Spiral photoreactor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a spiral light reactor comprising at least one lamp module and at least one tube coil having a plurality of tube windings between an input section and an output section, wherein the at least one tube coil is arranged around the at least one lamp module. The spiral light reactor comprises a carrier device that carries the at least one tube coil and a protective housing that encloses a receiving space. The carrier device with the at least one tube coil and the at least one lamp module are arranged in the receiving space, wherein the carrier device provides a predetermined positioning of the tube coil relative to the at least one lamp module and the protective housing. The protective housing comprises at least one elongated guide element that is parallel to a longitudinal axis defined by the lamp module. At least one engaging element is arranged on the elongated guide element so that the engaging element can be guided and positioned in a longitudinally movable manner. The elongated guide element specifies the positioning of the carrier device with the tube coil using the engaging element guided on the elongated guide element.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a spiral photoreactor for continuously producing photochemical reaction products. Background Art

[0002] As is known from the prior art, various factors influence the yields obtainable by photochemical reactions during the development of photoreactors. The simplest method is a batch reactor comprising one or more immersion lamps and a circulation device (such as a pump or a stirrer) that ensures turbulent movement of the reaction medium disposed in the reactor. Although batch reactors allow relatively easy process monitoring, their suitability for large-scale production on an industrial scale is limited.

[0003] Tubular photoreactors are suitable for continuous operation. These are usually designed horizontally or vertically and can also be used on a large scale. Tubular photoreactors usually consist of at least two coaxial tubes, with the radiation source located in the inner tube and the reaction medium guided along the radiation source through the annular gap between the outer and inner tubes.

[0004] Therefore, the expansion of a photochemical reactor for continuous operation from laboratory scale to pilot scale and in particular industrial scale is usually accompanied by difficulties and is mostly done semi-empirically due to the lack of a suitable model for converting photon energy into chemical energy. This means that in response to the expansion of a photochemical reactor from laboratory scale to production scale, most of the architecture must be changed, which goes beyond pure expansion, because it is important to keep the ratio of irradiated volume to reactor volume and the incident photon flux density constant. The influencing variables that should be considered during the expansion of the architecture involve, for example, the flow ratio of the reaction medium and distance, phase confinement and wall thickness, which can lead to partial scattering and / or absorption of the radiation used.

[0005] Therefore, DE 102010014712 B3 proposes a modular tubular photoreactor for cost-effectively and time-efficiently scaling up production under optimized reaction control. To this end, the tubular photoreactor, which can be used to photochemically treat a fluid medium, comprises a central, axially arranged irradiation unit. The irradiation unit comprises at least one radiation source and is coaxially surrounded by a reactor wall, which is bounded at one end by a head piece comprising a fluid inlet and at the other end by an end piece comprising a fluid outlet. Depending on the length of the irradiation unit, the reactor wall consists of two or more cylindrical reactor segments, with adjacent reactor segments connected by an intermediate flange whose inner diameter corresponds to the inner diameter of the reactor segments, so that the width of the annular gap between the irradiation unit and the reactor wall is constant along the reactor length.

[0006] From the field of photobioreactors, in particular for the cultivation of photophilic organisms (e.g. algae, cyanobacteria) on a laboratory or pilot scale, it is further known to use modifications of tubular reactors, which are referred to as hose, spiral or helical photoreactors. A flexible transparent hose is thus wound helically around the light source, so that, with the same light source length, a longer residence time of the reaction medium in the irradiated area can be achieved compared to the case of a coaxial tubular photoreactor.

[0007] However, photobioreactors can only be compared to chemical photoreactors to a limited extent, since photobioreactors for optimal microbial growth generally operate under conditions corresponding to sunlight, ambient pressure, and room temperature. Consequently, photobioreactors generally do not meet the requirements for use in the photochemical field, since the reaction conditions can often deviate significantly from room temperature and ambient pressure. When the reaction medium used during the photochemical reaction contains flammable or combustible materials, further safety requirements must be taken into account during the construction of photochemical reactors of any size. These safety requirements can be developed by using ignition sources such as radiation sources and corresponding electronics.

[0008] US Pat. No. 8,067,749 B2 discloses a spiral light reactor comprising a lamp module that surrounds a reactor housing in which a coiled conduit is formed. A transparent carrier tube carries the reactor housing, and a protective housing surrounds a receiving space in which the carrier tube, reactor housing, and lamp module are arranged.

[0009] EP 3881930 A1 also discloses a spiral photoreactor comprising a tube coil arranged around a lamp module. The windings are formed in the tube coil between an input section and an output section, with the tube coil being carried by a carrier device. A protective housing encloses a receiving space in which the carrier device with the tube coil and the lamp module are arranged. Summary of the Invention

[0010] Based on the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved spiral photoreactor.

[0011] This object is achieved by the helical photoreactor according to the invention.

[0012] Preferred embodiments are also described herein.

[0013] According to a first embodiment of a spiral photoreactor according to the present invention, the spiral photoreactor is configured for the continuous production of photochemical reaction products and comprises at least one lamp module and at least one tube coil. The tube coil has multiple tube windings between an input section and an output section. A reactant fluid supplied at the input section passes through the tube windings as a reaction medium, and the reaction medium is discharged at the output section as a product fluid containing or consisting of the photochemical reaction products. At least one tube coil and the tube windings are arranged around at least one lamp module, with at least the tube windings of the tube coil being transparent to the operating radiation of the lamp module. In this context, "operating radiation" is understood to mean electromagnetic radiation having a specific wavelength, or wavelengths, or wavelength ranges, suitable for carrying out a photochemical reaction to produce the corresponding photochemical reaction product. The operating radiation used for the photochemical reaction is typically in the UV range, but may also be in the visible spectrum. "Transparent to the operating radiation" means that the tube windings are composed of a material and have a wall thickness that provides at least 75% transmittance for the operating radiation. The spiral photoreactor comprises a carrier device that releasably supports the at least one tube coil. The protective housing of the spiral photoreactor encloses a receiving space in which a carrier device with at least one tube coil and at least one lamp module are releasably arranged. The carrier device is designed to ensure a predetermined positioning of the tube coil relative to the at least one lamp module in the protective housing. According to the present invention, for this purpose, at least one elongated guide element is located in the protective housing parallel to the longitudinal axis, which is defined by the lamp module or the tube coil, respectively. The carrier device has at least one engaging element that can be guided on the elongated guide element in the longitudinal direction and can be arranged in a position predetermined for the tube coil. The elongated guide element thus determines the positioning of the carrier device with the tube coil via the engaging element guided on the elongated guide element.

[0014] Since the reaction conditions of photochemical reactions generally require higher pressures and are associated with increased temperatures, and the reaction medium may optionally contain hazardous substances, the protective housing serves to protect the surrounding area from contamination or damage caused by leaks in the tube coil or its connections. Therefore, the protective housing is embodied in a corresponding pressure-tight manner. The protective housing can further serve the purpose of shielding the lamp module's radiation from the outside, as it is made of a material that is opaque to the operating radiation and, moreover, is preferably inert or at least sufficiently stable to the operating radiation and the chemicals used in the helical photoreactor.

[0015] The carrier device advantageously enables simple assembly and disassembly of the tube coil in the protective housing, separate from assembly and disassembly of the lamp module. This significantly simplifies the installation and replacement of the tube coil for maintenance or adaptation. Maintenance replacement of the tube coil may become necessary, for example, if the material of the tube coil becomes brittle due to operating radiation or becomes opaque, for example due to deposits or debris.

