# US 2021/0275984 A1 · Performic acid production systems and methods > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0275984 A1 - Document ID: US20210275984A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/196,357 - Filed: 2021-03-09 - Published: 2021-09-09 - Earliest claimed: 2020-03-09 - Assignees: Kemira Oyj - Applicants: Kemira Oyj - Inventors: Patricia Aubeuf-Prieur; Iris Porat; Marco Stammegna; Sampsa Greus - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210275984A1 ## CPC - B01J 19/0033: {Optimalisation processes, i.e. processes with adaptive control systems (adaptive control systems per se G05B13/00)} - B01J 14/00: Chemical processes in general for reacting liquids with liquids; Apparatus specially adapted therefor (B01J8/00, B01J19/08 take precedence) - B01J 19/0013: {Controlling the temperature of the process} - B01J 19/0066: {Stirrers (mixing per se B01F)} - B01J 19/1818: {in series} - B01J 19/1831: {spirally, concentrically or zigzag wound} - B01J 19/245: {placed in series} - B01J 27/02: Sulfur, selenium or tellurium; Compounds thereof - C07C 407/00: Preparation of peroxy compounds - C07C 409/24: the —O—O— group being bound between a >C=O group and hydrogen, i.e. peroxy acids - B01J 2219/0004: Processes in series - B01J 2219/00099: the reactor being immersed in the heat exchange medium - B01J 2219/00164: controlling the flow - B01J 2219/00166: controlling the residence time inside the reactor vessel - B01J 2219/00195: of the reaction system - B01J 2219/00229: of the reaction system - B01J 2219/00236: at the reactor outlet - B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS - C07C: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS ## Abstract Systems for producing performic acid and methods for producing performic acid. The systems may include two or more reactor units, two or more servient programmable logic controllers, a control panel, and a master programmable logic controller. The system may modify the production of performic acid in at least one of the two or more reactor units upon and/or after the occurrence of a disruptive event in order to maintain a desired level of performic acid production and/or a desired level of disinfection. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for producing performic acid, the system comprising: two or more reactor units, wherein at least one reactor unit of the two or more reactor units comprises a water bath and one or more coils disposed in the water bath; two or more servient programmable logic controllers (sPLCs), wherein each of the two or more sPLCs is in communication with a different reactor unit of the two or more reactor units; a control panel comprising a master programmable logic controller (mPLC) in communication with the two or more sPLCs; and an automation unit having a user interface, wherein the automation unit is in communication with the mPLC; wherein (i) the mPLC, (ii) at least one of the two or more sPLCs, (iii) at least one of the two or more reactor units, or (iv) a combination thereof is configured to maintain a desired level of performic acid production upon and/or after the occurrence of a disruptive event. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein: the mPLC is configured to receive from the automation unit a first instruction comprising the desired level of performic acid production, the mPLC is configured to receive a status of the two or more reactor units from each of the two or more sPLCs, the mPLC is configured to send a second instruction, based on the desired level of performic acid production and the status of the two or more reactor units, to each of the two or more sPLCs upon and/or after the occurrence of the disruptive event, the second instruction comprising a modified fraction of the desired level of performic acid production, and the sPLCs are configured to modify, based on the second instruction, an amount of performic acid produced by at least one of the two or more reactor units, such that a combined performic acid production of the two or more reactor units equals the desired level of performic acid production. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the two or more reactor units comprises two coils and at least one coil valve, wherein a first coil having a first volume is configured to produce a first concentration of performic acid, wherein a second coil having a second volume is configured to produce a second concentration of performic acid, wherein the second concentration is greater than the first concentration, wherein the second volume is different than the first volume, and wherein the at least one coil valve is configured to shift the supply of precursors from the first coil to the second coil, or vice-versa. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the two or more reactor units further comprises a plurality of coils and a plurality of coil valves, wherein each coil of the plurality of coils has a coil volume, wherein each coil volume is greater than, equal to, or lesser than every other coil volume, wherein each coil volume is configured to produce a concentration of performic acid, and wherein each coil valve of the plurality of coil valves is configured to shift the supply of precursors from one of the plurality of coils to a different one of the plurality of coils. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein each of the two or more reactor units further comprises (i) a stirring element, (ii) a heating element, (iii) a cooling element, (iv) a water buffer tank, or (v) a combination thereof. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising: a first source configured to supply hydrogen peroxide to each of the two or more reactor units; and a second source configured to supply one or more acids to each of the two or more reactor units. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more acids comprises formic acid and a catalyst. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the catalyst comprises sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrofluoric acid, phosphoric acid, a salt thereof, or a combination thereof. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the two or more reactor units further comprises: a first buffer tank configured to store hydrogen peroxide supplied by the first source, a second buffer tank configured to store the one or more acids supplied by the second source. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, further comprising: two or more hydrogen peroxide pumps in communication with the two or more sPLCs, wherein each of the two or more hydrogen peroxide pumps is configured to control a flow rate of the hydrogen peroxide of the first source to at least one of the two or more reactor units; and two or more acid pumps in communication with the two or more sPLCs, wherein each of the acid pumps is configured to control a flow rate of the one or more acids of the second source to at least one of the two or more reactor units. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein each of the two or more sPLCs is configured to send a third instruction to at least one of the two or more hydrogen peroxide pumps and to at least one of the two or more acid pumps in response to the second instruction from the mPLC, wherein the third instruction comprises a modified flow rate. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the control panel further comprises a communications coupler in communication with the mPLC and the automation unit configured to employ a communication protocol. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the control panel further comprises: a modem in communication with the mPLC; and a cloud-based software platform in communication with the modem, wherein the cloud-based software platform is configured to facilitate (i) quality control, (ii) maintenance of the two or more reactor units, or (iii) a combination thereof in the event of a service need. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises at least one reactor unit configured to produce zero performic acid prior to the occurrence of the disruptive event. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the system comprises at least one reactor unit configured to produce (i) a nominal level of performic acid prior to the occurrence of the disruptive event, and (ii) a non-nominal level of performic acid upon and/or after the occurrence of the disruptive event without a ramp-up period. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein each of the two or more reactor units is configured to contribute a fraction of the desired level of performic acid production prior to the occurrence of the disruptive event. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) in communication with (i) the control panel, (ii) the two or more reactor units, (iii) the two or more sPLCs, or (iv) a combination thereof. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, further comprising a product outlet configured to accept a product comprising performic acid from each of the two or more reactor units. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the disruptive event comprises (i) an unplanned failure of at least one of the two or more reactor units, (ii) a planned period of maintenance, (iii) a demand for an increased flow rate of performic acid, (iv) a demand for an increased concentration of performic acid, (v) a demand for a decreased flow rate of performic acid, (vi) a demand for a decreased concentration of performic acid, or (vii) a combination thereof. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) A method for producing performic acid, the method comprising: providing the system of claim 1; sending a first instruction from the automation unit to the master programmable logic controller (mPLC); supplying (i) hydrogen peroxide from a first source, and (ii) one or more acids from a second source to each of the two or more reactor units; sending a status of each of the two or more reactor units from each of two or more servient programmable logic controllers (sPLCs) to the mPLC; sending a second instruction from the mPLC to each of the two or more sPLCs; and modifying an amount of performic acid produced by at least one of the two or more reactor units based on the second instruction. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the modifying of the amount of performic acid produced comprises: modifying, using two or more hydrogen peroxide pumps, a flow rate of hydrogen peroxide from the first source to at least one of the two or more reactor units; and modifying, using two or more acid pumps, a flow rate of the one or more acids from the second source to at least one of the two or more reactor units. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The method of claim 21, wherein the modifying of the amount of performic acid produced by at least one of the two or more reactor units further comprises: sending a third instruction from each of the two or more sPLCs to at least one of the two or more hydrogen peroxide pumps and to at least one of the two or more acid pumps in response to the second instruction from the mPLC. ### Claim 23 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the modifying of the amount of performic acid produced comprises: sending a signal to a coil valve to switch from a first coil having a first volume to a second coil having a second volume, thereby changing a residence time of precursors in the reactor unit, and a concentration of performic acid produced. ### Claim 24 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, further comprising: sending the status of each of the two or more reactor units through a modem to a cloud-based software platform, wherein the cloud-based software platform facilitates (i) quality control, (ii) maintenance of the two or more reactor units, or (iii) a combination thereof in the event of a service need. ### Claim 