Liquid fuel synthesis in microreactors (original) (raw)
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Liquid fuel synthesis in microreactors: A review
2018
Please do not adjust margins a. Division of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering, School of Engineering, London South Bank University, London SE1 0AA, UK. Email: constaa8@lsbu.ac.uk; Tel: +44(0)20 7815 7185 b. Department of Chemical Engineering, University College London, London WCIE 7JE, UK. c. Environment & Life Sciences Research Centre, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box: 24885, Safat 13109, Kuwait. d. Department of Earth Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK Received 00th January 20xx, Accepted 00th January 20xx
Microreactor Research and Development at Louisiana Tech University
ACS Symposium Series, 2005
Design and fabrication of microreactors and catalyst development of two reactions are described. A prototype reaction -gas phase conversion of cyclohexene to cyclohexane and benzene -has been studied extensively. The conversion is significantly improved ( > 90%) using silica sol-gel impregnated catalyst. An industrially relevant reaction on syngas conversion (CO+H 2 ) to alkanes using mixed metal catalysts encapsulated in alumina or silica sol-gel has also been invetigated. A high conversion of CO (~73 %) in the presence of a catalyst promoter with high selectivity to propane (~80%) has been achieved. Characterization of the catalysts, design of experiments on syngas conversion, and development of the parallel array microreactor system for fast and effective screening of catalysts are discussed in this chapter.
Practical engineering aspects of catalysis in microreactors
Research on Chemical Intermediates, 2015
This work presents a brief review of microreactor applications for different types of catalytic reactions. Practical aspects of four selected case studies are discussed in detail: enzymatic glycerolysis, hydrogenation of isobutene, stereoselective catalytic transfer hydrogenation and photochemical oxidation of 4-chlorophenol. The common benefits resulting from the use of microreactors are documented, and include the excellent control of operating condition, efficient heat transfer, tailored design, high experimental reproducibility, and new process development. To provide an unbiased view on microreactor technology, important practical issues of microreactor utilization are raised and possible solutions are presented. The practical aspects are discussed from the chemical engineering point of view, aiming at providing better insight to potential non-engineering users of microreactor technology.
Microreactors for Biodiesel Synthesis: Design, Fabrication, and Characterization
Heat Pipe Science and Technology, An International Journal, 2015
The present work describes microreactors for biodiesel continuous synthesis that have been designed, fabricated, characterized, and aimed at achieving a reproducible microfluidic device to compose a modular portable biodiesel production demonstration unit. A straightforward method is presented for the microfabrication and sealing of the microfluidic device that performs the role of a microreactor for biodiesel synthesis, built on a brass metal base and sealed with either a metal cover or a glass cover for easy microscopic observation of two-phase flow patterns. The microfluidic device contains a Y-junction squared microchannel architecture with width and depth of 400 µm. Microchannels were engraved using a micromilling technique and sealed either by welding, with tin as an additional material, in the case of the all metal device, or by using an epoxy glue, which served as an adhesive to seal a metal-glass device. The quality of the metalon-metal seal was examined using microscopic analysis of multiple cross sections of the device, whereas the quality of the metal-on-glass seal was analyzed via direct visual inspection of flows within the device using an optical microscope to verify the existence or absence of leaks. An experimental setup was then built to carry out biodiesel synthesis in the metal-metal microreactor, using soybean oil of food grade, absolute ethanol, and sodium hydroxide, NaOH, as a catalyst for the reaction. For a molar ratio ethanol/oil 20:1, a quantity of NaOH catalyst of 1.0 wt.% at a controlled temperature of 47.5 o C, it was possible to achieve a yield of fatty acids ethyl esters of 87.2% with 98% of triglyceride converted, for a residence time of 10 min. The experimental analysis confirms the applicability potential of the designed microreactor in the synthesis proposed.
Microchannel reactors: applications and use in process development
International Journal of …, 2005
Recent research results on microchannel reactors are reviewed with particular reference to their applications and use as a cost effective tool during process development tasks. The high surface to volume ratio, efficient heat and mass transfer characteristics, ...