[0016] As a transparent hose, the tube coil can, for example, be composed of a flexible (plastic) material. The transparent hose can be formed into a tube coil with the desired windings with the aid of a carrier device. Alternatively, the tube coil can be composed of a transparent, rigid glass or plastic material with firmly formed windings held by the carrier device. In both cases, the windings of the tube coil can follow a curve, preferably wound at a constant pitch around the jacket of an imaginary cylinder. However, the windings of the tube coil can also deviate from a uniform spiral path, for example, to vary the amount / intensity of incident radiation along the path of the tube coil. Thus, it is also conceivable that the windings of the tube coil be wound at varying pitches and / or around the jacket of an imaginary frustum of a cone or another body of revolution, or a body with a polygonal base, such as a prism or pyramid. Deviating from a common spiral path with a consistent direction of rotation, the windings can further exhibit variations in direction of rotation along their path and can, for example, be guided in a zigzag manner from top to bottom and around the central axis. A tube coil according to the invention is generally understood to be any tube structure, the course of which extends along and around the jacket of an imaginary geometric body, which may be a cylinder, a prism, a truncated cone or a truncated pyramid, or may consist of two or more of those mentioned, so that the tube structure surrounds the lamp module at least in its radiation area.

[0017] To facilitate easy adaptation of the tube coil to different lamp modules to vary the throughput or photochemical reaction and optimize the yield of reaction products, the carrier device allows for the acceptance of different tube coils. These differ not only in material, but also in tube diameter, wall thickness, and coil pitch. The carrier device can optionally be configured to accommodate tube coils with different coil diameters, enabling the distance of the windings from the lamp module to be varied. The number of windings a coil has along the radiation field of the lamp module is determined by the coil pitch. All these parameters, along with the throughflow rate, determine the residence time in the radiation field, which in turn influences the yield or reaction conversion rate. In advantageous embodiments, the tube coil can be divided into multiple tube coil segments, which can be connected to each other to simplify handling and maintenance. Tube coils with variable coil diameters (which can be easily assembled from coil segments with different coil diameters) can be advantageously used for precise adaptation to the respective process in the case of variable process properties (e.g., viscosity, transmittance) of the reactant fluid during passage through the tube coil.

[0018] According to another embodiment of the spiral photoreactor according to the invention, the carrier device may also have at least one holding element, which is formed to hold a section of the tube coil, which section may be present, for example, on one of the tube windings, on the input section and / or on the output section. This means that the carrier device may also have several holding elements, which may be different, so as to be able to hold different tube coil sections. Such a holding element can thus be formed as one piece with the coupling element or can be releasably or non-releasably connected to the coupling element. If the carrier device has more than one elongated guide element, for example two or preferably three guide elements, the holding element can be engaged with only one or several of the guide elements or with each guide element via one or several coupling elements.

[0019] According to another embodiment, in the case of a spiral photoreactor according to the present invention, the receiving space can be further sealed in a fluid-tight manner, and the protective housing can have a housing inlet connection piece and a housing outlet connection piece for a first temperature-control medium that is transparent to the operating radiation of the lamp module. In this way, the receiving space in which the lamp module and the carrier device with the tube coil are arranged can be filled with the first temperature-control medium, which is preferably a temperature-control medium that is liquid within the operating temperature range. The operating temperature range is a temperature range around the predetermined reaction temperature, which is set in the tube coil for performing the photochemical reaction or which is set by the temperature-control medium. In most cases, the temperature-control medium can be a cooling medium in order to keep the predetermined reaction temperature approximately constant, for example in response to an exothermic reaction. The first temperature-control medium further serves the purpose of preventing heat transfer to the lamp module. In an advantageous embodiment, the temperature-control medium can circulate through the housing inlet connection piece and the housing outlet connection piece in order to dissipate the received heat to the outside of the protective housing.

[0020] A liquid that is transparent for the entire emission spectrum of the lamp module or only for the range that includes the operating radiation can be selected as the temperature control medium. A filter liquid or filter composition that acts as a cutoff filter (absorbing short-wavelength radiation below a specific wavelength) or a broadband filter that is transparent only for radiation within a specific wavelength range (including the operating radiation) can also be used as the temperature control medium. Alternatively, the material of the tube coil or a filter coating applied thereto can provide the corresponding filtering function for the filter liquid or liquid-filter composition.

[0021] According to another embodiment of the spiral photoreactor of the present invention, the protective housing has a cylindrical receiving section, which is sealingly connected to a head plate at one end, and at least one light module is releasably fastened to the head plate. At the other end, the cylindrical receiving section is sealingly connected to the bottom of the housing or the bottom plate. The terms "head" and "bottom" refer to the vertical arrangement of the protective housing or the spiral photoreactor, respectively, so that the head plate represents the upper boundary of the protective housing and the bottom of the housing or the bottom plate represents the lower boundary of the protective housing. However, the vertical arrangement of the spiral photoreactor is not mandatory for operation, so that the spiral photoreactor can also be operated in a horizontal arrangement. The terms "head" and "bottom" are therefore mainly used to distinguish between the two ends and do not limit the spatial orientation of the spiral photoreactor. It should further be understood that the cylindrical receiving part is not limited to a cylindrical shape, but deviates therefrom and can also be a cylinder with an elliptical or oval or angular or rounded polygonal cross-section.

[0022] According to another embodiment of the spiral photoreactor according to the present invention, the housing inlet connector for the first temperature-control medium is arranged on the housing bottom or adjacent to the bottom plate on the cylindrical receiving section. The housing outlet connector for the first temperature-control medium is positioned adjacent to the head plate on the cylindrical receiving section, allowing the first temperature-control medium to flow as completely as possible through the receiving space (i.e., without short-circuiting). To this end, the housing inlet connector and the housing outlet connector can further be arranged with opposite offsets on the protective housing.

[0023] According to yet another embodiment of the spiral photoreactor according to the present invention, the input and output sections of the tube coil can be located on the same side and, in particular, extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube coil. The axis of rotation of an imaginary rotating body, such as a cylinder, is defined as the longitudinal axis of the coil tube around which the winding is wound. In this way, the input and output sections can extend out of the protective housing through the head plate or the bottom plate. The head plate or the bottom plate, respectively, have corresponding sealed openings for the input and output sections. When the lamp module is fastened to the head plate, the arrangement of the input and output sections of the tube coil in the bottom plate can be particularly advantageous, allowing the tube coil and lamp module to be assembled and connected from different sides of the protective housing. To ensure that the input and output sections of the tube coil are located on the same side, the tube coil can be formed as a double-threaded tube coil, in which case a first winding of a first winding pitch connects to the input section and continues to the return winding, while a second winding of a second winding pitch extends from the return winding to the output section. The pitch is thus selected so that the second winding extends between the first windings. As an alternative to a double-threaded tube coil, for an arrangement with the input and output sections on the same side, it can be provided that the return line runs close to the winding from one end of the winding to the output section. The output section is thus located on the same side as the input section, which is directly connected to the other end of the winding. To avoid shadowing of the winding in the radiation area of ​​the lamp module, the return line can preferably run outside the winding.

