Specialty Chemicals magazine have published an article focusing on the application of the Coflore ACR in the manufacture of API’s (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients).

The article, entitled “Scale up of Continuous Processes using multistage CSTR’s”(1), presents results for a Hofmann degradation reaction carried in the Coflore ACR

In this experiment, the ACR was used to develop the production of Gabapentin in a Hofmann degradation reaction under flow conditions.  The ACR was optimized to match the yield obtained in a fed-batch reaction, and then the data obtained from the ACR was used to scale up to a larger static mixer.  The yield obtained in the scaled up static mixer was similar to that obtained in the lab scale ACR.  Because the ACR can achieve good plug flow conditions and maintain good mixing at variety of throughputs, it was able to replicate similar conditions to the bigger static mixer at lower throughputs.  This is particularly useful when using high value chemicals where lab scale experiments must minimise material usage.

These results show the particular application that Coflore reactors have in scaling up and process development, where they obtain favourable characteristics such as mixing and plug flow irrespective of material throughput.

1.    P. Delogu, G. Gasparini, Scale up of Continuous Processes using multistage CSTR’s, Specialty Chemicals Magazine May. 2010, 34-35