Application of the approximate mapping method and validation of the mixing evaluation method based on fractal dimension in an oscillatory baffled reactor

Abstract

An approximate mapping method was applied and validated to predict the mixing state of an oscillatory baffled reactor in the low oscillatory Reynolds number regime. In addition, a fractal dimension method using mapping images for mixing performance evaluation was validated. The Poincaré maps approximated by Shepard's method were employed for the predictions. The results were well-matched when comparing fluid deformation and the mixing performance with the mapping method and direct numerical calculations based on virtual particle tracing, with the relative error being small at less than 1.5%. Using the mapping method, the computational time required for CFD was reduced, and the total time for the entire process up to the evaluation of mixing performance was reduced to two-thirds. Moreover, the results of the mixing performance evaluation using the fractal dimension were consistent with those obtained from a standard method. It was shown that the mixing performance evaluation through simple image analysis, based on the mixing enhancement mechanisms of laminar flow, is feasible.