Operating parameter optimization, cavitation

Ambulgekar et al. [30] investigated the oxidation of toluene using aqueous KMn04 as an oxidizing agent in the hydrodynamic cavitation reactor with an objective of optimization of the operating parameters. The reaction scheme can be depicted as follows ... 

The operating parameters used in the experimental work for the optimization exercise include inlet pressure (1 1 kg/cm2), concentration of the controlling reactant species (oxidant i.e. KMnC>4 in this case with concentration varied in the range 0.2-0.5 mol/L per mol of the toluene), type of the orifice plate (without orifice plate, orifice plates of two different geometries). The optimized conditions as obtained in the study are inlet pressure of 3 kg/cm2, 0.4 mol/L of the oxidant (beyond these values, the increase in the cavitational yield is only marginal) and orifice plate with more number of holes (cavitational yield is maximum out of all the geometries considered in the work). 

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