JP2008264698A - Micro chemical plant - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a reaction apparatus which is highly versatile and extremely compact and can respond to a test, an experiment or a real production using a small amount of material in a chemical field. <P>SOLUTION: The micro chemical plant configured by stacking a plurality of reactors or the like which agitate, diffuse, mix or chemically react materials or the like comprises: a base plate; at least two support columns; elastic members into which the support columns are inserted; a supporting plate which is assembled slidably with respect to the support columns while holding the elastic members between the supporting plate and the base plate; a pressing plate which is assembled capably of slidably with respect to the support columns; and a fixation plate which is assembled slidably with respect to the support columns, has a means of fixing the fixation plate to the support columns and has a pressure application means that imparts energization power to the pressing plate, wherein the plurality of reactors are held by the supporting plate and the pressing plate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

Recent advances in science and technology have been remarkable, and research on chemical processes that are proceeding with the aim of freely controlling the reaction of substances using processing technology such as fine grooves has become active. The present invention uses a small amount of material that can be used for research of such chemical processes, and performs a synthetic reaction continuously in a minute space, thereby enabling higher reaction control than a synthetic reaction performed in a conventional reaction vessel. It is about a promising micro chemical plant

Various small-sized reactors have been developed in accordance with the purpose for the research as described above, and many inventions have been disclosed and disclosed. Among them, the content disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3727594 is to realize a minute reactor (microreactor) of biological materials such as DNA and protein, and a cylinder in which minute connected grooves or flow paths are formed. The shape member is fixed and clamped by fastening members between upper and lower plates. In the special table 2001-201212, two simple members are provided, one member is provided with two inlets and one outlet for liquid, mucus and gaseous materials, and the other member is provided with the above-mentioned It is constructed by forming such fine grooves according to the purpose of agitating and / or mixing, etc., and is integrated with fastening, etc. You can check things.

Japanese Patent No. 3727594 Special table 2001-520112

However, in the configuration as described above, it is possible to perform or test one process, and it is necessary to separately prepare processing necessary before and after the process. In addition, in such an apparatus, in order to isolate the reaction space, it is necessary to provide a connection means with a flow path of each member firmly and piping including a fastening member in order to ensure considerable airtightness. In the production and testing of products, when experimenting with changing conditions and input materials, it becomes necessary to clean each member, and in that case, it is time and effort to open and disassemble these fastening members. Is required.

In order to carry out another process, the flow path shape of the mixing section, the temperature conditions, the flow path length for adjusting the reaction time, etc. are adjusted. It is necessary to rearrange.
In addition, there is a problem that the volume of the connecting means becomes large and it becomes difficult to obtain the effect of controlling the residence time due to the minute space.
In addition, in order to discharge bubbles left in the reaction space and the connection means, it is necessary to discharge a large amount of liquid to discharge the bubbles.

In addition, such processes require certain environmental conditions for the purpose of promoting or suppressing reactions such as heating or cooling. To realize such an environment, it is necessary to introduce the entire apparatus into a thermostat or a furnace. There is.
In view of the above circumstances, the object of the present invention is to easily stack a plurality of units by function, to reduce the volume of a connecting portion, and to confirm a desired reaction process or create a reaction product. Providing a microchemical plant that is very easy to handle and has a wide range of applications. In research and development, or in the actual manufacturing process, you can set environmental conditions in the reaction and change input materials. Therefore, it is possible to implement efficiently and implement a desired process or test efficiently in a short time.

