LAPSE:2025.0440
Published Article
LAPSE:2025.0440
Structural Optimization of Translucent Monolith Reactors through Multi-objective Bayesian Optimization
June 27, 2025
Abstract
Photochemical monolith reactors offer advantages over microreactors by providing high mixing efficiency and surface area to volume ratio while being scalable. However, optimizing monolith design parameters like channel number, shape, and stacking is critical to maximizing light usage and reactor efficiency. This work proposes using Bayesian optimization and COMSOL Multiphysics simulations to automatically design translucent monoliths for photochemical reactions. The goal is to maximize both photochemical space-time yield and space-time yield. Ray tracing simulations were performed while evaluating five different channel geometries (circular, elliptical, triangular, square, and pentagonal) and optimizing parameters, including channel diameter, vertical stacking, shape rotation, and ellipse axis ratio. Results showed a clear trade-off between Space-Time Yield (STY) and Photochemical Space-Time Yield (PSTY), with optimized elliptical channels achieving up to 15.3% improvement in STY with minimal PSTY increase and 9.0% enhancement in PSTY with negligible STY decrease.
Photochemical monolith reactors offer advantages over microreactors by providing high mixing efficiency and surface area to volume ratio while being scalable. However, optimizing monolith design parameters like channel number, shape, and stacking is critical to maximizing light usage and reactor efficiency. This work proposes using Bayesian optimization and COMSOL Multiphysics simulations to automatically design translucent monoliths for photochemical reactions. The goal is to maximize both photochemical space-time yield and space-time yield. Ray tracing simulations were performed while evaluating five different channel geometries (circular, elliptical, triangular, square, and pentagonal) and optimizing parameters, including channel diameter, vertical stacking, shape rotation, and ellipse axis ratio. Results showed a clear trade-off between Space-Time Yield (STY) and Photochemical Space-Time Yield (PSTY), with optimized elliptical channels achieving up to 15.3% improvement in STY with minimal PSTY increase and 9.0% enhancement in PSTY with negligible STY decrease.
Record ID
Keywords
Bayesian Optimization, Monoliths, Photochemistry, Photoreactors, Ray tracing
Subject
Suggested Citation
Boy OC, Di Caprio U, Nogueira IB, Leblebici ME. Structural Optimization of Translucent Monolith Reactors through Multi-objective Bayesian Optimization. Systems and Control Transactions 4:1794-1799 (2025) https://doi.org/10.69997/sct.132003
Author Affiliations
Boy OC: KU Leuven, Center for Industrial Process Technology, Diepenbeek, Belgium
Di Caprio U: KU Leuven, Center for Industrial Process Technology, Diepenbeek, Belgium
Nogueira IB: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Department of Chemical Engineering, Trondheim, Norway
Leblebici ME: KU Leuven, Center for Industrial Process Technology, Diepenbeek, Belgium
Di Caprio U: KU Leuven, Center for Industrial Process Technology, Diepenbeek, Belgium
Nogueira IB: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Department of Chemical Engineering, Trondheim, Norway
Leblebici ME: KU Leuven, Center for Industrial Process Technology, Diepenbeek, Belgium
Journal Name
Systems and Control Transactions
Volume
4
First Page
1794
Last Page
1799
Year
2025
Publication Date
2025-07-01
Version Comments
Original Submission
Other Meta
PII: 1794-1799-1460-SCT-4-2025, Publication Type: Journal Article
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LAPSE:2025.0440
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https://doi.org/10.69997/sct.132003
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[v1] (Original Submission)
Jun 27, 2025
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References Cited
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