Internal Circulation Gradient Free Catalytic Reaction Educational Pilot Plant

Introduction

The Internal Circulation Gradient-Free Catalytic Reaction Educational Unit Operations Pilot Plant is a highly integrated, laboratory-scale system designed specifically for chemical engineering and applied chemistry departments in higher education. This unit introduces students to the core principles of heterogeneous catalysis, gas-solid reaction kinetics, and the operation of gradient-free reactors. By eliminating concentration and temperature gradients within the reaction zone, the system allows undergraduate and graduate students to accurately evaluate catalyst activity, selectivity, and yield under well-defined, isothermal conditions that mimic advanced industrial research environments.

To accommodate varying laboratory spaces and differing academic syllabus requirements, this educational pilot plant offers comprehensive customization options. Both the hardware configurations—such as sensor ranges, feed systems, and reactor sizing—and the software control interfaces can be customized to align with your specific laboratory objectives and teaching methodologies.

Key Pedagogical Features and Advantages

• Engineering-Scale Hands-on Practice: Enables students to master the operational protocols of gas-solid catalytic systems, bridging the gap between benchtop chemistry and industrial-scale chemical reaction engineering.
• Isothermal and Gradient-Free Operation: Featuring an internal gas-circulation mechanism with an adjustable-speed stirring assembly, the system minimizes mass and heat transfer resistances, allowing students to focus on acquiring pure, intrinsic kinetic data.
• Rapid Equilibrium for Laboratory Classes: The low effective volume of the reactor ensures quick response times to changes in process parameters (such as temperature, flow rate, or feed composition), fitting multiple experimental runs comfortably into a standard laboratory session.
• Modern Industrial Control Interface: Equipped with an integrated industrial-grade touchscreen computer, the system introduces students to modern supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) paradigms, demonstrating real-time data plotting and process variable monitoring.
• Multi-Tier Safety Architecture: Built with student safety as a priority, the programmable heating furnace is coupled with automated over-temperature and over-pressure alarms, preventing system excursions during high-temperature reactions.
• Durable and Mobile Design: Constructed on a robust, corrosion-resistant aluminum alloy framework with industrial casters, allowing instructors to easily reposition or store the unit according to lab space requirements.

Detail & Parts

Technical Specifications and Module Mapping

Academic Alignment and Curriculum Integration

This educational pilot plant serves as a vital bridge for students majoring in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Applied Chemistry, and Petrochemical Technology. By performing experiments on this unit, students can directly correlate physical laboratory measurements with the mathematical models and transport equations found in their core course materials.

Specifically, the unit operations demonstrated by this equipment directly support key concepts detailed in standard academic textbooks. In Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering, the device aligns with the principles of fluid-solid systems, gas flow through packed beds, and mass transfer operations. In Transport Processes and Unit Operations, the experimental modules reinforce topics regarding heat and mass transfer in heterogeneous systems, as well as boundary layer theory. Furthermore, for courses utilizing Chemical Engineering Design or classic chemical reaction engineering literature, this pilot plant serves as a real-world application of heterogeneous reactor design, catalytic conversion, reactor energy balances, and selectivity optimization. Students gain a practical understanding of how transport limitations affect overall reactor performance, which is essential for modern process scale-up.

To support specific research initiatives or unique curriculum structures, LABPARK provides dedicated engineering support to modify the unit. Both the physical hardware components and the digital control software can be customized to meet the precise requirements of your laboratory space, academic level, and safety standards.

About LABPARK

LABPARK has been dedicated to serving the higher education sector for over 20 years, focusing on delivering advanced experimental equipment in six key academic disciplines: chemistry, chemical engineering, biotechnology, food engineering, pharmaceutical technology, and environmental engineering. Our commitment to academic rigor and engineering excellence is supported by our state-of-the-art 49,000-square-meter manufacturing and R&D base.

Driven by continuous innovation, LABPARK holds 209 technical patents and has established collaborative partnerships with more than 289 universities and colleges worldwide. We assist engineering faculties in modernizing their laboratories, enhancing hands-on learning experiences, and preparing the next generation of engineers for modern industrial challenges.

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