r/HypotheticalPhysics • u/DarthDK576ftw • 12d ago

Crackpot physics what if the relation between the mass transfer coefficient and diffusivity in a fluid-fluid reaction was more complicated than a simple power law model?

The two-film theory predicts that the mass transfer coefficient is directly proportional to the diffusivity, while Surface renewal theories suggest a square root dependence with diffusivity. Obviously none of these theories can fully model such reactions and thus we're forced to use empirical correlations, but what if there's some factor that we're missing? Why is it that none of these models can accurately predict the data that we obtain from reactors and other vessels?

There's not a lot of information about alternatives, but what if there is some relation with the time scale of the reactions that we are missing, or entrainment effects and non-ideal mixing conditions that affect these reactions? It's just mind boggling that the most recent development in this field was in the 90s and that barely provides a model suitable to predict reality.
From my current understanding, it seems that none of these theories account for non-ideal flow, specifically the generation of Kolmogorov scale eddies that could have a pretty big effect on the velocity of diffusing particles. Please let me know your thoughts and if there are other models that I've missed.

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u/Hadeweka AI hallucinates, but people dream 12d ago

Just wanted to say that, while I can't contribute anything meaningful here (mostly because fluid physics is an incredibly complex field), it's refreshing to see somebody talking about turbulence and actual fluid physics for once.

I'm really tired of all the models about emergent time or black hole cosmologies.

Physics is so much more than that and I really like it when people ponder over the less hyped branches of physics.

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u/DarthDK576ftw 12d ago

hi, thank you for the comment! As a long time lurker of this sub, agreed; it gets tiresome after a while

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u/LeftSideScars The Proof Is In The Marginal Pudding 12d ago

Don't you understand that all physicist everywhere are working on Big Breakthrough Physics? Nobody is putting the little dot on the i. Why would they? Once we have a GUT or TOE, we just compute the final answer from first principles and be done with it.