When you think of particle flows, many of you probably imagine a conveyor belt with small chunks on it or flowing sewage with contaminants. But particles can be so much more! Whenever a second phase is created in a flow due to a different state of aggregation, we refer to it as a particle flow or multiphase flow.
This can be a solid particle in a flowing liquid or gas. But it can also be a bubble in a liquid, a drop in a gas flow or a drop in a non-miscible liquid.
In any case, all the magic of chemistry and process engineering takes place at the interface between the medium and the particle:
- heat transfer
- reaction
- changes in concentration
Without particle flows, many reactions would not work and purification through material separation would not be possible. Therefore, characterising multiphase flow is essential in order to better understand the speed and quality of reactions and material separation and to be able to control them in the apparatus.
With our images, we make exactly that visible and provide data:
- How many particles are there?
- How big are the particles?
- What shape are they?
- How do they change over time?
Conclusion
Data from particle flows is the key to mastering the magic of chemistry and process engineering!