Rotor‐Stator Spinning Disc Reactor: Characterization of the Single‐Phase Stator‐Side Heat Transfer

Abstract

Dedicated to Professor Rüdiger Lange on the occasion of his 65th birthdayThe single-phase fluid-stator heat transfer in a rotor-stator spinning disc reactor in dependence on rotational Reynolds number, dimensionless throughput, Prandtl number, and aspect ratio is examined. For the selected ranges of these parameters, an increase in the stator-side Nusselt number with increasing Reynolds number, Prandtl number, and a higher throughput is found. Laminar and turbulent flow regions are observed, which coincide with a throughput-and a rotation-governed heat transfer regime, respectively. A Nusselt correlation to predict the experimental data in the turbulent flow regime within 20 % accuracy was established. A distinct increase in the overall volumetric heat transfer coefficient for a rise in Reynolds number was observed, being considerably higher compared to conventional tube reactors and twice as large in contrast with a similar rotor-stator setup.

Micromixing Efficiency in the Presence of an Inert Gas in a Rotor–Stator Spinning Disk Reactor

“…The rotor–stator spinning disk reactor (rs-SDR) is a novel type of reactor that uses centrifugal forces in a high shear environment to achieve chemical process intensification . It has shown high rates of gas–liquid, − liquid–liquid, , and liquid–solid , mass transfer, in addition to high heat transfer rates − and low micromixing times. , In recent years, its capability for process intensification has been illustrated with the intensification of epoxidation of methyl oleate, photochemical reactions, sulfonation of toluene and ethylbenzene, and oxidation of tertiary amines . In the case of fast, competitive reactions, the micromixing efficiency influences the final product distribution; however, this has not been researched in the case where a gas phase is present in the reactor.…”