Improvements in Chemical Reactors using Heat Pipe Technology

Chemical reactors perform much better if the conditions throughout the reactor bed or the catalyst can be maintained at specific temperatures, heat fluxes, etc.  This is not possible in most reactor configurations, unless one goes to fully-intensified units such as spinning disc reactors.  However, there is a heat transfer technology that can be effective in overcoming limitations of conventional reactors - the heat pipe.

The heat pipe is a 2-phase heat transfer device operating on an evaporation/ condensation cycle that performs as a 'super thermal conductor'.  It can be designed for operation at any reactor temperature, and its merits are such that it can isothermalise reactions, remove or add heat at a specified rate, effectively recover heat, can act as a catalyst support vessel, and can perform beneficially in higee environments.

This PhD project will involve studies on heat pipe behaviour, identification of heat pipe characteristics that can be compatible with a number of reactor/reaction types, testing of an appropriate heat pipe/reactor combination and modelling of the unit, with a view to the development of a tool for heat pipe location in reactors.

For more information, please contact Prof Adam Harvey or Prof David Reay.