Spiral Flow Reactor Structure for Precise Heat Exchange and Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flow reactors face challenges in temperature control, reaction time, fluid retention, washability, decomposability, and application of corrosion-resistant coatings, particularly in large-scale operations, due to structural limitations and heat transfer inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A flow reactor design with a spirally circulated reaction path between concentric inner and outer tubes, featuring a heat transfer body with a triangular cross-section, allowing countercurrent flow and easy disassembly for cleaning, and coated with corrosion-resistant materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a shell-and-tube type reactor with a tube attached to a tube sheet is used, then heat transfer function is provided, but the tube is difficult to clean and coating/lining cannot be applied to the inside of the narrow heat transfer tube
Solution Approach 1:
The reactor is divided into modular components: an outer tube, an inner tube, and a heat transfer body that can be separately assembled and disassembled. This segmentation allows easy access to all internal surfaces for cleaning and coating application, while maintaining the heat transfer function through the dedicated heat transfer body.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat transfer body serves as an intermediary component between the reaction fluid and the heat medium. It is a separate, accessible component that can be removed for cleaning or coating, unlike the integrated tube structures in conventional designs.
2Productivity
If a microreactor with a spiral flow path is used, then fluid mixing is improved, but the heat transfer area is too small and the screw-like wall surface cannot be used as direct heat transfer surface
Solution Approach 1:
The reactor separates the mixing function (performed by the spiral flow path) from the heat transfer function (performed by the dedicated heat transfer body). This allows optimization of both functions independently: the spiral path provides effective mixing while the heat transfer body provides sufficient heat transfer area.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat transfer body acts as an intermediary that provides a dedicated large surface area for heat exchange, separate from the spiral flow path. This intermediary component ensures adequate heat transfer area without compromising the mixing efficiency of the spiral configuration.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a tubular flow module with concentric tubes is used, then plug flow condition is improved, but countercurrent flow is not possible and precise temperature control is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows dynamic control of flow directions: the reaction fluid flows in one direction through the inner tube while the heat medium can flow in the opposite direction through the outer tube. This dynamic counter-current configuration enables precise temperature control while maintaining stable plug flow conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat transfer body serves as an intermediary that facilitates efficient heat exchange between the reaction fluid and heat medium in a counter-current arrangement. This intermediary enables precise temperature control by optimizing the heat transfer interface while maintaining the plug flow characteristics of the reaction system.
4Quantity of substance
If the amount of heat medium held in the shell side is large, then heat capacity is increased, but overshoot and undershoot occur readily and the system becomes difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
The reactor segments the heat medium containment within the outer tube, separating it from the reaction zone. This segmentation allows optimization of the heat medium quantity to achieve sufficient heat capacity while preventing excessive thermal mass that would cause overshoot and undershoot in temperature control.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates precise temperature control, reduces reaction time, suppresses fluid retention, enhances washability, and enables scalable, cost-effective operation with improved heat transfer efficiency and corrosion resistance.
Implementation Method 1
a heat transfer body which is spirally circulated and has a cross-sectional shape of a substantially triangle in an axial-direction cross-sectional view, and a space is partitioned into a reaction flow path and a second flow path by the heat transfer body, and heat exchange is performed between a fluid to be reacted flowing in the reaction flow path and a heat medium flowing in the second flow path via the heat transfer body
Implementation Method 2
a reaction flow path which spirally circulates to flow a fluid to be reacted, in which a heat transfer body is arranged in a space formed between an inner tube and an outer tube that are arranged concentrically
Data Source
AI summary
A flow reactor can promote a reaction under appropriate temperature management, can precent reaction fluid or generated gas from being trapped in a heat transmission part, can be disassembled for easy cleaning, and to which a coating or lining can be applied. This flow reactor is provided with two flow paths, a reaction flow path and a second flow path, in a space formed between an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder that are concentric. A spiral heat transmission body is disposed between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder, and the spiral heat transmission body has a substantially triangular cross-sectional shape in an axial cross-sectional view. The spiral heat transmission body partitions the space into the reaction flow path and the second flow path, and heat is exchanged via the spiral heat transmission body between a reaction fluid F1 flowing through the reaction flow path and a heat medium F2 flowing through the second flow path.