A Review on the Potential Applications of Curved Geometries in Process Industry

Abstract

The potential industrial applications of curved tubes for single- and two-phase flow are reviewed within the context of physics of flow, trends in the development of technology, and its laboratory to industrial-scale commercialization. Comparison of the performance of curved tube configurations demonstrates its edge over the conventional motionless mixers, heat exchangers, and reactors. Alongside, their respective advantages and limitations are also highlighted. Further, a compendium of the available correlations for single- and two-phase friction factor and heat- and mass-transfer coefficient in curved tubes has also been presented. Key issues regarding the design parameters governing the performance of the curved tubes for mixing and heat- and mass-transfer that impact the research, development, and scale-up or scale-down of such devices are also analyzed. Emerging trends for the development of a new class of curved tubes, namely, inverters and serpentine and chaotic devices are also presented.

Crystal Population Growth in a Continuous Helically Coiled Flow Tube Crystallizer

“…By comparing Re crit for all tube sections, the correlation of Kubair and Varrier [17] yields the lowest Re crit of 4734 in the third tube section. Thus, all values of Re crit in this work were significantly below the lowest Re crit that was stated previously [12] for coiled tubes. In the literature, HCT setups cover a wide Dean number range from about 3 in the work of Klutz et al [4] Fig.…”

“…3. In general, an increase in mass flow leads to an increase in Re and De and a decrease in t. The curvature induces centrifugal forces and consequently secondary flow [12]. For similar dimensionless numbers, Redlinger-Pohn et al found that the influence of l on the secondary flow is significantly greater than that of Re [13].…”

“…In the other cases, Re was in the laminar range. Curved tubes have higher Re crit compared to straight pipes [12]. Vashisth and Kumar explained that the secondary flow stabilizes the laminar fluid flow in coiled tubes and compiled a list of correlations for the Re crit of turbulence [12].…”

“…Curved tubes have higher Re crit compared to straight pipes [12]. Vashisth and Kumar explained that the secondary flow stabilizes the laminar fluid flow in coiled tubes and compiled a list of correlations for the Re crit of turbulence [12]. By comparing Re crit for all tube sections, the correlation of Kubair and Varrier [17] yields the lowest Re crit of 4734 in the third tube section.…”

Development of helical coil based fluidic diode pump for liquid pumping

“…[1] Each pump has its own advantages and disadvantages. The performance of an air lift pump is dependent upon the submergence ratio as well as the liquid operating temperature.…”