Physical and numerical characterisation of an agitated tubular reactor (ATR) for intensification of chemical processes

Rice, Hugh P.; He, Yanzhang; Muller, Frans L.; Bayly, Andrew E.; Ashe, Robert; Karras, Andrew; Hassanpour, Ali; Bourne, Richard A.; Fairweather, Michael; Hunter, Timothy N.

doi:10.1016/j.cep.2022.109067

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Flow pathways can also incorporate measures to homogenize particles, such as inline sonicators 105,106 or using agitated reactors. 107 Careful selection of pumps and tubing is required, for example using peristaltic 91 rather than piston pumps that cannot tolerate particles. Finally, cleaning cycles 108 can be essential to manage fouling.…”

Section: ■ Solids−the Nemesis Of the Flow Chemist?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such strategies include avoidance of pinch points and narrow tubing, e.g., using peristaltic pumps as back-pressure regulators, avoiding right-angle turns in tubing or connectors, or using wide-bore fittings. Flow pathways can also incorporate measures to homogenize particles, such as inline sonicators , or using agitated reactors . Careful selection of pumps and tubing is required, for example using peristaltic rather than piston pumps that cannot tolerate particles.…”

Section: Solids–the Nemesis Of the Flow Chemist?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quid Pro Flow

2023

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How do you get into flow? We trained in flow chemistry during postdoctoral research and are now applying it in new areas: materials chemistry, crystallization, and supramolecular synthesis. Typically, when researchers think of "flow", they are considering predominantly liquid-based organic synthesis; application to other disciplines comes with its own challenges. In this Perspective, we highlight why we use and champion flow technologies in our fields, summarize some of the questions we encounter when discussing entry into flow research, and suggest steps to make the transition into the field, emphasizing that communication and collaboration between disciplines is key.

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Section: ■ Solids−the Nemesis Of the Flow Chemist?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Solids–the Nemesis Of the Flow Chemist?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Quid Pro Flow

2023

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“…61 The ATR is a commercially successful reactor in industries known to handle solid slurries and suspensions in addition to gas-liquid and solid-liquid-gas processes. [62][63][64][65][66][67] The unique tube-and-agitator design 68,69 has been proven to effectively circumvent pressure drops when connecting two or more reactors in series, thus enabling kilo-scale production with high throughput. Owing to these advantages, we decided to employ this scale-up tool for demonstrating the telescoped flow synthesis for the high-throughput production of DFNS.…”

Section: Telescoping the Continuous Flow Processes Of Emulsification ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Process intensification of dendritic fibrous nanospheres of silica (DFNS) via continuous flow: a scalable and sustainable alternative to the conventional batch synthesis

et al. 2023

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“…These structures displace and intermingle fluid particles, resulting in a more homogeneous distribution of properties. Accordingly, mixing efficiency is achieved by promoting vortex patterns in the reactor's design [10,11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three-Dimensional-Printed Vortex Tube Reactor for Continuous Flow Synthesis of Polyglycolic Acid Nanoparticles with High Productivity

Suwanpitak,

Sriamornsak,

Singh

et al. 2023

Nanomaterials

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Polyglycolic acid (PGA) nanoparticles show promise in biomedical applications due to their exceptional biocompatibility and biodegradability. These nanoparticles can be readily modified, facilitating targeted drug delivery and promoting specific interactions with diseased tissues or cells, including imaging agents and theranostic approaches. Their potential to advance precision medicine and personalized treatments is evident. However, conventional methods such as emulsification solvent evaporation via batch synthesis or tubular reactors via flow chemistry have limitations in terms of nanoparticle properties, productivity, and scalability. To overcome these limitations, this study focuses on the design and development of a 3D-printed vortex tube reactor for the continuous synthesis of PGA nanoparticles using flow chemistry. Computer-aided design (CAD) and the design of experiments (DoE) optimize the reactor design, and computational fluid dynamics simulations (CFD) evaluate the mixing index (MI) and Reynolds (Re) expression. The optimized reactor design was fabricated using fused deposition modeling (FDM) with polypropylene (PP) as the polymer. Dispersion experiments validate the optimization process and investigate the impact of input flow parameters. PGA nanoparticles were synthesized and characterized for size and polydispersity index (PDI). The results demonstrate the feasibility of using a 3D-printed vortex tube reactor for the continuous synthesis of PGA nanoparticles through flow chemistry and highlight the importance of reactor design in nanoparticle production. The CFD results of the optimized reactor design showed homogeneous mixing across a wide range of flow rates with increasing Reynolds expression. The residence time distribution (RTD) results confirmed that increasing the flow rate in the 3D-printed vortex tube reactor system reduced the dispersion variance in the tracer. Both experiments demonstrated improved mixing efficiency and productivity compared to traditional tubular reactors. The study also revealed that the total flow rate had a significant impact on the size and polydispersity index of the formulated PGA nanoparticle, with the optimal total flow rate at 104.46 mL/min, leading to smaller nanoparticles and a lower polydispersity index. Additionally, increasing the aqueous-to-organic volumetric ratio had a significant effect on the reduced particle size of the PGA nanoparticles. Overall, this study provides insights into the use of 3D-printed vortex tube reactors for the continuous synthesis of PGA nanoparticles and underscores the importance of reactor design and flow parameters in PGA nanoparticle formulation.

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Physical and numerical characterisation of an agitated tubular reactor (ATR) for intensification of chemical processes

Cited by 6 publications

References 54 publications

Quid Pro Flow

Quid Pro Flow

Process intensification of dendritic fibrous nanospheres of silica (DFNS) via continuous flow: a scalable and sustainable alternative to the conventional batch synthesis

Three-Dimensional-Printed Vortex Tube Reactor for Continuous Flow Synthesis of Polyglycolic Acid Nanoparticles with High Productivity

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