Impact of a Tapered Design in the Performance of Diffusion Flame Reactors

Abstract

Several research projects developed processes for precise nanoparticle positioning with high production rates. Among the gas phase manipulation strategies, the study of the inertial properties received special attention for the fabrication of nanostructured systems. In particular, aerodynamic focusing technique has allowed particles concentration onto a single streamline, improving collimated particle beam formation and opening new perspectives for nanoparticles production in the gas phase. In this paper, the influence of the reactor design was investigated, particularly in respect to the gas phase characteristics, aiming to improve the nanoparticles focusing. It was observed that a concentrated beam can be obtained in the new tapered reactor design without significantly affect the production rate and temperature profile. In addition, the coupling of aerodynamic lenses to the tapered reactor was also investigated, showing that the flow can be better focused at the cost of an increase in the average temperature and pressure drop.

Keywords

• diffusion flame reactor; computational fluid dynamics; combustion; nanoparticle focusing; aerodynamic lens system.