Effects of gravity modulation on the dynamics of a radial A+B→C reaction front

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Yorgos Stergiou - , Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Marcus J.B. Hauser - , Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (Author)
  • Alessandro Comolli - , Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) (Author)
  • Fabian Brau - , Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) (Author)
  • Anne De Wit - , Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) (Author)
  • Gábor Schuszter - , University of Szeged (Author)
  • Paszkál Papp - , University of Szeged (Author)
  • Dezső Horváth - , University of Szeged (Author)
  • Clément Roux - , Université de Toulouse (Author)
  • Véronique Pimienta - , Université de Toulouse (Author)
  • Kerstin Eckert - , Chair of Transport Processes at Interfaces, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)
  • Karin Schwarzenberger - , Chair of Transport Processes at Interfaces, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (Author)

Abstract

The dynamics of radial A+B→C reaction fronts can be affected by buoyancy-driven convection. Motivated by recent advances in reaction-diffusion–advection (RDA) systems theory, we investigated experimentally a radial A+B→C RDA system under modulated gravity, using a Hele-Shaw cell setup onboard a parabolic flight. We evaluated characteristic properties of the RDA models, such as the temporal evolution of the total amount of product C, the width and position of the reaction front and compared them with theoretical predictions. During increased gravity, we observed an increase in both the total amount of product C formed and the front width, compared to the corresponding normal-gravity experiments, caused by the stronger buoyancy-driven convection. Finally, we report on experiments performed entirely in absence of gravity, eliminating buoyancy-driven convection. Despite the short observation time, comparison with ground experiments showed the effect of buoyant convection on radial RDA fronts, enhancing mixing and increasing product generation.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number117703
JournalChemical engineering science
Volume257
Publication statusPublished - 10 Aug 2022
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

Keywords

  • Convection, Microgravity, Parabolic flight, Radial Hele-Shaw, Reaction front, Reaction–diffusion–advection