Modular reactors: What can we learn from modular industrial plants and off site construction research

New modular factory-built methodologies implemented in the construction and industrial plant industries may bring down costs for modular reactors. A factory-built environment brings about benefits such as; improved equipment, tools, quality, shift patterns, training, continuous improvement learning, environmental control, standardisation, parallel working, the use of commercial off shelf equipment and much of the commissioning can be completed before leaving the factory. All these benefits combine to reduce build schedules, increase certainty, reduce risk and make financing easier and cheaper.Currently, the construction and industrial chemical plant industries have implemented successful modular design and construction techniques. Therefore, the objectives of this paper are to understand and analyse the state of the art research in these industries through a systematic literature review. The research can then be assessed and applied to modular reactors.The literature review highlighted analysis methods that may prove to be useful. These include; modularisation decision tools, stakeholder analysis, schedule, supply chain, logistics, module design tools and construction site planning. Applicable research was highlighted for further work exploration for designers to assess, develop and efficiently design their modular reactors

Structurally Diverse Bench-Stable Nickel(0) Pre-Catalysts: A Practical Toolkit for In Situ Ligation Protocols

A flurry of recent research has centered on harnessing the power of nickel catalysis in organic synthesis. These efforts have been bolstered by contemporaneous synthesis, characterization, and optimization of well-defined nickel (pre)catalysts with diverse structure and reactivity. In this report, we present the development of ten different bench-stable, 18-electron, formally zero-valent nickel–olefin complexes that are shown to be competent pre-catalysts in various reactions. Our investigation includes preparations of novel, bench stable Ni(COD)(L) complexes, in which L = quinone, cyclopentadienone, thiophene-S-oxide, and fulvene. Characterization by a battery of techniques, including NMR, IR, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, cyclic voltammetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and natural bond orbital analysis sheds light on the structure, bonding, and properties of these complexes. Kinetic profiling across a series of representative reactions reveals reactivity differences that stem from the nature of the ancillary ligand, underscoring the complementary relationships between each pre-catalyst within this toolkit