Pilot microreactor plants

The specific nature of microreactors at the laboratory scale, e.g., due to their small size, continuous way of operation, and their interconnectors, raises the need for compact tailored platforms, and indeed suppliers have provided such complete systems, i.e., as bench-scale microreactor plants [2]. Meanwhile, a choice of modular multi-purpose or dedicated microreactor laboratory plants is available on the market, approaching the pilot-scale level [2]. Still, suitable tools for dovmstream processing are missing to satisfy all customers needs. 

Fig. 6.15 Fine chemical microreactor plant for laboratory- and pilot-range operation, completely assembled (lower image) and microreactor-system core (upper image). (Source IMM.)...

Viable operating eonditions were identified experimentally for maximising the produetion of ethylene, propylene, styrene and benzene from the pyrolysis of waste produets. Data are given for pyrolysis temperature, produet reaetion time, and quench time using a batch microreactor and a pilot-plant-sized reactor. 26 refs. CANADA... 

Stainless steel is the material of choice for process chemistry. Consequently, stainless steel microreactors have been developed that include complete reactor process plants and modular systems. Reactor configurations have been tailored from a set of micromixers, heat exchangers, and tube reactors. The dimensions of these reactor systems are generally larger than those of glass and silicon reactors. These meso-scale reactors are primarily of interest for pilot-plant and fine-chemical applications, but are rather large for synthetic laboratories interested in reaction screening. The commercially available CYTOS Lab system (CPC 2007), offers reactor sizes with an internal volume of 1.1 ml and 0.1 ml, and modular microreactor systems (internal reactor volumes 0.5 ml to... 

Figure 18 shows a pilot plant with a capacity of 10 t/a built for Swern-Moffat oxidation (Kawaguchi et al. 2006). The microreactor includes a series of rapid mixing functions for mass production. The yield of... 

Wille C, Gabski H, Haller T, Kim H, Unverdorben L, Winter R (2004) Synthesis of pigments in a three-stage microreactor pilot plant - an experimental technical report. Chemical Engineering Journal 101 179-185... 

Schirrmeister, S., Markowz, G., Bulk chemicals in microreactors development and scale-up of a new synthesis route into the pilot plant scale, in Proceedings of the 27th International Exhibition-Congress on Chemical Engineering, Environmental Protection and Biotechnology, ACHEMA... 

In 2004 Clariant set up a new centre for the development of microreactor technology in Frankfurt, Germany, called the Clariant Competence Center for Micro Reaction Technology. Its facilities include two microreactor pilot plants and a dedicated laboratory. Clariant says that by using parallel microreactor modules makes it possible to turn out kilogram or even ton quantities of a product [B-46],... 

The deactivation of a Fischer-Tropsch precipitated iron catalyst has been investigated by means of a novel reactor study. After use of the catalyst in a single or dual pilot plant reactor, sections of the catalyst were transferred to microreactors for further activity studies. Microreactor activity studies revealed maximum activity for catalyst fractions removed from the region situated 20 - 30% from the top of the pilot plant reactor. Catalyst characterization by means of elemental analyses, XRD, surface area and pore size measurements revealed that (1 deactivation of the catalyst in the top 25% of the catalyst bed was mainly due to sulphur poisoning (2) deactivation of the catalyst in the middle and lower portions of the catalyst bed was due to catalyst sintering and conversion of the iron to Fe304, Both these latter phenomena were due to the action of water produced in the Fischer-Tropsch reaction. 

Figure 10.9 Photographs of the pilot plant (a) Eullview (b) microreactor. Copyright 2005 American Chemical Society...

Clariant reported that microreaction technology can be applied to the production of pigments on the pilot plant scale. The azo pigments produced in a microreactor exhibited better color properties compared with azo pigments produced in macrobatch reactors. 

Microreactor pilot plants consist of, at their core, very similar flow sheets to the laboratory plants and thus in their choice of components and connection. The... 

Fig. 6.20 Industrial pilot plant (10 t a ) with three microreactor blocks for radical polymerization at the Idemitsu site in japan [37],...

Going from Laboratory to Pilot Plant to Production using Microreactors... 

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