) 3876-3897.
[15] K. Matsuyama, W. Tanthapanichakoon, N. Aoki, K. Mae, Operation of microfluidic liquid slug formation and slug design for kinetics measurement, Chem. Eng. Sci. 62(18-20) (2007) 5133-5136.
[16] J.H. Xu, J. Tan, S.W. Li, G.S. Luo, Enhancement of mass transfer performance of liquid-liquid system by droplet flow in microchannels, Chem. Eng. J. 141(1-3) (2008) 242-249.
[17] T. Nisisako, T. Torii, T. Higuchi, Droplet formation in a microchannel network, Lab Chip 2(2002) 24-26.
[18] H.W. Shao, Y.C. Lu, K. Wang, G.S. Luo, Liquid-liquid flow and mass transfer characteristics in micro-sieve array device with dual-sized pores, Chem. Eng. J. 193-194(25) (2012) 96-101.
[19] B.J. Kim, S.Y. Yoon, K.H. Lee, H.J. Sung, Development of a microfluidic device for simultaneous mixing and pumping, Exp. Fluids 46(1) (2009) 85-95.
[20] N. Aoki, R. Ando, K. Mae, Gas-liquid-liquid slug flow for improving liquid-liquid extraction in miniaturized channels, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 50(8) (2011) 4672-4677.
[21] N. Assmann, P.R. von Rohr, Extraction in microreactors:Intensification by adding an inert gas phase, Chem. Eng. Process. 50(8) (2011) 822-827.
[22] J. Yue, E.V. Rebrov, J.C. Schouten, Gas-liquid-liquid three-phase flow pattern and pressure drop in a microfluidic chip:Similarities with gas-liquid/liquid-liquid flows, Lab Chip 14(2014) 1632-1649.
[23] Y.H. Su, G.W. Chen, Y.C. Zhao, Q. Yuan, Intensification of liquid-liquid two phase mass transfer by gas agitation in a microchannel, AIChE J. 55(8) (2009) 1948-1958.
[24] Y.H. Su, Y.C. Zhao, G.W. Chen, Q. Yuan, Liquid-liquid two-phase flow and mass transfer characteristics in packed microchannels, Chem. Eng. Sci. 65(13) (2010) 3947-3956.
[25] Y.C. Zhao, G.W. Chen, Q. Yuan, Liquid-liquid two-phase mass transfer in the Tjunction microchannels, AIChE J. 53(12) (2007) 3042-3053.
[26] L. Bai, S. Zhao, Y. Fu, Y. Cheng, Experimental study of mass transfer in water/ionic liquid microdroplet systems using micro-LIF technique, Chem. Eng. J. 298(2016) 281-290.
[27] D. Zou, Y. Jin, J. Li, Y.Q. Cao, X. Li, Emulsification solvent extraction of phosphoric acid by tri-n-butyl phosphate using a high-speed shearing machine, Sep. Purif. Technol. 172(2017) 242-250.
[28] L.T. Li, J. Zhang, K. Wang, J.H. Xu, G.S. Luo, Droplet formation of H₂SO₄/alkane system in a T-junction microchannel:Gravity effect, AIChE J. 62(12) (2016) 4564-4573.
[29] J.H. Xu, G.S. Luo, G.G. Chen, B. Tan, Mass transfer performance and two-phase flow characteristic in membrane dispersion mini-extractor, J. Membr. Sci. 249(1-2) (2005) 75-81.
[30] S. Susanti, J.G. Winkelman, B. Schuur, H.J. Heeres, J. Yue, Lactic acid extraction and mass transfer characteristics in slug flow capillary microreactors, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 55(16) (2016) 4691-4702.
[31] J.H. Xu, G.S. Luo, G.G. Chen, Y. Sun, J.D. Wang, Mass transfer model for liquid-liquid micromixing systems, J. Chem. Ind. Eng. (China) 56(3) (2005) 435-440. (in Chines).
[32] R.B. Bird, W.E. Stewart, E.N. Lightfoot, Transport Phenomena, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2002.
[33] Y.C. Zhao, G.W. Chen, Q. Yuan, Liquid-liquid two-phase flow patterns in a rectangular microchannel, AIChE J. 52(12) (2006) 4052-4060.
[34] C.C. Domínguez, T. Gamse, Utilization of micro-mixers for supercritical fluid fractionation:Influence of the residence time, J. Supercrit. Fluids 132(2018) 17-23.
[35] F.H. Kakavandi, M. Rahimi, O. Jafari, N. Azimi, Liquid-liquid two-phase mass transfer in T-type micromixers with different junctions and cylindrical pits, Chem. Eng. Process. 107(2016) 58-67.
[36] G. Li, S.C. Ye, Z.G. Zhang, Y.L. Ma, Research and analysis of mass transfer model for liquid-liquid phase dispersion extraction, J. Chem. Eng. Chin. Univ. 29(6) (2015) 1325-1332.
[37] R. Kronig, J.C. Brink, On the theory of extraction from falling droplets, Appl. Sci. Res. A2(1950) 142-154.
[38] P.N. Rowe, R.T. Claxton, T.B. Lewis, Heat and mass transfer from a single sphere in an extensive flowing fluid, Trans. Inst. Chem. Eng. 43(1965) 14-31.