[0024] According to another embodiment of the spiral photoreactor according to the present invention, a lamp module comprises an immersion tube and at least one lamp arranged in the immersion tube. The lamp module has an immersion tube inlet connector and an immersion tube outlet connector, which communicate with the immersion tube interior defined by the immersion tube, allowing the immersion tube interior to be filled with or flowed through by a second temperature-control medium. The second temperature-control medium is preferably a liquid cooling medium to dissipate heat from the lamp, thereby preventing overheating and extending service life. If a non-conductive liquid is used as the liquid cooling medium, a cladding tube can be omitted in addition to the immersion tube surrounding the lamp. The non-conductive cooling medium can thus come into direct contact with the lamp surface, enabling more efficient heat transfer. In an advantageous embodiment, the cooling medium circulates through the immersion tube inlet connector and the immersion tube outlet connector to dissipate absorbed heat to the exterior of the protective housing. The immersion tube and the cooling medium are at least transparent to the operating radiation. This means that the material of the immersion tube can be transparent to the entire emission spectrum of the lamp module or only to the range that includes the operating radiation. The liquid selected as the cooling medium can also be transparent for the entire emission spectrum of the lamp module or only for the range that includes the operating radiation. It is further possible that, instead of the first temperature-control medium, the immersion tube and / or the cooling medium can have a filtering function, for example, in order to absorb short-wave radiation below a specific wavelength or to be transparent only for radiation within a specific wavelength range that includes the operating radiation.

[0025] According to another embodiment, the lamp module of the spiral photoreactor according to the invention may also have a head part, which includes at least one electrical connection element, which is connected to the electrical connection element of the lamp. The head part is arranged on a head plate, wherein the immersion tube inlet connection piece and the immersion tube outlet connection piece extend through the head part and / or through the head plate. The head plate and the head part can be separate components connected to each other, but it is also conceivable that the head plate can be formed as an integral part of the head part. The head part or the head plate or both are formed to keep the lamp and / or the immersion tube sealed. This includes that the head part is arranged on the immersion tube for sealing the inner space of the immersion tube, while the immersion tube is held sealingly by the head plate for positioning the lamp module in the protective housing.

[0026] The lamp used in the lamp module of the spiral photoreactor according to the present invention can generally be any radiation source that emits the desired operating radiation. Known UV radiation sources are, for example, medium-pressure and low-pressure mercury vapor lamps. According to another embodiment of the spiral photoreactor according to the present invention, LED lamps can preferably be used in the case of spontaneous full luminous flux due to their relatively low power consumption, long service life and high switching capacity. The LED lamp has a plurality of light-emitting semiconductor devices (LEDs), which are arranged on a carrier body so as to be distributed on the jacket surface of the carrier body. The carrier body can preferably be made as a cooling body made of a heat-conducting material (such as, for example, aluminum). A fluid conduit connected to the immersion tube inlet connector on the head side end of the carrier body extends through the carrier body. On the other bottom side end of the carrier body, the fluid conduit leads to the immersion tube interior space, which is connected to the immersion tube outlet connector via an outlet opening, and the outlet opening is correspondingly present in the head part or head plate adjacent to the head side end of the carrier body. The non-conductive cooling medium supplied via the immersion tube inlet connection can therefore flow into the immersion tube interior space at the bottom-side end of the carrier body, flow along the jacket surface of the carrier body with the LED to the head-side end, and can be discharged via the outlet opening through the immersion tube outlet connection.

[0027] In this way, the non-conductive liquid cooling medium not only absorbs heat generated by the LEDs and dissipated via the carrier body in response to flow through the fluid conduit, but also absorbs heat through direct contact with the LEDs as it flows through the immersion tube interior. This efficient heat dissipation avoids temperature peaks, which can occur during operation depending on the arrangement and performance of the LEDs and can shorten the LED's service life. At nominal power, the LEDs can thus be operated at high currents to achieve a correspondingly high light yield or radiation intensity, which is essential for chemical synthesis in the photoreactor. In addition to improved cooling of the LEDs, the liquid cooling medium also advantageously provides correspondingly increased total light or radiation power. This is because the refractive index of the liquid cooling medium increases the photon decoupling efficiency at the phase-boundary diode surfaces in the immersion tube interior and reduces reflections at the immersion tube walls in the phase-boundary immersion tube interior.

[0028] According to yet another embodiment of the spiral photoreactor according to the present invention, the cooling medium used in the cooling body can be different from the non-conductive cooling medium in the immersion tube. The fluid conduit in the cooling body does not open into the interior of the immersion tube, but instead extends through the cooling body and has separate inlet and outlet connections at the head-side end of the carrier body. The cooling body can then be cooled with a conventional cooling medium such as water, ethylene glycol, or another coolant, while the immersion tube is filled with the non-conductive liquid described above. This non-conductive liquid is then kept stationary or its temperature is controlled by a separate cooling circuit whose immersion tube inlet and outlet connections are different from the separate inlet and outlet connections of the cooling body. This allows for separate cooling of the lamp and thermal decoupling of the process.

[0029] Finally, according to another embodiment of the spiral photoreactor of the present invention, the protective housing is pivotally mounted about a pivot axis that extends at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the protective housing or, respectively, the tube coil and the lamp module. In this way, the protective housing can be pivoted together with the carrier device located therein, which carries one or optionally several tube coils and the lamp module, so that the protective housing can be converted from a vertical arrangement to a horizontal arrangement, and obviously, vice versa, from a horizontal arrangement to a vertical arrangement. To this end, the spiral photoreactor can accordingly have a corresponding frame or retaining structure that includes an articulated connection as a pivoting device. The spiral photoreactor can therefore, for example, be operated in a vertical arrangement, and assembly, replacement and maintenance operations can be performed in a horizontal arrangement, or vice versa. The pivoting device is thus not limited to a 90° pivoting range between a single vertical and horizontal arrangement of the protective housing, but can also allow other pivoting angles, for example, by pivoting approximately 180° or 360°. In order to carry out assembly, replacement and maintenance operations, the spiral photoreactor can, for example, be similarly inverted 180°. Thus, it is also generally conceivable that the helical photoreactor may be arranged in an orientation between horizontal and vertical, if this is advantageous for operation or maintenance purposes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Further embodiments and some of the advantages associated with these and further embodiments will become clear and more readily understood from the following in-depth description with reference to the accompanying drawings. Substantially identical or similar objects or parts thereof are provided with the same reference numerals. The accompanying drawings are merely schematic illustrations of embodiments of the invention, in which:

[0031] Figure 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view of a photochemical spiral photoreactor according to an embodiment of the present invention,

[0032] Figure 2 Shown Figure 1Cross-sectional view of the photochemical spiral photoreactor along the section line AA,

[0033] Figure 3 Shows the basis for disassembly Figure 1 Longitudinal cross-section of a photochemical spiral photoreactor,

[0034] Figure 4 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a photochemical helical photoreactor according to another embodiment of the present invention before final assembly,

[0035] Figure 5 Shown from Figure 4 A longitudinal cross-sectional view of a carrier device of a photochemical spiral photoreactor,

[0036] Figure 6 Three perspective views a)-c) of a photochemical spiral photoreactor according to a further embodiment of the invention are shown, which is pivotable between a vertical arrangement a) and a horizontal arrangement c). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The device according to the invention is a photochemical helical photoreactor for the continuous production of photochemical reaction products on a large or industrial scale, respectively, which is scalable from the laboratory scale or pilot scale.

[0038] Figure 1 and Figure 2 The spiral photoreactor 1 for the continuous production of a product fluid P from a reactant fluid E shown in the example has a lamp module 10, a tube coil 20, a carrier device 30 and a protective housing 40 as reactor components, which can also be Figure 3 Seen in. Figure 4 and Figure 5 Another example of a spiral photoreactor 1 is shown, which is similar in several details to the Figures 1 to 3 The spiral photoreactor 1 of FIG. 1 is different, but it also consists of a lamp module 10 , a carrier device 30 including a tube coil 20 , and a protective housing 40 .

