List of innovations

3D photocatalytic reactor

Chemistry
Energy / Utilities
Industrial Goods & Machinery
Water and Waste
An efficient way to use photocatalytic reactions in a tailor-made, energy-efficient and compact reactor for highly selective processes.

Benefits

  • Flexible conception for a higher selectivity in chemical processes
  • Improved energy efficiency
  • More compact than tubular systems (volume divided by 2)
  • Simplified maintenance
  • Possibility of treating multiphase flow

Issue

Existing photocatalytic reactors lack of flexibility since their parameters such as residence time, irradiation power, catalytic surface and volume cannot be adjusted independently. Therefore, it complicates the design of tailor-made reactors adapted to specific needs necessary for an optimal ratio between energy efficiency and treatment performances, and for highly selective processes. The main way to reach high treatment performances or to process large volumes with existing reactors is to oversize their design: increasing power or serial stacking of several equipments; leading to energy intensive and bulky installations. Existing reactors also prevent their use for chemical processes with high and controlled selectivity.

Solution

We have developed a 3D photo-reactor technology allowing to design in a easy way all scale of reactors with an optimum compromise between space, performance and energy efficiency. This 3D concept allows to independently adjust several parameters: residence time, irradiation power, catalytic surface and flow rate. Therefore our concept enable the use of photocatalysis for high selective chemical processes. Extrapolation of this system is not made by a linear increase of its dimensions as may be the case for tubular systems but can be done both by increasing the surface of a single element or by an increase in the number of stacked modules. This is allowed by the use of planar radiation sources based on LED, whom shape and power can be adapted to the application requirements. Moreover, the modular and 3D design of this photo-reactor allows simpler and cheaper maintenance by only changing or cleaning a module or an element.

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