Microreactor systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10507449-B2
Application number	US-201816137690-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2018
Priority date	Nov 11, 2014
Publication date	Dec 17, 2019
Grant date	Dec 17, 2019

Abstract

In various embodiments, a microreactor features a corrosion-resistant microchannel network encased within a thermally conductive matrix material that may define therewithin one or more hollow heat-exchange conduits.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A microreactor comprising:
a network of hollow microchannel conduits formed of a corrosion-resistant material;
surrounding the microchannel conduits, a matrix comprising a matrix material having a thermal conductivity larger than a thermal conductivity of the corrosion-resistant material; and
disposed (i) between at least a portion of at least one of the microchannel conduits and the matrix material and (ii) in contact with the at least a portion of the at least one of the microchannel conduits and the matrix material, a region (a) consisting essentially of the corrosion-resistant material and the matrix material and (b) having a mixed and/or graded composition.

2. The microreactor of claim 1 , further comprising one or more hollow heat-exchange channels each (i) defined by the matrix material, (ii) proximate one or more microchannel conduits, and (iii) not intersecting any of the microchannel conduits.

3. The microreactor of claim 2 , wherein a diameter or lateral dimension of at least one heat-exchange channel is larger than a diameter or lateral dimension of at least one microchannel conduit.

4. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein the corrosion-resistant material comprises at least one of niobium, molybdenum, tantalum, tungsten, rhenium, titanium, zirconium, glass, or stainless steel.

5. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein the matrix material comprises at least one of aluminum, gold, brass, silver, or copper.

6. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein the network of microchannel conduits comprises (i) two or more input conduits converging to a single reaction zone, and (ii) an output conduit leading away from the reaction zone.

7. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein the region consists of the corrosion-resistant material and the matrix material.

8. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein the composition of the region is graded.

9. The microreactor of claim 8 , wherein the composition of the region is linearly graded.

10. The microreactor of claim 8 , wherein the composition of the region is step graded.

11. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein the region is a uniform mixture of the corrosion-resistant material and the matrix material.

12. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein the region surrounds an entirety of at least one of the microchannel conduits.

13. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein the region surrounds at least a portion of each of the microchannel conduits.

14. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein the region surrounds an entirety of each of the microchannel conduits.

15. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein the region extends outwardly from the at least a portion of the at least one of the microchannel conduits by a distance approximately equal to or less than a diameter of the at least one of the microchannel conduits.

16. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the region is approximately 1 cm or less.

17. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the region is approximately 1 mm or less.

18. The microreactor of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the region is at least 0.05 mm.

19. A microreactor comprising:
a network of hollow microchannel conduits formed of a corrosion-resistant material;
surrounding and in contact with the microchannel conduits, a matrix comprising a matrix material having a thermal conductivity larger than a thermal conductivity of the corrosion-resistant material; and
one or more hollow heat-exchange channels each (i) defined by the matrix material such that an inner surface of the one or more hollow heat-exchange materials is formed of the matrix material, (ii) proximate one or more microchannel conduits, and (iii) not intersecting any of the microchannel conduits.

Assignees

• Aimone Paul R
• Abouaf Marc
• Hogan Patrick
• Starck H C Inc

Inventors

• Aimone Paul R
• Abouaf Marc
• Hogan Patrick

Classifications

• B01J19/2415

  Tubular reactors · CPC title

• B22F3/12

  Both compacting and sintering (by forging B22F3/17) · CPC title

• B01J2219/0277

  Metal based · CPC title

• B01J2219/0236

  Metal based · CPC title

• B01J2219/00837

  comprising coatings other than catalytically active coatings · CPC title