[0039] The protective housing 40 encloses a receiving space 38 ′ which is closed in a pressure-tight manner and in which the lamp module 10 and the tube coil 20 held by the carrier device 30 are arranged. The protective housing 40 consists of a receiving section 38 which is cylindrical here and which is sealingly connected at one end (on the head side) to a head plate 39 to which the lamp module 10 is releasably fastened. Of course, designs of the receiving section which deviate from a cylindrical shape are also possible. At the other end (on the bottom side), the receiving section 38 is sealingly connected to the housing bottom 37 ( Figures 1 to 3); or may be correspondingly sealingly connected to the housing bottom via a base flange 34, the housing bottom having a bottom flange 35 for this purpose; or correspondingly sealingly connected to the bottom plate 36 ( Figure 5 ).

[0040] It should be noted that the terms "head" and "bottom" refer to the vertical arrangement of the protective housing 40 in which the reactor components, light module 10, tube coil 20, and carrier device 30 are arranged, with the head panel 39 located at the top and the housing bottom 37 or bottom panel 36 located at the bottom, respectively. However, this does not mean that a vertical arrangement is absolutely required for operation, but only that it can be a preferred and advantageous arrangement. The spiral photoreactor 1 can also be operated with the protective housing 40 in which the reactor components, light module 10, tube coil 20, and carrier device 30 are positioned, horizontally or in other orientations, if desired.

[0041] As in Figure 4 and Figure 6 As can be seen in the example of FIG, the spiral photoreactor 1 can thus have a pivot axis S, about which the protective housing 40, in which the reactor components, the lamp module 10, the tube coil 20, and the carrier device 30 are arranged, can be pivoted 90° or 180°, respectively, and optionally 360°, between at least a vertical arrangement and at least a horizontal arrangement. Thus, the pivot axis S extends at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the protective housing 40, or respectively of the lamp module 10 or the tube coil 20. The protective housing 40, in which the reactor components, the lamp module 10, the tube coil 20, and the carrier device 30 are arranged, can thus be arranged in an orientation desired for operation and can be deflected from its alignment for maintenance or assembly purposes. Figure 6 The example in FIG shows a spiral photoreactor 1 , in which a protective housing 40 in which the reactor components, the lamp module, the tube coil and the carrier device are arranged, can be pivoted about a pivot axis S ( Figure 6 b)) and from Figure 6 The vertical arrangement in a) is transferred to Figure 6 In the horizontal arrangement in c).

[0042] If the spiral photoreactor 1 is arranged vertically ( Figure 6 a)) is performed, then accordingly, the horizontal arrangement ( Figure 6 Option c) can be used for assembly or maintenance purposes, in which case the protective housing 40 is easily accessible from the head side as well as from the bottom side, so that the carrier device with the tube coil and / or the lamp module can be easily removed and replaced. It goes without saying that an offset orientation of the protective housing 40 is conceivable for operation and maintenance / assembly.

[0043] like Figure 6As can be seen in FIG, the spiral photoreactor 1 may comprise a rack 50 which, in the example illustrated, is arranged vertically ( Figure 6 a)) surrounds the protective housing 40. A rack 50 is connected to a frame 51, which is pivotable about a pivot axis S and to which the protective housing 40 is fastened. To this end, the frame 51 here comprises three fastening sections 52 connected to the head panel 39, the base panel 36, and a fastening ring 45, which is arranged between the head and base panels around the receiving section 38 and connected to the head and base panels 39 and 36 via fastening rods 46. In this example, the pivot axis S is located at the lower end of the frame 51, i.e., in the region of the base panel 36. It goes without saying that the pivoting device for pivoting the protective housing can be embodied differently than the rack 50 comprising the frame 51; this is illustrated merely as an example. Instead of a rack, a container comprising a closed wall can also be used; the arrangement of the pivot axis and the fastening of the protective housing can vary.

[0044] As from Figure 6 In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the pivot axis S is as follows: Figure 4 As illustrated, the alignment element 44 can be arranged in the central region of the protective housing 40, advantageously generating fewer acceleration forces when the protective housing 40 and the components arranged therein are pivoted. If the alignment element 44 is arranged on the central fastening ring 45, the retaining frame 51 can optionally be omitted, and the protective housing 40 can be mounted directly in the corresponding rack or outer container. Both pivoting variants have advantages and disadvantages with respect to accessibility, space requirements, and acceleration forces during pivoting, but both ensure simplified assembly and disassembly of the lamp module and / or the carrier device with the tube coil into or from the protective housing.

[0045] From Figures 1 to 3The tube coil 20 of the spiral photoreactor 1 has a plurality of tube coils 23 and an input section 21 for supplying a reactant fluid E at the head end. The input section 21 extends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube coil 20, which corresponds to the axis of rotation of an imaginary cylinder around which the windings 23 are wound. At the bottom end, the tube coils 23 are connected to a return line 24, which extends parallel to the longitudinal axis and on the outside along the windings 23 to an output section 22 for removing a product fluid P containing reaction products. The output section 22 is therefore arranged on the same side of the tube coil 20 as the input section 21 and parallel to it, allowing the input section 21 and the output section 22 to be connected to the corresponding reactant and product lines (not shown) on the same side. Here, the input section 21 and the output section 22 extend through the head plate 39. Corresponding openings for arranging the input section 21 and the output section 22 are provided on the head plate, which openings are sealed by suitable seals (not shown).

[0046] exist Figure 5 The tubular coil 20 illustrated in FIG. embodies a double-threaded tubular coil 20 having a rising winding 23a forming a first winding pitch and a falling winding 23b forming a second winding pitch, wherein these two winding pitches are connected on the head side by a return winding 23c. Therefore, the input section 21 connected to the first rising winding 23a and the output section 22 connected to the last falling winding 23b are located on the same side of the tubular coil 20. In this example, the input section 21 and the output section 22 also extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tubular coil 20 and, respectively, extend through the bottom plate 36 or openings provided therein, thereby sealing these openings.

[0047] Since the lamp module 10 is fastened to the head plate 39, the arrangement of the tube coil 20 with the input section 21 and the output section 22 on the bottom plate 36 is particularly advantageous, since the connections of the tube coil 20 and the connections of the lamp module 10 are then located on opposite sides of the protective housing 40, and assembly and disassembly are simplified. This arrangement of the input section 21 and the output section 22 of the tube coil 20 is therefore not limited to Figure 5 Rather than a double thread embodiment, a corresponding embodiment for a tube coil 20 including a return line 24 can also be implemented, such as Figures 1 to 3 Vice versa, a double threaded tube coil without a return section can also be made according to Figures 1 to 3In the case of a spiral photoreactor 1, the input section and the output section extend through the head plate. Without pivotability, in the case of a vertically oriented protective housing 40, corresponding assembly space would need to be reserved above and below the protective housing 40 in each case in order to provide for the respective assembly or removal of the lamp module from the top and the respective assembly or removal of the carrier device with the tube coil from the bottom.

