CHEMICAL-PROCESSING IN HIGH-PRESSURE AQUEOUS ENVIRONMENTS .5. NEW PROCESSING CONCEPTS

A combination of fundamental and applied process research at Pacific N orthwest National Laboratory resulted in the development of several ne w processing concepts. These concepts have in common the use of high-t emperature pressurized water as a unique reaction medium for carrying out chemical reactions. Typical operating conditions of these processe s range from 300 to 360 degrees C and have pressures to above 200 bar. Investigation of the process chemistry and engineering for these new processing concepts required the development and scale-up of several h igh-pressure reactor systems which are described. Several new processe s involving catalysts and the distinctive properties of pressurized wa ter were patented as part of this effort. These processes, which are a t various stages of development, address a broad mix of energy and env ironmentally related problems. Chemical processing in a high-temperatu re liquid water environment remains a relatively untapped area for com mercial application.