Macro-microreactor-Based Process Intensification for Achievement of High-Mixing-Performance, Low-Pressure-Drop, and High-Throughput Liquid–Liquid Homogeneous Chemical Processes
Shuangfei Zhao, Huiyue Wang, Xin Hu, Yihuan Liu, Zheng Fang, Yuanhai Su, Kai Guo, Ning Zhu
Abstract
Microreactors provide an enhanced mixing performance but suffer from low throughput. This work proposed a macro-microreactor with designed internals to achieve both process intensification and scale-up for the liquid–liquid homogeneous chemical processes. Numerical simulations utilizing computational fluid dynamics were conducted to investigate the fluid mechanics and the properties of mixing of a macro-microreactor (feature size >2000 μm). Experimental validation using the Villermaux–Dushman reaction demonstrated that this easily fabricated macro-microreactor with optimized helical-shaped internal achieved a comparable mixing performance, lower pressure drop, and higher throughput compared to a typical microreactor with a smaller feature size (1000 μm). The macro-microreactor would find more applications in industrial liquid–liquid homogeneous chemical processes.