Microwave heating 2083

Robert Cherbański Research Article

Warsaw University of
Technology, Chemical and
Calculation of Critical Efficiency Factors of
Process Engineering
Department, Warszawa, Poland.
Microwave Energy Conversion into Heat
A modeling approach aimed at calculating critical efficiency factors of microwave
energy conversion into heat for different operating conditions is presented. In the
experimental part, an efficiency factor was determined for microwave heating of
13X zeolites in a multimode microwave cavity. A comparison of the obtained
results with the results reported in the literature indicated that microwave heating
(MH) can be more energy-efficient than convective heating (CH). Moreover, it
follows from the performed simulations that maintaining the same adsorbent bed
temperatures in MH and CH for increasing gas flow rates rises energy consump-
tions in CH and decreases the critical efficiency factors, thereby improving the
economic efficiency of MH.

Keywords: Adsorbent regeneration, Convective heating, Energy conversion, Microwave

heating, 13X zeolite
Received: August 03, 2011; revised: September 22, 2011; accepted: October 05, 2011
DOI: 10.1002/ceat.201100405

1 Introduction influenced by the efficiency factor of electrical energy conver-

sion into microwaves and the efficiency factor of microwave
Two methods of adsorbent heating, i.e., microwave heating energy conversion into heat. While the former is characteristic
(MH) and convective heating (CH), are compared in order to of the used magnetron and cannot be easily changed, the latter
calculate critical efficiency factors of microwave energy conver- is strictly governed by the conditions of the realized process.
sion into thermal energy for different operating conditions. In Naturally, the higher the efficiency factors, the better the eco-
more detail, the introduced critical efficiency factor is the nomic performance of MH. The related energetic aspects of
quantity for which electricity consumption is the same in both microwave regeneration of adsorbents were considered by
compared methods. The calculated critical efficiency factors some researches.
are more or less approximate due to the established assump- Coss et al. [6] performed regeneration of granular activated
tions (see Section 3). In the experimental part of this research carbon from methyl ethyl ketone, acetone, and tetrachloro-
an efficiency factor of microwave energy conversion into ther- ethylene in a quartz tube reactor placed in a waveguide. The
mal energy was determined for MH of 13X zeolites in a multi- reported efficiency factor of microwave energy conversion into
mode microwave cavity. thermal energy was 27 %. It was concluded that much higher
It is well known that CH needs a heating medium to heat up values of the efficiency factor are expected if the volume ratio
a material. In this case, the direction of the heat flow is from of the irradiated material to the waveguide is higher.
the outside to the inside of the heated material. On the con- Meier et al. [7] reported on microwave regeneration of sili-
trary, MH produces heat directly inside the material, thus, the calite zeolite from methanol in a circular waveguide, being also
temperature gradient is the opposite. Mainly, two mechanisms the 1-m desorption column. A stubbed tuner was utilized to
influence MH, i.e., dipolar polarization and the Maxwell- minimize reflections of microwaves at the edges of the adsor-
Wagner effect [1, 2]. bent bed, as these places were recognized being mostly respon-
MH offers many advantages over CH, e.g., direct and volu- sible for reflections in the setup. The declared level of the
metric heating of the irradiated material, and selective heating reflected power was typically 11–14 % of the incident power.
[1]. From an economic point of view the crucial one is energy Additionally, the transmitted power was 30 % of the incident
efficiency [3–5]. In the case of MH, the energy efficiency is power for the unsaturated zeolite bed.
Polaert et al. [8] presented a broad experimental study on
microwave desorption using several types of adsorbents (silica,
– activated alumina, NaX and NaY zeolites) and various adsor-
Correspondence: Dr. R. Cherbański ([email protected]), bates (water, toluene, methylcyclohexane, and n-heptane) in a
Warsaw University of Technology, Chemical and Process Engineering WR 340 waveguide applicator at a resonant single mode TE013
Department, ul. Warynskiego 1, 00-645 Warszawa, Poland. and 50 W of incident microwave power. The absorbed micro-

