Abstract:
A microfluidic device comprises at least one reactant passage (26) defined by walls and comprising at least one parallel multiple flow path configuration (50) comprising a group of elementary design patterns (34) being able to provide mixing and/or residence time which are arranged in series with fluid communication so as to constitute flow paths (52), and in parallel so as to constitute a multiple flow path elementary design pattern (57), wherein the parallel multiple flow path configuration (50) comprises at least two communicating zones (54) between elementary design patterns (34) of two adjacent parallel flow paths (52), said communicating zones (54) being in the same plane as that defined by said elementary design patterns (34) between which said communicating zone (54) is placed and allowing passage of fluid in order to minimize mass flow rate difference between adjacent parallel flow paths (52) which have the same flow direction.
Abstract:
A microreactor assembly (100) is provided comprising a fluidic microstructure (10) and an injector assembly (20). The injector assembly (20) comprises a liquid inlet (22), a gas inlet (24), a liquid outlet (26), a gas outlet (28), a liquid flow portion (30) extending from the liquid inlet (22) to the liquid outlet (26), and a gas flow portion (40) extending from the gas inlet (24) to the gas outlet (28). Further, the injector assembly (20) defines an injection interface with a microchannel input port (14) of the fluidic microstructure (10). The injector assembly (20) is configured such that the gas outlet (28) of the gas flow portion (40) is positioned to inject gas into the liquid flow portion (30) upstream of the liquid outlet (26), into the liquid flow portion (30) at the liquid outlet (26), or into an extension (35) of the liquid flow portion (30) downstream of the liquid outlet (26). Further, the injector assembly (20) is configured such that gas is injected into the liquid flow portion (30) or the extension thereof as a series of gas bubbles. The resulting microreactor assembly (100), and the injector assemblies utilized therein, which can be used with a variety of microreactor designs, effectively improves the interfacial surface area within the microstructure without requiring excessive reduction of microchannel dimensions.
Abstract:
A microfluidic device (10) for performing chemical or biological reactions comprises a chamber (20) for use as a self-sustaining oscillating jet mixing chamber and two or more separate feed channels (22, 24, 40) separated by one or more inter-channel walls (25), the two or more channels (22,24,40) terminating at a common side (18) of the chamber (20), the two or more channels (22,24,40) having a total channel width (28) comprising the widths of the two or more channels (22,24,40) and all inter-channel walls (25) taken together, the chamber (20) having a width (26) in a direction perpendicular to the channels (22,24,40) and a length (32) in a direction parallel to the channels, the width (26) being at least two times the total channel width (28), the chamber (20) having two opposing major surfaces (56) defining a height (30) thereof, the chamber (20) having a major-surface-area to volume ratio of at least 10 cm2/cm3. A method of microfluidic fluid mixing using a self-sustaining oscillating jet mixing chamber is also disclosed.
Abstract:
A microfluidic reaction device 10 includes a thermal buffer fluid passage [70] and a reactant passage [22] having mixing [40] and dwell time [50] sub-passages all defined within an extended body, the dwell-time sub-passage [50] having at least 1 ml volume, and the mixing sub-passage [40] being in the form of a unitary mixer not requiring precise splitting of flows to provide good mixing. The device is desirably formed in glass or glass-ceramic. The unitary mixer [40] is structured to generate secondary flows in the reactant fluid and is preferably closely thermally coupled to the buffer fluid passage [70] by sharing one or more common walls.
Abstract:
A class of designs is provided for a mixer in micro reactors where the design principle includes at least one injection zone (410) in a continuous flow path where at least two fluids achieve initial upstream contact and an effective mixing zone (i.e. adequate flow of fluids and optimal pressure drop) containing a series of mixer elements (430) in the path. Each mixer element is preferably designed with a chamber at each end in which an obstacle (450) is placed (thereby reducing the typical inner dimension of the chamber) and with optional restrictions (460) in the channel segments. The obstacles are preferably cylindrical pillars but can have any geometry within a range of dimensions and may be in series or parallel along the flow path to provide the desired flow-rate, mixing and pressure-drop. The injection zone may have two or more interfaces and may, include one or more cores to control fluids before mixing.