[0048] This makes it easy to utilize the pivotability, as assembly or disassembly can be performed only from the top, even when the carrier device 30 including the tube coil 20 is to be replaced. The protective housing 40 can then be similarly inverted vertically, so that the head plate 39, to which the lamp module 10 is fastened, points downward, and the bottom plate 36, connected to the carrier device 30 and the tube coil 20, points upward. With the bottom plate 36 in place, the carrier device 30 with the tube coil 20 can then be removed upward from the receiving space 38', while the lamp module 10 remains in the protective housing 40. After replacing the tube coil 20 on the carrier device 30, it can be inserted again around the lamp module 10, and the spiral photoreactor 1 can then be transferred to its operating configuration after the bottom plate 36 is fastened to the receiving section 38. The carrier device 30 is thus securely connected to the bottom plate 36, allowing the carrier device 30 with the tube coil 20 to be inserted and removed together with the bottom plate 36. Alternatively, the carrier device 30 with the tube coil 20 can be releasably connected to the bottom plate 36, if this is more advantageous for weight reasons. Accordingly, during assembly, the carrier device 30 with the tube coil 20 can be inserted first and then the bottom plate 36 assembled, or during disassembly, the bottom plate 36 can be initially removed and then the carrier device 30 with the tube coil 20 removed.

[0049] like Figure 1 As can be seen in FIG, the tube coil 20 surrounds the lamp module 10 in the spiral photoreactor 1, wherein the tube coil 23 covers the radiation area of ​​the lamp module 10. Figure 5 In the embodiment, the tube coil 20 is formed with tube windings 23a, 23b, which cover the radiation area of ​​the lamp module 10 when the tube coil 20 is arranged in the protective housing 40 around the lamp module 10, as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As indicated by the square arrows in FIG. The supplied reactant fluid E, in response to the passage of the windings 23, 23a, 23b, is subjected to the operating radiation as a reaction medium, thereby triggering a photochemical reaction to produce a reaction product, causing the product fluid P to be discharged from the tube coil. Accordingly, different residence times can be achieved depending on the pitch or number of windings 23, 23a, 23b, the diameter of the windings and tube, the length of the wound tube section, and the volume flow rate of the reactant fluid E. Accordingly, the diameter of the tube or winding is selected based on fluid dynamics and absorption.

[0050] Therefore, the tube windings 23, 23a, 23b are made of a material that is transparent to the operating radiation of the lamp module 10, which can be a flexible plastic material or a rigid plastic or glass material. In the illustrated example, the tube coil 20 is formed in one piece, so that the corresponding input section 21 and output section 22 or return line 24 also consist of the same transparent material as the tube windings 23, 23a, 23b. However, deviating from this, it is also possible to manufacture the windings 23, 23a, 23b and the input section 21 and output section 22 or return line 24 separately and connect them to form the tube coil 20. In this case, the input section 21 and output section 22 or return line 24 can also consist of different materials that are opaque to the operating radiation to ensure good process control. To ensure this also in the case of a one-piece tube coil 20, the return line 24 and optionally the input section 21 and / or output section 22 can be shielded. This can be achieved, for example, by applying a coating which absorbs the operating radiation or by arranging corresponding shielding elements.

[0051] Depending on the material, the mechanical integrity of the tube coil may be questionable, preventing it from being classified as pressure equipment under the PED (Pressure Equipment Directive) according to AD 2000. Tube coils may also be required for photochemical reactions, possibly due to the material and due to aging. In this case, a protective housing is a safety containment system used to protect personnel and the environment in the event of a leak or rupture of the tube coil made of plastic or glass.

[0052] Simple assembly and disassembly of the spiral photoreactor 1 is made possible by the carrier device 30, which can be obtained from Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 5 The collection has various retaining elements 32, which are releasably fastened to the windings 23, 23a, 23b, the input section 21 and the output section 22 or the return line 24, respectively. The retaining elements 32 are connected to the engaging elements 31, whereby the exemplary carrier device 30, such as Figure 2As shown, the spiral photoreactor 1 has three engaging elements 31 formed as elongated contour elements, which are arranged on an imaginary circular line around the tube coil 20 and extend parallel to the rotation axis of the tube coil 20, which, when arranged in the spiral photoreactor 1, corresponds to the longitudinal axis of the lamp module 10. To ensure the correct positioning of the carrier device 30 with the tube coil 20 relative to the lamp module 10 in the protective housing 40, the spiral photoreactor 1 has three elongated guide elements 33 corresponding to the three elongated engaging elements 31, which are present in the protective housing 40 parallel to the longitudinal axis defined by the lamp module 10. Using the engaging elements 31, the carrier device 30 with the tube coil 20 can be inserted into the protective housing 40 on the elongated guide elements 33 in the correct position relative to the lamp module 10.

[0053] exist Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the advantageous embodiment of the invention shown in FIG and illustrating that the connection of the tube coil 20 is carried out via the base plate 36, the rotational position of the tube coil 20 has no effect, so that the elongated guide element 33 can be arranged in the protective housing 40 and the engagement elements 31 of the carrier device 30 are evenly distributed on an imaginary circle around the tube coil 20. In the case where the tube coil 20 can be assembled in the protective housing 40 only in a specific rotational position around the lamp module 10, such as Figures 1 to 3 In the example shown in FIG. 4 , in which the positions of the inlet section 21 and the outlet section 22 of the tube coil 20 correspond to the openings provided therefor in the head plate 39, the arrangement of the elongated guide element 33 in the protective housing 40 can deviate from a rotationally symmetrical arrangement. With a correspondingly asymmetrical arrangement of the engaging element 31, the carrier device 30 can only be inserted in a single rotational position in which the elongated guide element 33 is aligned with the engaging element 31.

[0054] The carrier device, formed as a rack in this manner, can accommodate various tube coils made of flexible or rigid plastic or glass. Tube coils made of flexible plastic can therefore be wound onto the carrier device with varying diameters and lengths, while tube coils made of rigid plastic or glass can be inserted into the carrier device. The carrier device can be easily assembled and replaced outside the protective housing and independently of the lamp module by simply inserting and removing it from the protective housing. If the carrier device is equipped with tube coils, the carrier device, along with the coupling element, is inserted into the protective housing on an elongated guide element and thereby automatically pushed onto the lamp module, allowing the lamp module to irradiate the tube coil windings from within during operation of the spiral photoreactor.

[0055] Modifications to the guide elements and the engaging elements, which deviate from the illustrated examples in terms of quantity and embodiment, are easily possible and fall within the scope of protection. The spiral photoreactor according to the present invention can therefore have more or less than three guide elements and three engaging elements, which can be present in the protective housing in different arrangements. Unlike shown, the retaining elements may also not be connected to the elongated engaging elements, but rather individual or all retaining elements may be formed with separate engaging elements, which may engage with one of the elongated guide elements in the protective housing. In terms of the elongated guide elements, it is further conceivable that they do not exist as separate components, as illustrated in the figure, but may, for example, be formed on the inner wall of the protective housing. As an alternative to the illustrated track guide, the elongated guide elements may, for example, be formed similar to guide mandrels, on which sliding bushing elements made of plastic (e.g., PTFE) may, for example, be guided as engaging elements of the carrier device.

[0056] The protective housing 40, which is sealed for the operation of the spiral photoreactor 1, not only serves as a safety enclosure but also serves to control the temperature of the tube coil 20 or the reaction medium conducted therein from the outside, in order to set an optimal temperature during the photochemical reaction. After the protective housing 40 is closed, the receiving space 38' is filled with a liquid temperature control medium Ks, which is transparent to the operating radiation of the lamp module 10. For this purpose, the protective housing 40 has a housing inlet connection 41, which is connected to the housing inlet connection 41. Figures 1 to 3 In the example of FIG. 3 , the housing is arranged on the bottom 37 and is Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the example shown, the protective housing 40 is arranged adjacent to the bottom plate 36 on the cylindrical receiving section 38. In order to circulate the temperature control medium Ks for better temperature control, the protective housing 40 also has a housing outlet connection 41', which is arranged adjacent to the head plate 39 on the cylindrical receiving section 38 and opposite the housing inlet connection 41. To achieve circulation, a corresponding circulation line (not shown) is connected to a pump and optionally a heat exchanger in a known manner, and then to the housing inlet connection 41 and the housing outlet connection 41'.

