Contamination-free high capacity converging waves sonoreactors for the chemical industry

• Published in: Ultrasonics sonochemistry Vol. 16; no. 2; pp. 212 - 220
• Main Author: Dion, Jean-Luc
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01-02-2009
• Subjects: Acoustic cavitation; Algorithms; Chemical Industry - economics; Chemical Industry - instrumentation; Chemical processing; Chemistry, Organic - instrumentation; Costs and Cost Analysis; Cylindrical Sonoreactor; Cylindrical waves; Equipment Design; High capacity sonoreactor; High pressure process; Industrial pilot plant; Pressure; Sonochemistry; Sound; Ultrasonics; 43.35.Hl; 43.35.Bf; 82.40.Fp; 43.35; 43.25.Vt; Acoustic cavitation; 89.30.Jj; 87.50.Y; Chemical processing; Industrial pilot plant; 46.40; Cylindrical waves; High capacity sonoreactor; 43.35.Ei; Cylindrical Sonoreactor; Sonochemistry; 43.25; 47.27; 43.35.Zc; 64.70.fh; 43.25.Cb; 43.25.Yw; 78.67.Bf; 43.38.Fx; 81.07; 62.60.v; 47.40; 43.20.Mv; High pressure process
• ISSN: 1350-4177; 1873-2828
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2008.07.009

A new sonoreactor technology is presented here which should give a decisive impulse to sonochemistry in various areas of chemical processing. These exclusive systems use high power converging acoustic waves in a tube to produce a relatively large volume confined acoustic cavitation zone in flowing liquid reagents under pressure. It is well known that numerous chemical reactions are strongly accelerated when they take place inside such a zone. The new cylindrical sonoreactors do not contaminate the processed liquids with erosion products as most other devices do since the cavitation zone is maintained away from the wall of the tube. The processing conditions can be widely varied with pressure, power, temperature, and flow rate. The processing capacity of the largest models may be up to several tons per hour, depending on the required cavitation energy per unit volume to produce the desired process enhancement, using an electric power input of about 50
kW.