In this study, a heat pipe was integrated with a mesoscale oscillatory baffled reactor for the passive temperature control of an exothermic reaction. The thermal/chemical performance of this new Heat Pipe Oscillatory Baffled Reactor (HPOBR) was compared to a conventional jacketed OBR (JOBR) using central composite experiment designs for an imination reaction between benzaldehyde and n-butylamine, in the absence of solvent. The variables in the experimental designs were reactant net flow rate (Ren =4–20), fluid oscillation intensity (Reo =123–491) and heat pipe fill ratio (FR =11.5–26.5; methanol working fluid). In the JOBR, the fill ratio factor was replaced with jacket temperature (4–20 °C). Both reactors were able to reduce the maximum reaction temperature below the butylamine boiling point in all experiments. Overall, a 20-fold reduction in reactant volume and 13-fold improvement in reaction rate were obtained in the HPOBR for this imination reaction, compared with the same reaction using a solvent. Advantages of the HPOBR demonstrated here are isothermal operation and passive thermal control. Both reactors offer accelerated reaction rates and the potential for screening exothermic reactions. The HPOBR is a novel reactor design that provides a new approach for achieving green chemistry through solventless operation.

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jacketed obr jobr solventless operation benzaldehyde reactors nbutylamine imination reaction reactor design reactant volume passive temperature control exothermic green chemistry jacket temperature 420hsp heat pipe oscillatory baffled reactor hpobr reactant net flow rate italicreinf locpostninf italic hsp sp025hsp sp025420 fluid oscillation intensity italicreinf locpostoinf italic hsp sp025hsp sp025123491 central composite experiment designs

A.N. Phan, D.A. Reay, A.P. Harvey,J.R. McDonough,.Passive isothermalisation of an exothermic reaction in flow using a novel “Heat Pipe Oscillatory Baffled Reactor (HPOBR)”. 110 (0),201-213.

A.N. Phan, et al."Passive isothermalisation of an exothermic reaction in flow using a novel “Heat Pipe Oscillatory Baffled Reactor (HPOBR)”" 110

A.N. Phan, D.A. Reay, A.P. Harvey,J.R. McDonough,"Passive isothermalisation of an exothermic reaction in flow using a novel “Heat Pipe Oscillatory Baffled Reactor (HPOBR)”"