(172e) Performance Comparison of a Bubble Reactor and a Loop Reactor for Preparing a C5 Hydrofluoroether, Hfe-449mec-F, in the Gas-Liquid Biphasic Reaction

Hydrofluoroethers(HFEs) have been suggested as alternatives to chlorofluorocarbons(CFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons(HCFCs) and hydrofluorocarbons(HFCs) because of their low global warming potential and zero ozone depletion potential. HFE-449mec-f(C3HF6OC2H2F3), a C5 HFE, is a plausible alternative cleaning solvent which has high dissolving capability on fluoro oils. This study deals with the preparation of HFE-449mec-f in a bubble reactor and a buss loop reactor, both of which efficiently carry out gas-liquid biphasic reactions. HFE-449mec-f can be synthesized by hydroalkoxylation of hexafluoropropene(HFP) in 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol(TFEA) with fluoride catalysts. A polar solvent such as N,N-dimethylformamide or acetonitrile was adopted as a reaction medium in order to dissolve the solid catalyst and mix it in TFEA and to lessen the temperature increase by diluting the heat from the exothermic reaction. Reaction conditions such as feed ratio, catalyst amount, solvent amount, reaction temperature, circulation flow rate of the gas phase reactant in the bubble reactor or the liquid phase reactant in the loop reactor have been optimized. The effect of reactor type on the product yield, byproducts, energy usage, and system controllability has been examined and compared.