ISBN 9783843955744

978-3-8439-5574-4, Reihe Apparatedesign

Torsten Klement
Kinetic Measurement in Pendular Slug Flow Reactor using Contactless Raman Spectroscopy

149 Seiten, Dissertation Technische Universität Dortmund (2024), Softcover, A5

Zusammenfassung / Abstract

This dissertation investigates the applicability of a pendular slug flow reactor design in process development. This reactor concept combines the advantages of batch reactors and continuous systems and thus offer an alternative and extension to the platform. Here, the individual slugs in a tubular reactor form small batch reactors and are considered closed systems without residence time distribution.

These pendular slugs move in a temperature-controlled capillary, which can ensure intensified heat removal. The pendulum motion can be used to drive the same droplets repeatedly to a fixed measuring point. This gives the system very high potential in terms of automation. The reactor system described was tested on two fundamentally different reaction types.

The polymerization of acrylic acid poses considerable challenges for reactor and measurement systems due to its strong exothermic behavior and its increase in viscosity during the reaction. This often limits the maximum concentration and temperature of the reaction systems to be investigated. Polymerization of acrylic acid at high concentrations was carried out under quasi-isothermal conditions, leading to reliable kinetic data. The high degree of automation combined with low material usage leads to a high throughput of experiments.

The heterogeneously catalyzed hydrogenation of dissolved substrates and thus in the three-phase system was investigated using the described system. It was demonstrated that pendular slugs passing through a catalyst bed offer an efficient way of screening catalysts. In addition, the small amount of gaseous hydrogen represents a safety advantage.