Microchannel Reactions and Separations

A device for reacting and separating components, comprising:

• an elongated vessel comprising a microchannel heat pipe, a hollow space inside the microchannel heat pipe being surrounded by an inner wall;
• a feed inlet;
• a bottoms outlet at a first end of the microchannel heat pipe adjacent an inner wall of the microchannel heat pipe;
• an overhead outlet at the second end of the microchannel heat pipe away from the inner wall of the microchannel heat pipe;
• a heat source wrapped around the first end of the microchannel heat pipe;
• a cold source wrapped around the second end of the microchannel heat pipe;
• wherein a working fluid is fed into the feed inlet and is heated at the first end to evaporate a vapor phase and the vapor phase is cooled at the second end to form a liquid phase, the liquid phase coating the inner wall by capillary force and the vapor phase occupying the balance of the hollow space;
• a reactor inlet selected from the list comprising:
• a reactor inlet adjacent the first end and extending from the inner wall to the vapor phase, wherein a gas-phase reactant is injected into the vapor phase and reacts with at least a portion of the working fluid, producing a product;
• a reactor inlet adjacent the second end, wherein a liquid-phase reactant is injected into the liquid phase and reacts with at least a portion of the working fluid, producing a product;
• and
• a combination thereof;
• the device separating the product and the working fluid into the vapor phase and the liquid phase, removing the vapor phase out the overhead outlet and the liquid phase out the bottoms outlet.