CDR 3 Engineers Australia Chemical Engineering

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Career Episode Report – 3
C.E.3.1 Introduction
This technical report reveals my chemical engineering experience gained through
performing an engineering project at Laboratory of Multiphase Process engineering,
Dalhousie University, Canada. I mainly focused on development, construction, commission
and operation of Oscillatory Flow Reactor (OFR). I carried out this work from Sep 2012 to June
2013 as a part of my research master program.
Background:
C.E.3.2. Outlines of Engineering works
During my graduate studies, I assigned to work on the development of Oscillatory mini-
fluidic reactor. In order to develop miniaturization of Oscillatory flow reactor, the feasibility of
Oscillatory flow at mini scale have been performed with application of miniature channel
diameter into conventional one and calculate the performance of mini-scale OFT via numerous
calculations and data analysis both theoretically and experimentally.
C.E. 3.3 Scope and Objective of the project:
The following works are the scope and objective of the project.
• To Implement the miniaturization concept, a process intensification technique, in an
oscillating flow reactor
• To develop and construct a high-frequency oscillating field
• To perform an experimental investigation of Oscillatory flow and its analysis in the
developed experimental setup.
C.E.3.4. Overall Engineering Work
The development of the high-frequency oscillatory flow reactor was taken as my
engineering task as part of my master degree. I constructed this equipment from each
components and developed each components from metal plates and developed various
components and assembled these components into a full-fledged oscillator flow set up. I
inspected each component and its joints for assembling this reactor. I integrated the
experimental set up with the computer via data acquisition software such as Lab View to
collect the experimental data. I performed numerous data analysis from collected data and
interpreted the performance of oscillatory flow with other passive mixers. Developing OFR
technology at mini scale provides less energy consumption than that of conventional scale.
The mini scale OFT utilize shear-dependent chemistry and design of contactor for OFR without

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any baffles, This was the main task that I took an engineering assignment. In addition to that ,
I inspected the leaks in the construted experimental set up and joints between each
components of the experimental setup and integration of instruments with computer.
C.E. 3.5 Organizational Chart
C.E. 3.6 My Roles and Responsibilities
My responsibilities were
• Literature Review on oscillatory flow reactor and its configuration and application in
chemical and biochemical processing,
• Collected correlations for conventional oscillatory flow reactors and evaluated its
performance at the mini scale by applying the concept of miniaturization,
• Evaluated heat and fluid flow phenomena for Oscillatory flow at mini scale,
• Developed, constructed and characterized a high-frequency oscillating pressure field
generator (0 to 30 Hz) with significant displacement capabilities,
• Performed experimental investigation and analysis of Oscillatory flow in the existing
experimental setup,
• Performed experiments on the implementation of the oscillating field into the mini-
channels,
• Compared this performance with other passive mixers,
• Summarized the results and published technical report in peer-reviewed engineering
journals and engineer’s conferences.
Supervisor •Proposed and planned a project on Oscillatory flow
Reactor
Laboratory
Engineer and
Technologist
•Giving direction on design and
constrution of OFR
•Training on Basis engineering Practice
Research
Engineer/
Graduate Student
Kirubanandan
•Constrcuted and
performed and
analysed OFR and its
characterization

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Personal Engineering Activity
C.E. 3.7. Analysis of Limitations of Conventional OFR
As per directions from my professor, I calculated and analysed the energy
requirements for conventional OFR using numerous correlations from literature review and
compared with OFT at mini scale. I performed this analysis via implementing mini channel
dimension into the correlations of conventional OFR and used this work as a base for
engineering task and constructing OFT experimental setup.
I described the mechanism of active mixing via creating turbulence by baffles and
passive mixing via oscillations and its effect on transfer operations and its effect on reaction
kinetics and other transport processess through the literature review and this information was
very informative of the development of OFT. I used various engineering libraries such as
Knovel, Compendex, Engineering village for considering the properties of water or any other
process fluids for calculation of heat transfer coefficient and other dimensionless numbers
involved in mini-fluidics and Oscillatory flow reactor. I explored numerous correlations on heat
transfer and momentum transfer for OFT for process intensification. I calculated various
dimensionless numbers for evaluating the performance of OFT at miniscale.
C.E.3.8. Implementation of Mini-channel in an Oscillatory flow reactor
I performed the preliminary mathematical and fluid and heat transfer engineering
analysis of OFT at mini scale. I applied the mini scale dimension into conventional correlations
of the oscillatory flow reactor and analyse the outcome of the modelling such as pressure drop
and heat transfer coefficient. I investigated the implementation of the OFT mini-fluidic scale
and evaluated the performance of miniaturization of OFT. I explored the transport phenomena
such as momentum and heat transfer phenomena in the operation of oscillatory flow reactor.
I implemented conventional correlations from conventional oscillatory flow reactor through
critical literature review. I applied these correlations to the dimension of miniscale flow reactors
through the process intensification method to evaluate oscillatory flow performance in
miniscale and passive mixing performance on heat transfer. I performed theoretically energy
dissipations calculations and mixing and compared to reported mini-fluidic mixers in the
engineering literature. From this analysis, I proposed the requirements of novel mixing
geometries with complex structure to produce oscillator flow field. I processed and analysed
the data from rotating valve as an oscillating flow generator in the experimental set up from
preliminary experiments to confirm the oscillatory flow generation in this experimental setup. I
reviewed miniaturization of OFT and implementing passive mixing into the reactor through
high-frequency oscillations offering a platform for process intensification and inherent safety
and minimising the potential hazards and risks.

