The role of flow features and chemical kinetics on the reaction yield in a T-shaped micro-reactor

The effect of flow regimes on the reaction yield of a chemical reaction occurring in a T-shaped micro-reactor is investigated both experimentally and numerically by spanning different Reynolds and Damköhler numbers. The experimental set-up is arranged in order to get in-line information on both fluid dynamics and reaction progress along the mixing channel. Numerical simulations are performed using mesh-adaption cycles to well resolve the mixing between reactants; in this manner, the agreement between experiments and numerical simulations is very satisfactory. For the considered reaction involving two reagents different from water, despite flow regimes are coherent with the ones observed in case of water mixing, significant differences arise because stratification occurs due to the different density of the fluid streams. The dependency of reaction yield on both Reynolds and Damköhler numbers is strongly affected by the flow regimes. In the stratified regime, the reaction yield decreases with the Reynolds number, because the reduced residence time hampers the reaction progress, while in the engulfment regime, the Reynolds number has a positive effect on the yield, thanks to the enhanced mixing.