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In a single piece

High-performance ceramic microreactors
In a single piece

Microreaction technology is in the process of revolutionising synthesis in the fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals industries. Many of the reactions that are still performed in stirred vessels will soon be carried out continuously using microstructured apparatus. The chief advantages of microreactors are greatly improved yields, efficiency and selectivity, together with greater production reliability and flexibility.

The numerous advantages of microreactors are increasingly making them the preferred choice in process engineering. Until now, glass, metal or polymer systems were mainly used. In the manufacture of pharmaceutical products and fine chemicals, however, highly corrosive media are often processed at high pressures or temperatures above 250 °C, and they frequently contain erosive particles. Under these conditions, plastic, stainless steel or glass equipment is not sufficiently resistant and does not provide the desired benefits. High-performance ceramic equipment, which is generally chemically resistant, opens up new applications for microprocess engineering.

Universally corrosion resistant
ESK manufactures ceramic microreactors from sintered silicon carbide – specifically EKasic. This material is universally resistant to corrosion from acids, alkalis and hot water and does not release particles or metal ions. It is lightweight, has a similar hardness to diamond and is an excellent thermal conductor. EKasic silicon carbide already has a proven track record of use for mechanical seals and sliding bearings in process fluid-lubricated pumps, nozzles and heat exchangers. The finely structured key components are welded together by a patent process to form a monolithic microreactor. The process leaves behind neither weld seams nor metal or glass-ceramic boundary layers. The characteristic EKasic strength, thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance are retained in full. The components are pressure resistant, hermetically tight, robust and capable of withstanding temperatures from cryogenic levels up to 1500 °C.
Different geometries
EKasic microreactors are used in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries particularly for the synthesis of aggressive fluids, sensitive substances or explosive materials. The microreactors have intricately structured fluid channels of various geometries according to the required purpose and function. The channels are milled in a standard way using diamond tools. Although channels smaller than 1 mm are usually laser machined, there are almost no limits to the complexity of the channel structure. The apparatus can be designed as reactors with microstructured reaction zones or as finely structured heat exchangers with a large surface area. Micromixers, in which substances are brought into intimate contact at a molecular level, can also be constructed. Multiple functions can be accommodated simultaneously into one and the same ceramic monolith. It is additionally possible to integrate heat exchanger elements for thermal control of a micromixer, such as the combination of a heat exchanger and reaction zone within a ceramic block. In the monoliths, there is always a hermetically tight and pressure resistant separation between material streams. The temperature is controlled by a heat transfer oil, superheated steam or cold water. Cryogenic fluids can also be used.
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And for larger amounts

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cpp: Dr. Meschke, in your opinion, will microreaction technology gain acceptance in the laboratory as well as in industrial environments?
Dr. Meschke: Certainly. In many product areas, there is strong pressure to make production processes faster as well as more efficient and flexible. In addition, there are safety concerns. Microreaction technology can make it easier to control processes for manufacturing hazardous products. Microreaction technology offers great potential for making improvements.
cpp: What specific fields of application do you see in the industry?
Dr. Meschke: First and foremost, there is the synthesis of pharmaceutical and fine chemical products, in particular processes for making high-value products in high purity and low yields, largely independently of production volumes. Microprocess engineering does not imply that the systems are always micro, only the dimensions of particular reaction chambers. Microreaction systems can readily be designed for very large production volumes if required. I also see biochemicals as a particular field of application. New technologies are under development for tomorrow’s applications. ESK is participating in these new developments together with leading industrial companies and pioneering institutes.
cpp: What particular applications are ESK microreactors most suitable for?
Dr. Meschke: ESK manufactures the key components of microreaction systems to customer specifications from ceramics with universal corrosion resistance and extremely good thermal conductivity. We have developed a process for manufacturing EKasic silicon carbide ceramic microstructured reactors with an internal structure of any desired complexity – all in one piece. For example, ESK can produce microstructured mixers, reaction zones, heat exchangers or all these together integrated into one block. These microreactors can be designed for either small or large volumes. They are suitable for reactions that require resistance under high pres-sures or at extreme temperatures and a long service in highly corrosive media.
cpp: What throughputs can be achieved with the microreactors developed by ESK?
Dr. Meschke: We have decided not to stock off-the-peg equipment and thereby restrict users in realising their goals. We want to offer our customers the best solution for a particular existing reaction, and we therefore produce to their individual specifications. This means that the internal structure, size and connections of our components are matched to each customer’s specific requirements. With a reactor volume of 10 l, it is easily possible to produce more than 100 t/a in total.
cpp: Do you have any plans to continue development of the SiC microreactor?
Dr. Meschke: Yes. We plan to further improve the response and reaction time of the microreactor. However, we don’t want to preempt the product presentation at this point.
cpp: Do you have your eye on any other materials or combinations for the microreactor?
Dr. Meschke: Silicon carbide has always been the material of choice for microreactor technology because of the spectrum of properties described above. Unfortunately, this material was not available in the past solely because of the lack of a suitable joining technology. The joining process developed by ESK made it possible for the first time to use hermetically tight microreactors from EKasic silicon carbide commercially. If customers want us to use any other materials, we will be glad to adopt them.
cpp: Does ESK intend to provide any further products for microprocess engineering in future?
Dr. Meschke: The list is long and growing longer every day. Process engineers never seem to run out of ideas. This poses continually new challenges to ESK as regards design and manufacture. Our experienced R&D department is working on solutions in conjunction with customers.

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