Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICTA special field of research at Fraunhofer ICT is the development of processes for the safe management of reactions that are potentially explosive or otherwise hazardous.
Safe production of hazardous products
Safe production of hazardous products
Fraunhofer ICT has more than 50 years of expertise in the area of explosive synthesis as well as the associated infrastructure and safety equipment.
Advantages of micro process engineering for processes with increased hazard potential:
- Removal of strong reaction heat
- Suppression of unwanted side or decomposition reactions
- Small hold-up
- Safer handling of toxic, explosive or otherwise unstable products and intermediates
- Point-of-use and on-demand production of hazardous intermediates
Production of hazardous substances in remotely controlled continuous process
Fraunhofer ICT has developed special multipurpose plants at technical scale for both the continuous synthesis of liquid explosive materials and their subsequent, continuous downstream processing in relevant production capacities. Microreactors have been specially developed for these processes, allowing high throughput for both synthesis and downstream processing. A modular process concept allows the flexible adjustment of process equipment to match the synthesis product and throughput required.
All plants have a wide range of safety features and every aspect is controlled and monitored remotely. Multipoint in-line spectroscopic measurement can be implemented as an option for the closed-loop control of crucial process variables, contributing significantly to process safety and the efficient consumption of reagents.
The Multipurpose microreactor plants are used for the production of a variety of explosive substances and are set up according to customers’ specifications. Typical throughputs are in the range of several hundred grams per minute.