Backpressure Conditions Research Articles

Exploring Low Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis Anode Catalyst Degradation Under Cathode Backpressure Conditions

Hydrogen is expected to play an important role in the decarbonization of the future energy landscape by integrating renewable, nuclear, and fossil fuels and using excess power from the grid to produce H2 that can then be stored and used for a variety of applications ranging from ammonia and steel production, stationary power, buildings, and transportation.1 In order to achieve low-cost hydrogen production that is competitive with steam methane reformation (SMR), it is necessary to decrease the capital cost and this can be done by leveraging variable renewable energy (VRE) as an electricity feedstock for LTE.2 However, cost, and durability are still current challenges in state-of-the art water electrolysis systems. More research is needed to better understand the effects of dynamic operation on electrolyzer degradation. Understanding the degradation mechanisms governing intermittent electrolysis operation can enable future improvements related to component design and system operation.In recent years, electrolyzer anode degradation has been investigated during continual intermittent operation at the single cell level. Square-wave potential cycling demonstrated higher anode degradation compared to the triangle-wave cycling over the same 525 hour test (21.9 d).3 Electrolyzers operating at differential pressures and producing electrochemically compressed hydrogen could decrease the hydrogen production cost by eliminating the need for equipment related to mechanical compression.4 This work investigates the dynamics of low-temperature proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers, with a specific focus on anode catalyst layer degradation from redox transition when subjected to hydrogen crossover from cathode backpressure conditions. While cathode backpressure and operation requirements are well understood from an industry perspective, its impact on degradation mechanisms and loss rates has been relatively underexplored when low-temperature electrolysis is focused on cost reduction and variable load.In this study, hydrogen cross-over rates were varied by cathode backpressure conditions (ambient to 30 Bar) and were compared to elucidate the impact hydrogen has on anode catalyst layer degradation. The durability test duration varied from 168 – 500+ hrs. Hydrogen cross-over rates were found to correlate to cell potential during operational shutdowns and loss rates during load cycling. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy further demonstrates higher degrees of kinetic loss and the immergence of additional loss mechanisms. The findings presented in this research contribute to the fundamental understanding of low-temperature PEM electrolysis dynamics under cathode backpressure conditions. The implications of this research offer practical insights for the design and operation of efficient and durable electrolysis systems crucial for the advancement of sustainable hydrogen production technologies.(1) H2@Scale. Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office. https://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/h2scale.(2) Mark, R.; Jadun, P.; Gilroy, N.; Connelly, E.; Boardman, R.; Simon, A. J.; Elgowainy, A.; Zuboy, J. The Technical and Economic Potential of the H2@Scale Concept within the United States; NREL/TP-6A20-77610; National Renewable Energy Laboratory: Golden, CO, 2020.(3) Alia, S. M.; Reeves, K. S.; Yu, H.; Park, J.; Kariuki, N.; Kropf, A. J.; Myers, D. J.; Cullen, D. A. Electrolyzer Performance Loss from Accelerated Stress Tests and Corresponding Changes to Catalyst Layers and Interfaces. Journal of The Electrochemical Society 2022, 169 (5), 054517. https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ac697e.(4) Ragnhild Hancke, Thomas Holm, and Øystein Ulleberg, “The Case for High-Pressure PEM Water Electrolysis,” Energy Conversion and Management 261 (2022): 115642, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2022.115642. Figure 1

Schlieren measurements of shock train flow fields in a supersonic cylindrical isolator at Mach 2

In a supersonic cylindrical isolator at Mach 2, the structures and frequency characteristics of shock train flow fields were experimentally studied by the schlieren measurement method. According to the design principle of parallel light through schlieren windows in a cylindrical duct, a high-precision conformal optical window pair was designed and integratively processed before. Based on a self-built pipeline structure with conformal windows in a direct-connect wind tunnel under adjustable back-pressure conditions, the shock surfaces in a cylindrical isolator at Mach 2 were first captured by the schlieren method. Then, the schlieren photographs were corrected by a nonlinear image transformation algorithm for the restoration of real shock train structures, and the experimental results were compared with numerical simulation results quantitatively. Finally, the shock train positions were calculated by an image recognition algorithm to analyze the self-excited oscillation frequency characteristics of shock train structures. The methods and experiments in this study enriched optical observation methods of supersonic flows through non-rectangular cross-section isolators in scramjet.Graphical abstract

