Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation for Controllable Residence Time Distribution in a Slug Flow Crystallizer

Chaeeun Lee, Mingyao Mou, Sunuk Kim, Mo Jiang, Jonggeol Na

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Recently, slug-flow crystallizers have been proposed for controlling the product quality and generating uniform crystals. However, there is still a lack of understanding of the residence time distribution (RTD) of slug flow with liquid films. Herein, we developed a computational fluid dynamics model to simulate a gas-liquid slug flow with liquid film phenomenon to obtain the RTD. The proposed model was validated by comparing the resulting slug geometries and RTDs with experiments using various solvents. The results highlighted the appropriate solvent properties and operating conditions required to generate a narrow RTD. Unfavorable conditions yielded wide RTDs with multiple peaks due to liquid-film diffusion. Furthermore, the higher the flow rate, the lower the RTD variance, but the resulting slug formation was unstable and broken. In summary, analysis using the proposed methodology led to controllable slug formation with a sharp RTD, which facilitated the manufacture of high-quality uniform crystals.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3876-3887
Number of pages12
JournalCrystal Growth and Design
Volume24
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 May 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 American Chemical Society.

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