Printed circuit reactor

P P Po PCHE PCR PCS PDF PDMS Pe PEM PEMFC PET pH Power output Pressure Pressure drop of one SAR step Printed circuit heat-exchanger Printed circuit reactor Process control system Probability density function Poly-dimethylsiloxane Peclet-number Proton exchange membrane Proton exchange membrane fuel cell Poly-ethylene terephthalate Potentia Hydrogenii (measure for acid and base strength)... 

Additional functions can be included in the exchanger design, such as chemical reaction, mass transfer, and mixing, optimising the process considerably. In fact, the Heatric PCHF is also marketed as a reactor - the printed circuit reactor (PCR) (see Chapter 5). 

Candidate process reactions for HEX-reactors should have the potential to be fast, produce or absorb heat (i.e. exothermic or endothermic) and form byproducts. Industrial examples include nitrations, polymerisations, hydrogenations, halogen-ations and aminations. Typically, such processes have byproduct outputs of rates between l-5kg/kg of desired products (in bulk chemicals), and 5-50kg/kg of product for fine chemicals. These processes provide the greatest opportunity for realising the benefits of HEX-reactors compared to stirred tank reactors. HEX-reactors of this type are usually derived from existing compact heat exchanger variants, e.g. the printed circuit reactor (PCR) and Chart-kote units. 

A micro reactor concept proposed by MIT and DuPont on the basis of electronic circuits is the most prominent among the examples listed for the hybrid approach [19,101]. The so-called turnkey multiple micro-reactor test station relies on the use of standard components originating from the semiconductor industry for microchemical processing, the construction being oriented at the concept of printed circuit boards. 

The significance of corrosion protection has risen sharply in recent years for a number of reasons (1) because of efforts to reduce the metal content of parts (e.g., by using thinner metallic support structures) (2) with the use of new types of equipment and processes involving expensive equipment operated under extreme conditions, such as nuclear reactors and jet and rocket engines and (3) in connection with the development of products having extremely thin metal films, such as printed circuit boards and integrated circuits. 

Larger emissions or consumption of scarce resource could occur elsewhere in the lifecycle via the large-scale introduction of process intensification. For example, the proposed printed circuit board reactors could in the manufacturing step cause large emissions of VOCs from cleaning chemicals. And the demolition phase could... 

S. O., Application of printed circuit heat exchanger technology within heterogeneous catalytic reactors, in Proceedings of the AIChE Annual Meeting, 2001. 

The computer system of the station control and data acquisition is a distributed micro processer based systems. A digital multiplexed control system takes the place of hard wired analogue control. This accounts for a significant reduction in cable usage. Built-in diagnostics and board level maintenance makes restoration of operability of any fault in the system a matter of replacement of printed circuit cards. Automatic control systems and procedures are deployed to simplify these procedures and power level manoeuvers. In case of unsafe conditions the reactor protection system (PMS) takes over and automatically scrams the reactor and actuates the relevant safety systems. Diverse methods are used to assure the shutdown of the reactor in hypothetical situations. The systems also provide for post-accident monitoring. 

The UK pioneered advanced compact heat exchangers, such as the printed circuit (PCHEs) and Marbond units in the process industries, and the success of initiatives in this area - which led to the emphasis of enhancement and PI - was seen by many as the first official recognition of process intensification technologies as major tools in aiding more efficient use of energy. This has now extended internationally and to reactors (Haugwitz et al., 2007), as illustrated in Chapter 5. 

Printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) Chemical etching of channels in sheets, then diffusion bonding together Offshore, HEX-reactors, process heat transfer, power generation 4... 

Printed circuit heat exchanger Chemicals and petrochemicals Cryogenics Oil and gas processing Nuclear reactors Generic applications Refrigeration Hazardous stream separation... 

Appiications cable insulation, capacitors, coatings (agitators, centrifuges, electroplating equipment, exhaust hoods, filters, piping systems, reactors, semiconductor storage tanks, vessels), films, fibers, hollow fiber membranes, pipes, printed circuits, rods, sheet, solar collectors ... 

The performance of the gas cooler, which is the interface between the reactor system and the heat rejection system, is key to the reliability of the overall plant due to its high surface area and the high heat rejection system pressure. Preliminary vendor design concept development, sponsored by the NRPCT, studied plate-fin, shell and tube, printed circuit board, and hybrid heat exchanger configurations. Mass estimates from all of these vendors are considerably higher than the initial NASA and contractor estimates. 

---