This presentation is about process intensification and was given at a workshop at the University of Korea 2012

1. Korea 2012
Process Intensification;
a brief history of timing.
By
Professor Malcolm Mackley
Department of Chemical Engineering and
Biotechnology.
University of Cambridge
UK
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2. Process Intensification
Process; Route to manufacture
• Liquid processing
• Gas processing
• Solid processing
• Multiphase processing
Intensification
• Reduce footprint
• Reduce cost
• Reduce environmental impact
• Increase output
• Increase value and or quality of product
• Increase safety, reduce risk
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3. Process Intensification.
Time line
Global Process Intensification
Major Chemical Companies “Product Invention”
1970s Research Laboratories. Polymers, PEEK, Pruteen,
ICI, Shell, Bp, Courtaulds, Exxon. PHB, Carbon Fibres.
Processes; Fluidised beds.
“Market forces” Heat Exchange Networks (HENS).
1980s Mergers, sales and acquisitions. Colin Ramshaw.
Pharma. “Process Intensification”
Spinning Disc reactor.
Emergence of Asia and
Batch to Continuous.
1990s Middle East as major players.
Membranes.
Emergence of Biotechnology.
Nanotechnology.
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4. Process Intensification.
Time line
Global Process Intensification
CO2, Energy, Biofuels Microfluidics
Displays, Telecoms Pharma, batch to continuous
2000s Nanotechnology Car catalyst exhaust
“Economic pause”. Pharma; continuous tablet.
2010s Telecoms. Batteries.
Electric cars. Ink Jet Technologies
Alternative energy sources.
2020s ? ?
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5. Examples of Process Intensification /Invention
• 1970-80s High Modulus Polyethylene (HMP)
• 1980s onwards Oscillatory Flow Mixing (OFM)
• 1990s Flexible Chocolate
• 2000s Plastic Microcapillary Films (MCF)s
Time scales for;
1. Invention / Innovation concept
2. Development
3. Commercialisation
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6. High Modulus Polyethylene (HMP)
1970-2000
6

7. Bristol 1970- High Modulus Polyethylene;
the 1st inventive step
Sir Charles Frank Andrew Keller
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8. High Modulus Polyethylene (HMP)
The 2nd inventive steps 1970s
Zwijnenburg, A Pennings, AJ (1975) Paul Smith
Piet Lemstra
Colloid and Polymer Science 1975
Piston
1. Low entanglement UHMWPE polymer gel
1% PE / Decalin solution
Solvent recovery
2. Unoriented Gel fibre
4. Hot draw
Quench bath
5. Oriented High Modulus Polyethylene
3. Unoriented Low entanglement semi crystalline fibre
8
P. Smith, and P.J.Lemstra, J. Material. Sci. 1980, 15,

9. High Modulus Polyethylene (HMP)
Development and Commercialisation, late 1980s
Solvent
UHMWPE Polymer powde r
Low entanglement polymer gel
Screw extruder
Spinnere t
Solvent recovery
Gel fibres
Hot draw
Quench bath
Low entanglement semi crystalline fibre
Schematic diagram of continuous High Modulus Polyethylene (HMP) process
Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™
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10. Time scales
1.Invention /
Innovation
10 years
2. Development
10 years
3. Commercialisation
5 years

11. Oscillatory Flow Mixing ( OFM)
Inertial flow. Tube diameters, mm - cms
A question of scale!
Tonnes/hr, Kg/hr, g/hr
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12. Oscillatory Flow Mixing (OFM) 1980s; process
Inventive steps 1979- 1982
Air turbine
generates power
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13. Inventive steps. Plug flow residence time
Chem Eng Sci 1989 13

14. OFM Movie; poetry in motion
Adam Harvey
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15. Heat transfer Chen Eng Sci
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16. Liquid Gas Mass transfer
No oscillation With oscillation 8hz, 3mm
Go to OFM bubbles movies 1 and 2
Filipa Pereira and Nuno Reis
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17. Mass transfer Cheng Eng Sci
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18. Development Stage
Chem Eng Oscillatory Flow Reactor (OFR)
- Oscillator Base Unit
- Feed inlet section
- Shell and baffled tube vessels
- Product outlet section
Dr Paul Stonestreet
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19. Biodiesel Reaction Progress
along Reactor
Net Flow
Net Flow In Out
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20. Commercialisation
Prof Xiongwei Ni
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21. Further development OFM Meso Reactor
System configuration
Meso tube,
Sc diameter d
ale
- do
wn
Smooth constrictions:
spacing 3d
Minimum constriction
diameter 0.4d
35 mm, V ≈ 4.5 mL
a)
L
d d0
≈ 45º
δ
b)
Nuno Reis, Minghzi Zheng
2000s
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22. Meso Fluid Mechanics
Go to OFM PIV and LES movies Minghzi Zheng
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23. Continuous Flow Oscillatory Mesoreactor
0.02
b) Exp-E(t)
0.018 1
Exp-E(t)
2
0.016 Exp-E(t)3
0.014 Fit-E(t) (1->2)
2
Fit-E(t) (1->3)
0.012 3
Fit-E(t) (2->3)
E(t) (-)
3
0.01
0.008
0.006
0.004
0.002
0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
Time (s)
Minghzi Zheng
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24. Mesotube; Liquid drop dispersion
a) f=6Hz a) xo=3 mm
b) f=10Hz b) xo=4 mm
Silicon oil (4.6mPas,2.5%) mixing Silicon oil (4.6mPas, 2.5%) mixing
with water at xo=2 mm with water at f=6Hz
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25. Mesotube; Particle suspension
Instantaneous velocity vector maps of fluid phase at Reo = 625,
x0 = 2 mm, f = 10.0 Hz at vertical position in the presence of 3%
(v/v ) amount of ion-exchange particles 25

