Chemical Engineering & Technology, Vol.38, No.2, 336-344, 2015
Velocity Distribution inside a Laminated-Sheet Microchannel Reactor
In a laminated-sheet microchannel reactor, several microchannel sheets with the same or different structures are mutually laminated together. The effect of microchannel and manifold structure as well as the number of laminated sheets on the velocity distribution among microchannels in each sheet with the same structure is investigated. Results indicate that a large microchannel length, a high-aspect-ratio microchannel, and centrosymmetric manifold structure are favorable for a relatively uniform velocity distribution in each sheet. Considering the centrosymmetric manifold structure, a shorter distance from inlet and outlet to microchannels in direction of the microchannel width and a longer distance to the microchannel array in direction of the microchannel length can contribute to a more uniform velocity distribution. The laminated-sheet number has only a minor impact on the velocity distribution among microchannels in each sheet.