Electric field assisted multicomponent reaction in a microfluidic reactor for superior conversion and yield

Area of Science:

• Chemical Engineering
• Fluid Dynamics
• Electrokinetics

Background:

• Microfluidic reactors offer precise control over chemical processes.
• Two-phase flow systems present challenges in mass transfer and reaction efficiency.
• Externally applied electric fields can influence interfacial phenomena and fluid behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of alternating current (AC) electric fields on two-phase microfluidic reactors.
• To enhance chemical reaction yield and conversion through electric field manipulation.
• To develop a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for simulating these processes.

Main Methods:

• Development of a CFD framework incorporating two-phase flow, multicomponent transport, reaction kinetics, and Maxwell stresses.
• Simulation of reactant delivery, interfacial reaction, and product diffusion within a microchannel.
• Analysis of flow pattern transformation (stratified to microemulsion) under varying AC field intensities.

Main Results:

• AC electric field intensity variation transforms stratified flow into oil-in-water microemulsions (slugs, plugs, droplets).
• Harnessing induced vortices improves interfacial mass transfer, boosting reaction yield and conversion.
• Optimized AC field frequency and intensity create high surface-to-volume ratio flow patterns, increasing throughput.

Conclusions:

• AC electric fields are effective in enhancing mass transfer and mixing in two-phase microfluidic reactors.
• The study demonstrates a pathway to improve reaction yield and conversion using electrokinetic control.
• Findings are significant for designing advanced microfluidic reactor technologies.