PRODUCT SCALING. A cost or an investment?

Any idea is good on paper. Turning it into reality is often another thing.   In the specific case of chemical reactions, the idea on paper can be only made real in a laboratory. In this environment, new products are produced mainly in flasks or small reactors. Once you have empirical evidence that the reaction… Seguir leyendo PRODUCT SCALING. A cost or an investment?

Any idea is good on paper. Turning it into reality is often another thing.
 
In the specific case of chemical reactions, the idea on paper can be only made real in a laboratory. In this environment, new products are produced mainly in flasks or small reactors. Once you have empirical evidence that the reaction works, the following actions must be performed:
 
• Modifications
• Optimizations
• Analyses
• Cost calculations
• Security assessments
 
However, the ultimate objective is not only producing a new product in a lab, but selling it, and for this it is necessary to produce it in large quantities using large reactors. At this point new challenges begin.
 
Moving the process directly from laboratory scale to industrial scale is daring to say the least. Success is highly unlikely, not to mention the dangerous situations that may be produced.
 
What works well on a small scale does not necessarily work well on a large scale. Everything must be tested first.
 
There are different strategies which can be used to scale up safely and efficiently, in order to anticipate as many problems as possible and avoid them.
 
There are computational models that predict the behavior of the system which can help to propose hypothetical scenarios. However, the most common options, whether combined with computer models or not, are test beds and pilot plants. Sometimes, it is also necessary to
introduce a semi-industrial scale.
 
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