Corning Incorporated

Pierre Woehl

Olivier Lobet

Roland Guidat

Didier Letourneur

Philippe Caze

Elena Daniela Lavric

Celine Claude Guermeur

Thierry Luc Alain Dannoux

Jean-Pierre Themont

Stephane Poissy

Sylvain Maxime F Gremetz

Christophe Remy

Maxime Moreno

James Scott Sutherland

Dominique Roberge

Charles Mitchel Sorensen, Jr

Paulo Gaspar Jorge Marques

Nikolaus H Bieler

Paulo Jorge Marques

Mikhail Sergeevich Chivilikhin

Yann P M Nedelec

Philippe J Barthe

Sylvain M Gremetz

Jean Waku Nsimba

J&eacute;r&ocirc;me Leloup

Aurelie Guichard

Michael Sergeevich Chivilikhin

Nsimba J Waku

Bérengère Chevalier

Yann Nedelec

Céline Guermeur

A method for scale-up of a micro reactor process from lab to production scale comprises using a wall material for a lab reactor having thermal conductivity &#x2264;3 W/m&#xb7;K, and using a wall material for a production reactor having thermal conductivity &#x2265;5 W/m&#xb7;K. Desirably, flow velocity is kept constant, and the height of the production-scale process channel is determined by: wherein A B and C are constants; His the overall volumetric heat transfer coefficient, Dis the hydraulic diameter, &#x3bb;is the thermal conductivity of the wall, b is the empirically determined power to which the Reynolds number is raised in the equation for the Nusselt criteria (Nu=a&#xb7;RePr) for the type of flow used, and h is the height of the channel, all in the production-scale process; and His the overall volumetric heat transfer coefficient in the lab-scale process.

Methods for scale-up of continuous reactors

In one aspect the invention relates to reactors and a reactor system that include multiple microstructures each having a first edge and a second edge and an entrance side () and including an entrance port () and one or more other ports through the entrance side with all of the ports through the entrance side () arranged in a standard pattern and closer to the first edge than the second edge. Desirably, the entrance port () and an exit port () are concentric.

Modular reactor and system

Embodiments of hybrid microfluidic assemblies comprise at least one microstructure that is formed of transparent material and is substantially free of non-transparent material and further comprise at least one microstructure that is formed of non-transparent material and is substantially free of transparent material.

Hybrid microfluidic assemblies

A microreactor includes a plurality of interconnected microstructures arranged in m process units with the process units configured to be operable together in parallel. Each of the m process units has a number n of respective process fluid inlets, wherein a number y of the n respective process fluid inlets are connected individually to respective non-manifolded fluid pumps, and wherein a number n minus y of the n respective process fluid inlets are connected to a respective manifolded fluid pump via a manifold, wherein y is an integer from 1 to n&#x2212;1 inclusive.

Devices and methods for microreactor fluid distribution

A microreaction device or system () includes at least one thermal control fluidic passage (C,E) and a principal working fluidic passage (A) with average cross-sectional area in the range of 0.25 to 100 mm, and having a primary entrance () and multiple secondary entrances () with the spacing between secondary entrances () having a length along the passage (A) of at least two times the root of the average cross-sectional area of the passage (A). The device or system () also includes at least one secondary working fluidic passage (B) having an entrance () and multiple exits () including a final exit (), each exit () being in fluid communication with a corresponding one of the multiple secondary entrances () of the principal fluidic passage (A).

High throughput thermally tempered microreactor devices and methods

A microfluidic device comprises at least one reactant passage defined by walls and comprising at least one parallel multiple flow path configuration comprising a group of elementary design patterns being able to provide mixing and/or residence time which are arranged in series with fluid communication so as to constitute flow paths, and in parallel so as to constitute a multiple flow path elementary design pattern, wherein the parallel multiple flow path configuration comprises at least two communicating zones between elementary design patterns of two adjacent parallel flow paths, said communicating zones being in the same plane as that defined by said elementary design patterns between which said communicating zone is placed and allowing passage of fluid in order to minimize mass flow rate difference between adjacent parallel flow paths which have the same flow direction.

Multiple flow path microreactor design

Disclosed is a method of performing a reaction involving a gaseous reactant stream and a falling film liquid reactant stream by providing a reactor comprising a first multicellular extruded body oriented with its cells extending in parallel in a vertically downward direction from a first end of the body to a second end, the body having a first plurality of cells open at both ends of the body and a second plurality of said cells closed at one or both ends of the body, the second plurality of cells being arranged in one or more groups of contiguous cells and cooperating to define at least in part at least one fluidic passage extending through the body; and further flowing a liquid reactant film down inner surfaces of the first plurality of cells while flowing a gaseous reactant stream up or down the centers of the first plurality of cells while flowing a first heat exchange fluid through the at least one fluidic passage. Various alternative devices for performing the method are also disclosed.

