Process scale equipment design

Plant process and equipment design are elements of the third key parameter. Any heat that is generated by the reaction must be removed adequately, and any gas production must be managed. The effects and requirements of scale-up (that is, the relation between bench-scale and plant equipment) must be considered. 

Process Considerations and Performance The capacity, or performance, of a thin-film evaporator is often reported as a feed mass flow-rate scale factor (unit ma per unit surface area) for a specific process step. Performance is a function of a few process and equipment design variables ... 

Processing solids, since equipment design and scale-up are greatly limited by our lack of fundamental understanding of solids behavior. 

However, process-scale methods do not vary in intent or fundamental approach to those used in the laboratory, except that the economics of the operation of the plant are considered of primary lq >ortance in the design and selection of columns and equipment, etc. Process-scale liquid chromatography is of... 

In the design of an industrial scale reactor for a new process, or an old one that employs a new catalyst, it is common practice to carry out both bench and pilot plant studies before finalizing the design of the commercial scale reactor. The bench scale studies yield the best information about the intrinsic chemical kinetics and the associated rate expression. However, when taken alone, they force the chemical engineer to rely on standard empirical correlations and prediction methods in order to determine the possible influence of heat and mass transfer processes on the rates that will be observed in industrial scale equipment. The pilot scale studies can provide a test of the applicability of the correlations and an indication of potential limitations that physical processes may place on conversion rates. These pilot plant studies can provide extremely useful information on the temperature distribution in the reactor and on contacting patterns when... 

Regarding the above formulation and process, the thermal stability was determined by estimating the isothermal lifetime from thermo-gravimetric data. Process scientists for scale-up equipment design and temperature specifications sought answers to the following four basic questions ... 

Although single-stage laboratory techniques provide the first step toward multistage industrial processes, such process development usually requires small-scale multistage and pilot-plant scale equipment. A large number of excellent designs are available, and we consider further fundamental improvements unlikely. 

The following roller compaction scale-up examples illustrate technology strategies that identify equipment design features, process parameters, and evaluations defining roller compaction scale-up processes. 

The scale-up from the laboratory equipment to production size units is dependent on equipment design which may or may not have been scalable as far as its dimensional feature or components selection is concerned. The importance of scalability is well understood and accepted by the manufacturers of fluid-bed processors. Various sizes in their product line are logically designated and manufactured. Airflow in the fluid-bed process is a critical parameter. The design and selection of the processor is very important for the laboratory and production unit. Because airflow is one of the components of the drying capacity of a fluid-bed system, ratio of air volume per kg or liter of the product is very critical to achieve scale-up that is linear. 

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