Systems and methods for increasing reaction yield

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11833487-B2
Application number	US-202117322339-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2021
Priority date	Aug 12, 2016
Publication date	Dec 5, 2023
Grant date	Dec 5, 2023

Abstract

The invention generally relates to systems and methods for increasing reaction yield. In certain embodiments, the invention provides systems for increasing a yield of a chemical reaction that include a pneumatic sprayer configured to generate a liquid spray discharge from a solvent. The solvent includes a plurality of molecules, a portion of which react with each other within the liquid spray discharge to form a reaction product. The system also includes a collector positioned to receive the liquid spray discharge including the unreacted molecules and the reaction product. The system also includes a recirculation loop connected from the collector to the pneumatic sprayer in order to allow the unreacted molecules and the reaction product to be recycled through the pneumatic sprayer, thereby allowing a plurality of the unreacted molecules to react with each other as the unreacted molecules cycle again through the system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for increasing yield of a chemical reaction, the method comprising:
generating a liquid spray discharge using a pneumatic sprayer, wherein the liquid spray discharge is generated from a solvent that comprises a plurality of unreacted molecules, a portion of which react with each other within the liquid spray discharge to form a reaction product while a portion remain unreacted molecules;
collecting in a collector the liquid spray discharge comprising the unreacted molecules and the reaction product; and
recirculating the collected liquid spray discharge from the collector through the pneumatic sprayer, in order to allow a plurality of the unreacted molecules in the solvent to react with each other as the unreacted molecules cycle again through the pneumatic sprayer, thereby increasing a yield of the chemical reaction as compared to a yield of the chemical reaction prior to the recirculating.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a voltage source is operably associated with the pneumatic sprayer in order to generate a charged liquid spray discharge.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein collecting comprises condensing the liquid spray discharge into a reservoir of the collector.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein condensing uses a cryogenic condenser.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein collecting further comprises precipitating liquid droplets from any liquid spray discharge not captured in the condensing step.

6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising degassing gas used by the pneumatic sprayer to generate the liquid spray discharge.

7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein degassing uses a liquid degassing unit comprising a semi-permeable membrane within a vacuum chamber.

8. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising analyzing the reaction product.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the pneumatic sprayer is an electrosonic spray ionization source.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising controlling an extent of formation of the reaction product by varying a distance between the pneumatic sprayer and the collector.

Assignees

• Purdue Research Foundation

Inventors

• Cooks Robert Graham
• Wleklinski Michael Stanley
• Logsdon David

Classifications

• B01J19/2465 Primary

  externally, i.e. the mixture leaving the vessel and subsequently re-entering it · CPC title

• B01D5/0069

  with degasification or deaeration · CPC title

• B01D19/0031

  by filtration · CPC title

• B01J4/002

  Nozzle-type elements (nozzle-type reactors B01J19/26) · CPC title

• B01J14/00

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