Comparison between Mixing in Novel High Frequency Sonoreactor and Stirred Tank Reactor

Abstract

This paper reports the results of the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling for a newly developed 1.7 MHz ultrasound reactor. No chemical reaction was studied and only mechanical mixing was discussed. The predicted fluid flow patterns in this sonoreactor was compared with that of a stirred tank reactor equipped with a classic Rushton turbine impeller. Results of model prediction illustrate significant differences in the predicted flow pattern inside the studied reactors. The higher performance of the sonoreactor was obtained in terms of the axial circulation times, which were 1.37 and 7.12 s for the sonoreactor and the stirred tank reactor, respectively. In order to validate the predicted results, they were compared with the published experimental data for both reactors, and reasonable agreements have been obtained.