Experimental Investigation of the Performance of a Novel Ejector–Diffuser System with Different Supersonic Nozzle Arrays

The supersonic–supersonic ejector–diffuser system is employed to suck supersonic low-pressure and low-temperature flow into a high-pressure environment. A new design of a supersonic–supersonic ejector–diffuser was introduced to verify pressure control performance under different operating conditions and vacuum background pressure. A 1D analysis was used to predict the geometrical structure of an ejector–diffuser with a rectangular section based on the given operating conditions. Different numbers and types of nozzle plates were designed and installed on the ejector to study the realizability of avoiding or postponing the aerodynamic choking phenomenon in the mixing section. The effects of different geometrical parameters on the operating performance of the ejector–diffuser system were discussed in detail. Experimental investigation of the effects of different types of nozzle plates and the back pressures on the pressure control performance of the designed ejector–diffuser system were performed in a straight-flow wind tunnel. The results showed that the position, type and number of the nozzle plates have a significant impact on the beginning of the formation of aerodynamic choking. The geometry of the ejector and the operating conditions, especially the backpressure and inlet pressure of the ejecting stream, determined the entrainment ratio of the two supersonic streams. The experimental results showed that long nozzle-plate had a better performance in terms of maintaining pressure stability in the test section, while short a nozzle-plate had a better pressure matching performance and could maintain a higher entrainment ratio under high backpressure conditions.

Theoretical and experimental study of unsteady behavior of marine diesel engine under fluctuating back pressure condition

In order to meet the increasingly urgent emission reduction requirements, underwater exhaust has emerged as a promising technology for marine diesel engines and has received widespread attention in recent years. However, under fluctuating high back pressure conditions, the diesel engine as a whole operates in an unsteady state, with significant fluctuations in output power and exhaust temperature, posing a serious threat to their stability and safety. This paper focuses on the unsteady operating characteristics of diesel engines and its impact on the engine output power, efficiency and safety under fluctuating high back pressure conditions. Firstly, based on model order reduction and the first Lyapunov approximation theorem, the theoretical derivation reveals that the filling and emptying effects in the intake and exhaust pipes and the shaft moment of inertia of the turbocharger are the main causes of the unsteady of the engine under fluctuating high back pressure conditions. The factors influencing the strength of engine unsteadiness, including wave period, wave amplitude, mean back pressure and engine properties, are identified. Then, diesel engine experiments under different fluctuating high back pressure conditions are performed and the conclusions derived from the theoretical analysis are validated through experiments. Based on the research results mentioned above, this paper proposes a criterion to determine the unsteadiness of diesel engines. Through comparison with experimental data, it is found that this criterion effectively reflects the strength of engine unsteadiness, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9169 with the unsteady parameter.

Experimental and numerical investigation of the effects of porous bleed systems on a model scramjet inlet under high backpressure conditions

In this study, we conducted experimental and numerical investigations to assess the effects of backpressure and configurations of porous bleeds on a scramjet inlet's performance at Mach 5. Experiments in a high-enthalpy wind tunnel, using a backpressure controller and a porous bleed with 1 mm holes and 10 mm lateral spacing, were paired with Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulations to explore the mitigation of flow separation and the prevention of inlet unstart under various backpressure conditions. The simulations provided insights into how backpressure levels and porous bleed geometries impact internal flow structures, as well as the critical backpressure ratio at which inlet unstart occurs. Additional simulations varied the bleed system's hole diameter and spacing, identifying configurations that optimize aerodynamic performance by enhancing total pressure recovery and Mach number at the isolator exit, while reducing bleed mass flow rates. The study also quantified the impact of these configurations on engine thrust, determining that certain bleed system designs significantly improve thrust by efficiently suppressing the interaction between the core flow and corner recirculation zones. This study examined the internal three-dimensional flow structure characteristics under high back pressure and provided insights into porous bleed configuration capable of efficiently suppressing inlet unstart.

