Phase inversion and mass transfer during liquid–liquid dispersed flow through mini-channel

The present study aims to identify means of process intensification during liquid–liquid flow through a mini-channel. During liquid–liquid flow, depending on the flow conditions either the organic or the aqueous phase can be dispersed and with increase in flow velocity the dispersed phase can spontaneously invert to form the continuous phase or vice-versa. The present study aims to investigate the phenomena of phase inversion and its influence on mass transfer during toluene/acetic acid-water flow in a 1.98 mm glass mini-channel. It is observed that for organic phase as dispersed regime, higher mass transfer efficiency is achieved when the liquid–liquid mixture is in the phase inversion zone which marks the transition from organic to aqueous phase dispersion. The mixture velocities as well as the inlet concentration of diffusing species influence mass transfer characteristics in this zone. The results have indicated some interesting observations which can be exploited for process intensification in monolith and micro-reactor.