Experimental investigation of the effect of scale-up on mixing efficiency in oscillatory flow baffled reactors (OFBR) using principal component based image analysis as a novel noninvasive residence time distribution measurement approach

Oscillatory flow strategies through baffled tubular reactors provide an efficient approach in improving process kinetics through enhanced micromixing and heat transfer. Known to have high surface area to volume ratios, oscillatory flow baffled reactors (OFBR) generate turbulence by superimposing piston driven oscillatory flow onto the net flow generated by a pump. By tuning the oscillating parameters (amplitude and frequency), one can tailor the residence time distribution of the system for a variety of multiphase applications. Using a microscope camera, principal component image analysis, and pulse tracer injections, a novel noncontact approach has been developed to experimentally estimate dispersion coefficients in two geometrically different systems (DN6 and DN15, Alconbury Weston Ltd.). The paper also introduces for the first time a novel scaled-down version of the commercially available DN15 OFBR, the DN6 (about 10 times smaller scale), and provides a comprehensive investigation of the effect of oscillation parameters on the residence time distributions (RTD) in both systems. The oscillation amplitude was found to have a significant positive correlation with the dispersion coefficient with 1 mm providing the least amount of dispersion in either system. Oscillation frequency had a less significant impact on the dispersion coefficient, but optimal operation was found to occur at 1.5 Hz for the DN6 and 1.0 Hz for the DN15. Until now, OFBR literature has not distinguished between piston and pump driven flow. Pump driven flow was found to be ideal for both systems as it minimizes the measured dispersion coefficient. However, piston driven turbulence is essential for avoiding particle settling in multi-phase (solid-liquid) systems and should be considered in applications like crystallization.