Asymmetry of oblique shock train and flow control

An oblique shock train generally forms an asymmetric structure in a Mach-2.7 flow field within a duct. To study the flow structure and interaction between oblique shock trains and upstream shocks, a ramp with equal width was installed inside a Mach-2.7 straight duct to generate an incident shock and an oblique shock train interaction. A Schlieren system, transient pressure measurements and particle image velocimetry were used to capture quantitative and qualitative shock structure information. Results show that the asymmetric separation deflection of the oblique shock train occurs randomly in the symmetrical straight duct. The separation deflection of the oblique shock train was steady with upstream shock interactions. Under backpressure conditions, the rate of movement of the oblique shock train increases rapidly when it passes through the separation regions generated by the ramp, and the deflection direction of the asymmetric separation may switch. Based on the characteristics of the oblique shock train and upstream shock interaction, a flow control method was used to generate asymmetric upstream flow conditions, providing active control of the oblique shock train deflection direction.

Wave-converging pressure increase in curved cylindrical rotating detonation combustors

The internal combustion structure of a curved cylindrical rotating detonation combustor (RDC) was experimentally investigated through optical observation and pressure measurements. Experiments were conducted under low back pressure conditions using two combustion chambers having, in both cases, an internal diameter of 17.5 mm, a curvature of radius of 38.1 mm, and an outlet angle of 90 deg, with gaseous C2H4 and O2 as the propellants. One was made of SUS and the other of resin. In addition to vibrations and bottom center pressure, pressure distribution on the sidewalls was measured for the SUS combustor, and high-speed camera observations of self-luminescence from the radial direction were conducted for the resin combustor. These measurements were compared by varying the equivalence ratio. The frequency analysis results obtained from vibrations and self-luminescence indicated that the strongly-coupled detonation mode exhibited a higher peak frequency, suggesting that the detonation waves may have different propagation speeds or rotational positions. In terms of pressure distribution and self-luminescence, only the strongly-coupled detonation mode inside near the bottom surface exhibited high pressure and brightness values. This suggested the potential for converging pressure by employing rotating detonation waves and a curved tube.

Effect of Hydrophilic Layer in Double Microporous Layer Coated Gas Diffusion Layer on Performance of a Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell

Abstract Water flooding under high current and humidity conditions is a main barrier to enhancing the performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). This study evaluated a double microporous layer (MPL) coated gas diffusion layer (GDL) consisting of a thin hydrophilic layer coated on a hydrophobic MPL coated GDL. An accurate measurement of the contact angle was introduced to assess the wettability of the MPL. In addition, the water breakthrough pressure and water vapor permeance values were measured to evaluate the water transport ability of the MPL. The oxygen transport resistance was measured using the limiting current density in polarization curves. Appropriate hydrophilic MPL containing 5% Nafion, 25% TiO2, and carbon black in the double MPL enhanced the ability of the GDL to discharge water at the catalyst layer, effectively reducing water flooding. The total oxygen transport resistance obtained with the double MPL was reduced by about 20% compared to that obtained with a hydrophobic MPL. Moreover, the pressure-independent and pressure-dependent resistances were separated from the total oxygen transport resistance measured under various back pressure conditions. The double MPL exhibited a substantially reduced pressure-independent resistance at the interface between the MPL and the catalyst layer.

Analysis on Propulsive Performance of Hollow Rotating Detonation Engine with Laval Nozzle

In the present study, an experimental performance analysis of hollow rotating detonation engines (RDEs) with Laval nozzles is carried out for the first time. Experiments of a hollow rotating detonation engine with a Laval nozzle were performed with a modular RDE at a backpressure condition of 1 atm. Two configurations with area ratios of the outlet throat to the inlet of and 2.7 have been tested with gaseous methane/oxygen as propellants. Three normalized metrics, usually used for evaluating the performance of conventional rocket engines, are introduced to analyze the performance deficit between the measured value of an RDE and the ideal value of an isobaric-combustion-based engine. These metrics allow for assessing the entire engine and each component separately. The metric analysis suggests a small outlet-to-inlet area ratio () is detrimental to the propulsive performance. To explain the mechanism, a gas-stratification flowfield model is further proposed. It is found that the unchoked region in the combustible gas layer, which is caused by unchoked injection on the injecting plate, is responsible for the performance deficit of the combustion chamber. This model is then validated by one-dimensional numerical simulations and experimental data. In addition, we also focus on the global performance, including the gross thrust, the specific impulse, and the utilization of the supplied stagnation pressure. The result implies a tradeoff space when choosing an appropriate .

