The FlowCAT is a bench-top, automated high-pressure flow catalysis bench-top platform, designed for the development of continuous flow chemical processes. It supports both gas and liquid feeds, and so can facilitate the scale-up of both homogenous and heterogenous chemistries. It typically finds use in chemistries such as:
- Hydrogenation
- Oxidation
- Carbonylation
- Bio-fuel research
- Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
- Petrochemical processes
Control of the chemical process is configurable, and it can be tailored to automatically cover a range of process conditions - the latter of which can also be edited during operation if required. The temperature, pressure, and feed rates of the liquid and gas are all automatically controlled, as is the sampling at the end of each run and the initiation of the next. This delivers a high throughput operation, making the FlowCAT well-suited to a range of applications, including:
- Rapid screening of new chemistries
- Yield optimization studies
- Identification of new catalysts
- Small-scale production
Features and Options:
Reactor Type
- Tubular reactors, produced in Hastelloy or Stainless Steel.
- Reactors are available in
- 6 mm, 12 mm, or 18 mm diameters,
- 150 mm, 280 mm, or 410 mm lengths.
- The 150 mm reactors provide approximate working volumes of ~4 mL to ~38 mL.
Temperature Control
- Between ambient and 300 °C.
- Tailored solutions can support sub-ambient operation, or heating to 550°C.
High Pressure and Vacuum Systems
- Between ambient and 100 bar.
- Options to increase operating pressure to 200 bar.
- Working pressure is easily adjusted via the labCONSOL interface.
Intelligent Software Control and Analysis
- labCONSOL software control enables regular data logging, multi-step recipes, parameter control, and feedback loops. The software adds a responsive intelligence to the FlowCAT system and still delivers an intuitive interface that needs only minimal training to run quickly.
- Full software control of pressure, temperature and feed rates of liquid/gas.
- Edit conditions any time without stopping, allowing for changing of reaction conditions with little to no downtime.
- A computer-controlled back-pressure regulation valve regulates single and multiple phases of liquids and gases without the need for any adjustments.
Reaction analytics
- FlowCAT reaction output can be integrated with analytical tools such as GC-MS or FTIR probes for on-line reaction evaluation.
Safety Features
- Include automatic user-configurable reaction detection and shutdown procedures, to ensure user safety.
- Automatic hardware and software fail-safes are installed on every system