Affiliations: [a] College of Electronics and Information Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China | [b] College of Electronic Engineering, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, China | [c] Department of Biological and Environment Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Huacheng Zhu, College of Electronics and Information Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Tel./Fax: +86 28 85409779; E-mail:hczhu@scu.edu.cn
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.
