Lödige Druvatherm® reactor: a broad product portfolio of tailor-made solutions
Whether oxidation using oxygen gas or implementation with carbon dioxide or ammoniac: the application-specific requirements for gas-solid reactions are complex and call for correspondingly sophisticated technical capabilities. A Druvatherm® reactor offers a broad product portfolio of tailor-made solutions.
Lödige’s product offerings range from “simple” solids mixers to drying systems and pressure vessels for reactions under overpressure. In practice, Lödige has already realised operating pressures of up to 40 bar in the reactor. Reactor sizes range from the small laboratory mixer with a 5-litre drum volume to production machines with a volume of more than 50,000 litres.
Chemical reactions in the mixing reactor
Reactions in multi-phase systems (solid-liquid-gaseous) can be carried out with extremely good results with the described mixing technology. Homogeneous heat and concentration distributions prevail in the mechanically generated fluidised bed. This is important, because temperature gradients, i.e. inhomogeneous temperature profiles or speed-determining partial reactions (material transport, diffusion) can have a limiting influence.
Two possible process variants exist, e.g. for the realisation of a gas-solid reaction. Either the reaction gas can be passed through the mechanically generated fluidised bed, or the reactor is filled with the respective stoichiometric amount and the reaction takes place in the closed system under pressure and at a constant temperature. The latter method, of course, has a correspondingly positive effect on reaction kinetics.
The mixing reactors thus offer variable liquid and gas proportioning with the corresponding reaction control. Parameters such as overpressure, temperature control with a double shell and cooler or final drying under vacuum can be precisely controlled. The corresponding reactors are thus particularly suited to carrying out so-called one-pot reactions. A continuous gas flow through the solid fluid bed of a continuously operated reactor is also conceivable.