Chem. Eng. Technol. 2011, 34, No. 12, 2083–2090 © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim www.cet-journal.com
2084 R. Cherbański

wave power was calculated as the difference between incident four fiber optic (FO) sensors with a multichannel signal condi-
and reflected powers. For the dehydration of adsorbents, the tioner (FISO Technologies, Canada), a furnace with PID con-
absorbed microwave power profiles over time differ for the trol (Wulkan, Poland), a balance AG204 (Mettler Toledo, Swit-
examined solids. For alumina and silica, the absorbed micro- zerland), and a personal computer.
wave power decreases during the whole process reaching about A quartz glass cylinder with the adsorbent was placed in the
10 % of the incident power at a steady state. On the other center of the microwave applicator. The applicator was
hand, the absorbed power increases quickly for both zeolites at equipped with a microwave choked outlet needed for safe
the beginning of the process. Then, in the course of dehydra- introducing FO sensors (preventing leakage of microwaves)
tion, it decreases dramatically for NaY zeolite and increases into the microwave applicator. The microwave oven had a
further slightly for NaX zeolite stabilizing at 20 % and 60 % of mode stirrer and a continuous variable power source (max.
the incident power, respectively. For VOC (volatile organic 700 W) operating at 2.45 GHz. Temperature measurement at
compounds) desorption from NaX zeolite, the absorbed the exterior of the quartz glass cylinder was possible because
microwave power reaches about 55 %, 45 %, and 30 % for tol- the pyrometer Optris CT LT20 was an integral part of the
uene, methylcyclohexane, and n-heptane after complete regen- microwave oven. The optical resolution of the sensor was 22:1
eration, respectively. and the spot size 7 mm at 100 mm distance and 9 mm at
In another paper, Polaert et al. [9] described experimental 200 mm, respectively. The IR sensor was calibrated utilizing a
results for dehydration of NaX zeolite in the same experimen- procedure recommended by the manufacturer. After calibra-
tal setup but working with an additional impedance adaptor tion, the IR sensor indicated 100 °C during boiling of distilled
system. They demonstrated that absorption of at least 90 % of water in the quartz glass cylinder.
the incident microwave power is possible in the optimized lab- Due to the limited penetration depth of microwaves into the
oratory system. They compared energy consumptions in dehy- solid body of the adsorbent, the diameter of the quartz glass
dration processes for the microwave dehydration process and cylinder was chosen appropriately to ensure the proper pene-
the classical TSA (temperature swing adsorption) process pro- tration depth of microwaves. The penetration depth of pure
viding increasing energy savings for rising microwave power 13X molecular sieves, calculated from Eq. (1), is Dp = 17.3 cm.
density (energy saving 39.9 % at 2.26 kW kg–1 of dry zeolite). Since er′ and er″ depend on the temperature which changes in
the progress of heating, the calculated penetration depth is
used only as approximation in order to choose an appropriate
2 Experimental diameter of the quartz glass cylinder, safely lower than the cal-
culated Dp.
2.1 Adsorbent
k0 1
Dp ˆ p v
0s 1 (1)
13X molecular sieves (1.0:1.0:2.5:x Na2O/Al2O3/SiO2/H2O), 2p …2e′r † u u  2
u@ er ″
supplied by Soda Matwy (Ciech S.A.), were used in microwave t 1‡ 1A
_
heating experiments. The adsorbent has a spherical shape with er ′
diameters of 3–6 mm.
where er′ and er″ are set to 2.55 and 0.18, respectively [10].
The dimensions of the quartz glass cylinder, in which the
2.2 Setup adsorbent bed was placed, and the position of the fiber optic
sensors are indicated in Fig. 2. The electric furnace (max.
The experimental setup presented in Fig. 1 was utilized to carry 2400 W) equipped with a PID controller was used for degas-
out MH of the adsorbent. It consisted of a laboratory multi- sing the adsorbent at 300 °C constant temperature for 4 h.
mode microwave oven (Plazmatronika, type RM800pc, Poland), Weighing of the adsorbent was carried out using an analytical
scale with a readability of 0.1 mg.

1 2
3 4 2.3 Microwave Heating

After degassing the adsorbent in the electric furnace, it was

cooled in a desiccator under an inert atmosphere. Then, the
outgassed and cooled adsorbent was weighed (400 g) and
placed in the quartz glass cylinder. Three fiber optic sensors
were inserted into the adsorbent bed and an additional one
into the microwave applicator to measure the ambient air tem-
perature. Microwave heating was carried out at 56 W of con-
stant incident microwave power. The temperature measure-
Figure 1. Experimental setup for microwave heating of an adsor- ment was terminated when the steady state was maintained for
bent bed in a quartz glass cylinder. (1) Laboratory multimode approximately 10 min, then the adsorbent was weighed. The
microwave oven, (2) fiber optic sensors, (3) multichannel signal weighing indicated 0.2 % mass loss, thus confirming the effec-
conditioner, (4) personal computer. tive degassing of the adsorbent.

www.cet-journal.com © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Chem. Eng. Technol. 2011, 34, No. 12, 2083–2090
 Microwave heating 2085

d3 Table 1. Characteristics of the simulated desorber and adsor-

bent.
d2
Desorber
d1
Length, L [m] 1
Inner diameter, Di [m] 0.2
Outer diameter, Do [m] 0.22
Wall thickness, g [m] 0.01
–1 –1
Wall heat capacity, cpw [J kg K ] 456

H Wall density, qw [kg m–3] 7841

Adsorbent
Form beads
h1
–3
Bulk density, qbulk [kg m ] 0.55
Average mass of a bead, mb [kg] 0.037 · 10–3
Di Average diameter of a bead, db [m] 0.005
–1 –1
Heat capacity, cpb [J kg K ] 920
Figure 2. Dimensions of the quartz glass cylinder and positions
of the fiber optic sensors. H = 0.125 m, Di = 0.09 m,
h1 ≈ 0.0625 m, d1 ≈ 0.045 m, d2 ≈ 0.0675 m, d3 ≈ 0.09 m.
The calculations were performed for the constant heat
power dissipated in the adsorbent due to microwaves. In gen-
3 Modeling eral, however, the dissipated heat power depends on the tem-
perature since the dielectric properties are temperature-depen-
As the aim of this work is a comparison of MH and CH in dent [2].
terms of efficiency of energy conversion, only energetic issues
are considered in this modeling approach. In the model, heat-
ing of the pure adsorbent (without an adsorbate) is studied. 3.1 Characteristics of the Simulated System
However, one must bear in mind that if MH is utilized for
thermal regeneration of adsorbents, the efficiency of energy The dimensions of the simulated desorber are displayed in
conversion depends on dielectric properties of the whole work- Fig. 3. Characteristics of the desorber and adsorbent bed are
load, i.e., adsorbate and adsorbent. This is especially important summarized in Tab. 1. The efficiency factor gel→mw describes
in the case when the adsorbent is transparent for microwaves the effectiveness of electrical energy conversion into micro-
(e.g., DAY (dealuminated Y zeolite), polymeric) because the waves. The reported values of the factor for magnetrons are:
efficiency of energy conversion is directly linked to the polarity 0.5 [14], 0.5–0.65 [15], and 0.6–0.7 [16]. In this work, the con-
of the adsorbate and its content in the solid. As long as the servative value of the factor was assumed.
polar adsorbate is present in the solid, the energy conversion is Generally, the theoretical efficiency factor of electrical energy
enhanced (temperature of the bed increases). On the other conversion into heat is 1 because all the energy embodied in
hand, for a microwave-absorbing adsorbent, e.g., zeolites, acti- the electric current is converted into heat in the resistance wire
vated carbon, the electromagnetic energy is dissipated mainly of a heater [17]. The heater is usually equipped with a fan
by the adsorbent itself, and the dielectric properties of the blowing the heat off the wire. As the fan consumes some
adsorbate are less important for the energy conversion electric energy (usually very little), the total efficiency factor
[11, 12]. for the heater is lower than 1. In this model, the assumed
The temperature dependencies of cpw, cpb, and qw were total efficiency factor of electrical energy conversion into heat,
neglected in the model and instead the typical average values gel→heat, is 0.95.
were used (see Tab. 1). Additionally, the critical efficiency fac-
tors were calculated assuming the uniform temperatures of the
adsorbent bed and desorber wall. When CH is applied, the
uniform temperature of the adsorbent is quite realistic for Do Di
small beads of adsorbent with good thermal conductivity. It
should also be noted that hot spots and microplasmas are
observed in MH of carbons, despite MH is volumetric, in
which local temperatures are much higher than the measured
L
bulk temperature [13]. Concerning the uniform temperature
of the desorber wall, it is introduced in the model due to the
Figure 3. Schematic diagram of the simulated desorber.
low thickness of the wall. Di = 0.2 m, Do = 0.22 m, L= 1 m.

