Abstract
In this paper a rotor-stator spinning disk reactor for intensified biodiesel synthesis is described and numerically simulated. The reactor consists of two flat disks, located coaxially and parallel to each other with a gap ranging from 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm between the disks. The upper disk is located on a rotating shaft while the lower disk is stationary. The feed liquids, triglycerides (TG) and methanol are introduced coaxially along the center line of rotating disk and stationary disk, respectively. Fluid hydrodynamics in the reactor for synthesis of biodiesel from TG and methanol in the presence of a sodium hydroxide catalyst are simulated, using convection-diffusion-reaction species transport model by the CFD software ANSYS? Fluent v. 13.0. The effects of upper disk’s spinning speed and gap size are evaluated.
Highlights
Biodiesel production involves the transesterification of oil or fat feedstock with methyl alcohol under alkaline conditions in a liquid-liquid environment
In some existing solutions of spinning disk reactor (SDR), a high gravity field-centrifugal force is created by rotation of a disk surface on which liquid is dispersed as a thin film
The radius where flow pattern changes from plug flow to ideally mixed flow, decrease as the rotational speed increases, and increases as gap size decreases
Summary
Biodiesel production involves the transesterification of oil or fat feedstock with methyl alcohol under alkaline conditions in a liquid-liquid environment. Transesterification is a liquid-liquid two phase reaction. Reaction rate can be limited by mass transfer between the oils and alcohol because they are immiscible. Rotor-stator spinning disk reactor (SDR) is one of the process intensification technology employing high gravity fields caused by centrifugation. In some existing solutions of SDR, a high gravity field-centrifugal force is created by rotation of a disk surface on which liquid is dispersed as a thin film. When a liquid is introduced onto the disk surface at or adjacent to the spin axis, the liquid flows radially outward under the centrifugal force in the form of a thin film. Unsteady film surface waves on the disk surface, coupled with the shearing action of the rotating surface, ensure that micro mixing and excellent mass and heat transfer are achieved [2]
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