Process intensification Mechanisms

C. (1997) Synthesis of nano-particles of CaC03 in a novel reactor, in Process Intensification in Practice Applications and Opportunities (ed. J. Semel), Mechanical... 

In chemical micro process technology there is a clear dominance of pressure-driven flows over alternative mechanisms for fluid transport However, any kind of supplementary mechanism allowing promotion of mixing is a useful addition to the toolbox of chemical engineering. Also in conventional process technology, actuation of the fluids by external sources has proven successful for process intensification. An example is mass transfer enhancement by ultrasonic fields which is utilized in sonochemical reactors [143], There exist a number of microfluidic principles to promote mixing which rely on input of various forms of energy into the fluid. 

C. Ramshaw, The Incentive for Process Intensification, in Process Intensification for the Chemical Industry, ed. C. Ramshaw, Mechanical Engineering Publications, Eondon, 1995. J. L. A. Koolen, Design of Low-Cost Chemical Plants, in 3rd International Conference on Process Intensification for the Chemical Industry, ed. A. Green, Professional Engineering Publishing, London, 1999. 

J. D. Perkins, Process Systems Engineering to Support the Development of Future Processing Systems, in in proceedigs of the 2nd International Conference on Process Intensification in Practice, ed. J. Semel, Mechanical Engineering Publications, London, 1997. 

Ramshaw C, ed. 1st International Conference on Process Intensification for the Chemical Industry, Antwerp, Belgium, Dec 6-8, 1995. BHR Group Conference Series, Publication No. 18. London Mechanical Engineering Publications Limited, 1995. 

Chen J, Wang Y, Zheng C. In Semel J, ed. 2nd International Conference on Process Intensification in Practice. BHR Group Conf. Series, No. 28. London Mechanical Engineering Publications, 1997 157-164. 

Akay, G. Tong, L. Addleman, R. Process intensification in particle technology intensive granulation of powders by thermo-mechanically induced melt fracture. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2002, 41, 5436-5446. 

Akay, G. Tong, L. Process intensification in polymer particle technology granulation mechanism and granule characteristics. J. Mater. Sci. 2003, 38, 3169-3181. 

Even if the use of electric fields, either static or dynamic, to improve chemical processes has long been known, only more recently it has been applied for process intensification. The application of an electric field in liquid-liquid systems induces an increase in the mass transfer (up to a factor 10), due to a higher degree of turbulence within and around the dispersed phase, as a result of interaction between the field and the interface [109]. Four different mechanisms are noted ... 

Within this definition, the field of process intensification is very broad, ft can not be the objective of this chapter to provide an exhaustive overview of the area. Whole conferences are dedicated to process intensification technology every year and networks of experts have been formed, see, e.g.. Ref [1]. Disciplines like mechanical engineering, process engineering, materials science and others all bring exciting new angles and ideas. Rather than attempting to condense the... 

As a result, most of the equipment heralded in process intensification not only intensifies chemical conversion per unit volume, but also intensifies the mechanical-energy dissipation per unit volume. This is the brute force of turbulence that the title alludes to most intensified technologies rely on turbulence to beat the fluids - in some way or other - into high contact area and thin boundary layers. 

In this system the process intensification is the result of multiple mechanisms acting simultaneously, such as (i) the recovery of a product which could undergo an undesired reaction (as in esterification reactions where the undesired reaction is the reverse reaction), (ii) the removal of an inhibiting compound (as in PVBRs), (iii) the retention of the catalyst in the system, and (iv) the conservation of most of the unused reactants in the reacting solution. 

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