Chem. Eng. Technol. 2011, 34, No. 12, 2083–2090 © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim www.cet-journal.com
2086 R. Cherbański

3.2 Balance Equations hgs As DTgs dt ˆ ms cps dTs (10)

3.2.1 Microwave Heating where

The following heat balance in the adsorbent can be written for Tg;in Ts Tg;out Ts Tg;in Tg;out
DTgs ˆ ˆ (11)
microwave heating: Tg;in Ts Tg;in Ts
ln ln
Tg;out Ts Tg;out Ts
Q_ dyss dt hg As DTsg dt ˆ ms cps dTs (2)
where The left-hand side expression in Eq. (10) defines the convec-


tive heat introduced to the adsorbent bed with the preheated
Ts Tg;in Ts Tg;out Tg;out Tg;in
DTsg ˆ ˆ (3) gas, whereas the right-hand side expression describes the heat
Ts Tg;in Ts Tg;in accumulated by the adsorbent bed.
ln ln
Ts Tg;out Ts Tg;out The heat balance in the gas phase is described as follows:


The two terms in the left-hand side of Eq. (2) mean: (i) the _ pg Tg;in Tg;out dt ˆ hs As DTgs dt ‡ hi Ai DTgw dt
Gc (12)
heat dissipated in the adsorbent bed due to microwaves, (ii)
the heat exchanged between the adsorbent bed and the inert where
gas flowing through the bed, respectively. The term in the


right-hand side of the equation describes the heat accumulated Tg;in Tw Tg;out Tw Tg;in Tg;out
by the adsorbent bed. The heat balance in the gas phase is DTgw ˆ ˆ (13)
Tg;in Tw Tg;in Tw
described as follows: ln ln
Tg;out Tw Tg;out Tw


_ pg Tg;out Tg;in dt ‡ hi Ai DTgw dt
hg As DTsg dt ˆ Gc (4)
The energy balance in the desorber wall is presented in
where Eq. (6).


The electrical energy needed to preheat a flowing gas from
Tg;out Tw Tg;in Tw Tg;out Tg;in the ambient temperature to the inlet temperature for time t
DTgw ˆ ˆ (5)
Tg;out Tw Tg;out Tw can be expressed as follows:
ln ln
Tg;in Tw Tg;in Tw
ZTgin
The term in the left-hand side of Eq. (4) was described al- _
Qel ˆ gel→heat Gt cp dT (14)
ready, whereas the terms in the right-hand side of the equation Tatm
express (i) the heat gained by the gas flowing through the bed,
(ii) the heat lost due to convection to the desorber wall. The study was focused on calculation of the critical efficien-
The heat balance in the desorber wall is defined as: cy factors of microwave energy conversion into thermal energy
qw Vw cpw dTw ˆ hi Ai DTgw dt ho Ao DTatm dt (6) for different gas flow conditions. In more detail, for the
assumed heat power dissipated in the adsorbent bed in MH,
where the inlet gas temperatures in CH were calculated, for which
p 2
temperature profiles of the adsorbent bed in both heating
Vw ˆ D D2i H (7) methods are the same. Then, based on the assumed and the
4 o
calculated quantities, the critical efficiency factors of micro-
and
wave energy conversion into heat were computed, assuming
DTatm ˆ Tw Tatm (8) that the consumption of electrical energy must be the same for
both methods. In this sense the efficiency factors are critical
The term in the left-hand side of Eq. (6) means the heat because for higher efficiencies the electricity consumption in
accumulated in the desorber wall, whereas the second term in MH will be lower than in CH.
the right-hand side of the equation is the loss heat due to con- Two sets of differential-algebraic equations (DAEs) were for-
vection to the surroundings. mulated for the examined heating methods. In the case of
The electrical energy needed to dissipate constant heat MH, DAEs consist of Eqs. (2), (4), (6), and (9), while in the
power, Q_ dyss , within the adsorbent bed for time t can be case of CH the DAEs comprise of Eqs. (6), (10), (12), and (14).
defined as follows: They were solved with Matlab 7.1 using the backward differen-
Q_ dyss tiation formulas (Gear’s method).
Qel ˆ t (9)
gel → mw gmw → heat
4 Results and Discussion
3.2.2 Convective Heating The temperatures of the 13X zeolite bed measured in the
course of MH are presented in Fig. 4. The heat balance of the
The following heat balance in the adsorbent can be written for adsorbent bed irradiated by microwaves at steady state can be
convective heating: described as follows:

