A microscale multi-inlet vortex nanoprecipitation reactor: Turbulence measurement and simulation

Microscale reactors capable of generating turbulent flow are used in Flash NanoPrecipitation, an approach to produce functional nanoparticles with unique optical, mechanical and chemical properties. Microreactor design and optimization could be greatly enhanced by developing reliable computational models of the nanoprecipitation process. A microscale multi-inlet vortex nanoprecipitation reactor was investigated using microscopic particle image velocimetry and computational fluid dynamics. Velocity data such as the mean velocity and turbulent kinetic energy displayed good agreement between experiment and simulation over flow conditions ranging from fully laminar to turbulent, demonstrating the accuracy of the simulation model over the entire turbulent transition range.