Development of pilot-scale mini-fluidic technology for reacting systems involving immiscible fluids and solids

微型技术已被考虑在燃料电池、医疗诊断、精细化学品和制药方面的各种应用。微型反应器适用于需要快速添加/移除热量和反应的系统，其性能取决于混合程度，在单相应用中已变得越来越常见。然而，多相(气/液、液/液、液/固)的引入使反应策略、上游分布器设计、下游分离和提纯、过程稳定性以及传热和传质特性变得复杂。在最近的文献中，解决其中一些挑战的尝试主要侧重于改善各个工艺组件的联系和性能，往往没有考虑到将该技术推广到中试规模所涉及的挑战。因此，缺乏用于外围设备(即分配器、阀门、用于过程控制的集成微量分析、下游分离和提纯)的有效技术以及实施这些技术的启发式方法。这一不足使许多行业在追求微流控技术方面犹豫不决。这项研究计划涉及多个项目，每个项目都有各自的好处，共同为构建涉及气体、液体和/或固体组合的模块化中试技术做出贡献。最初的项目探索液-液和液-固系统的基本设计挑战，重点是开发微型振荡流动反应器，专门用于高价值生物材料的结晶/凝胶化和微胶囊过程中的颗粒尺寸控制。通过传统和新的合成途径同时开发用于生物燃料生产的微型射流中试设施，将解决与多相系统的模块化中试技术有关的挑战。通过设计高效的分配器、微流体接触器、强大的分离技术、控制系统和固体处理能力，这项研究将有助于在多个工业部门更多地采用微流体技术。

Mini-scale technology has been considered for a variety of applications in fuel cells, medical diagnostics, fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Suited to systems requiring rapid addition/removal of heat and reactions whose performance is dependent on the extent of mixing, mini-reactors have become increasingly common in single-phase applications. However, the introduction of multiple phases (Gas/Liquid, Liquid/Liquid, Liquid/Solid) complicates the reaction strategy, upstream distributor design, downstream separation and purification, process stability, and heat and mass transfer characteristics. Attempts in recent literature to address some of these challenges have primarily focused on improving contacting and performance for individual process components, often without consideration for the challenges involved in extending the technology to pilot-scale. As a result, efficient technology for peripheral equipment (i.e. distributors, valves, integrated micro-analytics for process control, downstream separation and purification) and the heuristics for their implementation are lacking. This deficiency has made a number of industries hesitant to pursue mini-fluidic technology. This research program involves multiple projects, each with individual benefits collectively contributing to the construction of modular pilot-plant technology for applications involving combinations of gas, liquid and/or solids. Initial projects explore fundamental design challenges in liquid-liquid and liquid-solid systems, focusing on the development of mini-scale oscillating flow reactors applied specifically for particle size control during crystallization/gelation and micro-encapsulation of high-value bio-materials. Concurrent development of mini-fluidic pilot-scale facilities for biofuels production via conventional and novel synthesis pathways will address challenges related to modular pilot-plant technology for multi-phase systems. Through the design of efficient distributors, mini-fluidic contactors, robust separation technology, control systems and solids-handling capabilities, this research will contribute to increased adoption of mini-fluidic technology across multiple industrial sectors.