Performance enhancement of a chemical reactor utilizing flow instability

Abstract

A detailed analysis has been performed for a heterogeneous photocatalytic Taylor vortex reactor that uses flow instability to recirculate fluid continually from the vicinity of the rotating inner cylindrical surface to the stationary outer cylindrical surface of an annulus. A comprehensive time accurate computation shows the different stages of flow evolution and the effects of finite length of the reactor in creating eddies, the overall effects of which shows very high efficiency of photocatalytic conversion. The physical arrangement considered is such that pollutant degradation is maximized by a combination of the Controlled Periodic Illumination (CPI) effect and the motion of fluid particles in a specific regime of centrifugal instability. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry.