ChemSCAN: Bench-top, automated parallel catalyst screening and development platform

The ChemSCAN is a bench-top, automated parallel catalyst screening and development platform for the study of high-pressure reactions and heterogeneous catalysis processes. It consists of an 8-reactor system, supporting 16 ml - 50 ml vessels as standard.

Each reactor is independently controlled and monitored, including both temperature and pressure, with on-line gas consumption automatically calculated for each reactor. This allows a suite of screening tests to be carried out concurrently, and coupled with fully automated process control sequences, enables acceleration of development times and effectively shortening times to scale-up and commercialization.

The ChemSCAN is able to support a fully automated, high-pressure liquid feed option for reactions that require a liquid addition, and with its excellent agitation system, it is capable of ensuring kinetically controlled gas uptake during reactions. This control facilitates a greater understanding of the individual reaction kinetics, ultimately delivering increased confidence in the subsequent scale-up of the process.

Features and Options:

Vessel Types and Volumes

8 x 16 ml, 25 ml, or 50 ml reactors,available in SS316 Stainless Steel, Hastelloy.

Temperature Control

Ambient to 250 ⁰C (no external cooling).

Options to increase the range down to-40 ⁰C(circulator dependent).

A separate mantle around each reactor allows the temperature to be controlled individually with arange/difference of over 100 °C between the reactors.

High Pressure and Vacuum Systems

Each reactor can be independently pressurizedup to 200 bar,with a pressure difference between reactors up to 30 bar.

ControlOptions

• Reactors can be set to different start pressures, allowing the controlled stirring to initiate the reaction.

  Pressure transducers are provided as standard (gauges optional).

  Availability of manual purge and gas feed for each reactor.

  On-line gas consumption calculation.

  Stirring Available

  Indirect agitation with magnetic stirrer bar as standard.

  • Suspended mechanical agitation for efficient mixing on small-scale and non-viscous samples.

  • Optional Overhead direct agitation for larger vessels.

  • Superior mixing allowing homogenous and heterogeneous catalytic gas-liquid reactions.

  • The mixing rate ensures that thegas uptake is typically controlled kinetically, thus enabling scale-up with confidence.

    Intelligent Software Control and Analysis

    labCONSOL software control enables regular data logging, multi-step recipes, parameter control, and feedback loops. The software adds a responsive intelligence to the ChemSCANsystem and still delivers an intuitive interface that needs only minimal training to run quickly.

    Customizable standard plans allow for easy running of the system with automated purging, reaction, and safety steps.

    Experiments can be designed to:

    • Run all reactions at the same temperature and pressure -while varying the catalyst or reagents.

    • Keep catalyst loads identical but vary the initial pressure.

    • Run individual reactors with different loads, pressure, and temperatures

      Safety Features

      Include automatic user-configurable reaction detection andshutdown procedures,to ensure user safety.

      Compact manifold for easy manual purge and pressurization.

      Automatic hardware and software fail-safes are installed on every system.