%0 Journal Article %J Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research %D 2014 %T 3D flow reactors: flow, hydrodynamics, and performance %A Sharma, Mrityunjay %A Reddy, Venkateswara S. %A Kulkarni, Amol A. %X

A device comprised of a sequence of converging or diverging units aligned either in an axisymmetric or nonaxisymmetric manner can be used as a continuous flow reactor. Here we report the analysis of flow and hydrodynamics (pressure drop, residence time distribution, and mass transfer) for an axisymmetric geometry of a 3D flow reactor for single phase and two-phase flows. CFD simulations of the single phase flow have been used for identification of the precise geometrical configuration. The sequence of converging units as a flow reactor has been found to always be better than the sequence of diverging units. The residence time distribution analysis also favored the choice of converging flow as a better option. The performance of the device was verified by successfully carrying out a highly exothermic two-phase aromatic nitration of benzaldehyde (Delta H-r approximate to -172 kg/mol) with fuming nitric acid.

%B Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research %I AMER CHEMICAL SOC %C 1155 16TH ST, NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20036 USA %V 53 %P 1916-1923 %8 FEB %G eng %N 5 %9 Article %3

Foreign

%4 2.567 %R 10.1021/ie402311y