LAUSR

Abstract Blockage is a common problem for microreactors, and the blockage degree directly affects the removing operation. In this work, the blockage degree is first defined as the ratio of the blocking volume over the volume of mixing channel based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of different blockage types. After analyzing the limitation of this standard index, a new blockage index is proposed, in which the blocking volume, the cross-sectional area and the roughness of the blocking body are all taken into account. The relationship between the pressure difference and the new index is obtained through regression of CFD data to determine the blocking degree. Meanwhile, the classification of the removing blockage is also defined. The smaller the blockage index value is, the more difficult it is to remove the blockage. A inlet angle is introduced as a new design factor in choosing removing options.