The microchemical plant of the present invention meets the above-mentioned purpose, and is directed to a microchemical plant in which a plurality of reactors that stir, diffuse, mix or chemically react materials and the like are stacked.
The invention described in claim 1 includes a base plate, at least two support columns, an elastic member inserted into the support column, and a support plate that is slidably mounted on the support column and sandwiched between the elastic members. A pressing plate that is slidably incorporated in the column, a fixing plate that has a means that is slidably incorporated in the column and that is fixed to the column, and that has a pressure application unit that applies a biasing force to the pressing plate, A plurality of reactors are sandwiched between the support plate and the pressing plate.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, in each reactor, a flow path for transferring material is formed at least in the center, a flow path for circulating a heating or cooling medium in the vicinity of the outer periphery, and a flow of the medium in and out. A connection port is formed, one end face is formed with a concavity convex part concentrically with the central axis, and the other end face is provided with a concavity recessed part, and the periphery of the flow path in the central part is protected under a predetermined pressure. A reactor having a structure having a starting end, a terminating end, or an intermediate portion as necessary, has a flow path for injecting or discharging material and a connection port for entering and exiting the material.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided display means for displaying the deformation amount of the elastic member.
In the invention of claim 4, the reactors are stacked vertically, and the reaction material flows from the lower part to the upper part.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the reactor, the gas tightness achieved around the central flow path under a predetermined pressure is achieved by forming a slight concave portion on the opposite surface, for example, chemical resistance and heat resistance. This is realized by inserting a thin film or plate such as a thin fluororesin having excellent properties, or inserting a O-ring 21 by forming a groove.

In the invention of claim 6, the pressure receiving portion of the pressing plate by the pressure applying means from the fixed plate is set to low friction.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the pressure applying means is based on conversion of rotation-straight motion using a screw or the like.
In an eighth aspect of the present invention, the pressure applying means is configured by fluid pressure.
In the invention of claim 9, a part of the reactor protrudes or is provided with a separate locking member to engage with at least one of the columns.
In a tenth aspect of the present invention, flange portions having notches are provided at both ends of the reactor at positions where the entire circumference is divided at equal intervals with respect to the central axis, and are connected by a locking member.
It is configured.

  In the microchemical plant according to the eleventh aspect, it is possible to construct a combination of various reactors very simply, and it is possible to realize a reaction continuously in a small space. Of course, it is possible to reverse the assembly procedure at the time of disassembly, and after finishing the necessary process, disassemble and wash as necessary, and then assemble again the same or a combination of necessary reaction units. This can be achieved efficiently and very easily.

  In the microchemical plant according to claim 2, it is possible to easily assemble the continuous reactors simply without requiring bothersome and special attention to the direction of each reactor. In addition, airtightness can be secured under the pressure set to a predetermined pressing force, and in addition, there is a large degree of freedom according to each reactor, such as process control such as promotion or suppression of the reaction. Environment conditions can be set, and higher control is possible for each reaction.

  In the microchemical plant according to claim 3, an approximate value of the biased pressing force can be visually confirmed at the time of assembling the apparatus, and it is easily confirmed that important airtightness has been reliably ensured in the apparatus specifications. It becomes possible to detect irregularities at the time of assembly in which the amount of compression of the elastic member due to foreign matter or the like being bitten during assembly does not reach a predetermined amount.

  In the microchemical plant according to claim 4, when a liquid is used and a gas is generated inside the reactor during or after the process, the gas is naturally and / or smoothly along the flow due to the difference in mass. It is possible to reduce the occurrence of bubbles that are led out of the reactor and remain in the flow path for a long time, which may be an obstacle to the reaction of the material.

  In the microchemical plant according to claim 5, even if the medium flowing through the flow path is a gas having a low density, it is possible to ensure sufficient airtightness at the connecting portion depending on the spring constant of the elastic member. This can be achieved by applying a predetermined pressing force to the connections between the reactors and energizing them.

  In the microchemical plant according to the sixth aspect, setting of the compression amount of the elastic member at the time of assembling the apparatus for generating a large pressure that secures a predetermined pressing force can be realized with a relatively small force.

  In the microchemical plant according to claim 7, the amount of movement by the rotation of the screw by the pitch of the screw is reduced by using a tool with a long handle when rotating the screw, and the rotation angle is It is possible to set the compression amount of the elastic member, that is, the pressing force while finely recognizing it.

  In the microchemical plant according to claim 8, after assembling the apparatus simply by simply supplying a cylinder having an appropriate specification for ensuring a desired pressing force, and supplying a fluid corresponding thereto, and subsequently setting, applying, and holding a constant pressure. It is possible to make adjustments.

  In the microchemical plant according to the ninth aspect, it is possible to assemble the reactors in such a manner that the directions of the respective reactors are surely matched, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of erroneous connection in the piping work with the peripheral device. .

  In the microchemical plant according to the tenth aspect, in addition to determining the direction of each reactor, it is possible to suppress mutual rotation during assembly and piping work.

