Micro-reactor and method of manufacturing the same

Abstract

A structure of a microreactor includes a joined body having a pair of substrates joined together, a flow path formed by a microchannel portion formed on a joining surface of at least one of the substrates, and a catalyst carrying member disposed in the flow path. In the production of such a microreactor, the catalyst carrying member is produced separately from formation of the joined body and the catalyst carrying member is disposed in the flow path at the time of forming the joined body.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 589,853 filed Aug. 17, 2006, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference. U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 589,853 is a National Stage of PCT / JP05 / 03676 filed Feb. 25, 2005 and is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-055922 filed Mar. 1, 2004.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002]The present invention relates to a microreactor and particularly a microreactor for allowing desired reactions to proceed by the use of a supported catalyst, and a production method of such a microreactor.BACKGROUND ART [0003]Hitherto, reactors employing catalysts have been used in various fields and optimally designed depending on the purpose.[0004]On the other hand, in recent years, attention has been paid to using hydrogen as fuel because of no generation of global warming gas such as carbon dioxide in terms of the global environmental pro...

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Benefits of technology

[0007]The present invention has been made in terms of the foregoing circumstances and has an object to provide a microreactor that is small and enables a highly efficient catalytic reaction, and a production method that can easily produce such a microreactor.

[0016]According to the present invention as described above, the catalyst carrying member is disposed in the flow path and the catalyst is not directly supported on the substrate wall surface (flow path wall surface), so that it is possible to select the substrates without considering the catalyst supportability thereof. For example, those substrates having a high thermal conductivity can be used to increase thermal conduction from a heat source, thereby improving the reaction efficiency. Alternatively, those substrates having a low thermal conductivity can be used to prevent radiation of heat within the flow path, thereby improving the heat utilization efficiency. Further, when the catalyst carrying member has the electric heater, the catalyst can be heated to a proper temperature in a moment to thereby enable a microreactor where the rising speed upon starting up from the stopped state is high and the utilization efficiency of the input power is high.

[0025]According to the present invention as described above, since the catalyst is not directly applied in the microchannel portion of the substrate and the catalyst carrying member is produced independently of the formation of the microchannel portion on the substrate, variation in catalyst applying amount is suppressed to enable uniform catalyst applying. Further, occurrence of contamination and deactivation of the catalyst is prevented, cleanness of the surfaces of the substrates is not lost and therefore reliability of joining between the substrates is enhanced, and the difficult production process management becomes unnecessary.

Problems solved by technology

However, since the conventional microreactor, including the microreactor for hydrogen production, carries the catalyst in the microchannel, it is necessary to select a material of the microreactor taking into account catalyst supportability thereof and therefore there have been those instances where there is no alternative but to use a material that is poor in heat utilization efficiency.

Further, there has been a problem that, in the process of applying a catalyst into a microchannel, cleanness of a substrate surface where the microchannel is formed is lost to thereby impede the microreactor production which is implemented by joining substrates together.

Further, there have been those instances where a catalyst supported in a microchannel is extremely contaminated or deactivated in a later process and therefore there has also been a problem that usable catalysts are limited and the production process management is difficult.

Moreover, the conventional microreactor has a low reaction efficiency and therefore a microreactor with a higher reaction efficiency has been demanded.

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