Chemical Engineering & Technology, Vol.31, No.8, 1216-1222, 2008
Multiscale modeling approach for production of perfume microcapsules
Microreactors are currently showing great promise as novel tools upon which new chemical technology can be built and for support process intensification in man), industrial sectors. In this work, a modeling strategy is presented that integrates process units at multiple scales with microstructured elements to support the synthesis and characterization of perfume-containing microcapsules. The strategy concerns two interconnected modules: microreactor unit models, where microcapsules are produced (developed in MATLAB (R)), and normal scale unit operation models (performed in Aspen Plus (R)). Encapsulation of the microreactor model and integration of flows between micro and normal scale equipments are implemented within Aspen Plus. All former features are successfully presented together in an integrated fashion with other key issues like recovery and reuse of solvents used for the minimization of environmental impacts.