Keio University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Department of Applied Chemistry, Chemical Engineering Laboratory: Application of Liquid-Liquid Slug Flow to Chemical Processes

In our laboratory, we conduct a variety of research with the goal of developing processes that enable safe and efficient manufacturing in the chemical and food industries. For example, our research focuses on phenomena such as slug flow, where two immiscible fluids like water and oil flow alternately, causing spontaneous internal mixing, and oscillatory baffled reactors, which create vortices to mix fluids by pushing and pulling them with a pump. One of the features of these flow patterns is that they do not require parts for agitation, creating an environment where contamination by minute impurities is less likely. Additionally, depending on the objective, we are advancing a wide range of research, such as cases where rotating blades are used to agitate bubbles to promote gas dissolution. For these useful flow patterns, we conduct both visualization experiments and numerical calculations to design and propose processes that can efficiently advance mixing and reactions.