Mass transfer modelling between supercritical carbon dioxide and an ionic liquid in a micro- two-phase flow

Abstract : Microreactors and supercritical fluids have great potential to intensify chemical processes, making them safer, cleaner and more efficient. An additional advantage of the small length scale is the potential for high-pressure applications due to lower mechanical stress in the microreactor material. The hydrodynamic and the mass transfer of two-phase flow under high pressure in a micro-capillary have been modeled. The model can take advantage of the 2D axisymmetry due to the cylindrical geometry of the capillary. This model allows an indirect estimation of binaries physicochemical properties such as mass transfer coefficient – estimations which are based on the geometrical values characterizing the two-phase flow such as velocities, frequency, sizes and volumes.