(472d) Mixing and Reaction in a Novel Spinning Disk Reactor

The spinning disc reactor concept is based on the surface rotation technique aimed at accelerating process operations, which present heat and mass transfer limitations. This paper describes the operation of a spinning disk reactor suitable for liquid phase reactions. The hydraulic performance of the reactor was evaluated using classical tracer-response techniques. The effects of flowrate and rotational speed upon mixing were determined. The performance as a reactor was also investigated using the liquid phase reaction between aqueous crystal violet and sodium hydroxide solution. Non-symmetrical single peak residence time distributions for the reactor were observed, consistent with the behaviour of two ideally mixed stirred tanks operating in series. The mean residence times increased with disk speed and this was explained by increased liquid hold up near the walls of the reactor due to the high speeds of the rotating shaft. The study showed a linear relation between the conversion of crystal violet and rotational disc speed. The rate of reaction was significantly higher than that predicted on the basis of the ?two-tanks-in series? model, suggesting that enhanced mass transfer may also be present.