Monolithic reactors
Two-phase flow in narrow channels with hydraulic diameters of a few millimeters are relevant for micro reactors and structured reactors, compact heat exchangers, micro condensation units or fuel cells due to the low heat and mass transfer resistance between the fluidic layers.
The Taylor flow is a beneficial flow regime due its intensive gas-liquid contact at the interface of the film surrounding the Taylor bubbles and due to the enhanced mixing in the liquid slugs downstream the Taylor bubbles.
Knowledge of the flow topology and precise measurement of liquid film thickness and Taylor bubble shape at microscopic length scales are of primary importance for the development and validation of interface resolving computational flow simulation tools.
These allow developing transport models and proposing process intensification concepts. Further objectives cover the scale-up and design of large-scale applications and related technological aspects such as to ensure homogeneous phase distribution in multi-channel configurations in order to obtain a better overall process understanding.
Current research activities comprise: