Flow chemistry

EcoSynth is a solution provider for the chemical challenges of tomorrow. As an extra tool, flow chemistry (lab equivalent of continuous processing) has several advantages over the traditional batch chemistry:

 

Efficient
Flexible
 
Safe
Higher yield and purity  Different chemistries/reactors
on one instrument
Excellent heat transfer 

In-situ analytical
evaluation of reactions

Less restrictions
on minimum fill volumes 
Low reactor volume and hold up time 

Better process control

 Scaling out by adding units
in parallel
In-situ generation and consumption
of dangerous compounds 

Shorter time to commercial launch

   

 

 

In order to meet a wide range of synthesis requests (using traditional as well as unconventional activation techniques), Ecosynth is equipped with several flow instruments from different vendors.

Flow chemistry

  • Photochemical flow reactors including the HANU-reactor Open or Close

    Ecosynth is the inventor, frontline developer and expert user of the HANU-reactor, a continuous flow reactor designed for scalable photochemistry. 

     

    This innovative reactor design brings several distinctive advantages, not only for photochemistry but also for any type of chemistry:

    • Decoupling of the mixing intensity from the net flow rate 

    Reactions that need a long residence (or irradiation) time are feasible without the need of recirculating. 

    • Scalability

    A linear scale-up is possible by simply broadening the reactor channel without the need of additional process development as all process parameters remain the same. 

    • Visual inspection of the process stream and non-invasive inline reaction monitoring

    The ability to visually inspect the process stream at every point of conversion helps in monitoring and understanding a process. As such, the user may discern liquid-liquid flow regimes, identify color changes, detect precipitation, etc. In addition, PAT (e.g. Raman) allows to detect the point of full conversion and can reveal the full kinetic profile of the reaction (including intermediates). 

    •  Availability of extra process parameters

    Pulsation frequency and amplitude are extra process parameters for optimization. 

    •  Multi-phase chemistries

    The pulse creates high mixing intensities which is beneficial for multi-phase processes dominated by mass transfer limitations. This is not only applicable for liquid-liquid reactions but also solid-liquid reactions (with heterogeneous catalysts, in situ crystallization, precipitates, etc.) as particles are dragged through the reaction channel without settling. 

    • Customization

    The reactor unit is available in stainless steel and Hastelloy, but can optionally be coated or made out of a variety of corrosion-resistant materials taking into account the compatibility with the used chemicals. In addition, the design of the mixing elements can be further fine-tuned to adjust to (changing) physico-chemical properties (e.g. viscosity). 

    • Remediation

    If clogging occurs during operation, it remains invisible with the traditional closed shell reactors.  The HANU-reactor can be easily disassembled which permits efficient physical cleaning.

     

    Application notes and more info can be found on the web site of Creaflow

  • Asia Flux for Electrochemistry (Syrris) Open or Close

    The instrument allows to run electrochemical reactions which are characterized by:
    Asia Flux at EcoSynth

    • Reduction of reagent use: electrons are the most green reagents
    • Tunable reactions: either by selection of voltage or mode (constant current or constant voltage)

     

     

     

     

  • H-Cube Pro (ThalesNano) Open or Close

    The instrument allows a safe running of hydrogenation reactions in the following process window:H-Cube Pro at EcoSynth

    • Flow rate range: 0.3 - 3 mL/min
    • Temperature range: 10 - 150 °C
    • Pressure range: Atmospheric to 100 bar
    • Hydrogenation Production range: 0 – 60 cm3/min

     

     

     

     

  • R Series Vapourtec (Vapourtec) Open or Close

    The available reactors have the following characteristics and process window:
    Flow Chemistry at EcoSynth

    • Reactor volume: 2, 5, 10 ml
    • Reactor type: coiled, column, tube in tube (gas-liquid), UV-VIS transparant
    • Resistance: PFA, 316 stainless steel or Hastelloy®
    • Temperature: -70°C up to 250°C
    • Pressure: up to 40 bar

     

     

     

     

     

 

With this instrument park and knowing the advantages (and disadvantages) of both batch and flow chemistry combined with a sound chemical background of experienced chemists, we can provide optimized solutions for:

  • Homogeneous catalyzed reactions
  • Heterogeneous catalyzed reactions
  • Gas-liquid reactions
  • Liquid-liquid reactions
  • Reactions using alternative energy sources

 

 

Read our flow chemistry application note: Oxidation Using a Gas-Liquid Membrane Reactor

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