www.cet-journal.com © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Chem. Eng. Technol. 2011, 34, No. 12, 2083–2090
 Microwave heating 2087

Q_ dyss ˆ Q_ loss (15) Eq. (19) gives Nu ˆ 20:8 which in turn implies
htop = 6.3 Wm–2K–1 for the considered case. Next, utilizing
where Q_ loss can be calculated as: Eqs. (15) and (16), the heat power dissipated in the adsorbent
bed was obtained as Q_ dyss ˆ 11:5 W. Finally, the efficiency fac-
Q_ loss ˆ hw Aw …T w T amb † ‡ htop Atop …T 3 T amb † (16) tor of microwave energy conversion into thermal energy,
gmw→heat, was calculated from the following equation:
The temperature differences between (i) the quartz glass wall Q_ dyss
and the stagnant surrounding air, (Tw–Tamb), and (ii) the top gmw → heat ˆ 100 % (20)
Q_ mw
surface temperature of the adsorbent bed – approximated by
T3 – and the stagnant surrounding air, (T3–Tamb), were esti- where Q_ mw is the microwave power produced by the magne-
mated from the data presented in Fig. 4, i.e., 43 °C and 46 °C,
tron, here 56 W. It results 21 % for heating of 13X zeolite in
respectively. The surface area of the quartz glass wall, Aw, and the multimode microwave cavity.
the top surface of the adsorbent bed, Atop, were 0.037 m2 and The calculated time profiles of the adsorbent bed tempera-
0.0071 m2, respectively. The following 3 % criterion valid in
ture and the outlet gas temperature for all simulated cases of
the range of Prandtl numbers from Pr = 0.01 to 100 was MH and CH are presented in Figs. 5 and 6, respectively. It
employed to check whether the boundary layer thickness is sig- should be emphasized that the overlapped profiles of the
nificant compared to the diameter of the quartz cylinder [18].
adsorbent bed temperature are obtained for the process condi-
D   tions indicated in Tab. 2.
Gr0:25
H ≤ 11:474 ‡ 48:92 Pr0:5 0:006085 Pr2 (17)
H
350

200
o
T1 ( C)
180 o 340
T2 ( C)
o
T3 ( C)
160 o
Tw ( C)
o
Tamb ( C) 330
140
Ts [K]
T ( C)

120
320
o

100
MW1
80 310 MW2
MW3
60
CV1
300 CV2
40
CV3
20
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000 290
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
t (s)
t [s]
Figure 4. Temperatures measured in the course of microwave
Figure 5. Calculated time profiles of the adsorbent bed tempera-
heating of a 13X zeolite bed. Tw: temperature at the exterior of
ture. MH: microwave heating; CH: convective heating.
the quartz glass cylinder; Tamb: temperature of the ambient air in
the microwave cavity. For the temperatures T1–T3 see Fig. 2.
350

