Evaluation for the Mixing Performance of a Microreactor with Inline Measurement

Abstract

We have evaluated the mixing performance of a microreactor with inline ultraviolet (UV) and Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) measurement. We performed the well-known Villermaux–Dushman reaction with inline and o ine UV measurements. Absorbance was continuously reproduced at each ow rate with inline measurement. The di erence between the inline and o ine measurement results was within ±5% at faster ow rates than 2 mL/min. However, the di erence between the inline and o ine measurement results at 1 mL/min occurred because the sample changed until the start of o ine measurement. It is shown that “real-time” monitoring and more accurate analyses were performed with this inline measurement system. We have also performed the methanol–ethanol mixing process with inline FT-IR measurement. The absolute slope of absorbance peak height with changing from methanol to a mixing solution became larger as the ow rate increased, while it hardly changed at faster ow rates than 10 mL/min (1.0×10−5 m3/min).This suggests that the mixing performance improved as the ow rate increased, while the mixing performance was saturated at faster ow rates. The tendency in the mixing performance was in good agreement with that obtained from the Villermaux–Dushman reaction. Therefore, it has been con rmed that the mixing performance of microreactors could be appropriately evaluated with inline UV or FT-IR measurement.