Operando MR microscopy in a super wide bore system

A catalytic reaction is strongly dependent on the interaction of reactants and catalysts. It is of great interest to study the reaction in situ under realistic conditions, some of them requiring high temperature and high pressure. The Bruker super wide bore system and the super wide bore probe MiniSWB90 provide the researcher with the experimental freedom required to implement the experiment under real conditions wile offering the space needed for thermal insulation and safety protocols. 

The set-up shown in the figure below is required toexpose a cylinder packed with ethylene oligomerisation catalyst to 110 °C and 29 bara. Ethylene gas is constantly pushed through the cylinder. MR microcopy enables to look inside the experiment. The ZX image through the reactor shows a signal gradient. Higher regions are due to higher conversion rates of  ethylene (gas phase) to liquid oligomers which is confirmed by localized spectra recorded in several slices enabling to determine the molecular composition.

References: 

Baker, L., Renshaw, M. P., Mantle, M. D., Sederman, A. J., Wain, A. J., & Gladden, L. F. (2018). Operando magnetic resonance studies of phase behaviour and oligomer accumulation within catalyst pores during heterogeneous catalytic ethene oligomerization. Applied Catalysis A: General, 557, 125-134.