Passive vortex-driven mass transfer
Journal
Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
Journal Volume
153
Start Page
825
End Page
835
ISSN
1226086X
Date Issued
2026-01-25
Author(s)
Abstract
Parallel flow typically exhibits inefficient mixing due to viscous-dominated laminar regimes, limiting biphasic mass transfer to interfacial molecular diffusion. To overcome this fundamental constraint, we engineered a novel core-annular microextractor featuring a rectangular helical wire core. This unique passive geometry inherently induces controlled vortices directly at the liquid–liquid interface without external energy input. Multiphysics simulations revealed that specific gap widths combined with the helical topology trigger vortex formation as the aqueous phase interacts with the wire pillars, significantly disrupting the diffusion boundary layer. Fluorescent particle tracking experimentally confirmed these interface-proximal vortices, validating the simulation. Crucially, this passive vortex-driven mass transfer mechanism directly enhances interfacial renewal and mixing efficiency. In proof-of-concept extraction of acetophenone/n-heptane systems, the structurally induced vortices within the optimized gap achieved 68.18% acetophenone extraction efficiency, demonstrating how tailored microfluidic architectures can passively amplify mass transfer via localized hydrodynamic manipulation.
Subjects
CFD
Extraction
Flow Chemistry
Mass transfer
Passive mixing
Vortex
Publisher
Korean Society of Industrial Engineering Chemistry
Type
journal article