Product Code: ICAL09_M703

Laser Assisted Manufacturing of Microscale Chemical Device of tt Reactor
Authors:
Marika Hirvimaki, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Laser Processing Research Group (Laboratory of Welding Technology and Laser Processing), Lappeenranta, Finland; Lappeenranta Finland
Heidi Piili, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Laser Processing Research Group (Laborato; Lappeenranta Finland
Matti Manninen, Lappeenranta University of Technology; Lappeenranta Finland
Eero Kolehmainen, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Laboratory of Product and Process Development, Lut Chemistry, Faculty of Technology, Lappeenranta, Finland; Lappeenranta Finland
Antti Salminen, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Laser Processing Research Group (Laboratory of Welding Technology and Laser Processing), Lappeenranta, Finland; Lappeenranta Finland
Presented at ICALEO 2009

Microscale chemical systems have a number of advantages for process development and reaction studies in chemical engineering. Microreactors are small-scale reactors or other processing units with typical channel or chamber widths of 10-500 micrometer. One of the main features of microreactors is their high surface area to volume ratio, which leads to high heat and mass transfer rates. The advantages of microreactors compared to the conventional reactors are for example more optimal reaction conditions, efficient temperature control and amounts of raw materials are smaller. In process development, number-up by microreactor units would eliminate costly redesign and pilot experiments that are usually routines in conventional scale-up. The laser micro processing is one of the fastest spreading and developing areas of all laser processes in the world. Laser micromachining gives lots of new ideas, solutions and applications for designing these microscale process devices for chemical industry. With use of lasers the reactors are given an opportunity to design reactors based on process rather than manufacturing technologies. Aim and purpose of this study was to manufacture a microstructured TT-reactor with help of laser processing and do a few practical test drives with the TT-reactor. Material used for this study was HDPE (high density polyethene) and laser equipment used was a 200 W diode laser. It was concluded that laser processing provides a unique tool for industrial manufacturing of these devices, even when planning and testing of these devices are laboratory cases. When certain structure is proven to be most efficient in laboratory, number-up means only production of more similar structures.