Quiet Spacecraft Cabin Ventilation Fan: Vibration Measurements Results

Quiet, efficient fans with minimal vibrations are needed to maximize the mechanical life of atmospheric revitalization system fans used for human life support systems for long duration space exploration missions. Several metal spacecraft cabin ventilation fan prototypes have been designed, built, and tested at the NASA Glenn Research Center Acoustical Testing Laboratory. Tests performed in 2021 of the first prototype of the metal fan measured vibrations greater than desired at design point speed and backpressure conditions. To try to reduce those vibrations, a second prototype of the fan design was developed which included a new lighter rotor with a tighter balance tolerance, a new collet to attach the rotor to the motor shaft more securely and repeatably, and a new bracket to center and hold the motor in the fan centerbody more precisely. The second prototype of the fan was tested in 2023 and the vibrations were measured with the fan operating at design point speeds in isolation but not throttled to design point back pressure conditions since it was not installed with inlet and exhaust ducting. Peak vibration was reduced from 4 mm/s to 1 mm/s. This paper is part of a series of reports documenting the performance of the prototype fan.

A CFD Modelling Approach for the Operation Analysis of an Exhaust Backpressure Valve Used in a Euro 6 Diesel Engine

Harvesting residual thermal energy from exhaust gases with thermoelectric generators is one of the paths that are currently being explored to achieve more sustainable and environmentally friendly means of transport. In some cases, thermoelectric generators are installed in a by-pass configuration to regulate the mass flow entering the thermoelectric generator. Some manufacturers are using throttle valves with electromechanical actuators and electronic control in the exhaust pipe to improve techniques for active control of pollutant emissions in reciprocating internal combustion engines, such as the exhaust gas recirculation. The above-mentioned circumstances have motivated the approach of this work: computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling of the operation of a throttle valve used for establishing adequate exhaust backpressure conditions to achieve the low pressure exhaust gas recirculation in Euro 6 engines. The aim of this model is to understand the flow control process with these types of valves in order to incorporate them in an exhaust system that will include two thermoelectric generators used to convert residual thermal energy into electrical energy. This work presents a computational model of the flow through the throttle valve under different temperatures and mass flow rates of the exhaust gas with different closing positions. For all cases, the values of the pressure drop were obtained. In all cases studied, the level of agreement between the modelled and experimental results exceeds 90%. The developed model has helped to propose a correlation to estimate the mass flow rate of exhaust gas from easily measurable quantities.

Experimental study of ultra-high backpressure influence on the monotonic mechanical characteristic of silty sand

In this paper, a series of monotonic triaxial tests were carried out at a relatively wide range of backpressure conditions (from 100 kPa to 29 MPa) to investigate its influence on the shear properties of silt sand.Backpressure effect on the shear strength, excess pore pressure, and volumetric strain behavior were analyzed,and the underlying influencing mechanism was preliminarily discussed. According to test results, the application of higher backpressure conditions on quasi-saturated samples resulted in a significant buildup of negative excess pore water pressure, which led to an increase in shear strength. The trend became less pronounced after the backpressure exceeded 5 MPa. Nevertheless, within this range, the shear strength increased by approximately 40 kPa for every 100 kPa increase in backpressure. Furthermore, the consolidated-drained (CD) test results revealed that the value of backpressure (at least within 29 MPa) had no detectable influence on the shear properties of saturated samples. It was indirectly proved that the undrained shear strength was influenced by the change of effective stress caused by excess pore water pressure in the shear dilation stage of quasi-saturated samples. The applicability of the effective stress principle to predict soil strength even in ultra-high backpressure conditions was confirmed.

Adaptive control mechanism of shock wave/boundary layer interaction induced by the secondary recirculation jet with outlet backpressure

The increased and unstable flow field backpressure will cause problems such as the non-starting of the inlet tract, and the widespread shock wave/boundary layer interaction (SWBLI) phenomena in the supersonic flow field exacerbates these problems. Hence, a powerful flow control system is required. In this paper, backpressure is introduced at the flow field outlet, and the effect of different backpressure ratios on the flow field is explored. An adaptive control scheme is also developed by using the optimized secondary flow recirculation configuration. The three-dimensional implicit Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes equations are utilized for numerical simulation of the flow field. The results show that the adaptive control of the secondary recirculation jet has a positive control effect on the SWBLI of the flow field when backpressure is applied. Moreover, the adaptive control mechanism under the backpressure condition is analyzed, which is applicable to different backpressure flow fields with Mach numbers between 2.5 and 3.5.