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Figure 1. Mini-channel with baffles – A concept oscillatory flow at mini-scale
Figure 2. Nu vs. Energy Dissipation
Figure 3. Comparison to Other Geometries

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C.E. 3.9. Construction of Oscillatory Flow Experimental Set Up
With the support of my professor and department engineer, I developed and
constructed Oscillatory flow rector experimental setup. Particularly, I did development of
Heating/cooling coils, assembling of various parts of the oscillatory flow reactor, the positioning
of rotating valve assembly in the experimental setup. I followed the Canadian standards and
specifications in the construction of experimental set up. I fixed the pressure transducers and
flow measuring device with data acquisition software and derived a control system algorithm
for collecting the data using Lab View with support from Department engineer and monitored
the temperature, pressure and flow rate using Lab View software. I performed a variety of
experiments with different position of valve operation and forward and backwards direction of
rotating valve in the experimental set up to get the different frequency of the rotating valve for
getting the high-frequency oscillating field.
I evaluated pump performance in the experimental setup and developed the pump
curve for the OFT equipment. I optimized the OFT equipment through varying the valve
position and oscillation frequency for rotating valve in OFT. I used advanced MS-Excel and
ORIGIN for various data processing in this study. I used Goal Seek function in MS-Excel for
fluid flow calculations and its modelling.

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Figure 4. The experiment set on OFT
C.E. 3.10. Operation of Oscillatory Flow Reactor Experimental Set Up:
I operated the OFT experimental set as a part of an engineering assignment. I wrote
safe operating instructions for the experimental set up where this involves high-pressure
vessel and few moving parts. I evaluated risks associated with the operation of the
experimental setup and assessed and provided a guard against potential hazards while the
equipment in operations.
C.E. 3.11. Data Collection, Analysis and Interpretation:
I collected many Lab View data and processed using MS. Excel and ORIGIN. I
developed a pump curve and performed pressure drop calculations for this experimental setup
through fluid flow models. Based on the collected data, I investigated how a pressure drops of
the Oscillatory flow technology at the mini-scale influence on heat transfer and energy
requirement of Oscillatory flow at mini-scale. I generated oscillatory flow at two different
rotating frequency of the valve in the experimental setup. I calculated the Oscillatory flow
Reynolds number at this frequency and compared the performance with conventional
correlations. During this period of my graduate studies, I learnt the skill of developing the

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experimental setup for a specific application and how to test the experimental setup and
connecting the instrumentation for flow measurement to the data acquisition software (Lab
View).
C.E. 3.12. Modelling on Fluid Flow
Under the supervision of my professor, I developed few fluid flow modelling based on
the valve positioning and circuit in the experimental setup and derived the correlation on
various fluid flow equations to evaluate the performance of hydrodynamics of Oscillatory flow
experimental set up. These models on fluid friction based on valve operation in the
experimental set up were validated experimentally and analysed.
C.E. 3.13 Project Management and Professional Communication
I executed the planned and scheduled experiments in the experimental set up with
various valve configuration. I assisted my supervisor in various stages of this project such as
fabrication of the parts of the prototype, assembling and trial run and then performing various
experiments in the experimental setup. Moreover, I processed the collected data into a
presentable format. While executing the planned experiments, I bound to the safety rules and
regulations and aware about high-pressure equipment and rotating valve and its potential
hazards, I have been trained to handle these equipment parts when the experimental set up
in use. I have written the abstract and presented this work at an international conference. I
performed many calculations on the collected data and presented to my supervisor and results
were communicated via presenting abstracts in an international conference and engineering
journal. Based on these preliminary studies, the Oscillatory technology in mini/microscale is
feasible and this technology could be used to develop OFT Reactor at the mini scale for
various process applications.
C.E. 3.14: Summary
This task in fluid engineering provided me with an outstanding platform for the
development and construction of an oscillatory flow technology, an integrated with the mini-
fluidic platform for process intensification technology. I fulfilled my responsibility for
construction, commissioning and operation of this experimental setup and its hydrodynamics
studies. I learnt fluid engineering and its applications in the design of process equipment with
process intensification methods via performing this task. I received an outstanding engineering
practice on fabrication, assembly of various components of the oscillatory flow reactor and
integration with control system software. The developed OFT could be used in the processing
of chemicals involved with mass transfer based chemical reactions where the oscillations
could cause an intensive mixing in the reaction medium.