(275d) Pilot-Scale Flame Spray Aerosol Reactor for Manufacture of ZrO2 Nanoparticles

Arto J. Gröhn, Sotiris E. Pratsinis and Karsten Wegner

Particle Technology Laboratory, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Sonneggstrasse 3, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.

Flame Spray Pyrolysis (FSP) aerosol reactors have high potential to be employed for industrial nanoparticle manufacture for their versatility and relatively low production costs (Strobel et al., 2007; Wegner, 2011). To date, extensive research has been carried out on these reactors at the laboratory scale and a plethora of single and multicomponent nanoparticles has been developed (Teoh et al., 2010).

In this work FSP operation at the pilot-scale with up to 2 kg/h zirconia production rate is investigated. Therefore, the effects of reactor geometry and operating conditions on product particle properties are studied experimentally. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Phase-Doppler Anemometry and nanoparticle sampling in-situ the flame are employed for characterizing the temperature, velocity and species profiles of the flame reactor. The obtained results are used to determine optimized spray nozzle design. Finally, the potential of replacing oxygen dispersion gas by air and increasing the metal content of the starting raw materials for further reducing production costs in an industrial environment is explored.

References:

Strobel, R. and Pratsinis, S.E., Flame aerosol synthesis of smart nanostructured materials. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 2007. 17, 4743-4756.

Wegner, K. Schimmoeller, B. Thiebaut, B. Fernandez, C. and Rao, T.N., Pilot Plants for Industrial Nanoparticle Production by Flame Spray Pyrolysis. KONA Powder and Particle, 2011. 29, 251-265.

Teoh, W.Y. Amal, R. and Madler, L. Flame Spray Pyrolysis: An Enabling Technology for Nanoparticles Design and Fabrication. Nanoscale, 2010. 2, 1324-1347.