Hereinafter, the assembly and use of the microchemical plant of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, in the description of the plurality of members, one element will be representatively described unless otherwise noted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, two brackets are assembled to the base 1 as a base plate, and a support column 3 is inserted and fixed to the bracket. In order to generate a predetermined pressure on each of the two columns 3, an elastic member 2 (a disc spring is given as an example) and a table 4 serving as a support plate are inserted and mounted. On top of this, a reactor 5 as a reactor, a mixer 6 as a mixer, a merging tube 7 for adding materials additionally, a second mixer 8 and a second reactor 9 are laminated, and a pressing plate and Through a square groove screw 13 having a head shape capable of connecting a torque urging means such as a hexagon head as a pressure applying means to a guide plate 10 and a fastening bar 12 as a fixing plate equipped with a clamper 11 as a fixing means. Insert and complete pre-assembly. In addition, a holding plate 14 or the like that fixes the tip of the column 3 may be added as necessary.

  In preparation for actual use, the clamping bar 12 is pushed to place all the reactors between the base 1 and the clamping bar 12 without any gaps. In this state, the clamper 11 of the clamping bar 12 is first operated to operate the clamping bar 12. Is firmly fixed to the column 3. After confirming the fixation, a torque wrench 15 with a ratchet is attached to the head of the square groove screw 13, and the pressing force necessary to ensure the airtightness of the assembled reactor is applied to the spring constant of the elastic member 2. The guide plate 10 is pushed down according to the above.

  Although not shown, the reactor interposed between the table 4 and the guide plate 10 is temporarily formed by engagement of a cylindrical boss-like projection (which may be a cylindrical projection provided at the center if allowed) and a hole. Or fixing the flanges provided with fixing holes in the reactors at both ends with screws or bolts is also prepared as necessary.

After the assembly of the microchemical plant equipment is completed in this way, if other preparations such as material supply, removal, discharge, and connection of external pipes for material input in the middle are completed, experiments and tests are completed. Alternatively, the device can be used for the production process.
For actual use, the environmental conditions are adjusted in advance by supplying the reactor with a heat medium or refrigerant according to the environmental conditions for further planned experiments, tests, or production, and then materials are gradually added. By setting a predetermined flow rate, it is possible to confirm processes such as stirring, diffusion, mixing, or reaction of materials by each reactor in the apparatus, and confirmation and collection of products.

  In this apparatus, when using a liquid material, it is recommended that it is in a vertical position, that is, the stacking direction of the reactor is vertical, and the material inlet is at the bottom, so that the material in the flow path is removed. Even if gas is generated by reaction or the like and bubbles are formed, the bubbles naturally move upward due to the difference in mass, or move smoothly along the flow of the material, and are discharged out of the reactor, and the bubbles are retained. Inhibition of this reaction is also reduced.

  Further, as the pressure application means, the square groove screw 13 used can be replaced with a trapezoidal screw, and uses a general rotation-to-straight motion conversion by the screw. In this method, depending on the amount of rotation of the screw, The amount of deformation of the elastic member 2 due to the feed pitch can be read directly, the pressure applied to the reactor can be confirmed together with the spring constant of the elastic member 2, and the head can be rotated with a torque wrench 15 with a ratchet with a handle. By driving, a more delicate value can be set depending on the rotation angle of the handle.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the reactors inserted in the middle are connected to each reactor by forming a flow passage 16 for transferring materials at least in the center on the connection surface of each reactor, and heating or cooling is provided in the vicinity of the outer periphery. A flow path for circulating the medium (or a space as shown in this figure) and a connection port 17 for entering and exiting the medium are formed, and one end face has a fitting protrusion 18 concentrically with the central axis, The other end face is formed with a fitting recess 19, and the periphery of the flow path 16 at the center is structured to have confidentiality under a predetermined pressure, and the fitting protrusion 18 concentrically with the central axis on one end face. A fitting recess 19 is formed on the other end face, and the periphery of the flow path 16 at the center is structured to have confidentiality under a predetermined pressure, and is inserted at the start end, end, or intermediate as required. In the reactor, a flow path 16 for injecting or discharging the material, and the material flow Ri out of forming a connection port.

