Laboratory reactor system
A laboratory reactor system is a scaled-down stirred tank reactor . It is mainly used in chemical laboratories for research and development purposes.
A laboratory reactor offers the same basic functions as a normal chemical reactor for production purposes and can control the temperature , stir , evacuate , inertize , meter and distill .
construction
Laboratory reaction systems are designed similar to stirred tanks for production purposes, but only up to two liters in size. In contrast to production systems, glass reactors are preferred in laboratories, which are resistant to most chemicals and allow a clear view of the reaction vessel .
A laboratory reactor system is usually installed in a laboratory fume cupboard in order to avoid the accumulation of explosive atmospheres (gas mixtures) and to protect laboratory staff from any toxic substances that may escape.
A modern laboratory reactor system is usually partially or fully automated with a laboratory automation system. Due to the continuous monitoring, an unattended operation overnight and thus a continuous operation is easier.
For various reasons (acceleration of development through parallel reactor systems , minimization of the consumption of expensive starting materials , energy saving, etc.) the trend is towards ever smaller volumes. The typical volume of parallel reactor systems is on the 50 to 500 ml scale. Because of the minimum quantities required for products and samples, there are limits to miniaturization .
For applications under special conditions such as low temperature, high temperature, high pressure and extreme pH values, laboratory reactor systems must always be designed individually.