Apparatus and method for enhancing phase contact and chemical reactions

An apparatus (11) for enhancing phase contact and chemical reactions, comprising:

• at least one first high-turbulence mixing stage (13);
• at least one second high-shear-stress and high-cavitation stage (15);
• said stages (13, 15) being adapted to cause an increase in the relative sliding speeds of the phases involved in a multiphase flow passing through said stages (13, 15),
• wherein said first high-turbulence mixing stage (13) comprises a rotor (17) rotatable within a mixing chamber (19) surrounded by a stator (21), and wherein the rotor (17) comprises at least one radial pin (23) integral with said rotor (17),
• wherein said at least one radial pin (23) radially extends from the axis of rotation of the shaft (39) of the rotor (17) over such a length that the diameter of the external circumference described by the pin (23) is in the range of 0.3 to 0.9×D, D being the diameter of the mixing chamber (19),
• wherein said at least one first mixing stage (13) is adapted to subject the multiphase flow to a high-turbulence regimen with Re>500,000 and said at least one second high-shear-stress and high-cavitation stage (15) is adapted to subject the multiphase flow to a cavitation regimen characterized by a cavitation number σ<1,
• wherein said at least one second stage (15) comprises a rotor (25) provided with radial teeth (27) and housed in a cavitation chamber (29) surrounded by a stator (31) provided with radial teeth (33),
• wherein the facing surfaces (35, 37) of the teeth (27, 33) of the rotor (25) and the stator (31) have a parabolic profile, and
• wherein the teeth (27, 33) of the rotor (25) and of the stator (31) have a parabolic profile (27a, 33a) in circumferential direction, and wherein the parabolic profile of said teeth (27, 33) lies along the curve of a parabola (Pr, Ps) of which the vertex (Vr, Vs) is arranged at the rear edge (27b, 33b) of the tooth (27, 33), with respect to the direction of rotation (F1) of the rotor (25), and along the radius (Rr) connecting said edge (27b, 33b) to the centre (Cr) of the rotor (25) or the stator (27), respectively, the focus of the parabola (Pr, Ps) being also located on said radius (Rr).