Mixing Time and Scale‐up Investigation of a Moving‐Baffle Oscillatory Baffled Column

Mixing time and scale‐up behavior were investigated for a moving‐baffle oscillatory baffled column (MB‐OBC). Computational fluid dynamics software was used to investigate the effects of the oscillation conditions and changes in the column scale on the dimensionless mixing time. The results indicate that small amplitudes combined with high frequencies are detrimental to the mixing efficiency and that the scale‐up of an MB‐OBC is linearly dependent on the column diameter. This work, in combination with previous studies, proves that the predictability of the hydrodynamic behavior during scale‐up is inherent to oscillatory baffled columns. This trait is desirable for adapting these columns for industrial‐scale applications. A computational fluid dynamics scale‐up study of a moving‐baffle oscillatory baffled column was performed using moving overset meshes. The effects of the oscillation conditions and changes in the column scale on the dimensionless mixing time were investigated, showing that the predictability of the hydrodynamic behavior during scale‐up is inherent to oscillatory baffled columns.