Patent ID: 7122161

Claim:
A Taylor reactor for conducting material conversions, comprising: a) an annular reactor volume defined by an external reactor wall, a concentrically or eccentrically disposed rotor that extends the length of the reactor, a reactor floor, and a reactor lid, b) at least one means for metered addition of reactants into the annular reactor volume, and c) a means for the discharge of product from the annular reactor volume, wherein d) during a conversion within the annular reactor volume there is a change in a viscosity ν of a reaction medium, e) one or more of the reactor wall and the rotor are geometrically designed such that the conditions for Taylor vortex flow are met over essentially the entire reactor length of the annular reactor volume, f) the reactor is not mounted horizontally, and the discharge means is mounted higher than the metered addition means so that a flow through the reactor is counter to gravity, and g) wherein the external reactor wall and the rotor rotate in the same direction, the angular velocity of the rotor being greater than that of the external reactor wall.