Heat Transfer Calculations for "Engineering aspects of FlowNMR spectroscopy setups for online analysis of solution-phase processes"

To explore the importance of heat transfer in flow analytical systems a basic model was created from first principles. This model (detailed within the excel file) was used to generate temperature profiles along lengths of 1/16” or 1/32” polymer tubing, containing a range of different solvents, with solvents flowing through at 4 mL/min. These tubing materials are often used in analytical flow setups to transfer reaction mixtures between instruments and reaction vessels, where precipitation can cause blockages on mixture cooling it is important to ensure the mixture is effectively heated throughout the flow apparatus. The data produced showed that the temperature of a heated mixture can reduce by 50% (relative to ambient temperature), if flowed without thermal regulation. While passive insulation is not as effective as active thermal regulation, the data modelled illustrated its importance in preventing heat loss in areas which are not easily temperature regulated such as pump heads and unions. The excel spreadsheet was constructed and labelled such that different tubing materials, thickness, solvents, and temperatures could be modelled for a fixed length of straight tubing.