Intense Process Technologies

Transforming Chemistry with Breakthrough Engineering

Intense processes allow chemical reactions to occur faster, safer, greener and in substantially less space than conventional chemical processing methods in stirred tank reactors to produce chemical products.   The result is lower cost products, but something else happens:  The time needed for development and  scale-up, are greatly reduced.  

How are processes intensified?  Process intensification occurs via two mechanisms:  Improvements in either heat transfer or mass transfer.   Depending on how these are combined, the reactive environment for a particular chemical transformation can be tailored to suit the characteristics of a process.  For instance, if a process is highly exothermic, better heat transfer will allow the process to occur more concentrated than in a batch reactor where thermal runaway may be a safety concern.   Less obvious however are processes that can be intensified by mass transfer.  In the case of mass transfer, intensified mixing may be needed to provide greater contact for two starting materials to come together forming a product.  

What kinds of chemical transformations lend themselves to process intensification?  Interestingly almost all chemical transformations developed in a round-bottom flask provide some opportunities for process intensification.  Most unit operations undertaken in a pilot plant setting also offer opportunities where the right kind of engineering can greatly reduce the effort needed to produce a result.  

What tools are used to intensify processes? Tools for process intensification depend on the kind of chemical process and the specific problem that can be overcome.   Energetic reactions that occur primarily in solution are often intensifed by moving the reaction from a large stirred tank reactor to a continuous flow tube reactor.  Microreactors(those that have fluid paths or materials that lend themselves to greater heat transfer ) are well suited for these kinds of reactions.  Processes involving latent exotherms, which can be extremely dangerous upon scale up are able to be run safely in microreactors.  

Other processes may involve solids, either by formation during the reaction or as a reagent that is needed to react as part of the process.    For these processes, other tools may be better suited than tubular reactors that can clog.  Spinning Disk, Oscillatory Reactors,  MSMPR, offer huge advantages for these kinds of processes.