  In this way, since the flow path 16 for transferring the material is formed in the center, the assembly can be performed without paying special attention to the direction of each reactor, and heating or Since the flow path (space) for circulating the cooling medium and the connection port 17 for entering and exiting the medium are formed, the setting of environmental conditions necessary for process control such as reaction promotion or suppression is also large. Since the fitting convex portion 18 and the fitting concave portion 19 are formed concentrically on the central axis, a simple assembly of the mutual reactors is possible. In order to set up the environmental conditions required for each reactor, after assembling the equipment, apply the necessary piping to the flow path for injecting or discharging the material and the connection port of the material in and out, respectively. Circulation of a “refrigerant” for cooling or a “heating medium” for heating allows confirmation of temperature stability at a predetermined temperature.

  Confirmation of the deformation amount of the elastic member 2 that ensures the airtightness of the stacked reactors can be achieved by attaching a marked indicator 20 as shown in FIG. 3 as a deformation amount display means. By preparing a front line that matches the number of reactors assembled and the spring constant of the elastic member 2, more accurate confirmation is possible. In addition, if it is used to improve the visibility by fixing to the fixed side or the movable side, or the fixed deformation amount can be set by the spring constant of the built-in elastic member, even with an indicator without a marked line, By adjusting the length of the indicator to the sinking amount, it is only necessary to confirm that the top surface of the indicator and the surface of the guide plate are flush with each other. Alternatively, if the apparatus is a combination of reactors in which the total length of the reactors that are always stacked is constant, the apparatus is set to a set pressure by marking a marked line at a place where the column 3 is easy to see as shown in FIG. It is possible to confirm this simply and directly. In this case, if a known material can be used for the elastic member 2, it is possible to display the value of the load beside the marked line and directly read the applied pressure.

In the reactor described above, in order to ensure airtightness around the flow path 16 in the central part under a predetermined pressure, a slight recess is formed on the opposing surface, and the size of the gap due to the recess is reduced. Insert a film or plate made of thin fluororesin etc. with excellent chemical resistance and heat resistance, or optimal chemical resistance as shown in Fig. 2, or O-ring with heat resistance if necessary In order to incorporate 21, a groove is formed coaxially with the central axis, and a selected O-ring 21 is inserted into the groove. It can be used as a device using a fluid that is required to be high.
When securing airtightness with a film or plate-shaped resin material, it is also recommended that the surface of each facing connection part be consciously left with a tool mark (roughening the surface) during machining. The

  As shown in FIG. 5, the pressure receiving portion of the guide plate 10 which is a pressing plate by the square groove screw 13 which is a pressure applying means is a low friction surface, so that the operating force of the torque wrench 15 with the ratchet mentioned above is obtained. And the setting of the pressing force caused by the amount of compressive deformation of the elastic member 2 at the time of assembling the apparatus becomes easy. Here, as a method for realizing a low-friction surface, it is recommended to apply a plate material such as fluororesin or to perform surface coating taking advantage of the characteristics of the fluororesin material.

Further, for this operation, it is also recommended to use a thrust bearing as shown in FIG. 6 as a method for enabling pressure setting with a smaller torque.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 3, a special terminal connecting part 22 for taking out the fluid is prepared at the terminal of the reactor, and a receiving part for the pressing force from the pressure applying means is provided on the end surface. It is also recommended to realize the above-mentioned low friction condition. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper end of the terminal connection component 22 connected to the terminal end is assembled through the guide plate 10, and the rigidity of the member required for the guide plate may be low. With a plate-like member and a separate collar for assembling to the support column 3, it is only necessary to assemble the reactor and terminal connection parts and the guide plate and insert them into the through holes provided in the guide plate 10. Furthermore, the assembly becomes smooth.

In FIG. 7, the guide plate 10 and the fastening bar 12 are connected via the cylinder 23 as a more reliable and simple means for applying the pressing force. Then, if a fluid is supplied to the cylinder 23, a necessary fluid pressure is applied, and a pressure necessary for connecting the reactor is applied, a pressing force can be easily applied to the reactor to achieve a stable desired pressure. In FIG. 8 in which it is possible to add, a part of the reactor is in the outer peripheral direction, and the shape along the support column 3 or the sandwiched shape is illustrated. This is because even if the assembled reactor is a coaxial one, the environment of all completed devices including piping and the like needs to have a certain direction. A reaction member incorporated during assembly by having a protruding member or a separate locking member fixed to the reactor and having its tip engaged with at least one of the support columns 3 The posture of the vessel can be restricted, and it is possible to prevent meaningless confusion in peripheral maintenance work such as piping work around the device. In addition, when heating and cooling thermal refrigerants are used, the handling of the piping is also important, and the ability to assemble by regulating the attitude of the reactor is a great advantage in improving the workability of these discontinued publications Is born.

