1099 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TRANSACTIONS Volume 21, 2010 Editor J. J. Klemeš, H. L. Lam, P. S. Varbanov Copyright © 2010, AIDIC Servizi S.r.l., ISBN 978-88-95608-05-1 ISSN 1974-9791 DOI: 10.3303/CET1021184 Please cite this article as: Chivilikhin M. S., Soboleva V., Kuandykov L., Woehl P. and Lavric E. D., (2010), CFD analysis of hydrodynamic and thermal behaviour of Advanced-Flow TM reactors, Chemical Engineering Transactions, 21, 1099-1104 DOI: 10.3303/CET1021184 CFD analysis of hydrodynamic and thermal behaviour of Advanced-Flow TM Reactors Mikhail S. Chivilikhin, Victoria Soboleva, Lev Kuandykov, Pierre Woehl 1 , Elena Daniela Lavric 1 * Corning SNG, Corning Scientific, France 1 Corning SAS, Corning European Technology Center, 7 bis Avenue de Valvins, 77210 Avon, France; lavricd@corning.com Corning® Advanced-Flow™ glass reactors are continuous flow reactors with hydraulic diameter in the range of millimetres. These devices make possible the switch of chemical reactions from batch mode to continuous processing through more efficient, more economical and safer processes. In addition, these reactors provide a platform for developing innovative chemistries that have never been considered industrially practical, either for hazard or yield reasons. Corning proprietary apparatuses are compact, adaptable and scalable, optimizing overall production cost and quality of high-value specialty, fine, and pharmaceutical chemicals. Corning Advanced-Flow™ glass reactors are composed of multiple inter-connected glass devices having different designs, offering the advantages of process intensification and glass-specific qualities like transparency and very good chemical resistance. This paper presents the comparison between experimental and CFD modelling results of a family of Corning glass devices aiming at achieving and maintaining very efficient mixing along the dwell time path. Numerical results are compared to experimental data: velocity profiles measured by micro-PIV means, pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient. The satisfactory agreement between experimental results and CFD modelling proved the utility of numerical simulations in the development of new designs. Therefore, CFD tools help on one hand to predict the performance of new devices and on the other hand to optimize their design in order to improve their behaviour. Thus, CFD simulation facilitates the design and reduces time and cost for the investigation. 1. Introduction Process miniaturization and microreaction technology provide opportunities for improving process capability and control in chemical/biochemical synthesis and can allow safer and more efficient chemical/biochemical kinetic investigations. Compared to normal scale reactors, microreactors have the following advantages: decrease of linear dimensions, increase of surface to volume ratio, fast and efficient process development, decreased potential of environmental impact, and increased safety. The large surface-to-volume ratios of the micro channels improve heat transfer for