Robinson reactor to revolutionise chemical manufacture

A new three-phase reactor that could 'revolutionise the manufacture of organic chemicals' has been developed jointly by UK speciality chemicals manufacturer Robinson Brother (RBL), academia and industry partners.

In collaboration with the Universities of Cardiff, Birmingham and Cambridge, an engineering company and other industrial partners, RBL is currently evaluating a prototype of the intensive reactor system in one of the final steps of the three-year project. It will be tested for a further three months, after which the collaborating partners will decide whether to proceed to commercialisation or optimise the design of the reactor still further.

Unlike previous work in similar reactor technology, which has concentrated on gas/liquid or liquid/liquid processes, the new reactor is said to have the potential to run chemical reactions requiring gas, liquid and solid components. Capable of operating at a wide range of temperatures and pressures, the test rig will run continuously. It occupies only a fraction of the footprint of a traditional stirred tank reactor and would require substantially less capital investment, according to RBL.

Johnson Matthey is another contributor to the production of the three-phase reactor, developing new catalysts for both hydrogenation and hydroformylation, and maintaining responsibility for the development and theoretical aspects of the reactor.

'To date, our trials have show that the reactor has the potential to eliminate both mass and thermal transfer limitations frequently associated with traditional reactor design while maintaining flexibility,' said Dr Dave Compton, r&d manager at RBL. 'It should be excellent for highly exothermic reactions and its ability to conduct three-phase reactions under pressure could prove massively beneficial in terms of cost and process efficiency.'