DESIGN AND CONTROL TECHNIQUES FOR THE NUMBERING UP OF CAPILLARY MICROREACTORS WITH UNIFORM

The results of experimental studies on eight parallel capillary microreactors for both single phase and biphasic liquid-liquid slug flow applications are presented. Four different flow distributor designs were investigated with respect to the uniformity of the liquid-liquid flow in the individual capillaries. A novel multichannel phase splitting unit was installed at the downstream end of the capillaries to ensure well-defined phase separation. The uniformity of flow rate and flow structure could be further enhanced by using a non-invasive capacitative measurement to characterise the flow in conjunction with specially developed microvalve and actuator techniques for the on-line control of flow rates and the manipulation of slug flow structure in individual capillaries