[0057] Exemplary temperature control media Ks include non-conductive cooling liquids such as silicone oil, but also simple cooling liquids such as water and ethylene glycol. Optionally, a filter liquid can also be used as the temperature control medium Ks, acting as a cutoff filter liquid to temporarily absorb radiation from the lamp module below a specific wavelength, or as a bandwidth filter liquid to allow only (UV) radiation from the lamp module within a specific wavelength range. Aqueous compositions of this type of filter solution are known in the art, where different filter wavelengths can be set by varying the concentration and mixture of dissolved salts (e.g., Cu-SO4, Fe2(SO4)3, FeSO4, FeCl3, Na2WO4, SnCl2, Na3VO4, BiCl3, KVO3, KNO2, K2CrO4, NiSO4, CoSO4, etc.).

[0058] exist Figures 1 to 5 The lamp module 10 illustrated in the spiral photoreactor 1 in FIG. 1 has an immersion tube 11, which is arranged coaxially in the tube coil 20. At the head-side end, the immersion tube 11, which is closed on the bottom side, is received by a head plate 39, so that the immersion tube interior space 11 'enclosed by the immersion tube 11 is separated from the receiving space 38 ' in the protective housing 40, which is optionally filled with a temperature control medium Ks. The closed end of the immersion tube 11 is mounted in the bottom area of ​​the protective housing 40 in order to hold the immersion tube 11 in a stable manner. For this purpose, it is possible to Figures 1 to 3 In the figure, corresponding coaxially formed openings 34', 35' can be seen in the base flange 34 and the bottom flange 35, which, unlike the figure, can have additional passage openings so that the temperature control medium Ks supplied via the housing inlet connection 41 on the bottom section 37 can flow from the bottom space 37' into the receiving space 38'. Figure 4 The lamp module 10 shown in FIG is mounted on the closed end of the immersion tube 11 in a holder 47 which is spring-loaded by a spring element 48 and which is opened from the Figure 5 The carrier device 30 with the tube coil 20 is inserted and rests on the bottom plate 36 after connecting the base plate 36 to the base flange 34 .

[0059] A lamp 12 emitting operating radiation and optionally also radiation having a wavelength deviating from the operating radiation is arranged in the immersion tube 11. In order to achieve cooling of the lamp 12 and to achieve thermal decoupling from the receiving space 38', the lamp module 10 has an immersion tube inlet connection 15, via which the immersion tube interior 11' can be filled with another liquid temperature control medium K L , the other liquid temperature control medium is selected to be transparent at least to the operating radiation, just like the immersion tube 11. LThe lamp module 10 also has an immersion pipe outlet connection 16, through which the heated temperature control medium K L It is discharged from the immersion tube inner space 11 ′ via a circulation line (not illustrated) and is supplied again via the immersion tube inlet connection 15 after the absorbed heat is dissipated to the outside of the protective housing 40 .

[0060] In order to connect the cooling circuit and to electrically connect the lamp 12 , the lamp module 10 has a head part 42 which seals the immersion tube 11 at the head-side end. Figures 1 to 3 The head part 42 is not directly connected to the head plate 39, however, it may well be the case, as Figures 4 and 5 Shown there: the head part 42 is connected to the head plate 39. Deviating therefrom, the head plate and the head part can also be present so as to be integrated in a component (not illustrated). Figures 1 to 3 The immersion tube inlet connection 15 and the immersion tube outlet connection 16 are shown extending through the head part 42 for connecting the immersion tube interior 11 ' to the cooling circuit, while Figure 4 The head part 42 in FIG. 4 shows an electrical connection element 43 which is connected to the lamp 12 and to a further electrical connection element 43 ′ for connection to an external power supply. Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 4 The separate illustration of the coolant connection and the power connection of the head part 42 in FIG. 1 is therefore only used for a better overview and does not represent any restriction in any way. On the contrary, it goes without saying that Figures 1 to 3 The lamp module 10 also has corresponding electrical connection elements for the power source of the lamp 12 and from Figure 4 The lamp module 10 may have a coolant K L The corresponding immersion tube inlet connection piece and immersion tube outlet connection piece.

[0061] Not illustrated are control cabinets and control gear that the spiral photoreactor according to the invention may comprise, which are used to control the lamp by power setting (optionally also by pulsing the lamp) and which can be formed, for example, for safety shutdown in accordance with ATEX guidelines.

[0062] As a radiation source, the lamp module 10 in the spiral photoreactor 1 shown has an LED lamp 12 comprising several LEDs 13 arranged on a carrier body 14 so as to be distributed over the jacket surface of the carrier body. Compared to conventional radiation sources, LED lamps are preferably used in the case of spontaneous full luminous flux due to their relatively low power consumption, long service life, and high switching capacity. The operating radiation of the LED lamp 13 can be systematically set by appropriately selecting the LEDs 13, as the wavelength of the radiation emitted by the LED varies depending on the doping of the semiconductor device. Although LEDs are not radiant heaters, the high temperatures generated during operation, depending on the arrangement and performance of the LEDs, significantly shorten the LED's service life. In order to operate dimmable LEDs at high currents at correspondingly high light yields or radiation intensities, effective heat dissipation is required to maintain the LED's service life.

[0063] To achieve heat dissipation, the carrier body 14 can therefore consist of metal, in particular aluminum. Due to the fact that such heat dissipation is generally insufficient when using a photoreactor for chemical synthesis that can be strongly exothermic, a fluid conduit 14 ′ extends through the carrier body 14, which also serves as a cooling body, in order to at least partially transfer the heat absorbed by the carrier body 14 from the LEDs 13 to the cooling fluid K. L In the case of the illustrated LED lamp 12, this cooling fluid flows through a fluid duct 14'. To this end, the fluid duct 14' is connected at the head-side end of the carrier body 14 to an immersion tube inlet connection 15, which extends through the head part 42. In a variant not illustrated, it is conceivable that the course of the fluid duct within the carrier body has a return at the bottom-side end, so that the fluid duct can also be connected to the immersion tube outlet connection at the head-side end of the carrier body.

[0064] It is shown symbolically that according to the invention, a fluid conduit 14' leads through an inlet opening 14" in the immersion tube interior 11 to the bottom-side end of the carrier body 14, so that the cooling fluid K supplied via the immersion tube inlet connection 15 at the head-side end L It flows out at the bottom-side end of the carrier body 14 and along the surface of the LED lamp 12 to the head-side end of the lamp module 10, where it passes through an outlet opening 16' on the side of the head part 42 facing the immersion tube interior 11 into the immersion tube outlet connection 16, which extends through the head part 42 parallel to the immersion tube inlet connection 15. The connecting lines connected to the immersion tube inlet connection 15 and the immersion tube outlet connection 15 to form a cooling circuit with a pump and optionally a heat exchanger are not shown. Cooling fluid K L The heat that has been absorbed by direct contact with the LED 13 can thus be dissipated to the outside of the lamp module 12. By circulating the cooling fluid KL , temperature control of the lamps 12 can occur independently of temperature control of the reaction medium in the tube coil 20 .

