A catalytic microscale reactor with spiral reactor geometry may have a high surface area to volume ratio, high catalytic surface area, high heat transfer surface area, long residence time, and high single pass conversion. The catalytic surface may be treated with microsphere spacer particles which serve to maintain the space between them at an engineered distance without the need for precise manufacturing techniques. The design of the reactor may allow for a catalyst surface to be removed, uncoiled, refurbished, and recoiled in an automated continuous process. An automated continuous process may be suitable both for initially preparing a new catalytic surface as well as refurbishing a fouled catalytic surface and may reduce the time and cost to prepare a new surface.

The present invention refers to a system for the process of synthesis of zeolite nanoparticles in continuous flow wherein the processes of mixing, aging and crystallization are integrated, to reduce the synthesis time. The system has a microfluidic device of the 3D crossing channels micromixer type, consisting of microchannels built in series, used to generate the reaction mixture; buffer system with addition of seeds; and a heated tubular reactor which, in turn, is used for crystallization, which takes place through a continuous hydrothermal process.

A flow reactor has a module having a process fluid passage with an interior surface, a portion of the passage including a cross section along the portion having a cross-sectional shape, and a cross-sectional area with multiple minima along the passage. The cross-sectional shape varies continually along the portion and the interior surface of the portion includes either no pairs of opposing flat parallel sides or only pairs of opposing flat parallel sides which extend for a length of no more than 4 times a distance between said opposing flat parallel sides along the portion and the portion contains a plurality of obstacles distributed along the portion.

The invention relates to a use of a fluorination gas, the elemental fluorine (F.sub.2) is preferably present in a high concentration, e.g. in a concentration of elemental fluorine (F.sub.2), especially of equal to much higher than 15% or even 20% by volume (i.e., at least 15% or even 20% by volume), and to a process for the manufacture of a fluorinated benzene starting from benzoic acid by direct fluorination employing a fluorination gas. The elemental fluorine (F.sub.2) is preferably present in high concentration, and subsequent decarboxylation of the benzoic acid hypofluorite obtained by direct fluorination. The process of the invention is also directed to the manufacture of benzoic acid hypofluorite by direct fluorination of benzoic acid. Especially the invention is of interest in the preparation of fluorinatedbenzene, final products and as well intermediates, for usage in agro-, pharma-, electronics-, catalyst, solvent and other functional chemical applications.

A liquid handling device has an accommodation part for accommodating a liquid, two or more flow paths each opening to a lower part of a side wall surface of the accommodation part, and a liquid movement suppression part that is disposed in the lower part of the side wall between the openings of two of the flow paths that are adjacent to each other and slows or stops the movement of the liquid along the corner formed by the lower surface of the accommodation part and the side wall surface.

A flow reactor has a module having a process fluid passage with an interior surface, a portion of the passage including a cross section along the portion having a cross-sectional shape, and a cross-sectional area with multiple minima along the passage. The cross-sectional shape varies continually along the portion and the interior surface of the portion includes either no pairs of opposing flat parallel sides or only pairs of opposing flat parallel sides which extend for a length of no more than 4 times a distance between said opposing flat parallel sides along the portion and the portion contains a plurality of obstacles distributed along the portion.

Fluid transport approaches are described that operate without the need for precise displacement of an actuator and with little or no sensing in the flow path. In certain implementations, a gas phase in a fluid reservoir is compressed by a pressure source such that releasing the pressure, such as by opening a valve to an intermediary conduit, displaces fluid to the intermediary chamber. Closing that fluid path and opening a different fluid path to a chamber at ambient temperature causes the fluid to be displaced to the chamber.

Techniques for photocatalytic hydrogen generation are provided. In one aspect, a hydrogen producing cell is provided. The hydrogen producing cell includes an anode electrode; a photocatalytic material adjacent to the anode electrode; a solid electrolyte adjacent to a side of the photocatalytic material opposite the anode electrode; and a cathode electrode adjacent to a side of the solid electrolyte opposite the photocatalytic material. A solar hydrogen producing system including at least one solar concentrating assembly having the hydrogen producing cell, and a method for producing hydrogen using the hydrogen producing cell are also provided.

A method for continuously processing at least two liquid feed streams is provided. A system for continuously processing at least two liquid feed streams is also provided.

Counter-flow heat exchanger is constructed with plenums at either end that separate the opposing fluids, the channels of which are arrayed in a checkerboard patterns, such that any given channel is surrounded by channels of opposing streams on four sides—laterally on both sides and vertically above and below.