MW1
340 MW2
It was proven that the quartz glass vessel should be treated
MW3
as a vertical isothermal cylinder of a circular cross section. CV1
Therefore, the common formula of Le Fevre and Ede [19] 330 CV2
developed for vertical cylinders was utilized to calculate the CV3
Tg,out [K]

Nusselt number Nu:

320

 1=4
4 7 Gr Pr2 4…272 ‡ 315 Pr† H
Nu ˆ ‡ (18) 310
3 5…20 ‡ 21 Pr† 35…64 ‡ 63 Pr† D

Using Eq. (18), Nu = 26.1 was obtained, and then 300

hw = 6.1 Wm–2K–1.
The heat transfer coefficient at the top surface of the adsor- 290
bent bed was calculated based on the following correlation given 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
t [s]
by McAdams for a heated isothermal horizontal surface [20]:
Figure 6. Calculated time profiles of the outlet gas temperature.
Nu ˆ 0:54 Ra1=4 for 104 ≤ Ra ≤ 107 (19) MH: microwave heating; CH: convective heating.

Chem. Eng. Technol. 2011, 34, No. 12, 2083–2090 © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim www.cet-journal.com
2088 R. Cherbański

Table 2. Conditions of the performed simulations. 4

x 10
9
Parameters common for all simulations MH CH
8 MW1
Heating time, t [s] 10 10 MW2
7 MW3
Initial temperature of the adsorbent bed, Ts0 [K] 293.15 293.15 CV1
6 CV2
Initial temperature of the wall, Tw0 [K] 293.15 293.15
CV3
Ambient temperature, Tatm [K] 293.15 293.15 5

Qel [J]
Dissipated heat power, Q_ dyss [W] 500 – 4

Efficiency factor of electrical energy conversion 0.5 – 3

into microwaves, gel→mw
2
Efficiency factor of electrical energy conversion – 0.95
into heat, gel →heat 1

Parameters for first evaluation MH1 CH1

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Mass flow rate, G [kg s–1] 0.1 0.1
t [s]
Inlet gas temperature, Tg,in [K] 293.15 346.15
Figure 7. Calculated time profiles of electrical energy consump-
Parameters for second evaluation MH2 CH2 tion for microwave heating (MH) and convective heating (CH)
for conditions listed in Tabs. 2 and 3.
Mass flow rate, G [kg s–1] 0.2 0.2
Inlet gas temperature, Tg,in [K] 293.15 328.15 Table 3. Calculated critical efficiency factors of microwave into
Parameters for third evaluation MH3 CH3
thermal energy conversion for the performed simulations.

Mass flow rate, G [kg s–1] 0.3 0.3 gmw→heat

Inlet gas temperature, Tg,in [K] 293.15 320.15 MW1 0.170

Parameters for fourth evaluation MH4 CH4 MW2 0.130
–1
Mass flow rate, G [kg s ] 0.03 0.3 MW3 0.113
Inlet gas temperature, Tg,in [K] 293.15 320.15 MW4 0.113

