Multi-Reactor Educational Pilot Plant for Reaction Engineering Unit Operations

Introduction

The Multi-functional Reaction Engineering Educational Unit Operations Pilot Plant is an integrated, bench-scale laboratory system designed for chemical engineering and process technology departments at the university level. This pilot plant combines three fundamental chemical reactor configurations—a gas-solid catalytic Fixed Bed Reactor (FBR), a Fluidized Bed Reactor (FLBR), and a Stirred Tank Reactor (STR)—into a single, compact framework. By sharing a centralized gas feeding and preheating system, students can compare reactor hydrodynamics, heat and mass transfer characteristics, and catalyst performance. Equipped with modern digital controls and a web-based learning management interface, this educational pilot plant bridges the gap between theoretical reaction kinetics and practical industrial process operations.

Customizable Hardware and Software Design

Recognizing that every university laboratory has unique curriculum requirements, space constraints, and research focuses, this pilot plant is designed with a highly flexible architecture. Both the hardware components and the software control systems can be customized to align with your specific teaching goals.

On the hardware side, modifications can be made to reactor dimensions, material specifications (such as high-temperature alloys or corrosion-resistant glass), sensor configurations, and auxiliary feed lines. On the software side, the control interface, data acquisition parameters, and remote-access portals can be tailored to integrate with your institution’s existing Learning Management Systems (LMS) or specific virtual laboratory standards, ensuring the equipment fits into your laboratory framework.

Key Teaching Functions and Advantages

• Multi-Reactor Comparative Studies: Students can run identical catalytic reactions sequentially across the fixed bed, fluidized bed, and stirred tank reactors, allowing them to directly observe and analyze the impact of reactor geometry and fluid dynamics on conversion and selectivity.
• Engineering-Scale Process Flow: The system features independent preheaters for reactant gases and a three-way valve manifold, teaching students the complexities of process routing, gas mixing, and thermal management.
• Advanced Thermal Control and Safety: Each reactor zone features high-precision, programmable temperature controllers with split-style heating jackets for easy vessel inspection and replacement. Integrated safety interlocks for over-temperature and over-pressure conditions teach students industrial safety protocols.
• Web-Enabled Digital Twin & Pedagogy: Utilizing WebGL technology, the system supports an online web-based interactive portal. Students can access system schematics, prepare for labs remotely, and complete assessments through an integrated instructor portal featuring automated test generation and grading.

Detail & Parts

Technical Specifications and Experimental Modules

The following table details the key technical parameters and the hands-on experimental modules supported by this educational pilot plant:

Curriculum Integration and Academic Mapping

This educational pilot plant is designed to directly support and reinforce the core principles found in standard chemical engineering curricula. By integrating physical experiments with classic academic literature, university instructors can easily map laboratory sessions to theoretical lectures.

The experiments conducted on this unit align with the fundamental unit operations and transport phenomena described in major academic textbooks:

• Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering: The pilot plant provides physical demonstrations of gas-solid fluidization, packed bed flow dynamics, and mechanical agitation. Students can relate measured pressure drops across the fluidized bed to the classic Ergun equation and fluidization theories covered in the text.
• Transport Processes and Unit Operations: The system serves as an excellent platform for studying heat transfer in packed beds and agitated vessels, as well as mass transfer resistances in heterogeneous catalysis (internal and external diffusion limitations).
• Chemical Engineering Design: With its industrial-grade piping, valves, sensors, and safety interlocks, this unit helps students understand process safety, piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) design, and reactor scaling principles.

Additionally, the equipment serves as a cornerstone for courses utilizing texts like Chemical Reaction Engineering, where concepts such as non-ideal flow, residence time distribution (RTD) functions ($E$ and $F$ curves), and catalytic kinetic modeling are translated from mathematical models into physical laboratory data.

To ensure your specific course syllabus is fully supported, our engineering team can customize both the hardware layout and the software-guided lab manuals to match the terminology, nomenclature, and experimental sequences of your preferred department textbooks.

About LABPARK

LABPARK is a dedicated manufacturer and developer of educational pilot plants and laboratory equipment, with over 20 years of experience serving the global higher education sector. We specialize in providing high-quality, academically aligned teaching systems across six core disciplines: Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology, Food Engineering, Pharmaceutical Engineering, and Environmental Engineering.

Driven by continuous innovation, LABPARK holds 209 technical patents and has established collaborative partnerships with more than 289 universities and institutes worldwide. Our state-of-the-art production and R&D facility covers 49,000 square meters, ensuring that every piece of equipment is built to rigorous safety and educational standards before being deployed to campus laboratories.

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