Numerical Model of a Photolytic Reactor for VOC Destruction

A computational fluid dynamics CFD model has been developed which describes the interaction between the fluid dynamics of a volatile organic compound VOC laden gas stream and the photochemical processes occurring within a photolytic reactor. The VOCs chosen for study are formaldehyde and methanol, and it is the goal of this paper to describe the mechanisms which most directly influence the destruction of formaldehyde in the reactor. Modeling studies show how formaldehyde destruction in the reactor is influenced by the distribution of ultraviolet energy in the reactor, the gas stream residence time and the inlet ozone dosage to the reactor. It was found that increasing the inlet ozone dose, increasing the gas stream residence time and increasing the light intensity all produced higher rates of formaldehyde destruction.