Micromixing in a rotating packed bed with blade packings

Abstract

The micromixing efficiency of a rotating packed bed (RPB) with blade packings, which is determined by a parallel competing reaction system, is related to the rotational speed, the total liquid flow rate, the outer radius of the blade, the inner radius of the blade, the number of blades, and the liquid viscosity. Experimental results show that increasing the rotational speed, the total liquid flow rate, and the number of blades effectively increased the micromixing efficiency. Increasing the outer radius of the blade and the liquid viscosity did not almost affect micromixing efficiency. The inner radius of the blade had a particular effect on micromixing efficiency: the micromixing efficiency firstly decreased and then increased as the inner radius of the blade was increased. Although the micromixing efficiency in the RPB with blade packings was lower than that in the RPB with structured packings, the mean size of the magnesium hydroxide nanoparticles that were prepared using the RPB with blade packings was close to that of those prepared using the RPB with structured packings. Accordingly, the RPB with blade packings is a promising reactor for preparing nanoparticles with high micromixing efficiency.