Reverse traveling microwave reactor – Modelling and design considerations

Eghbal Sarabi, F.; Liu, J.; Stankiewicz, A.I.; Nigar, H.

doi:10.1016/j.ces.2021.116862

Reverse traveling microwave reactor – Modelling and design considerations

Title

Reverse traveling microwave reactor – Modelling and design considerations

Author

Eghbal Sarabi, F. (TU Delft Complex Fluid Processing)
Liu, J. (Student TU Delft)
Stankiewicz, A.I. (TU Delft Complex Fluid Processing)
Nigar, H. (TU Delft Complex Fluid Processing)

Date

2021

Abstract

Microwave heating presents a potentially green alternative for energy supply to chemical and catalytic reactors as it can be based on the electricity from renewable sources. The Reverse Traveling Microwave Reactor (RTMR) is a novel heterogeneous catalytic reactor concept, based on the coaxial waveguide structure. The reactor has two microwave ports on both ends, and microwave irradiation is periodically switched between those ports to minimize the temperature gradients along the catalyst bed. In the current paper, COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS® simulation environment has been used to develop a 3D multiphysics model of the RTMR. Based on the model, operational characteristics of the reactor including electric field distribution and transient temperature profiles have been studied. Simulation results show that periodically reversed microwave irradiation improves the homogeneity of the temperature distribution inside the catalyst bed. The study provides new insights into the design and scale-up of microwave-assisted catalytic flow processes.

Subject

Microwave heating
Reverse traveling microwave reactor
Scale-up
Temperature homogeneity
Traveling microwave reactor

To reference this document use:

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:611968f9-7281-4798-8e94-4e8e76be9c14

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2021.116862

ISSN

0009-2509

Source

Chemical Engineering Science, 246

Part of collection

Institutional Repository