Single phase fluid-stator heat transfer in a rotor–stator spinning disc reactor

• Heat transfer coefficients for a rotor–stator spinning disc reactor are presented.
• Fluid-stator heat transfer coefficients increase by increasing rotational velocity.
• Heat transfer coefficients are found to increase up to a factor of 5 at 30 rad s−1.
• Throughflow and rotation dominated heat transfer regimes are observed.
• Volumetric overall heat transfer is found to be more than factor five higher than tubular reactors.

Single phase fluid-stator heat transfer coefficients for a multi-stage rotor–stator spinning disc reactor are presented. The overall heat transfer coefficient is obtained by fitting experimentally obtained steady state outlet temperatures to an engineering model for the fluid flow inside the rotor–stator cavities. Heat transfer measurements are done for gap ratios of G  =0.017 and 0.03, rotational Reynolds numbers of Reω=0Reω=0 to 12×105 and superposed dimensionless throughflow rates of Cw=211–421. From the overall heat transfer coefficient values for the fluid-stator Nusselt number Nus are obtained. For all values of Cw and G, Nus increases more than a factor of 4 by increasing ReωReω from 0 to 1.3×105. A throughflow dominated regime occurs for Reω<0.2×105Reω<0.2×105, where Nus increases with increasing Cw and decreasing G  . For Reω>0.2×105Reω>0.2×105, rotation dominates the heat transfer and no influence of Cw and G on Nus is observed. The thermal performance of the multi-stage rotor–stator spinning disc reactor, quantified in the volumetric overall heat transfer coefficient, increases from UovAVR−1=0.46±0.2 to 0.93±0.16 MW m−3 K−1 by increasing ReωReω from 0 to 4.5×105. The volumetric overall heat transfer coefficient of the multi-stage rotor–stator spinning disc reactor is more than a factor of 5 higher than in conventional tubular reactors.