As the demands of transportation transformation continue to grow, there is a need for new material concepts to meet challenges such as e-mobility, renewable energy storage and the expansion of conversion capabilities. In this regard, highly efficient new catalysts can minimize exhaust emissions and thus avoid environmental and health problems.
The production of new catalyst materials in pulsation reactors is a new and very efficient technology that has been used on an industrial scale since the beginning of the 21st century. However, the design and optimization of pulsation reactors need to consider influencing factors such as fluid dynamics, mass transfer, and reaction kinetics to ensure efficient mixing and control of reactions.
The study of fluid dynamics plays a key role in optimizing reaction control by determining the appropriate fluid velocity range to achieve the desired reaction control. Flow velocity directly affects reactant transfer rate, contact time and reaction zone. For a comprehensive understanding of flow velocity control in pulsation reactors, experimental investigations are required to characterize flow velocities under various operating conditions.
In this study, an optical measurement method, particle image velocimetry (PIV), was used to measure and quantify the fluid velocity field inside the resonance tube of a Helmholtz-type pulsation reactor to gain insight into the mean flow velocity and residence time of particles under different operating parameters.