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AssigneeCellular Process Chemistry, Inc.
InventorsThomas Schwalbe, Klaus Golbig, Michael Hohmann, Petra Georg, Andreas Oberbeck, Bernd Dittmann, Jiri Stastna, Sebastian Oberbeck
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A stacked plate chemical reactor in which simple plates, each incorporating no surface features other that an opening, are stacked together. When openings in adjacent plates are properly aligned, a fluid pathway is defined between inlet ports for each chemical reactant and an outlet port for a chemical product. In one embodiment of the invention, sixteen simple plates are stacked to provide a reactor incorporating three heat transfer fluid pathways, two reactant fluid pathways, one product fluid pathway, multiple mixing chambers, multiple reaction chambers, two reactant pretreatment heat exchangers, two reaction chamber heat exchangers, and multiple temperature sensor pathways. Precise dimensional control of the reactant fluid pathway height enables stacked laminar flow paths for the reactants to be achieved, allowing efficient and rapid diffusion mixing to occur. Because the simple plates incorporate no features other than openings, fabrication of such plates is easily achieved. Different reactor designs, having additional reactant pathways, more or fewer heat transfer fluid pathways, more or fewer heat exchangers, more or fewer mixing chambers, more of fewer reaction chambers, and more or fewer sensor pathways can readily be achieved by adding or removing plates from the stack, and or by changing the pattern and number of openings in the simple plates that are used. The simple plates can be field in the stack during use of the chemical reactor using pressure exerted on opposite outer simple plates of the stack, or can be permanently joined. A preferred material for the fabrication of the plates is stainless steel, although other materials such as glass, plastic, and other metals can alternatively be used, which are compatible with the selected reactants and the desired product.
Apparatus for reacting one chemical with at least one other chemical to form a chemical product, said apparatus comprising a plurality of simple plates stacked in layers, each simple plate having at least one opening that extends therethrough, an opening in each simple plate overlapping at least one other opening in an adjacent simple plate, thereby forming at least one passage within the apparatus for each of said one chemical and said at least one other chemical, such that at least one passage for said one chemical and at least one passage for said at least one other chemical merge within the apparatus to form a reaction chamber, the chemical product being formed within said reaction chamber by a reaction between said one chemical and said at least one other chemical.
A reactor for carrying out a chemical process, comprising a plurality of simple plates stacked together in layers, said reactor including at least two chemical reactant inlet ports and at least one product outlet port for the receipt and discharge of a chemical product, at least two inlet pathways for accommodating the chemical reactants, wherein each inlet pathway is connected in fluid communication with a different one of said chemical reactant inlet ports, said at least two inlet pathways merging within the reactor to form at least one reaction chamber in which at least two chemical reactants can react to generate a chemical product, at least one outlet pathway coupling said at least one reaction chamber in fluid communication with said at least one product outlet port, and wherein each chemical reactant inlet port, inlet pathway, reaction chamber and product outlet port comprises an opening through at least one simple plate aligned with at least a portion of an opening through an adjacent simple plate.
A chemical reactor for processing at least two reactants to form a desired chemical product, comprising:
A method for fabricating a chemical reactor for combining at least two reactants to produce a desired product, comprising the steps of:
Apparatus for reacting one chemical with at least one other chemical to form a chemical product, said apparatus comprising a plurality of simple plates stacked in layers, each simple plate having at least one opening that extends therethrough, an opening in each simple plate overlapping at least one other opening in an adjacent simple plate, thereby forming at least one passage within the apparatus to convey and mix said one chemical with said at least one other chemical, at least one opening being configured so that said one chemical achieves a stacked laminar flow through said at least one passage with respect to at least one of said at least one other chemical, the chemical product being formed within said passage by a reaction between said one chemical and said at least one other chemical, after said laminar flow is achieved.
A reactor for carrying out a chemical process, comprising a plurality of simple plates stacked together in layers, said layers including at least one inlet port and at least one outlet port for the receipt and discharge of chemicals, respectively, and at least one pathway for accommodating the chemicals while they are processed, wherein said at least one pathway is connected in fluid communication with said inlet and outlet ports and comprises an opening through at least one simple plate aligned with an opening through an adjacent simple plate, and wherein said at least one pathway includes an opening through at least one of the simple plates that comprises a mixing pathway, said opening comprising the mixing pathway being sized so that at least one of the chemicals achieves a stacked laminar flow through the mixing pathway with respect to at least one other of the chemicals.
Apparatus for reacting one chemical with at least one other chemical to form a chemical product, said apparatus comprising a plurality of simple plates stacked in layers, each simple plate having at least one opening that extends therethrough, an opening in each simple plate overlapping at least one other opening in an adjacent simple plate, thereby forming at least one passage within the apparatus to convey and mix said one chemical with said at least one other chemical, at least one opening being configured so that said one chemical achieves a stacked laminar flow through said at least one passage with respect to at least one of said at least one other chemical, such that a thickness of each layer in said stacked laminar flow is less than a thickness of a simple plate comprising at least one longitudinal opening through which said stacked laminar flow moves, a the chemical product being formed within said passage by a reaction between said one chemical and said at least one other chemical, after said stacked laminar flow is achieved.
A reactor for carrying out a chemical process, comprising a plurality of simple plates stacked together in layers, said layers including at least one inlet port and at least one outlet port for the receipt and discharge of chemicals, respectively, and at least one pathway for accommodating the chemicals while they are processed, wherein said at least one pathway is connected in fluid communication with said inlet and outlet ports and comprises an opening through at least one simple plate aligned with an opening through an adjacent simple plate, and wherein said at least one pathway includes an opening through at least one of the simple plates that comprises a mixing pathway, said opening comprising the mixing pathway being configured so that at least one of the chemicals achieves a stacked laminar flow through the mixing pathway with respect to at least one other of the chemicals, wherein at least one simple plate comprises a longitudinal opening through which each layer of said stacked laminar flow moves.
A chemical reactor for processing at least two reactants to form a desired chemical product, comprising:
A method for configuring a stacked plate chemical reactor for combining at least two reactants to produce a desired product, such that at least one fluid pathway within the stacked plate chemical reactor comprises overlapping openings in adjacent plates, comprising the steps of:
A method for configuring a stacked plate chemical reactor for combining at least two reactants to produce a desired product, such that substantially all fluid pathways within the stacked plate chemical reactor comprise overlapping openings in adjacent plates, comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.