Parametric Analysis of Gas Leakage in the Piston–Cylinder Clearance of Reciprocating Compressors

Gas leakage is one of the main sources of inefficiencies in low-capacity reciprocating compressors, undermining the compressor performance by reducing the mass flow rate and increasing the energy consumption. In reciprocating compressors, leakage in the piston–cylinder clearance is driven by the piston motion and pressure difference between the compression chamber and the internal environment of the shell. This paper reports a parametric numerical analysis of leakage in the piston–cylinder clearance of a low-capacity reciprocating compressor. A simulation model based on the Reynolds equation is applied throughout the compression cycle to assess the effect of the compressor operating conditions, clearance geometry, piston velocity and piston secondary motion on the leakage and compressor performance. A 3D CFD model is also developed to validate the Reynolds leakage model and to evaluate the effect of the piston secondary motion on leakage, assuming the piston is fixed with predetermined eccentricities. The results show that the compressibility effects are very relevant to estimate the gas leakage. The simulations also revealed that leakage is more detrimental to the compressor performance when it is operating in low back-pressure conditions. Additionally, the piston secondary motion can intensify the gas leakage in the piston–cylinder clearance by up to 90%. On the other hand, the piston velocity only plays a minor role in assessing the leakage.

Thermodynamic analysis of power recovery of marine diesel engine under high exhaust backpressure by additional electrically driven compressor

Marine diesel engines can be exposed to high backpressure conditions, because various aftertreatment systems and waste heat recovery devices have been applied to reduce emissions and some exhaust outlets are below sea level. The engine performance deteriorates sharply under high backpressure. This paper aims to study power recovery method under high backpressure based on thermodynamic analysis. Firstly, thermodynamic model is established and validated by experimental data. Next, effects of turbocharger efficiency and turbine area on power recovery are studied. The results show that feasible turbine performance are limitations for power recovery. If energy of compressor can be increased without changing turbine area, limitations can be overcome. Thirdly, additional electrically driven compressor as a solution is proposed to recover engine power. A comparative study of different electrically driven compressor schemes is carried out. The most suitable scheme is the series scheme at low-pressure stage because operating points for original compressor and electrically driven compressor are within a reasonable range. Finally, research on power recovery is carried out on optimal electric compressor scheme. The results show that when backpressure is 0.65 bar, engine net power can be increased by 49.4% and exhaust temperature drops by about 77 K, which largely reduces turbine thermal load.

Experimental investigation of inner flow of a throatless diverging rotating detonation engine

The inner flow containing the ignition process of a throatless and diverging (constant diverging angle α=5 deg) rotating detonation engine (RDE) was experimentally investigated by both optical observation and pressure measurement. An RDE that had an acrylic engine wall with a length of 70 mm and an inlet diameter of 20 mm was tested under a low back pressure condition using gaseous C2H4−O2 as the propellants. A high-speed camera captured the ignition process, of which there were two types: deflagration-to-detonation transition and direct initiation. In addition to the visualizations of the inner flow, the pressure values in an RDE with an acrylic wall were compared with those of an RDE having a stainless steel wall with 8 pressure ports in the axial direction. The comparison revealed that the RDE exhaust flow was supersonic. A strong self-luminescence and CH* luminosity area near the injector surface during combustion suggested that the short completion of detonation combustion enabled the thermal choking of the subsonic propellant gases even when the channel was diverging. Moreover, the axial position of the erosion in the acrylic wall indicated that the heat release region was near the injector surface. Finally, a theoretical flow model for the RDE was compared to the experimental data, and the results suggested that the inner flow in the RDE can be reasonably described as a quasi-one-dimensional steady flow.

Experimental study on influence of high exhaust backpressure on diesel engine performance via energy and exergy analysis

Marine diesel engines can be exposed to high backpressure conditions, because various aftertreatment systems and waste heat recovery devices have been widely applied to reduce the emission level, and the outlet of its exhaust manifold is normally below sea level. This article aims to understand the influence of exhaust backpressure on turbocharged engine performance. Diesel engine tests under high backpressure was conducted and it has been found that engine output power drops sharply. To explore the reasons and further study the recovery method, analysis of energy and exergy was carried out. With the increase of backpressure, turbo expansion ratio reduces sharply. But the energy upstream turbine doesn't decrease necessary due to the increase of exhaust temperature. Simultaneously, the exhaust exergy gradually increases by 10.3% when the backpressure increases from 0 bar to 0.55 bar at 75% load, leading to improved energy grade. The turbine output power reduces 56.7% because of the combination results of reduced expansion ratio and increased exhaust energy grade. The method of power recovery should balance these two factors. The study can enlighten the method of power recovery of diesel engine confronted by high backpressure conditions.

