Gas–liquid mass transfer enhancement by simply modifying a T‐junction microchannel

Abstract Improving the gas–liquid mass transfer rate in microdevices is essential for enhancing chemical reaction performance, but it has traditionally required high energy input or complex device fabrication. This study reports superior gas–liquid mass transfer performance in a newly designed T‐junction microchannel with a simple structure. Compared with the mass transfer contribution of approximately 30% in a conventional T‐junction microchannel, the contribution of the bubble generation stage in the modified device ranges from 50%–80%. The parameters of bubble generation frequency and liquid slug length are studied to identify the mechanism underlying the enhanced performance. Importantly, through a self‐developed image recognition system with high temporal and spatial resolution, this study reveals that the liquid‐side mass transfer coefficient not only depends on operation parameters but also relies on bubble residence time. Finally, considering channel length and mass transfer time, a new semi‐empirical model is developed.