A reactor is provided for controlling the temperature of materials undergoing a physical or chemical process. The reactor includes a reactor having a holder adapted to hold a plurality of the materials in a plurality of 2×n arrays, each array having two rows of n materials. The reactor further includes a fluid inlet adapted to receive a temperature-modifying fluid and a fluid outlet adapted to discharge the temperature-modifying fluid. The sample holder has a plurality of fluid flow channels configured such that a fluid flow channel is located adjacent to each of the two rows in each of the plurality of 2×n arrays. The fluid flow channels are adapted to provide substantially equal flow rates and substantially equal fluid flow volumes as the temperature-modifying fluid travels past the arrays. The sample holder may also be provided with a plurality of inlet-side air chambers, each inlet-side air chamber disposed between the fluid inlet and a respective one of the arrays and adapted to thermally insulate the materials from the temperature-modifying fluid as it is introduced into the fluid inlet.

The present invention describes a method and an automatic system for recovering protein powder meal, crude and pure omega-3 oil and purified distilled water from a mixture of animal tissue processed in a filter-drier-reaction tank. Animal tissue, for example fish, and organic solvent are directly or indirectly fed into the filter-drier-reaction tank. The filter-drier-reaction tank mixes, heats, and separates solid and heavy liquid portions of the mixture, the organic solvents are automatically recycled back in to the system after distillation. The solid portion is retained in the filter-drier-reaction tank and baked. Solid protein powder product (the protein powder meal) is thus recovered.

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.

The present invention describes a method and an automatic system for recovering protein powder meal, crude and pure omega-3 oil and purified distilled water from a mixture of animal tissue processed in a filter-drier-reaction tank. Animal tissue, for example fish, and organic solvent are directly or indirectly fed into the filter-drier-reaction tank. The filter-drier-reaction tank mixes, heats, and separates solid and heavy liquid portions of the mixture, the organic solvents are automatically recycled back in to the system after distillation. The solid portion is retained in the filter-drier-reaction tank and baked. Solid protein powder product (the protein powder meal) is thus recovered.

A micro-reactor system for contacting fluids is described. The system comprises a first microfluidic channel structure for guiding a first fluid to at least one output nozzle thus generating a first sub-flow, a second microfluidic channel structure for guiding a second fluid to at least a second output nozzle thus generating a second sub-flow, said first output nozzle being aligned with said second output nozzle and arranged for contacting the first sub-flow and the second sub-flow. The micro-reactor comprises at least a third microfluidic channel structure for at least a third, inert, fluid generating at least a third sub-flow arranged to be positioned adjacent at least the first and/or the second sub-flows so as to act as a wall between said first and/or second sub-flows.

A method for generating a hybrid reaction flows feedstock gas that is also a plasma medium through microchannels. Plasma is generated with the plasma medium via excitation with a time-varying voltage. UV or VUV emissions are generated at a wavelength selected to break a chemical bond in the feedstock gas. The UV or VUV emissions are directed into the microchannels to interact with the plasma medium and generate a reaction product from the plasma medium. A hybrid reactor device includes a microchannel plasma array having inlets and outlets for respectively flowing gas feedstock into and reaction product out of the microchannel plasma array. A UV or VUV emission lamp has its emissions directed into microchannels of the microchannel plasma array. Electrodes ignite plasma in the microchannels and stimulating the UV or VUV emission lamp to generate UV or VUV emissions. One common or plural phased time-varying voltage sources drive the plasma array and the UV or VUV emission lamp.

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.

Various implementations provide an inherently safer design feature for microchannel reactors that provides temperature control at the individual channel level. This approach relies on bimetallic strips embedded within the combustion channel, forming a thermally-actuated valve. Bimetallic strips convert a temperature change into a mechanical displacement. Heating the strip increases its deflection and thereby restricts flow in the combustion channels, which consequently reduces the rate of heat generation. The thermally-actuated valve is not limited to use in microchannel reactors and may be used in other structures for which thermally actuated flow control is desired, according to some implementations.

The present invention describes a method and an automatic system for recovering protein powder meal, crude and pure omega-3 oil and purified distilled water from a mixture of animal tissue processed in a filter-drier-reaction tank. Animal tissue, for example fish, and organic solvent are directly or indirectly fed into the filter-drier-reaction tank. The filter-drier-reaction tank mixes, heats, and separates solid and heavy liquid portions of the mixture, the organic solvents are automatically recycled back in to the system after distillation. The solid portion is retained in the filter-drier-reaction tank and baked. Solid protein powder product (the protein powder meal) is thus recovered.

A closed system for rehydrating powder and delivering the rehydrated powder to a reactor, may include a liquid reservoir for containing liquid; a syringe configured to contain powder to be rehydrated; a reactor; a controller for controlling operation of the syringe; and a conduit fluidically linking the liquid reservoir to a port of the syringe, fluidically linking the port to the reactor. The controller is configured to operate the syringe so as to draw liquid from the liquid reservoir into the syringe and rehydrate the powder, or to drive the rehydrated powder into the reactor.