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Technology
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Principles
The application of micro chemical engineering for chemical
reactions mainly lead to an enhanced mass- and energy transport. The
enhanced energy transport is attributed to a higher surface to volume ratio
compared to conventional reactors. Heat, emerging from a reaction, can be
dissipated easily. As a result the reaction can be carried out under
isothermic conditions with exactly defined residence times. Also control
of the reaction is possible even in the case of highly exothermic or
explosive reaction due to the small reactions volumes.
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The enhanced mass transport leads to mixing times of a few milli-seconds by the use of micro mixers. Simultaneously the diffusion paths are
short due to the small dimensions, leading to an increase of the reaction
rate, if the reaction kinetic is appropriate. Additional an accurate control
of relevant process parameters like pressure, temperature, residence time
and flow rate can be easily done by the use of micro chemical plants.
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Therefore a wide area of applications for micro chemical processes is
opened up, ranging from complex reactions involving lots of side- and
consecutive products to gas phase reactions carried out in the explosive
regime as well as to the production of particles with a narrow particle size
distribution and emulsion processes.
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