[0065] Since the cooling fluid K L Directly contacting the LEDs 13 and their electrical connections and being located in the radiation area of ​​the lamp 12, a non-conductive (ie electrically insulating) liquid is chosen as the cooling fluid K L , which is transparent for the operating radiation. Compared to lamps according to the prior art, the lamp module 10 is thus improved with regard to the cooling of the LEDs 13 and the thermal decoupling from the receiving space 38 ′ and, in addition, accordingly provides an increased total light power or radiant power, i.e., an increased amount and density of radiation at the outer surface of the immersion tube. This is because, due to the refractive index, which is significantly greater than the refractive index of air or an inert gas and, in the case of a suitable non-conductive liquid, lies in the range of approximately 1.35 to approximately 1.55 (at 20° C.), the non-conductive liquid provides an increased photon decoupling efficiency at the phase-boundary diode surface of the immersion tube interior and reduced reflections at the phase-boundary immersion tube interior and the immersion tube wall, thus avoiding near-field reflections.

[0066] A further advantage is that accelerated aging of the primary optics of LEDs, particularly in chemical plants, is avoided. VOCs ("volatile organic compounds") are present in chemical plants and can be generated even when using inert gases such as nitrogen. This is because the VOCs penetrate into the primary optics, which are typically embodied as silicon lenses, clouding them and thus reducing the light yield. Due to the fact that the primary optics are shielded from the VOCs by the non-conductive liquid, the aging process is significantly slowed down.

[0067] For example, low-viscosity silicone oils that are transparent down to the mid-UV-C range and non-flammable can be used as liquid coolants. L Depending on the wavelength of the operating radiation, fluorinated hydrocarbons such as perfluorocarbons and hydrofluoroethers may also optionally be used as coolants K L , which are advantageously non-flammable, but have absorption bands in certain wavelength ranges: if the operating radiation is outside the absorption band, fluorinated hydrocarbons such as, for example, 3M TM 3M fluorinated electronic fluids or 3M Novec high-tech fluids (3M electronics, St. Paul, USA).

[0068] Highly refined mineral oils can further be sought as coolants L, especially in the spectral range below 250 nm, which primarily contains saturated hydrocarbons. Alkanes and cycloalkanes are advantageously transparent from the visible wavelength range up to the broad UV-C range and at a sufficiently low distance between the LED and the immersion tube up to 195 nm. However, when using highly refined mineral oils as coolants, careful and leak-tight exclusion of air is necessary to avoid the formation of flammable vapor-air mixtures. Coolant K L Further alternatives include synthetic ester and ether compounds. Compared to mineral oils, synthetic organic ester oils, which are transparent down to the mid-UV-C range, offer advantages such as higher heat resistance and higher combustion and ignition temperatures, and are more environmentally friendly, but they also have lower aging resistance. Ether compounds, such as 1,4-dioxolane, also offer sufficient transmission down to the mid-UV range, but here, too, careful air exclusion during lamp module construction is crucial to avoid easily flammable vapor-air mixtures.

[0069] Unless otherwise mentioned, the temperature medium K listed for the lamp module 10 is L It can also be selected as the temperature control medium K for cooling the tube coil 20 S The temperature medium K used for cooling the lamp 12 can be used. L The same coolant is used as the temperature control medium K for cooling the tube coil 20 S , or different temperature control media can be used. The two cooling circuits are preferably separate from one another, but the two cooling circuits can optionally also be connected to one another, depending on the temperature level that develops.

[0070] It goes without saying that other liquids can also be used as cooling medium K L , as long as they are electrically insulating and transparent to the wavelength of the operating radiation. In particular, at wavelengths below 250 nm, in order to provide the transmittance of at least 75% required for the desired transparency, the inner diameter of the immersion tube relative to the outer diameter of the carrier body equipped with the LEDs can be selected so that the distance between the LED surface and the inner wall of the immersion tube, and therefore the absorption by the coolant, is as small as possible. With regard to the design of the distance between the immersion tube and the carrier body, it should also be considered that the coolant is provided with a volume flow rate sufficient for optimal heat dissipation and suitable flow control.

[0071] Each spiral photoreactor according to the present invention is therefore advantageously realized to be independent of the thermal decoupling and temperature control of the lamp of the temperature control of the tube coil (i.e., reaction medium or product fluid and reaction product accordingly). Therefore, not only can carry out the strong exothermic reaction with large heat generation, but also can carry out low-temperature reaction, and does not form condensed water in the immersion tube for example. The spiral photoreactor can be further flexibly adapted by carrier device. Carrier device allows to use different tube coils, and these tube coils can have different diameters, and these diameters are adapted to spectral absorption and fluid dynamics (plug flow), and / or different lengths for adapting to the residence time relevant with pressure loss, and pressure loss changes according to the viscosity of reaction or product medium accordingly. The tube coil that can be used together with carrier device can be further different in material, and it can have transmittance value and pressure resistance adapted according to reaction conditions. The tube coil made of solid plastic and glass material also provides the smaller bending radius than can be achieved by forming flexible plastic hose. In addition, functionalized tube coil comprising immobilized catalyst can be used, and it can be fixed, for example, in sol-gel process. To this end, a catalyst-containing coating solution (sol) can be applied to the inner surface in order to obtain the desired coating after drying as a gel film with a preferably homogeneous, amorphous structure and uniform thin layer thickness (if possible, without defects) in order to avoid radiation losses due to reflection or scattering at the boundary surfaces. Tube coils made of quartz glass can, for example, be provided with an inorganic gel film based on SiO2, which remains amorphous even after a solidification process at temperatures above 400°C. The coating solution thus contains at least the photocatalytic material and optionally additional metal oxides (e.g., aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, or yttrium oxide, etc.), which can influence the optical properties of the tube coil surface but can also optionally perform a photocatalytic function.

[0072] The separate arrangement of the lamp module on one side and the carrier device including the tube coil on the other side in the protective housing also allows for simple replacement of the entire lamp module for operation with operating radiation of different wavelengths. If the immersion tube is transparent for all wavelengths of the operating radiation, it can remain in the protective housing and only the lamp can be replaced to provide the desired operating radiation.

[0073] Compared to conventional chemical photoreactors, which are mostly equipped for batch operation with immersion lamps, the operating safety of continuously operated spiral photoreactors is increased because only a relatively small amount of reaction medium is located in the tube coil within the protective housing, which is designed as a pressure vessel according to the pressure equipment specification. The spiral photoreactor according to the invention, which allows for simplified expansion from laboratory to industrial scale, is further suitable not only for performing photochemical reactions in the liquid phase, during which a liquid reactant fluid is supplied to the tube coil, through which the windings of the tube coil pass as liquid reaction medium and exit the tube coil as a liquid product fluid together with the reaction products, but also for performing photochemical reactions in the gas phase.

[0074] The illustrated example relates to a spiral photoreactor having a tube coil arranged around a lamp module and held by a carrier device, which are arranged together in a protective housing. The longitudinal axis of the lamp module is thus identical to the longitudinal axis of the tube coil. In a modification (not illustrated), the spiral photoreactor according to the present invention may also have several tube coils, each surrounding a lamp module and arranged in parallel in the protective housing, wherein a separate carrier device may be provided for each tube coil or a common carrier device may be provided for all tube coils. Modifications are also conceivable in which the spiral photoreactor according to the present invention has two (or more) tube coils arranged around the lamp module, wherein the windings of the tube coils have the same pitch and may be arranged offset according to the threads of a double (or multiple) thread. Furthermore, two or more lamp modules may be arranged side by side parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tube coil or one behind the other along the longitudinal axis of the tube coil to increase the irradiation power or to achieve different photochemical reactions by operating at different wavelengths of radiation. In another embodiment, the spiral photoreactor according to the present invention may also have additional lamp modules arranged outside the tube coil in the protective housing, rendering the tube coil inaccessible both from the inside and from the outside. Here, too, the correct positioning of the tube coil relative to the additional lamp module is ensured by the carrier device.

