Armfield Engineering Education

BASIC PROCESS PRINCIPLES

CEX Chemical Reactors Teaching Equipment - Issue 5

The Armfield range of small scale chemical reactors comprises four units which represent the most common types of chemical reactor found in industry.

Three of the reactors may be individually mounted on a common bench top service unit (CEX) which provide all the services for self contained operation. These are Continuous Stirred Tank Reactors (CTSR), Tubular Reactor (Plug Flow), Batch Reactor.

The fourth reactor - stirred tank reactor in series - is mounted on a dedicated unit.

The reactors use the saponification reaction between ethyl acetate and sodium hydroxide. This provides a well understood and safe reaction for the students to investigate the different reactor types.

Armfield have developed a set of algorithms which link the degree of conversions of the reactants to the electrical conductivity of the product. In this way the progress of the reaction can be monitored in real time, without the inconvenience and innaccuracy of titration methods.

Order Specification |
Features |
Technical Description |
Reactors

Requirements |
Shipping Specification and Dimensions

Ordering Specification

• A self contained bench top service unit designed to accommodate three different chemical reactors:

> Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor
> Tubular Reactor
> Batch Reactor

• The service unit provides PID temperature controlled hot water in order to maintain reactor temperature.

• It is supplied with a conductivity sensor and display.

• A comprehensive instruction manual is included which details installation and operating procedures.

TOP

FEATURES

> Small bench top equipment
> Real time reaction monitoring
> Data logging facility available
> Cost effective - 3 reactors share same service unit
> Safe and student friendly
> Four different types of reactor

TOP

Technical Description

The series of three reactors is designed to fit interchangeably onto the common Chemical Reactors Service Unit (CEX). Each reactor is mounted on a PVC base which attaches to the service unit by means of thumbnuts.

The approriate services such as reagent feed pumps, hot water circulator and instrumentation for conductivity and temperature measurement are connected to the reactor, and it then becomes operational.

For temperature control, the CEM Mkll and CEB Mkll reactors employ submerged coils through which the heater water is circulated, the CET Mkll reactor coil is itself submerged in the temperature controlled water within the reactor vessel.

CEM Mkll and CEB Mkll reactors each incorporate a stirrer driven by a lid-mounted electric motor to provide efficient mixing.

CEX CHEMICAL REACTORS SERVICE UNIT

This comprises feed tanks, feed pumps with variable speed drive, stirrer with variable speed drive, hot water circulator, automatic temperature controller and conductivity sensor and meter with computer output.

The supporting base is of robust vacuum formed high impact plastic, designed for bench mounting.

TOP