Dynamics of Taylor bubble under chemical reaction enhanced mass transfer in minichannel

Taylor bubble dynamic characteristics of CO2 chemical absorption into MEA aqueous solution in a vertical minichannel were systematically investigated in this study. The generation, movement, and shrinkage of bubbles in the minichannel were visualized and monitored using a high-speed camera, and their dynamic behaviors were characterized by image analysis method. The effects of gas and liquid Re numbers and absorbent concentration on two-phase flow patterns, bubble generation frequency, initial bubble length, bubble length decrease rate, and bubble velocity were examined and analyzed. Results showed that chemical reaction-enhanced mass transfer hindered the bubble cap penetration into the main channel, and alleviated the bubble neck thinning, both effects inhibiting the bubble generation. A new Damköhler number (Da)-based correlation has been proposed to predict the initial Taylor bubble length, showing good prediction accuracy for experimental data in the literature using different absorbents. Results also showed that before the formation of sphere bubble at the end of absorption, an approximate linear relationship exists between bubble length decrease rate and bubble velocity, with the slop decided by chemical reaction rate that could be characterized by the Da number. Finally, a simple model has been developed to determine the effective channel length at a given operating condition, providing design guidelines for microchannel-based miniaturized CO2 absorbers.