Small Pilot Plants

Overview

The pilot plants are extensions to the JUVO pressure reaction vessel system. They bring together vessels, stirrerheads, thermostats, lifting stages (modified as required) and any other extra facilities or accessories like automation or computer control that might be specified into a single turnkey package.

The plants can be used for straight chemical or pharmaceutical / medical applications. In the latter case, the relevant parts are built to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) standards. The GMP components have a different internal design that permit a more thorough cleaning and sterilization / disinfection. However, GMP components cost more to manufacture.

Each plant is custom designed to the customer's individual requirements and specification.

Benefits of ready built pilot plants

• Availability - Once connected to external services - such as electricity, water etc. - the plant can be used immediately.
• Time and Cost Savings - Generally speaking, the time taken to build a pilot plant is only about two weeks longer than to build a vessel on its own. This is because assembly of other parts takes place in parallel.
  If properly costed, the use of in-house personnel and equipment to build a plant from component parts will usually prove to be far more expensive than buying a ready assembled plant.
• Experience in Design and Construction - The experience of Karl Kurt Juchheim gathered over many years in the design of pilot plants is available to refine your design, and will ensure optimum performance. The firm's workshop is TÜV approved, and the plants are built by TÜV certificated craftsmen.

Components and Facilities

These lists are not intended to be exhaustive.

The vessels and their accessories that form the core of the plants are described in the vessels catalog.

Illustrations

Vessels for various functions

• Reagent reservoirs - pressurized or unpressurized
• Main reactors
• Product receivers
• Distillate pots
• Decanters and separators

Pipework and valves

• Fixed and flexible stainless steel pipework for:
  • Introduction of reagents into main reactor
  • Transfer of distillates to fractionating columns or condensers
  • Directing the flow of ingredients or products
  • Services
• Ball valves for switching flows and shut off
• Needle valves for regulating flow rates
• Check valves

Other components

• Metering pumps - for introducing catalysts or initiators to the reactants
• Condensers
• Fractionating columns

Services

• Cooling water
• Heating
• Refrigeration
• Vacuum - including:
  • Rotary vacuum pumps
  • Cold traps - made from stainless steel for use with dry ice
• Nitrogen purging

Measurement, control and automation

• Stirring
  • Rotation speed of stirrer
  • Stirrer torque
  • Excess current drawn by stirrer motor
• Pressure measurement - excess pressure valves - bursting disks
• Temperature measurement
• Control of heating and cooling rates
• Sequencing of operations
• computer control of above parameters
• Control cabinets

Assembly and wiring

• Framework
• General wiring

Illustrations

To see an enlarged picture of the plant, together with a list of the various sub-assemblies, please click on the thumbnail.

Example 1

Laboratory pilot plant for use up to 15 Bar pressure and temperatures up to 250°C.

Example 2

Laboratory pilot plant for pressures up to 25 Bar and temperatures up to 320°C. On the left is a control cabinet with all measurement, control and switching functions.

Example 3

Laboratory pilot plant for pressures up to 25 Bar. Some parts are for temperatures up to 320°C, others for temperatures up to 220°C. All the electrical apparatus within the framework is explosion proof. A separate control cabinet (not explosion proof) contains the switching, measurement and control functions.