Crystallisation using Mesoscale Oscillatory Baffled Reactors

Oscillatory baffled reactors are advantageous for crystallization as the mixing conditions subject each volume of material that enters the reactor to the same processing conditions, which should give a product with a very narrow crystal size distribution. This is preferable to a stirred tank where volumes of material will experience differing mixing conditions depending on their location in the tank, which can result in a wider crystal size distribution.

This research will investigate the effect that the oscillation conditions of the reactor have upon crystallization by observing the crystal size distributions and the morphology of the products. A mesoscale oscillatory baffled reactor will be used to perform this research as it has been shown that it is possible to effectively scale up an oscillatory baffled reactor by keeping the net flow Reynolds number, oscillatory Reynolds number and Strouhal number constant. This means that experiments can be carried out on a smaller scale with the results still theoretically being valid at larger scales; a feature that is not true for stirred tank reactors.

Part of this research will involve investigating the crystallization of polyoxomolybdates. These are a family of very large molecules with several different structures reported in journals, and they have significant potential for medicinal and catalytic uses. The effect of oscillation conditions on polyoxomolybdate structure will be explored to determine whether it is possible to develop some form of control. The crystal size distributions will also be measured to assess the relationship between oscillation conditions and to further understand the formation of polyoxomolybdates.

For more details please contact Prof Adam Harvey or Dr Anh Phan.