A novel observation platform for determining the micro-dispersion performance in practical reaction systems

Abstract

Microreaction technology provides a powerful tool for reactions under extreme conditions, but the micro-dispersion performance of those processes under real reaction conditions is hard to visualize. Therefore, we constructed a novel observation platform by placing the downstream observation window vertically. We successfully achieved the accurate measurement of droplets ranging in size from microns to millimeters for real reaction systems in a T-junction microdevice, and proved that the droplet coalescence can be avoided at the outlet of the microreactor. The actual micro-dispersion state of different types of systems can be exactly reflected in the observation window. We further investigated the effect of shearing routes on the droplet size in toluene nitration by using this platform and provided design guidance on the choice of shearing routes for nitration. The scaling laws under different shearing routes have been established based on the obtained micro-dispersion data in this work. This work has promoted the connection of fundamental research studies with real applications of microreaction technology, which is critical for the future development of microreaction technology.