This kind of pilot plant is designed to test industrial catalysts (no grinding, no crushing) at very high liquid velocities in order to minimize external diffusion limitations. Catalyst performances can hence be compared avoiding buffering effects of external mass and heat transfers.
In consequence, Vinci-Technologies developed units based on horizontal meandering channel with a thermal fluid passing between channels. This isothermal reactor is designed for ensuring an optimal control of the reaction temperature.
Technology is based on a packed bed reactor leading a process fluid through a packing of solid particles at a defined temperature. It is therefore particularly suitable for the carrying out of heterogeneously catalyzed reactions using a packed bed catalyzer. The packing is held in a channel with a meandering path. Metal sinter frits at the two ends of the channel prevent the filling from being washed out.
A
heat transfer liquid is used for temperature control. Pt100 temperature
sensors are inserted directly at the inlet and outlet of the process
channel and so allow temperature measurement in the immediate vicinity
of the process.
The
greatly increased length-to-cross section relationship makes the packed
bed reactor especially suitable for reactions that require an increased
flow rate through the packing, as is the case, for example, with
two-phase reaction mixtures. The fluidic temperature control also
enables pronounced exothermic reactions to be carried out, as well as
reactions at temperatures below room temperature.
Regarding flexibility, Vinci-Technologies developed a highly versatile design concept. The reactor devices are arranged on A3 base plates having a rectangular grid pattern with a reference dimension of 25mm for a grid cell. 1mm thick sealing plates ensure the tightness of the mounted devices.
It allows the build-up of several different plant configurations, reactor lengths and sampling points depending on the selected reaction process. For example, a reaction section can be build up with two A3 plates in series in order to get a total reactor available length of 9 m (with 4 x 4 mm² channel cross section) consisting of six horizontal ‘meander reactors’ (three reactors by plate) in series.
Before the test, the operator may select reactor length among 1.5m, 3m, 4.5m, 6m, 7.5m, 9m, by adding or removing one or more meander reactors. Micro-element handling, mounting and dismounting is very easy. Download : NRU - Nano Reactor Unit brochure
