Model-Based Scale-Up Predictions: From Micro- to Millireactors Using Inline Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

Scale-up predictions from a continuous flow micro- (lab) to milliscale (pilot or production) are important but not trivial. To overcome the necessity of time-consuming trials on the pilot or production scale, this work presents a model-based approach that builds on prior lab experiments. However, it also improves the understanding of the involved chemical process. A complete process development for a highly exothermic organometallic reaction is conducted. Kinetic studies on a lab scale, using inline FT-IR measurements, constitute the basis for a systematic scale-up approach. Subsequently, the scale-up from microreactors (inner diameter of 0.5 mm) to milliscale pilot reactors (inner diameter of 2 mm) through increasing the channel diameter and flow rates is investigated. Model-based scale-up predictions are presented, including heat and mass balances.