Whither microreactors?

The outstanding property of a microreactor is its extremely large surface t o volume ratio. Even very fast and very exothermic reactions can, therefore , be performed isothermally. Furthermore, in the case of multiphase reactio ns the mass transfer path is minimal. Information is provided that can be c rucial for the choice and the dimensions of a technical reactor. By two exa mples it is demonstrated that development periods can be reduced essentiall y and that potentials for process improvement can be found.