Continuous flow reactor
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A Continuous flow reactor is a device that allows chemical reactions to be performed as a continual process rather than batch-wise. Reagents are continually added to the input of the reactor and product continually collected from the output. The reactor is typically tube like and can be manufactured from a variety of materials including stainless steel, glass and polymers. Mixing methods include diffusion alone (if the diameter of the microreactor is small e.g. <1 mm) and static mixers.
Continuous flow reactors allow good control over reaction conditions including heat transfer, time and mixing.
The residence time of the reagents in the reactor (i.e. the amount of time that the reaction is heated or cooled) is calculated from the volume of the reactor and the flow rate through it.
Residence time = Reactor Volume / Flow Rate
Therefore, to achieve a longer residence time, reagents can be pumped more slowly and/or a larger volume reactor used. Production rates can vary from nano litres to litres per minute.
Examples ... spinning disc reactor (Colin Ramshaw); spinning tube reactor; oscillatory flow reactor; microreactor; hex reactor; 'aspirator reactor' (this has another name ... it is based on a water pump where one reagent is pumped through it which causes a reactant to be sucked up by it. A patent is available (1941???, Nobel companies) that describes it being used to prepare nitroglycerin. From memory, the acid mixture was pumped through and the glycerin was sucked up).
