Expertise
REACTIONS IN A VISCOUS MEDIUM
Mixing of highly viscous products (several thousand Pa.s) is common in various industries including chemical, pharmaceutical, petrochemical and food.
Operators face challenges in preparing complex formulations, requiring effective production solutions amidst managing viscosity effects and multiple process sub-stages.
Balancing complex product creation with efficient production methods poses simultaneous limitations. Managing reactions in viscous mediums economically is a key industrial priority.
The keys to success:
A. Speed up material transfers
Controlling homogeneous, high-quality product creation amid high viscosity and simultaneous chemical reactions poses challenges.
Increased viscosity hampers mass transfers, limiting reagent contact and reaction rates.
Advanced technology simplifies material exchanges, ensuring homogeneous flow for complex rheologies. Consequently, chemical reactions are accelerated compared to conventional equipment, expediting end product preparation.
B. Control of temperature gradients
Temperature control is crucial for product quality, as it affects viscosity significantly.
Equipment ensures uniform temperature across the volume, preventing deviations and ensuring the required process temperature.
Additionally, temperature-controlled zones and equipment can regulate temperature within the reaction mass, addressing this critical limitation effectively.
C. Control the equilibrium of the reaction
Certain chemical reactions yield by-products (gases, liquids, solids) requiring continuous removal for enhanced yield. For instance, in polycondensation, water removal is essential.
Appropriate technology facilitates this, ensuring overall solution performance. Improved material and heat transfers throughout the volume can minimize additive requirements (solvents, thinners, surfactants) for achieving desired physical properties of the product.
Reducing additive proportions enhances product purity and simplifies purification phases significantly.
THEMATIC FOLDER : MIXING WHEN FACING NEW INDUSTRIAL PRIORITIES
How can mixing, which is simply defined as the work of viscous products, relate to the industrial priorities of today and the future?
The following pages provide an overview of this viewpoint.