Abstract
The step response, including various startup procedures, in a three-phase microreactor of 2 mm internal diameter packed with nonporous particles of 100 mu m is reported. We demonstrate that the bed behaves reproducibly through many cycles of operating conditions. Interestingly, we find that the different startup procedures have little effect oil the steady state that is achieved. In other words, minimal hysteresis was observed, in sharp contrast to larger-scale reactors with larger particles where prewetting has a remarkable impact oil the hydrodynamic behavior. The powder-packed beds have very high liquid saturation values, and prewetting is not needed. At least four liquid-residence times were needed to achieve stable pressure drop and dispersion values over the bed. This indicates that the hydrodynamic response into a stable operation may well be the limiting factor that determines the rate at which kinetic experiments call be performed in high-throughput equipment.