(74e) Stable Disrupted Flow in Microchannels for Multiphase Reactions

Multiphase reactions have been notoriously challenging to perform in microchannel reactors. Recent advancements in the literature have suggested the use of Taylor flow as one method to enhance contact and reaction between phases. An alternate approach to efficient multiphase mixing has been developed to disrupt flow and enhance mixing in otherwise laminar flow microchannels. Stable disrupted flow is created by the integration of wall depressions or features which break the laminar flow regime within a microchannel. The result is turbulent-like flow in otherwise low Reynolds number systems. This approach extends beyond the original work for liquid-liquid mixing described by Svasek et al in 1996, Johnson et al in 2002, and Strook et al in 2002 who added grooved wall features to enhance mixing in microfluidic systems with very low Reynolds numbers. The microchannel design has evolved to address additional challenges of multiphase flow. Comparisons of conventional microchannel performance with those employing stable disrupted multiphase flow will be made using both numerical simulations and experiments.

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