Mixing reactor and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10406499-B2
Application number	US-201415037520-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2014
Priority date	Nov 19, 2013
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

A mixing reactor (1), the reactor comprising a body (2) having a first inlet (3), a second inlet (5) and an outlet (4), in which there is an inner passage (6) through the body (2) from the first inlet (3) at a first end (12) of the body (2) to the outlet (4) at a second end of the body (2) along a length of the body (2), the inner passage (6) having a side wall (17) along the length, and an outer passage (7) closer to a surface (14) of the body (2) than the inner passage (6), the outer passage (7) running from the second inlet (5) at the second end, travelling through the body (2) along the length and meeting the inner passage (6) at a junction (11) at the first end, the outer passage (7) joining the inner passage (6) through the side wall (17) at the junction (11). Such a mixing reactor can be used for producing particles such as nanoparticles or Metal-Organic frameworks. Furthermore, we disclose a cascade of such reactors and a method of using such reactors to mix fluids, typically but non-exclusively so as to produce such particles.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mixing reactor, the reactor comprising a body having a first inlet, a second inlet and an outlet; wherein:
there is an inner passage through the body from the first inlet at a first end of the body to the outlet at a second end of the body along a length of the body, the inner passage having a side wall along the length, and
there is an outer passage closer to a surface of the body than the inner passage, the outer passage running from the second inlet at the second end, travelling through the body along the length and meeting the inner passage at a junction at the first end, the outer passage joining the inner passage through the side wall at the junction, the outer passage joining the inner passage at an angle of 90 degrees to the length, plus or minus 45 degrees, and
there is a further outer passage that is also closer to the surface than the inner passage, the further outer passage having a further second inlet at the second end, travelling through the body along the length and meeting the inner passage at a further junction at the first end, the further outer passage joining the inner passage through the side wall at the further junction.

2. The mixing reactor of claim 1 , in which the outer passage joins the inner passage at an angle of 90 degrees to the length, plus or minus 5 degrees.

3. The mixing reactor of claim 1 , in which the junction comprises an orifice in the side wall, with a portion of the outer passage preceding the orifice that is at the angle relative to the length.

4. The mixing reactor of claim 1 , in which the further outer passage is symmetrical to the outer passage relative to the inner passage.

5. The mixing reactor of claim 1 , comprising a heater coupled to the surface.

6. The mixing reactor of claim 1 , comprising an extension passage, extending out of the body from the outlet, the extension passage provided with heating or cooling apparatus through which the extension passage passes.

7. The mixing reactor of claim 3 , wherein portions of the side wall to either side of the orifice are collinear with each other.

8. A cascade of mixing reactors, comprising:
a first mixing reactor and a second mixing reactor, wherein one of the first or second mixing reactor includes a body having a first inlet, a second inlet and an outlet,
wherein
there is an inner passage through the body from the first inlet at a first end of the body to the outlet at a second end of the body along a length of the body, the inner passage having a side wall along the length, and
therein is an outer passage closer to a surface of the body than the inner passage, the outer passage running from the second inlet at the second end, travelling through the body along the length and meeting the inner passage at a junction at the first end, the outer passage joining the inner passage through the side wall at the junction, and
there is a further outer passage that is also closer to the surface than the inner passage, the further outer passage having a further second inlet at the second end, travelling through the body along the length and meeting the inner passage at a further junction at the first end, the further outer passage joining the inner passage through the side wall at the further junction; and
wherein the other of the first or second mixing reactor also includes a first inlet, a second inlet and an outlet, and
wherein the outlet of the first mixing reactor is coupled to the first inlet of the second mixing reactor, and wherein the outer passage joins the corresponding inner passage at an angle of 90 degrees to the corresponding length, plus or minus 45 degrees.

9. The cascade of mixing reactors of claim 8 , wherein the first and second mixing reactors are similarly configured, in that they both include an inner passage, an outer passage, and a further outer passage, and each of the outer passages joins the corresponding inner passage at an angle of 90 degrees to the length, plus or minus 45 degrees.

10. The cascade of mixing reactors of claim 8 , wherein the first and second mixing reactors are similarly configured, in that they both include an inner passage, an outer passage, and a further outer passage.

11. The cascade of mixing reactors of claim 8 , comprising one or more heaters coupled to the body.

12. The cascade of mixing reactors of claim 8 , wherein the first and second mixing reactors are similarly configured, in that they both include a body having a first inlet, a second inlet and an outlet, the cascade of mixing reactors comprising:
an extension passage of the first mixing reactor, extending out of the corresponding body from the outlet, the extension passage provided with heating or cooling apparatus through which the extension passage passes; and
an extension passage of the second mixing reactor, extending out of the corresponding body from the outlet, the extension passage provided with heating or cooling apparatus through which the extension passage passes.

13. The cascade of mixing reactors of claim 8 , wherein at least one of the junction and the further junction comprises an orifice in the side wall, and portions of the side wall to either side of the orifice are collinear with each other.

14. A method of mixing two fluids, comprising:
delivering a first fluid through the first inlet of a mixing reactor, the mixing reactor including a body having a first inlet, a second inlet and an outlet, wherein
there is an inner passage through the body from the first inlet at a first end of the body to the outlet at a second end of the body along a length of the body, the inner passage having a side wall along the length, and
there is an outer passage closer to a surface of the body than the inner passage, the outer passage running from the second inlet at the second end, travelling through the body along the length and meeting the inner passage at a junction at the first end, the outer passage joining the inner passage through the side wall at the junction, the outer passage joining the inner passage at an angle of 90 degrees to the length, plus or minus 45 degrees, and
there is a further outer passage that is also closer to the surface than the inner passage, the further outer passage having a further second inlet at the second end, travelling through the body along the length and meeting the inner passage at a further junction at the first end, the further outer passage joining the inner passage through the side wall at the further junction;

delivering a second fluid through the second inlet of the mixing reactor; and
extracting a mixed fluid from the outlet.

15. The method of claim 14 , in which the first fluid is a metal salt solution.

16. The method of claim 14 , in which the mixed fluid is a particle-bearing suspension.

17. The method of claim 16 , in which the particles are selected from the group comprising nano-particles and metal-organic framework (MOF) particles.

18. The method of claim 14 , comprising heating the second fluid through the application of heat to the surface of the reactor.

19. The method of claim 14 , in which the reactor is used with the second end uppermost.

20. The method of claim 14 , in which the second fluid is selected from the group consisting of water, supercritical water, an organic solvent and an alcohol.

21. The method of claim 14 , comprising:
passing the mixed fluid through a further mixing reactor, the further mixing reactor including a body having a first inlet, a second inlet and an outlet, wherein
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Assignees

• Univ Nottingham

Inventors

• Lester Edward
• Huddle Thomas

Classifications

• B01J3/008

  Processes carried out under supercritical conditions · CPC title

• B01J2219/0059

  Sequential processes · CPC title

• B01J14/00 Primary

  Chemical processes in general for reacting liquids with liquids; Apparatus specially adapted therefor (B01J8/00, B01J19/08 take precedence) · CPC title

• B01J19/244

  Concentric tubes · CPC title

• B01J19/2415

  Tubular reactors · CPC title