Microreactor chip-like

Many partial oxidations are carried out using pure oxygen at elevated pressures. By this, space time yields can be increased. One of the initial studies was on ammonia oxidation in a chip-like microreactor [59] with the aim of demonstrating the feasibility of decentralized and safe production of hazardous chemicals. The reaction is highly exothermic and has several series and parallel reaction pathways allowing for selectivity studies. 

Figure 10.12 shows the fabrication steps of a chip-like microreactor made from a silicon wafer as described by Pattekar and Kothare [532]. Firstly, a 10-p.m thick photoresist layer was coated onto the silicon chip, which served as the etch mask for Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE). Then the photoresist was removed and Pyrex glass was connected to the chip by anodic bonding to seal the channels. Teflon capillaries were then bonded as inlet/outlet connectors to the chip. On the reverse side of the chip, the photoresist was patterned, which served as an etch mask for a... 

Kim and Kwon described a microreactor, heated by electricity, which carried a copper/zinc oxide catalyst [46]. About 4 mL min of hydrogen was produced by the reactor. At a reaction temperature of 300 °C and an S/C ratio of 1.1, full methanol conversion was achieved. Subsequently the same group developed a chip-like... 

Roumanie et al. tested catalysts in a chip-like silicon microreactor for methylcy-dohexane dehydrogenation [280]. A platinum/alumina catalyst achieved 88.5% conversion, while a platinum film sputtered onto black silicon showed only 2% conversion. Low activity is frequently observed for non-dispersed noble metal surfaces. 

In the course of the fast growing development of microfluidic devices like Lab-on-a-Chip, microreactors, and micro heat pipes, it is essential to develop effective systems for measuring the temperature distribution in the microscale. For example, for observing the heat transfer in microchannel flows, it is a matter of particular interest to know both the temperature distribution along the wall and the temperature distributirHi in the fluid flow. Conventional methods for temperature measurements are based on thermocouples and resistance thermometers which have a minimum size of about 10 pm and which always interfere with the system to be measured. Contactless methods for measuring temperature, e.g., infrared thermography, have many... 

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