26. Time scales
1.Invention / Innovation
2 years
2. Development
10 years
3. Commercialisation
Ongoing
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27. Flexible Chocolate
1994
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28. Flexible Chocolate 1994; invention
Extrusion processing
Cold Melt
Polyethylene Extrusion Processing
∆H
50 100 150 200
0
Temperature C
Chocolate
Cold Melt
Extrusion Processing
∆H
16 0
14 0
12 0 Piston/(ram)
10 20 30 40
A Yield
0 10 0
Temperature C pressure Chocolate feed
Pressure
transducer
80 Die
60
B Extrusion pressure
40
20
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
C
Compaction
(no flow)
t (s)
Review. Chen et al Soft Matter 2006

29. Cold Extrusion
Go to Flexible Chocolate extrusion movie

30. Knotting Chocolate
Go knotting movie

31. Cold Moulding Chocolate
Go to moulding movie

32. Chocolate Development

33. Time scales
1. Invention / Innovation
1 day
2. Development
5 years
3. Commercialisation
?

34. Plastic Microcapillary Films (MCFs)
2004-2012
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35. MicroCapillary Films (MCFs) 2000s; invention
Polymer flow
Injector
Die land
MCF extrudate
Quench bath Extrudate to haul off
Bart Hallmark
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36. Micro Capillary Film; invention
Die exit Direction of flow
Polymer
melt Entrainment
Chill rollers
body
MCF
Array of 19 entrainment
nozzles
PLAN VIEW
Quenching length, L
Air inlet
Single screw extruder
MCF
extrusion
die
P2 T5 T6
Chilled rollers
MCF
T1 T2 T3 T4
Spooling
Gear pump
Guide rollers
B. Hallmark, et al. Adv. Eng. Mat., (2005).
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37. MCF Development; Pressure Drop
Christian Hornung 37

38. MCF Development RTD
50
45 length = 20 m inlet
flow rate = 0.5 ml/min outlet
40
35
30
c [mg/l]
25
20
15
10
5
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
t [min]
38

39. MCF Commercialisation
 2 flat silicon heaters (200 W each)
 PID control - Temperature monitoring at top and bottom heater
plates
developed by
 Tmax = 150 °C Lamina Dielectrics Ltd.
& Cambridge University
Reactor disk tray
Temperature control
Teflon coated
hot plates
Patrick Hestor Lamina Ltd

40. MCF Development; Microflow
Organic.
Kerosene, 1.8 mPas Video,
Oil, 27 mPas Methanol Nuno Reis
Vegetable oil. 50 mPas into Veg oil
Water, 1 mPas, glycerol 10-50 mPas or methanol

41. MCF Development; Slug separation
Scheiff et al. Lab on a Chip. 2011

42. Multi channel flow
Go to MCF multi channel movie
Nuno Reis

43. MCF Development; Biodiesel Microreactor
Input Output
Vegetable oil Biodiesel
Methonal plus Glycerol
catalyst
Microcapillary
Flow disc

44. MCF Microreactor; Biodiesel
Methanol Glycerol
Veg oil
Biodiesel
Methanol plus Glycerol
catalyst

45. MCF Development. Microporous MCF membranes
Bore fluid
Die Haul-off
Air-gap
Nitrogen External
Gas Coagulant
Cylinder
Glass Water
Polymer Bath
Solution Single Capillary,
MCF membranes
Sina Bonyadi

46. Microporous MCFs
2 µm
100 µm
1 µm
2 µm
Bonyadi et al. Journal of Membrane Sci 2012

47. Time scales
1. Invention / Innovation
3years
2. Development
8 years
3. Commercialisation
Ongoing

48. Lessons to be learnt
• Work backwards.
Identify need and then “process intensify”.
• Get timing right.
Anticipate current and future
need for process intensification.
• Build an interdisciplinary team.
•Plan for a timescale of say 10 years
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49. Future Message
Process intensification can result in a
concentration of process leading to monopolies
and a single source provider.
Process Diversification can help prevent
“bottlenecks” and provide flexibility.
We need a balance between Process
Intensification and Process Diversification.
Process Intensification and Diversification
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