The Study of Oscillating Flow Separation Using Multiple Wavy-Walled Tubes

This study examines oscillating flow as a novel mechanical separation mechanism to separate propylene from nitrogen. A system of multiple wavy-walled tubes was utilized to determine the effect of increasing the number of tubes on mass transfer and separation. It was shown that using multiple tubes in a parallel configuration increases mass transfer at the higher oscillation frequencies. Increasing the number of tubes also yields approximately the same separation quality as reducing the piston amplitude by the same factor. The use of multiple tubes was shown to be a viable method of enhancing mass transfer with a reasonable separation.