No abstract

For over three decades, opposed-jets reactors have been applied particularly for fast complex chemical reactions where mixing affects the final product distribution. The first opposed-jets reactors, i.e., confined impinging jets (CIJ), had cylindrical geometries. With the advent of microreactors, a new type of prismatic opposed-jets reactors has been introduced, the so-called T-jets reactors. The state of the art of the know-how on mixing in CIJ reactors as well as the current state of the art of T-jets reactors is described. T-jets and CIJ are generally small-scale devices, ensuring that these units can mix fluids within very short mixing times on the order of milliseconds. The small scale has the disadvantage of compromising the reactors' throughput. This fact can prevent the dissemination of this type of mixers to applications where conventional reactors, such as stirred tanks, are used. Attention is paid to the issue on how to scale up opposed-jets reactors without compromising mixing times. A short analysis of the main research questions to be answered in this field is made.

No abstract

No abstract

Confined impinging jets (CIJs) are highly efficient mixers. The scales of mixing in CIJs are controlled by the opposed jets interaction. A mechanistic model is described here, which accurately predicts the impinging position of the opposed jets for a large range of flow rate ratios. The impinging point position is shown to impact the dynamic properties of the flow and the achieved mixing quality. The opposed jets kinetic energy ratio is shown to have a critical impact on mixing, similar to the Reynolds number. A mixing chamber design relation is proposed and verified for the opposed injectors diameters ratio, d1/d2, which enables to operate CIJs under optimum mixing conditions for large ranges of flow rate ratios, viscosity and density ratios between the opposed streams. Optimum d1/d2 values have asymptotes for large and small Reynolds number depending on the process stoichiometry, viscosity, and density ratios of the opposed jet streams. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 2200–2212, 2016