It is characteristic for both compared methods that MH nection to microwave swing regeneration (MSR). Therefore,
produces lower outlet gas temperatures than CH which is one must bear in mind that TSR and MSR utilize the gas pass-
expected taking into account different heat transfer mecha- ing through the adsorbent bed differently. While the purge gas
nisms in MH and CH. Heat is introduced into the adsorbent is used only for evacuation of desorbed species from the adsor-
bed with a preheated gas stream in CH, whereas heat is pro- bent bed in MSR, it supplies also thermal energy to the bed in
duced volumetrically within an adsorbent bed in MH. In the TSR. Therefore, it is assumed in this part of the work that the
range of the applied conditions the difference between the cal- gas flow rate in MH is ten times lower than in CH (Tab. 2) [9].
culated outlet gas temperatures for both methods is distinct Because the shapes of the adsorbent bed temperature profiles
(Fig. 6). As might be expected, the higher gas temperature, the for MH and CH differ under the applied flow conditions, only
higher the loss heat to the surroundings and the higher the the profiles of electricity consumption for both methods
energy waste because of the convective flow out of the vessel. (Fig. 8) are equaled, whereas the profiles of adsorbent bed tem-
The profiles of electricity consumption for both methods perature (Fig. 9) and outlet gas temperature (Fig. 10) result
(Fig. 7) were calculated utilizing Eqs. (9) and (14). For MH, from the performed calculations.
the electricity consumption was evaluated taking into account Considering the results presented in Figs. 8–10, it is con-
the heat power dissipated in the adsorbent bed due to micro- cluded that the adsorbent bed temperature is evidently higher
waves as well as the effectiveness of electricity conversion into in MH than in CH, for the same electricity consumption in
microwaves and microwaves into heat. For CH, the electricity both methods. In addition, the outlet gas temperature in MH
consumption was estimated simply as the energy needed for is distinctly lower than in CH (Fig. 10). Certainly, MH is supe-
preheating of the inert gas from the ambient temperature to rior to CH regarding thermal regeneration of adsorbents since
the inlet gas temperature. The profiles in Fig. 7 are presented the diffusion of adsorbates in pores of adsorbents, which is
for the calculated critical efficiency factors of microwave ener- usually the rate-controlling step in the process, is enhanced at
gy conversion into thermal energy (Tab. 3). higher adsorbent temperatures. Additionally, the waste of heat
CH and MH are considered here in terms of thermal regen- is lower in MSR.
eration of adsorbents, the former method being in connection
to temperature swing regeneration (TSR) and the latter in con-

www.cet-journal.com © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Chem. Eng. Technol. 2011, 34, No. 12, 2083–2090
 Microwave heating 2089

4 325
x 10
9

320
8

7 315

6
310

Tgout [K]
5
Qel [J]

305
4

300
3

2 295
MW4
CV4
1 MW4
290
CV4 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
0 t [s]
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
t [s] Figure 10. Calculated time profiles of the outlet gas temperature
Figure 8. Calculated time profiles of electrical energy consump- for microwave heating (MH4) and convective heating (CH4).
tion for microwave heating (MH4) and convective heating For details see Tabs. 2 and 3.
(CH4). For details see Tabs. 2 and 3.
formed simulations indicate that maintaining the same adsor-
400 bent bed temperatures in both compared heating methods for
increasing gas flow rates increases energy consumptions in
380 CH. On the other hand, it decreases the critical efficiency fac-
MW4 tor of microwave energy conversion into thermal energy. In
CV4
other words, it improves the economic efficiency of MH. For
360
instance, if the gas flow rate is ten times lower in MH than in
CH for the same electrical energy consumption, the simulated
Ts [K]

340 adsorbent bed temperature is almost 80 °C higher and the out-

let gas temperature is 12 °C lower in MH than in CH after
320 reaching the steady state.

300
Acknowledgment
280
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
This study has been performed with a financial support of the
t [s] Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Poland) within a
frame of the scientific grant No. N208 003 32/0611.
Figure 9. Calculated temperature profiles of the adsorbent bed
heated by microwaves (MH4) and convection (CH4). For details The author has declared no conflict of interest.
see Tabs. 2 and 3.

5 Conclusions Symbols used

A [m2] surface area
A comparison of the calculated critical efficiency factors of
cp [J kg–1K–1] heat capacity
microwave energy conversion into thermal energy with the
D, d [m] diameter
efficiency factors reported in the literature for regeneration of
Dp [m] penetration depth of microwaves
adsorbents in waveguides and with the efficiency factor
G [kg s–1] mass flow rate
obtained in this work for MH of 13X molecular sieves in a
g [m] wall thickness
multimode applicator demonstrates that MH of adsorbents
GrH [–] Grashof number
can be more energy-efficient compared to CV. However, MH
h [W m–2K–1] heat transfer coefficient
needs proper microwave engineering and careful process
H [m] height
design. The key factors are: appropriate dielectric properties of
L [m] length
the system (adsorbent and adsorbate), proper equipment
m [kg] mass
design in terms of good penetration of microwaves into the
Nu [–] Nusselt number
solid body of the adsorbent, and minimization of reflections of
Pr [–] Prandtl number
microwaves in the system. Moreover, the results of the per-

