Dynamic analysis and simulation on continuous flow processing of biodiesel production in single-mode microwave cavity

Abstract

A comprehensive physics-based model is developed to understand and explain the process of continuous production of biodiesel via the application of microwaves. Microwave assisted biodiesel production is a complex interplay of electromagnetics, reaction between different components and heat and mass transfer in a tube for continuous manufacturing. The multiphysics model is based on a single mode cavity operating at 2450 MHz. Material properties required for multiphysics modeling are assumed as bivariate functions of reaction solution's component and temperature in this work. An elaborate experimental system was developed to validate the multiphysics model through temperature measurements carried out for different initial velocities of the reacting components. Excellent agreement was found between experimental values and model predictions with a maximum relative error of 0.908%. The model developed is elaborate from the point of view of physics which can explain the process of microwave-assisted production of biodiesel and it's very important for optimize the process before scaling up. Also, due to fluid flow, presence of hot spots and thermal runaway caused by the short penetration depth of the microwaves and relative long term microwave heating can be done away with especially for large scale.