Model plant for chemical processes

Model plant to meet world standards

One of the tasks carried out as part of research and development work in the chemical sector is to conduct technological trials on an increased scale, so-called scale-up research. Research units usually face problems when planning this type of research due to a lack of suitable infrastructure. This type of demand is met by Łukasiewicz - the Institute of Heavy Organic Synthesis ‘Blachownia’ from Kędzierzyn-Koźle, Poland, which has a fully equipped and automated model installation capable of performing this type of technological testing.

Łukasiewicz ICSO ‘Blachownia’ has in its apparatus facilities a world-unique experimental installation on a semi-technical scale designed to carry out chemical processes using a bed of stationary catalyst in the liquid phase. This installation was designed and constructed to carry out model tests on the technology for obtaining bisphenol A, which the Catalytic Processes Research Group has been working on for years. The installation allows simulation of process conditions on an industrial scale. The versatility and functionality of both the entire apparatus and its individual components allow us to confidently state that it is also suitable for use in the study of other chemical processes.

The installation consists of five modules (synthesis, crystallization, concentration, filtration and granulation), which can work together, or individual systems can be used separately. The installation has a total of more than 80 apparatuses and equipment. Among them we can distinguish:

- a synthesis section,

- a slurry crystallisation section,

- a high-temperature decomposition section combined with fractional crystallisation.

The synthesis section includes reactors, operating tanks with capacities from 100dm3 to 500dm3 made of acid-resistant steel, operating pumps and a thin-film evaporator with a falling liquid film. It is possible to carry out all kinds of chemical syntheses using contact between the reaction mixture and the stationary catalyst bed. The system has the possibility of circulation, i.e. multiple contacting of the mixture with the catalyst.

The crystallization section consists of operating tanks of similar capacity to those in the synthesis section, each tank equipped with an operating pump of exactly the type used on an industrial scale. In addition, this section has a thermostated crystallizer with a high-powered mechanical stirrer, a pressure filter and also a stirred tank. The crystallizer is characterized by the possibility of controlling the temperature gradient very precisely, so that it is possible to carry out crystallization operations even for very demanding chemical compounds or the separation of complex mixtures. The versatility of the system allows the use of the aforementioned crystallizer with stirrer, as well as an additional stirred tank, as reaction vessels for chemical reactions, where it is not necessary to use a solid catalyst. In addition, it is possible to obtain various mixtures on a larger scale for practical applications.

The temperature decomposition section comprises operating tanks with matching pumps, oil-heated thin-film evaporators with a falling liquid film, condensers and separators, a thermostated fractional crystallizer and a granulation belt. The thin-film evaporators that are part of the plant, operating in conjunction with a powerful industrial vacuum pump, allow the efficient and rapid evaporation of large amounts of excess raw material or solvent from the reaction mixture, or it is possible to use them as separate systems for the separation of volatile compounds or the purification of desired components from volatile impurities. The fractional crystallization system enables purification processes for compounds that differ even slightly in their melting points. This is made possible by high-quality thermostats that control the rise or fall in temperature by up to tenths of a degree Celsius.   This is because fractional crystallization takes advantage of the differences in the melting points of compounds, without the need for additional solvent.

The entire apparatus is made of acid-resistant steel and operates in an inert gas atmosphere (nitrogen), with a supply of cooling water from the water mains, thermostated water obtained in a heater and steam.

The multifunctionality and versatility of the entire installation makes it suitable for a wide range of applications.