Abstract:
Disclosed is a method of performing a reaction involving a gaseous reactant stream and a falling film liquid reactant stream by providing a reactor comprising a first multicellular extruded body oriented with its cells extending in parallel in a vertically downward direction from a first end of the body to a second end, the body having a first plurality of cells open at both ends of the body and a second plurality of said cells closed at one or both ends of the body, the second plurality of cells being arranged in one or more groups of contiguous cells and cooperating to define at least in part at least one fluidic passage extending through the body; and further flowing a liquid reactant film down inner surfaces of the first plurality of cells while flowing a gaseous reactant stream up or down the centers of the first plurality of cells while flowing a first heat exchange fluid through the at least one fluidic passage. Various alternative devices for performing the method are also disclosed.
Abstract:
Methods of contacting two or more immiscible liquids comprising providing a unitary thermally-tempered microstructured fluidic device [10] comprising a reactant passage [26] therein with characteristic cross-sectional diameter [11] in the 0.2 to 15 millimeter range, having, in order along a length thereof, two or more inlets [A, B or A, B1] for entry of reactants, an initial mixer passage portion [38] characterized by having a form or structure that induces a degree of mixing in fluids passing therethrough, an initial dwell time passage portion [40] characterized by having a volume of at least 0.1 milliliter and a generally smooth and continuous form or structure and one or more additional mixer passage portions [44], each additional mixer passage portion followed immediately by a corresponding respective additional dwell time passage portion [46]; and flowing the two or more immiscible fluids through the reactant passage, wherein the two or more immiscible fluids are flowed into the two or more inlets [A, B or A, B1] such that the total flow of the two or more immiscible fluids flows through the initial mixer passage portion [38]. Unitary devices [10] in which the method may be performed are also disclosed.
Abstract:
A microreaction device or system (4) includes at least one thermal control fluidic passage (C,E) and a principal working fluidic passage (A) with average cross-sectional area in the range of 0.25 to 100 mm2, and having a primary entrance (92) and multiple secondary entrances (94) with the spacing between secondary entrances (94) having a length along the passage (A) of at least two times the root of the average cross-sectional area of the passage (A). The device or system (4) also includes at least one secondary working fluidic passage (B) having an entrance (102) and multiple exits (106) including a final exit (106), each exit (106) being in fluid communication with a corresponding one of the multiple secondary entrances (94) of the principal fluidic passage (A).
Abstract:
A membrane microstructure device is disclosed (10). The membrane microstructure device (10) includes a first glass, ceramic or glass-ceramic plate (12) defining a first recess (32), a second glass, ceramic or glass-ceramic plate (20) defining a second recess (34), and a non-metallic porous membrane (30) sandwiched between the first and second plates (12, 20). The first plate (12), second plate (20) and porous membrane (30) are joined together and the porous membrane (30) is arranged to cover the first (32) and second (34) recesses to define a first microchannel between the first plate and the porous membrane and a second microchannel in fluid communication with the first microchannel between the second plate and the porous membrane. A method of manufacturing a membrane microstructure device is also disclosed.
Abstract:
A method is disclosed for the seamless scale-up of a micro reactor process, to transfer lab test to a pilot or production unit, the process comprising the steps of using a wall material for the lab reactor with a thermal conductivity lower than 3 W/m-K, and using a wall material for the production reactor with a thermal conductivity higher than 5 W/m-K. According to one preferred embodiment, the velocity is kept constant, and the height of the channel is determined, in order to keep the volumetric heat transfer properties constant, according to the formula: wherein H G is the overall volumetric heat transfer coefficient in the pilot or production process; A B and C are constants; D h is the hydraulic diameter of the channel in the pilot or production process; λ w is the thermal conductivity of the wall in the pilot or production process; b is the empirically determined power to which the Reynolds number is raised in the equation for the Nusselt criteria (Nu = a-Re b Pr c ) for the type of flow in the pilot or production process; h is the height of the channel in the pilot or production process; and H G0 is the overall volumetric heat transfer coefficient in the lab-scale process.