Prediction and innovation of sustainable continuous flow microwave processing based on numerical simulations: A systematic review

Huayu Yang, Bowen Yan, Wei Chen and Daming Fan

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2023, vol. 175, issue C

Abstract: Continuous-flow microwave heating is an emerging technology for processing liquid materials owing to its short residence time and relatively low environmental footprint. However, the uncertain transmission of microwaves makes it difficult to understand the energy input-absorption relationship using conventional experimental and theoretical methods, resulting in inefficient heating. Nevertheless, this limitation can be mitigated through numerical simulation methods. Numerical simulations can not only maintain a balance between energy conversion and heating uniformity but also help optimize reaction conditions and reactor design. The energy efficiency resulting from a resonator design can vary from 7% to 99%. Furthermore, the interference between flow paths affecting the thermal efficiency can be visualized via simulation models and scientifically optimized. The key challenge in numerical simulations is the development of models that accurately describe the reaction conditions under a microwave field. Addressing this constraint can help to design a reasonable microwave transmission method and efficiently predict the processing capability. This review introduces the concepts of numerical simulation methods and summarizes the continuous flow applications driven by these methods. Additionally, this study explains the current understanding of microwave-assisted liquid processing based on numerical simulations and emphasizes the challenges of instantaneous prediction modeling. The prospects of numerical simulations for liquid-processing development are presented.

Keywords: Numerical simulation; Microwave heating; Continuous flow system; Instantaneous prediction; Energy efficiency; Sustainable processing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032123000394
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:rensus:v:175:y:2023:i:c:s1364032123000394

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/bibliographic
http://www.elsevier. ... 600126/bibliographic

DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2023.113183

Access Statistics for this article

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews is currently edited by L. Kazmerski

More articles in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().