Small-scale method and apparatus for separating mixtures
US8435387B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 13, 2009 |
| Grant date | May 7, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 5, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB01J2219/00932
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
The present invention generally relates to the small-scale separation of a mixture of two or more components with different boiling points into enriched fractions. In some embodiments, a first and second fluid (e.g., a liquid and a gas, a liquid and a liquid, etc.) are passed through a channel. The first fluid may include at least two components, each with a unique boiling point. Upon contacting the first and second fluids within the channel, at least a portion of the most volatile of the components in the first fluid (i.e., the component with the lowest boiling point) may be transferred from the first fluid to the second fluid. In some instances, the transfer of the volatile component(s) from the first fluid to the second fluid may be expedited by heating, in some cases above the boiling point(s) of the component(s) to be transferred from the first fluid to the second fluid. Contact between the first and second fluids may be maintained, for example, via segmented flow, bubbling flow, etc. In some instances, separation between the first and second fluids may be maintained in a channel that is essentially free of interior microchannel surface irregularities.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.