Microstructured reactors for catalytic reactions
Catalysis Today, 2005
This review addresses the catalytic reactions performed in microstructured reactors, which are more and more recognized in recent years as a novel approach for chemistry and chemical process industry. They are particularly suited for highly exothermic and fast reactions allowing temperature control and isothermal operation. A brief evaluation of the advantages for gas-phase, liquid-phase, and gas-liquid-solid reactions carried out in miniaturized devices is discussed. Alternative designs to achieve microstructured fluid patterns, besides microfabrication, are also described. # . Integrated methanol steam reformer and CO clean-up section in a micropower fuel processor .
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2007
An integrated packaging system is developed for the multilayer laminate gas-phase microreactor die whose design and fabrication was described in Part 1 of this series. A commercial plastic socket used for integrated circuit testing was adapted so the reactor chip could be easily installed while maintaining consistent alignment with all electrical contacts. A heated fluidics interface was developed that connects the nonmetallic feed and product gas ports on the microreactor chip to metal tubing. Thermal experiments and 3-D finite-element heat transfer simulations of the combined socket-fluidics assembly showed that the plastic reactor socket could be safely operated up to 250°C. Other tests showed that the microreactor heaters were capable of achieving membrane temperatures in excess of 600°C. Step-response tests demonstrated that temperature changes of ca. 100°C could be achieved in less than 10 ms. Testing of the electrical leads on the reactor chip verified that the device resistance on a single reactor chip was uniform within a few percentage points. The packaged system developed here is used in Part 3 of this series to create a modular reactor board for incorporation into an integrated process system.
Design, fabrication and characterization of microreactors for high temperature syntheses
Chemical Engineering Journal, 2012
Microfluidic reactors offer many potential advantages in several research and industrial fields such as processes intensification, which includes a better reaction control (kinetics and thermodynamics), a high throughput and a safer operational environment (reduced manipulation of dangerous reagents and low sub-products generation). Nevertheless, scaling-down limitations appear concerning the materials used in the fabrication of microreactors for most of the liquid-phase reactions, since they usually require high temperatures (up to 300ºC), solvents and organic reagents. In this work, the development of a set of modular and monolithic microreactors based on the integration of microfluidics and a thermal platform (sensor/high-temperature heater) is proposed to perform high temperature reactions. The reliability and performance of both configurations were evaluated through an exhaustive characterization process regarding their thermal and microfluidic performance. Obtained results make the devices viable for their application in controlled and reproducible synthetic processes occurring at high temperatures such as the synthesis of quantum dots. The proposed microfluidic approach emerge as an engaging tool for processes intensification, since it provides better mass and temperature transfer than conventional methods with a reduction not only of the size and energy consumption, but also of by-products and reagents consumption.
Arab Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences
The production of biodiesel from transesterification of oils is the currently available alternative to consumable fuels. The study focuses on the performance assessment of a microreactor platform for biodiesel production. Since a microreactor provides better mass transfer and a higher surface-to-volume ratio, this significantly contributes to augmenting the reaction rate of biodiesel production at reduced cost. In this study, firstly the T-shaped microfluidic reactor was fabricated on a PMMA (poly methyl methacrylate) sheet. Then, the kinetics of enzymatic transesterification reaction for biodiesel synthesis in this reactor was investigated. A combination of sunflower oil and methanol was used as feedstock in the presence of lipase from Thermomyces lanuginous as a catalyst and tert-butanol as a solvent. The reaction was carried out under ambient conditions (1 atm and 30 C) where 285 v% of tert-butanol was loaded to oil with 4 wt% lipase, and the molar ratio of oil to methanol was 1:2.5. Gas Chromatography was used to measure the concentration of biodiesel. The kinetic parameters such as maximum reaction rate (V max) and Michaelis-Menten constant (K M) were found to be 0.725 (mol/L.min) and 0.092 mol/L, respectively. High V max and low K M values indicated the better performance of the reactor. In addition, a Lineweaver-Burk plot with excellent coefficient of determination (R 2) of 99.5% supported the high performance of the microreactor.