25 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein modifying of the amount of performic acid produced by at least one of the two or more reactor units comprises increasing production of performic acid in a standby reactor unit from zero to the modified fraction of the desired level of performic acid. ### Claim 26 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the modifying of the amount of performic acid produced by at least one of the two or more reactor units comprises modifying the production of performic acid in the two or more reactor units from an initial fraction to the modified fraction of the desired level of performic acid. ### Claim 27 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, further comprising: accepting, at a product outlet, a product comprising performic acid from each of the two or more reactor units. ### Claim 28 (depends on 20) The method of claim 20, wherein the disruptive event comprises (i) an unplanned failure of at least one of the two or more reactor units, (ii) a planned period of maintenance, (iii) a demand for an increased flow rate of performic acid, (iv) a demand for an increased concentration of performic acid, (v) a demand for a decreased flow rate of performic acid, (vi) a demand for a decreased concentration of performic acid, or (vii) a combination thereof. ### Claim 29 A system for producing performic acid, the system comprising: at least one reactor unit, wherein the at least one reactor unit comprises a water bath and two or more coils disposed in the water bath; at least one servient programmable logic controller (sPLC), wherein the at least one sPLC is in communication with the at least one reactor unit; a control panel comprising a master programmable logic controller (mPLC) in communication with the at least one sPLC; and an automation unit having a user interface, wherein the automation unit is in communication with the mPLC. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The system of claim 29, wherein (i) the mPLC, (ii) the at least one sPLC, (iii) the at least one reactor unit, or (iv) a combination thereof is configured to maintain a desired level of performic acid production upon and/or after the occurrence of a disruptive event. ### Claim 31 (depends on 29) The system of claim 29, wherein: the mPLC is configured to receive from the automation unit a first instruction comprising the desired level of performic acid production, the mPLC is configured to receive a status of the at least one reactor unit from the at least one sPLC, the mPLC is configured to send a second instruction, based on the desired level of performic acid production and the status of the at least one reactor unit, to the at least one sPLC upon and/or after the occurrence of the disruptive event, the second instruction comprising a modified fraction of the desired level of performic acid production, and the at least one sPLC is configured to modify, based on the second instruction, an amount of performic acid produced by the two or more coils in the at least one reactor unit, such that a combined performic acid production of the two or more coils equals the desired level of performic acid production. ### Claim 32 (depends on 29) The system of claim 29, wherein the first coil has a first volume configured to produce a first concentration of performic acid, and the second coil has a second volume different than the first volume configured to produce a second concentration of performic acid. ### Claim 33 (depends on 29) A method of producing performic acid, the method comprising: providing the system of claim 29; sending a first instruction from the automation unit to the master programmable logic controller (mPLC); supplying (i) hydrogen peroxide from a first source, and (ii) one or more acids from a second source to the at least one reactor unit; sending a status of the at least one reactor unit from each of the at least one servient programmable logic controllers (sPLCs) to the mPLC; sending a second instruction from the mPLC to each of the at least one sPLCs; and modifying an amount of performic acid produced by each of the two or more coils based on the second instruction. ### Claim 34 (depends on 33) The method of claim 33, wherein the modifying of the amount of performic acid produced comprises: modifying, using one or more hydrogen peroxide pumps, a flow rate of hydrogen peroxide from the first source to at least one of the two or more coils; and modifying, using one or more acid pumps, a flow rate of the one or more acids from the second source to at least one of the two or more coils. ### Claim 35 (depends on 34) The method of claim 34, wherein the modifying of the amount of performic acid produced by at least one of the two or more coils further comprises: sending a third instruction from each of the one or more sPLCs to at least one of the two or more hydrogen peroxide pumps and to at least one of the two or more acid pumps in response to the second instruction from the mPLC. ### Claim 36 (depends on 33) The method of claim 33, wherein the modifying of the amount of performic acid produced comprises: sending a signal to a coil valve to switch from a first coil having a first volume to a second coil having a second volume, thereby changing a residence time of precursors in the rector unit, and a concentration of performic acid produced. ### Claim 37 (depends on 33) The method of claim 33, wherein the second instruction corresponds to a desired level of performic acid production in each of the two or more coils. ### Claim 38 (depends on 33) The method of claim 33, wherein the second instruction is generated in response to a disruptive event comprising (i) a demand for an increased flow rate of performic acid, (ii) a demand for an increased concentration of performic acid, (iii) a demand for a decreased flow rate of performic acid, (iv) a demand for a decreased concentration of performic acid, or (v) a combination thereof.