Methods and devices for falling film reactors with integrated heat exchange

A microstructure for chemical processing and manufacture is disclosed. The microstructure includes a plurality of microchannel walls constructed of glass, ceramic, glass-ceramic or combinations of these materials, which define at least one microchannel for accommodating chemicals to be processed. At least one coating layer including a catalyst support and a catalyst is adhered to the plurality of microchannel walls. A method of manufacturing a microstructure for chemical processing and manufacture is also disclosed.

Coated microstructure and method of manufacture

A microreactor assembly is provided comprising a fluidic microstructure and an injector assembly. The injector assembly comprises a liquid inlet, a gas inlet, a liquid outlet, a gas outlet, a liquid flow portion extending from the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet, and a gas flow portion extending from the gas inlet to the gas outlet. Further, the injector assembly defines an injection interface with a microchannel input port of the fluidic microstructure. The injector assembly is configured such that the gas outlet of the gas flow portion is positioned to inject gas into the liquid flow portion upstream of the liquid outlet, into the liquid flow portion at the liquid outlet, or into an extension of the liquid flow portion downstream of the liquid outlet and is configured such that gas is injected into the liquid flow portion or the extension thereof as a series of gas bubbles.

Injector assemblies and microreactors incorporating the same

Embodiments of a microchannel reactor comprise a microchannel housing comprising a plurality of channels and an upper microstructure disposed above the microchannel housing. The upper microstructure comprising a gas feed circuit, a liquid feed circuit, and at least one mixing cavity. The mixing cavity is in fluid communication with at least one reactive passage of the microchannel housing. The gas feed circuit comprises at least one gas feed inlet, and the liquid feed circuit comprises at least one liquid feed inlet and at least one liquid reservoir adjacent to the mixing cavity, wherein the liquid reservoir is operable to deliver a liquid feed into the mixing cavity.

Microchannel reactors

A microfluidic device [] includes at least one reactant passage [] and one or more thermal control passages defined therein, the one or more thermal control passages being positioned and arranged within two volumes [] each bordered by a wall [], the walls being generally planar and parallel to one another, the reactant passage positioned between said generally planar walls and defined by said generally planar walls and walls [] extending between said generally planar walls, wherein the reactant passage comprises multiple successive chambers [], each such chamber including a split of the reactant passage into at least two sub-passages [], and a joining [] of the split passages, and a change of passage direction, of at least one of the sub-passages, of at least 90 degrees.

Process intensified microfluidic devices

A class of designs is provided for a mixer in micro reactors where the design principle includes at least one injection zone in a continuous flow path where at least two fluids achieve initial upstream contact and an effective mixing zone (i.e. adequate flow of fluids and optimal pressure drop) containing a series of mixer elements in the path. Each mixer element is preferably designed with a chamber at each end in which an obstacle is placed (thereby reducing the typical inner dimension of the chamber) and with optional restrictions in the channel segments. The obstacles are preferably cylindrical pillars but can have any geometry within a range of dimensions and may be in series or parallel along the flow path to provide the desired flow-rate, mixing and pressure-drop. The injection zone may have two or more interfaces and may include one or more cores to control fluids before mixing.

Microstructure designs for optimizing mixing and pressure drop

A membrane microstructure device is disclosed. The membrane microstructure device includes a first glass, ceramic or glass-ceramic plate defining a first recess, a second glass, ceramic or glass-ceramic plate defining a second recess, and a non-metallic porous membrane sandwiched between the first and second plates. The first plate, second plate and porous membrane are joined together and the porous membrane is arranged to cover the first and second recesses to define a first microchannel between the first plate and the porous membrane and a second microchannel in fluid communication with the first microchannel between the second plate and the porous membrane. A method of manufacturing a membrane microstructure device is also disclosed.

Porous membrane microstructure devices and methods of manufacture

Structured catalysts comprising thick porous inorganic catalyst support coatings disposed on monolithic catalyst support structures, the support coatings having open interconnected porosities of controlled pore size but being characterized by improved durability, physical integrity, and adherence sufficient for use in liquid phase applications under harsh reaction conditions, and methods for making and using them, are disclosed.

Structured catalysts incorporating thick washcoats and method

Methods and apparatus for treating a gas-liquid feed stream with structured monolithic catalysts of honeycomb configuration wherein the catalysts are configured as a stack of honeycomb sections with offset channels, the resulting channel dislocations between adjacent contacting honeycombs in the stack introducing controlled, limited turbulence and mixing of feed stream portions traversing the channels to significantly increase the catalytic efficiency of the reactor.

Growing community of inventors

Cesson, France

Pierre Woehl