  FIG. 9 illustrates the direction control of the reactor. In this example, by providing flange portions with notches formed at both ends of the reactor at positions where the entire circumference is equally spaced with respect to the central axis, a small diameter shaft parallel to the column 3 or illustrated However, it is possible to simply assemble each reactor with a certain direction by using a clip formed of a linear spring material having elasticity.

As described above, according to the disclosed contents, a plurality of units according to various functions can be easily stacked, a desired reaction process can be confirmed, or a reaction product can be created. Providing a wide range of micro chemical plants, enabling quick and efficient implementation of settings such as environmental conditions in reaction and change of input materials in research and development, or in actual manufacturing processes, in a short time It can be used as a microchemical plant that can efficiently produce a product by performing a desired process, or can perform an experiment and a test.

Assembly drawing of micro chemical plant Enlarged view of the channel section on the central axis Enlarged view of indicator with marked line Enlarged view of the marked line engraved on the column Enlarged partial view of pressing means with screw mechanism Enlarged view of pressure receiving part with thrust bearing Partial view of pressing force application means using a cylinder Partial view of the locking part along the column Partial view of notched flange

Explanation of symbols

1 Base 2 Elastic member 3 Post 4 Table 5 Reactor 1
6 Mixer 1
7 Junction pipe 10 Guide plate 12 Clamping bar 13 Square groove screw 15 Torque wrench 16 with ratchet 16 Flow path 18 Fitting convex part 19 Fitting concave part 20 Indicator 21 O-ring 22 End connection part 23 Cylinder

Claims (10)

A microchemical plant in which a plurality of reactors for stirring, diffusing, mixing or chemically reacting materials, etc. are stacked, comprising a base plate, at least two columns, an elastic member inserted into the column, and the column A support plate that is slidably incorporated with the elastic member between the base plate, a pressing plate that is slidably incorporated into the column, and a means that is slidably incorporated into the column and fixed to the column. And a fixed plate having pressure applying means for applying an urging force to the pressing plate, and a plurality of reactors are sandwiched between the support plate and the pressing plate. Each reactor has a flow path for transferring material at least in the center, and a flow path for circulating a heating or cooling medium and an inlet / outlet for the medium are formed in the vicinity of the outer periphery. A fitting convex part is formed concentrically with the central axis on the end face, and a fitting concave part is formed on the other end face. The microchemical plant according to claim 1, wherein a flow path for injecting or discharging the material and a connection port for entering and exiting the material are formed in the reactor inserted in the middle as necessary. The microchemical plant according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying a deformation amount of the elastic member. 2. The microchemical plant according to claim 1, wherein the reactors are stacked vertically and the reaction material flows from the lower part to the upper part. In the reactor described above, a thin fluororesin excellent in chemical resistance and heat resistance, such as forming a slight recess on the opposing surface, which achieves airtightness around the flow path in the central portion under a predetermined pressure. The microchemical plant according to claim 1, wherein the microchemical plant is realized by inserting a film or a plate such as or by inserting an O-ring by forming a groove. 6. The microchemical plant according to claim 1, wherein the pressure receiving portion of the pressing plate by means of applying pressure from the fixed plate has low friction. 7. The microchemical plant according to claim 1, wherein the pressure applying means is based on conversion of rotation-straight motion using a screw or the like. 6. The microchemical plant according to claim 1, wherein the pressure applying means is based on fluid pressure. 9. The microchemical plant according to claim 1, wherein a part of the reactor protrudes or a separate locking member is provided to engage with at least one of the columns. At both ends of the reactor, flange portions with notches are provided at positions that divide the entire circumference at equal intervals with respect to the central axis, and the direction of the reactor connected by the locking member and mutual rotation suppression are The microchemical plant according to claim 1, wherein the microchemical plant is characterized in that

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