Announcement - Special Issue: 'Advances in Bioprocess Intensification' for Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification
Submissions opening on 1st October 2020; final submission deadline of 31st January 2021


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  Salah Al-Hengari

Postgraduate Student
 
       
 

Mixing Characteristics in a Spinning Disc Reactor

 

The Spinning Disc Reactor (SDR) is a novel reactor technology which exploits the benefits of applying high centrifugal forces to a liquid flowing on a rotating disc surface. The liquid is spread out on the rotating surface in the form of very thin films (50-500 mm) having a large number of surface ripples. A number of reactions have been tested in the SDR including polymerisations, organic catalytic reactions, neutralisations and crystallisations. Reaction rates, yields and selectivity were greatly enhanced in the SDR in comparison with stirred tank vessels. High quality products (high molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions for polymerisations and very small particles (0.5-5 um) and narrow particle size distribution for crystallisations) were obtained from the SDR. 

 

It has long been recognised that the intense mixing characteristics of the thin films in the SDR, in particular intense micromixing (i.e. mixing at the molecular scale), plays an important in the improvements observed for the reactions carried out in the novel reactor. However, to date, there has been no systematic study undertaken to characterise the mixing in the thin films.

 

In this project, we are investigating the fundamental science underlying the mixing characteristics taking place within the thin films flowing on the spinning disc. A competitive reaction scheme is being used to quantify the micromixing under various operating conditions.

 

For more information see:  Process Intensification: A Study of Micromixing Characteristics in the Spinning Disc Reactor. Or, contact Dr Kamelia Boodhoo or Prof Ian Metcalfe.

 

 

 

 Last modified: 10-Sep-2020