[0075] List of Figure Numbers

[0076] 1 Spiral Photoreactor

[0077] 10 Light Module

[0078] 11,11' immersion tube, immersion tube internal space

[0079] 12 LED modules

[0080] 13 LED

[0081] 14,14,14” Carrier / Cooling Body, Fluid Piping, Inlet Openings

[0082] 15 Immersion pipe inlet connection

[0083] 16,16' immersion pipe outlet connection, outlet opening

[0084] 20 tube coil

[0085] 21 Input section

[0086] 22 Output section

[0087] 23,23a,23b Tube winding

[0088] 24 Return line

[0089] 30 Carrier device

[0090] 31 Guide joint element

[0091] 32 holding element

[0092] 33 Long guide element

[0093] 34,34' base flange, access opening

[0094] 35,35' bottom flange, access opening

[0095] 36 base plate

[0096] 37,37' Protect the bottom section and bottom space of the shell

[0097] 38, 38' Protective housing receiving section, receiving space

[0098] 39 Head Plate

[0099] 40 protective shell

[0100] 41, 41' shell inlet connector, shell outlet connector

[0101] 42 head parts

[0102] 43,43' connecting element

[0103] 44 Alignment components

[0104] 45 fastening ring

[0105] 46 Fastening rod

[0106] 47 retainer

[0107] 48 Spring element

[0108] 50 rack

[0109] 51 Framework

[0110] 52 Fastening section

[0111] K L Accordingly, the thermostat or coolant (lamp module)

[0112] K S Accordingly, the thermostat or coolant (protective housing)

[0113] E reactant fluid

[0114] P product fluid

[0115] S Pivot axis.

Claims

1. A spiral photoreactor (1), comprising at least one lamp module (10) and at least one tube coil (20), the tube coil having a plurality of tube windings between an input section (21) and an output section (22), wherein the at least one tube coil (20) is arranged around the at least one lamp module (10), wherein the spiral photoreactor (1) comprises a carrier device (30) carrying the at least one tube coil (20) and a protective housing (40) surrounding a receiving space (38'), wherein the carrier device (30) with the at least one tube coil (20) and the at least one lamp module (10) are arranged in the receiving space, wherein the carrier device (30) provides a predetermined positioning of the tube coil (20) relative to the at least one lamp module (10) and the protective housing (40), It is characterized by: The spiral photoreactor (1) has at least one elongated guide element (33) which is present in the protective housing (40) parallel to the longitudinal axis defined by the lamp module (10), and The carrier device (30) has at least one engaging element (31) which is arranged on the elongated guide element (33) so as to be guided in a longitudinally movable manner and so as to be positionable, wherein the elongated guide element (33) specifies the positioning of the carrier device (30) with the tube coil (20) via the engaging element (31) guided on the elongated guide element (33).

2. The spiral photoreactor (1) according to claim 1, It is characterized by: The carrier device (30) has at least one holding element (32) which is formed for holding at least one section of the tube coil (20), wherein the at least one holding element (32) and the joining element (31) are formed as one piece or wherein the at least one holding element is releasably or non-releasably connected to the joining element (31).

3. The spiral photoreactor (1) according to claim 1 or 2, It is characterized by: The receiving space (38') is sealed, and the protective housing (40) has a housing inlet connection (41) and a housing outlet connection (41'), so that the receiving space (38') can be filled with a first temperature control medium (K S ) to fill.

4. The spiral photoreactor (1) according to claim 3, It is characterized by: The first temperature control medium is a liquid temperature control medium.

5. The spiral photoreactor (1) according to claim 1 or 2, It is characterized by: The protective housing (40) has a cylindrical receiving section (38) which is fastened at one end to a head plate (39) to which the at least one light module (10) is fastened and which is connected at the other end to a housing bottom (37) or a bottom plate (36).

6. The spiral photoreactor (1) according to claim 5, It is characterized by: The receiving space (38') is sealed, and the protective housing (40) has a housing inlet connection (41) and a housing outlet connection (41'), so that the receiving space (38') can be filled with a first temperature control medium (K S ) to fill, The housing inlet connection piece (41) is arranged on the housing bottom (37) or on the cylindrical receiving section (38) adjacent to the bottom plate (36), and the housing outlet connection piece (41') is arranged on the cylindrical receiving section (38) adjacent to the head plate (39).

7. The spiral photoreactor (1) according to claim 5, It is characterized by: The input section (21) and the output section (22) are present on the same side of the tube coil (20), wherein - the tube coil (20) is formed as a double-threaded tube coil, in which case a first winding (23a) of a first winding pitch is connected to the input section (21) up to a return winding (23c), and a second winding (23b) of a second winding pitch extends from the return winding up to the output section (22), or A return line (24) is arranged between the end of the tube winding (23) facing away from the input section (21) and the output section (22).

8. The spiral photoreactor (1) according to claim 5, It is characterized by: The lamp module (10) comprises an immersion tube (11) and at least one lamp (12) arranged in the immersion tube (11), wherein the lamp module (10) comprises an immersion tube inlet connector (15) and an immersion tube outlet connector (16), wherein the immersion tube inlet connector and the immersion tube outlet connector are in communication with an immersion tube inner space (11') defined by the immersion tube (11), so that the immersion tube inner space (11') can be heated with a second temperature control medium (K L ) to fill.

9. The spiral photoreactor (1) according to claim 8, It is characterized by: The second temperature control medium is a liquid cooling medium.

10. The spiral photoreactor (1) according to claim 8, It is characterized by: The lamp module (10) has a head part (42) comprising at least one electrical connection element (43'), which is connected to an electrical connection element of the lamp (12), wherein the head part (42) and / or the head plate (39) on which the head part (42) is arranged are formed for sealingly holding the lamp (12) and / or the immersion tube (11), wherein the immersion tube inlet connection piece (15) and the immersion tube outlet connection piece (16) extend through the head part (42) and / or the head plate (39).

11. The spiral photoreactor (1) according to claim 8, It is characterized by: The lamp (12) is an LED lamp having a plurality of LEDs (13) which are arranged on a carrier body (14) so ​​as to be distributed on the jacket surface of the carrier body, a fluid conduit (14') extending through the carrier body, the fluid conduit being connected to the immersion pipe inlet connector (15) at the head-side end and leading through an inlet opening (14") at the bottom-side end of the carrier body (14) into the immersion pipe interior space (11'), the immersion pipe interior space being connected to the immersion pipe outlet connector (16) via an outlet opening (16'), the outlet opening being present adjacent to the head-side end of the carrier body (14).

12. The spiral photoreactor (1) according to claim 1 or 2, It is characterized by: The spiral photoreactor (1) has a frame and / or a holding structure, which includes an articulated connection as a pivot device, wherein the protective housing (40) is pivotably mounted about a pivot axis (S), which extends at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the protective housing (40), so that the protective housing (40) can be transferred from a vertical arrangement to a horizontal arrangement with the carrier device (30) carrying the at least one tube coil (20) and the at least one lamp module (10).

Images