Process Intensification
- improves cost competitiveness
- delivers energy savings
- improves material efficiency and environmental performance
- improves safety and process control
- delivers improved/new product properties/functionalities, often not achievable with conventional technologies.
Process Intensification technologies can be generally divided into four groups. Each of these groups addresses one of the four fundamental domains of chemical processing: spatial, thermodynamic, functional and temporal domain.
PI Technologies addressing spatial domain
- Main feature: structured environment
- Examples: structured catalysts, milli- and microreactors, structured packings, fractal devices
- Motivation:
- well-defined geometry enabling precise mathematical description
- creating maximum specific surface area at minimum energy expenses
- creating high mass and heat transfer rates
- easy understanding, simple scale-up
- easy control
PI Technologies addressing thermodynamic domain
- Main feature: alternative forms and transfer mechanisms of energy
- Examples: microwave-assisted processing, photocatalytic reactors, plasma reactors sonocrystallization, high-gravity (rotating) reactors and separators
- Motivation:
- activating targeted molecules
- enabling new chemistries
- selective, gradientless and locally controlled energy supply
- ultra-high interfacial areas for mass and heat transfer
PI Technologies addressing functional domain
- Main feature: integration of functions/steps
- Examples: heat exchanger reactors, heat integrated distillation, reactive and hybrid separations
- Motivation:
- synergistic effects
- better heat management
- increased product yield
- increased overall efficiency
- more compact equipment
PI Technologies addressing temporal domain
- Main feature: timing of the events, introducing dynamics (pulsing)
- Examples: milli-second reactors, reverse-flow reactors, oscillatory flow devices
- Motivation:
- increased yield
- influencing hydrodynamic behaviour
- increased energy efficiency
- improved product quality
- minimized unwanted phenomena, such as fouling
