Reaction engineering evaluation and utilization of static mixer technology for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals

As part of an evaluation of equipment aimed at process intensification, the use of a continuously operating tubular reactor packed with static mixing elements (intensified plug flow reactor, IPFR) was investigated. A characterisation of the reactor was initially carried out and revealed close to ideal plug flow and good heat-transfer characteristics. An exothermic chemical reaction to synthesise a drug intermediate, where selectivity was known to be dependent on mixing efficiency and temperature profile, was carried out in the reactor. The results showed that the turbulent flow behaviour and the efficient temperature control led to high conversion of the starting material at high product yield and very low impurity levels. The IPFR was also found to be a useful tool for the determination of reaction kinetics.