Project
Exploiting ultrasound resonance to intensify photochemical reactors
Small-scale flow reactors for photochemistry support the shift in
chemical manufacture towards green and sustainable processes
based on renewable energy sources. However, the industrial
application of these small-scale flow reactors is significantly limited
by their currently achieved throughput and productivity. This project
aims to overcome these productivity limitations by exploiting the
synergistic effect of ultrasound on intensified photochemical reactors.
Specifically, we will gain a fundamental understanding of the
underlying ultrasound physics and their interplay with the reactor
geometry and fluids. We will exploit this fundamental understanding
to controllably excite ultrasound resonance modes to overcome
species and photon transport limitations in rationally designed
intensified reactors. We will increase light utilization and mass
transfer in two-phase photochemical reactors by inducing the gasliquid
atomization phenomenon (i.e. to nebulize liquid droplets from
the liquid slug into the illuminated gas bubble) via ultrasound
resonance. Hence, this project will provide fundamental
understanding of ultrasound resonance modes leading to innovative
and intensified photochemical reactors promoting green and
sustainable chemistry.