Simulation of Fluid Flow During Direct Synthesis of H2O2 in a Microstructured Membrane Reactor

A microstructured membrane reactor has been developed to overcome the safety and productivity challenge of the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide. A single membrane is employed for separate, continuous dosage of the gaseous reactants hydrogen and oxygen to the solid catalyst present in the aqueous solvent. Using a custom OpenFOAM (R) model, the impact of catalyst-coated static mixers with different mixer geometries is studied. It is demonstrated that the custom fluid guiding elements outperform the investigated commercial static mixer under the flow conditions relevant to this application.

Automated summary

A microstructured membrane reactor was developed to address the safety and productivity challenges of direct hydrogen peroxide synthesis. Using a custom OpenFOAM(R) model, researchers studied the impact of catalyst-coated static mixers with different geometries, finding that the custom fluid guiding elements outperform commercial static mixers under relevant flow conditions.