New design method based on CFD and AM technology was applied to milli-reactors. CFD simulations were validated empirically with step responses and model reactions. 4-way inlet reactor with zigzag mixing channel showed the best mixing performance. a b s t r a c tThe mixing performance of three passive milli-scale reactors with different geometries was investigated at different Reynolds numbers. The effects of design and operating characteristics such as mixing channel shape and volume flow rate were investigated. The main objective of this work was to demonstrate a process design method that uses on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for modeling and Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology for manufacture. The reactors were designed and simulated using SolidWorks and Fluent 15.0 software, respectively. Manufacturing of the devices was performed with an EOS M-series AM system.Step response experiments with distilled Millipore water and sodium hydroxide solution provided time-dependent concentration profiles. Villermaux-Dushman reaction experiments were also conducted for additional verification of CFD results and for mixing efficiency evaluation of the different geometries. Time-dependent concentration data and reaction evaluation showed that the performance of the AM-manufactured reactors matched the CFD results reasonably well. The proposed design method allows the implementation of new and innovative solutions, especially in the process design phase, for industrial scale reactor technologies. In addition, rapid implementation is another advantage due to the virtual flow design and due to the fast manufacturing which uses the same geometric file formats.

Millireactor or minireactor technology in small scale production has gained increasing attention in microreactor technology research because high pressure drops, unequal flow distribution into micrometer scale channels, and channel blocking can be reduced in larger scale. In this work, additive manufacturing suitability for reactors has been studied based on reactor surface properties. Mixing and heat transfer have vital role in reactor design when exothermic and fast or relatively fast reactions are considered. Here, mixing efficiencies of Hartridge-Roughton reactor and its modifications have been evaluated. The surface roughness and surface rugosity had influence in experimentally determined mixing efficiencies which made a clear difference when comparing simulation results. Reactor temperature fields were experimentally measured with IR camera technology as well as the heat flows were simulated for instantaneous acid-base neutralization reaction. The milli-scale mixer design cycle consisting Computational Fluid dynamics (CFD), additive manufacturing and experimentation is proposed. The proposed methodology is geometry independent and millireactor design steps here are discussed in detail. The design tasks are introduced for illustrating the proposed design concept for reactor geometry optimization.

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