EFFECT OF ARCHIMEDES SCREW ON PROCESS EFFICIENCY OF CONTINOUS FLOW MICROWAVE PROCESS

In this study, the temperature evolution during microwave processing of a liquid was determined as a result of an Archimedes screw rotation rate at inlet flow rate of 0.5 cm/s (50.4 kg/h) using a previously developed and experimentally validated mathematical model. For this purpose, the screw was placed in a tube within a continuous flow microwave system, and various rotation rates from 1.5 to 10 rpm were applied to determine the effect of rotation on the temperature uniformity. The mathematical model, developed in Comsol V5.6 was modified for the effect of screw rotation using the rotating machinery module in addition to the heat transfer in fluids and electromagnetic waves, frequency domain modules. The use of Archimedes screw within the flow tube resulted in significant improvement of the temperature uniformity within the liquid sample with an 18% energy efficiency compared to a conventional continuous flow microwace process. The results of this study are expected to scale-up industrial system designs and further optimization studies.