Chem. Eng. Technol. 2011, 34, No. 12, 2083–2090 © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim www.cet-journal.com
2090 R. Cherbański

Q [J] energy [2] R. Cherbański, E. Molga, Chem. Eng. Process. 2009, 48 (1),
Q_ [W] power 48.
Ra [–] Rayleigh number, = Gr·Pr [3] A. Dehdashti, A. Khavanin, A. Rezaee, H. Asilian, Turk.
T [K] temperature J. Eng. Environ. Sci. 2011, 35 (1), 49.
t [s] time [4] C. O. Ania, J. B. Parra, J. A. Menéndez, J. J. Pis, Microporous
V [m3] volume Mesoporous Mater. 2005, 85 (1–2), 7.
[5] R. Cherbański, M. Komorowska-Durka, G. D. Stefanidis, A. I.
Greek symbols Stankiewicz, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2011, 50 (14), 8632.
[6] P. M. Coss, C. Y. Cha, J. Air Waste Manage. Assoc. 2000, 50
er′ [–] relative dielectric constant
(4), 529.
er″ [–] relative dielectric loss
[7] M. Meier, M. Turner, S. Vallee, W. C. Conner, K. H. Lee, K. S.
g [–] efficiency factor
Yngvesson, AIChE J. 2009, 55 (7), 1906.
k0 [m] wavelength of microwave radiation
[8] I. Polaert, L. Estel, R. Huyghe, M. Thomas, Chem. Eng. J.
q [kg m–3] density
2010, 162 (3), 941.
[9] I. Polaert, A. Ledoux, L. Estel, R. Huyghe, M. Thomas, Int.
Subscripts
J. Chem. React. Eng. 2007, 5, A117.
0 initial [10] J. M. Thiebaut, C. Akyel, G. Roussy, R. G. Bosisio, IEEE
atm ambient Trans. Instrum. Meas. 1988, 37 (1), 114.
b bead [11] D. Bathen, Sep. Purif. Technol. 2003, 33 (2), 163.
dyss dissipated [12] J. Reuß, D. Bathen, H. Schmidt-Traub, Chem. Eng. Technol.
el electrical 2002, 25 (4), 381.
el→heat electrical energy conversion into heat [13] J. A. Menéndez, E. J. Juárez-Pérez, E. Ruisánchez, J. M. Ber-
el→mw electrical energy conversion into microwaves múdez, A. Arenillas, Carbon 2011, 49 (1), 346.
g gas [14] D. Michael, P. Mingos, D. R. Baghurst, Chem. Soc. Rev. 1991,
i inner 20 (1), 1.
in inlet [15] M. Nüchter, B. Ondruschka, W. Bonrath, A. Gum, Green
mw microwave Chem. 2004, 6 (3), 128.
o outer [16] Committee on Microwave Processing of Materials: An Emer-
out outlet ging Industrial Technology, Commission on Engineering and
s adsorbent Technical Systems, National Research Council, Microwave
top top surface of adsorbent bed Processing of Materials, The National Academies Press, Atlan-
w wall ta, GA 1994.
[17] L. Brown, T. Holme, Chemistry for Engineering Students, 2nd
ed., Brooks Cole, Belmont, CA 2010.
References [18] C. O. Popiel, J. Wojtkowiak, K. Bober, Exp. Therm. Fluid Sci.
2007, 32 (2), 607.
[1] J. A. Menéndez, A. Arenillas, B. Fidalgo, Y. Fernández, L. Zu- [19] C. O. Popiel, Heat Transfer Eng. 2008, 29 (6), 521.
bizarreta, E. G. Calvo, J. M. Bermúdez, Fuel Process. Technol. [20] A. Bejan, A. D. Kraus, Heat Transfer Handbook, John Wiley &
2010, 91 (1), 1. Sons, New York 2003.

www.cet-journal.com © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Chem. Eng. Technol. 2011, 34, No. 12, 2083–2090