Research on fuel spray characteristics of coal-made Fisch-Tropsch process diesel/methanol

ABSTRACT Fuel spray characteristics have a big influence on the combustion process and pollutants of diesel engines. The physical characteristics of fuel such as latent heat of vaporization, density and viscosity are also changed when methanol is added to the fuel, resulting in changes in fuel transport characteristics and spray characteristics, which affect the combustion process. A high-pressure common rail spray characteristics visualization platform was built to assess the spray characteristics of diesel, Fischer-Tropsch process diesel and Fischer-Tropsch process diesel mixed with 5%, 10% and 15% methanol. The spray penetration distance, spray projection area and spray cone angle of the five fuels were measured under various injection pressures and back pressure conditions. In addition, the influence of the physical characteristics of the fuels on the spray characteristics was analyzed. The results showed that the spray penetration distance of Fischer-Tropsch diesel/methanol blends changed by about 2%, the spray cone angle elevated by 1%-5%, and the spray projected area increased by 10%-23% when the back pressure ranged from 120 to 160 MPa. When the back pressure was constant and the injection pressure was increased from 120 to 160 MPa, the spray penetration distance of Fischer-Tropsch process diesel/methanol blends increased by about 13%, the spray cone angle increased by about 4%, and the spray area increased by 9% to 33%. Our results provide a basis for the application of Fischer-Tropsch process diesel/methanol blends in diesel engines.

Flow field reconstruction and shock train leading edge position detection of scramjet isolation section based on a small amount of CFD data

Scramjet is the main power device of hypersonic vehicles. With the gradual expansion of wide velocity domain, shock wave/shock wave and shock wave/boundary layer are the main phenomena in scramjet isolator. When the leading edge of the shock train is pushed out from the inlet of the isolator, the engine will not start. Therefore, it is very important to detect the flow field structure in the isolator and the leading edge position of the shock train. The traditional shock train detection methods have low detection accuracy and slow detection speed. This paper describes a method based on deep learning to reconstruct the flow field in the isolator and detect the leading edge of the shock train. Under various back pressure conditions, the flow field images of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) data and the corresponding upper and lower wall pressure data were obtained, and a data set corresponding to pressure and flow field was constructed. By constructing and training convolutional neural networks, a mapping model with pressure information as input and flow field image as output is obtained, and then the leading edge position of shock train is detected on the output flow field image. The experimental results show that the average structure similarity (SSIM) between the reconstructed flow field image and the CFD flow field image is 0.902, the average peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) is 25.289, the average correlation coefficient (CORR) is 0.956, and the root mean square error of shock train leading edge detection is 3.28 mm. Moreover, if the total pressure input is appropriately reduced, the accuracy of flow field reconstruction does not decline significantly, which means that the model has a certain robustness. Finally, in order to improve the detection accuracy of the leading edge position, we fine tuned the model and obtained another detection method, which reduced the root mean square error of the detection results to 1.87 mm.

Effect of back pressure and divergent section contours on aerodynamic mixture separation using convergent–divergent micronozzles

A numerical investigation of the aerodynamic separation associated with converging–diverging two-dimensional planar micronozzles is reported. The impact of divergent section shapes such as linear, bell, and trumpet, the effect of different back pressure conditions, and the associated flow and separation features are studied. Simulations used the direct simulation Monte Carlo method and are validated with the available experimental data. The lateral separation effect is found to be influenced by the nozzle divergent section shape. The separation performance of micronozzles of different throat sizes indicates the dependence of the exit Kn on separation performance. The bell shape of the divergent section produced higher flow alignment, a thicker subsonic layer, more reduction in exit velocity, and lower separation performance than linear and trumpet shapes. The divergent section with a trumpet shape is preferred for higher species separation performance. The back pressure conditions at the exit of the nozzle are found to play a significant role in the curvature of streamlines and flow characteristics, which may play a vital role in mixture separation performance.