3D printing in catalyst support and reactor design

With the development of additive manufacturing technologies (3D printing), the Periodic Open Cellular Structures (POCS) are emerging as a suitable alternative to random particle beds, that represent the most utilized packed bed fillings for trickle bed catalytic reactors.  POCS structures have a high potential for improving transport characteristics such as pressure drop, mass, and heat transport parameters by optimizing their geometry. The parametric set of POCS structures is designed, 3D printed, and experimentally examined for two-phase flow characteristics. The results will be compared with computational fluid mechanics (CFD) results to understand and describe the effect of geometry and topology on two-phase flow characteristics.