Process intensification of a catalytic-wall Taylor-Couette reactor through unconventional modulation of its angular speed

Abstract

This study proposes a non-conventional operation of a Taylor-Couette reactor by introducing a periodic flow perturbation as a modulated angular velocity of its inner cylinder. The applicability of this type of waveform has yet to be explored in Taylor-Couette reactors as a means to enhance mass transfer phenomena in reactive systems. A multiphysics numerical study was carried out considering a mass-transfer limited system with a catalytic reaction at the outer cylinder boundary of the reactor while applying different modulations of the inner cylinder angular speed. Results showed that a modular signal could yield conversions similar to a constant angular-speed operation. However, the use of modulating signals brings two essential benefits. First, it enhances mass transfer, which yields higher conversions by dynamically changing the flow patterns in the reactor. This improvement is demonstrated and discussed in terms of a dynamic mixing index, which accounts for the formation and abrupt disruption of Taylor vortices in the reactor. Second and more importantly, this type of operation leads to an overall reduction in the average electrical power required to drive the system (∼25 % reduction). The present study opens the possibility of using intelligent control strategies to optimize reactions and intensify conventional systems with non-conventional operation modes.