Microchemical reactors take advantage of dramatically reduced heat- and mass-transfer limitations, which are
minimized at the micron scale. By physically reducing the characteristic path lengths for these processes, extremely
high transport rates are realized. This results in highly efficient, ultra-compact systems that exhibit performances
superior to conventional systems, with one to two orders of magnitude reductions in hardware volume and/or weight
(Tonkovich 1998, 1999). Thus, microchemical systems (comprising microreactors and microthermal units) find
applications in advanced transportation power systems, portable or local power generation, as well as defense and
space applications.