FlowCAT: A Bench-Top, High Pressure Flow Catalysis Platform

The FlowCAT is a bench-top,automated high-pressure flow catalysis bench-top platform, designed for the development of continuous flow chemical processes. It supports both gas and liquid feeds, and so can facilitate the scale-up of both homogenous and heterogenous chemistries. It typically finds use in chemistries such as:

Hydrogenation

Oxidation

Carbonylation

Bio-fuel research

Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

Petrochemical processes

Control of the chemical process is configurable, and it can be tailored to automatically cover a range of process conditions - the latter of which can also be edited during operation if required. The temperature, pressure, and feed rates of the liquid and gas are all automatically controlled, as is the sampling at the end of each run and the initiation of the next. This delivers a high throughput operation, making the FlowCAT well-suited to a range of applications, including:

Rapid screening of new chemistries

Yield optimization studies

Identification of new catalysts

Small-scale production

Features and Options:

Reactor Type

Tubular reactors, produced in Hastelloy or Stainless Steel.

Reactors are available in

6 mm, 12 mm, or18 mm diameters,

150 mm, 280 mm, or410 mm lengths.

The 150 mm reactors provide approximate working volumes of~4 mL to ~38 mL.

Temperature Control

Between ambient and 300 °C.

Tailored solutions can support sub-ambient operation, or heating to 550°C.

High Pressure and Vacuum Systems

Between ambient and 100 bar.

Options to increase operating pressure to200 bar.

Working pressure is easily adjusted via the labCONSOL interface.

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 FlowCAT system and still delivers an intuitive interface that needs only minimal training to run quickly.

• Full software control of pressure, temperature and feed rates of liquid/gas.

• Edit conditions any time without stopping, allowing for changing of reaction conditions with little to no downtime.

  A computer-controlled back-pressure regulation valve regulates single and multiple phases of liquids and gases without the need for any adjustments.

  Reaction analytics

  FlowCAT reaction output can be integrated withanalytical tools such as GC-MS or FTIR probesfor on-line reaction evaluation.

  Safety Features

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

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