Dispersed plug flow photocatalytic reactor using TiO2‐coated foams, 2D modeling, and experimental operating mode

Abstract

AbstractA dispersed plug flow heterogeneous photocatalytic reactor is investigated. A two‐dimensional (2D) model adapted to the media, a photocatalyst supported on a macroporous ceramic foam, was built. It is based on the couplings at the local scale between mass transfer, radiative transfer, and reaction kinetics. The simulations are compared to experimental results obtained in the case of the degradation of a target organic micro‐pollutant. The 2D concentration fields resulting from these couplings bring to light the very specific characteristic operation of the photoreactor. They allow the low performances of the dispersed plug flow mode when compared to the perfectly mixed, a result both unexpected and original, to be explained. Simulations also reveal the major influence of the foam thickness, the characteristic dimension of the radiative transfer, on the performance of the dispersed plug flow photoreactor.