Chemical reactor (jacketed stirred tank)

01

Size the jacket or coil for the reaction heat

Berchance's jacketed chemical reactor table, for 500–50,000 L vessels heated by hot water, thermal oil, external coil or internal coil and cooled through the jacket or an internal coil, gives a 500 L reactor (900 × 800 mm vessel, 699 L actual volume) with 1.7 m² heating area, 1.6 m² cooling coil area and a 3 kW agitator motor; 1,000 L with 2.6 and 2.7 m² and 4 kW; 2,000 L with 4.5 and 4.3 m² and 5.5 kW; and 5,000 L (1,800 × 2,000 mm, 6,600 L actual) with 7.5 and 8 m² and 11 kW. [1]

3V Tech specifies its glass-lined reactors with a Type B1 jacket to DIN 28151, or a half-pipe coil to DIN 28128 as an alternative with one or more heating zones and single or double circuits. IDA, a maker of jacketed multi-shaft reactors from 50 to 2,000 L (jacket standard from 200 L), states the sizing relation A = Q / (U × ΔTlm) and gives an overall coefficient U of 200–400 W/m²K for jacketed stainless steel vessels, depending on the fluids. [3] [4]

Editorial calculation: in the Berchance table, heating area per nominal volume falls from 1.7 m² / 0.5 m³ = 3.4 m²/m³ at 500 L to 7.5 m² / 5 m³ = 1.5 m²/m³ at 5,000 L. Assuming U = 300 W/m²K (mid-range of IDA's figure) and a 30 K mean temperature difference, the jackets remove about 1.7 × 300 × 30 ≈ 15 kW (about 31 kW per m³) and 7.5 × 300 × 30 ≈ 68 kW (about 14 kW per m³). A reaction whose heat release per m³ fits the small reactor may not fit the large one; check the scaled-up heat balance before ordering. [1] [4]

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board found that the 2007 T2 Laboratories explosion, which killed four people, was caused by a runaway reaction in a 2,500-gallon batch reactor after its cooling system likely failed from a blocked water supply or a valve failure; a second, undesired exothermic reaction started above 390 °F, slightly above the normal production temperature, and the reactor burst about ten minutes after the cooling problem was reported. [6]

Give the supplier the reaction heat (kJ per batch and peak kW), addition and hold times, temperature profile and limits, heating and cooling media with supply temperatures and flows, working volume and minimum stirred volume, required heat transfer area or zones, and the outcome of any reaction calorimetry; ask for the heat transfer calculation with the U value assumed.

02

Set the design pressure, material, agitator and seal

3V Tech's AE (63–6,300 L, two-piece vessel and cover) and BE (1,000–32,000 L, one piece) glass-lined reactors are designed for −1 to +6 bar and −25 to +200 °C to AD-Merkblätter or ASME Section VIII Division 1 with CE marking and PED Category IV, and ATEX zone 1/21 conformity; nozzles are flanged to DIN 2501 PN 10 with PTFE envelope gaskets, the standard agitator is a removable three-blade 45° pitched turbine with baffles to DIN 28146, the drive uses an EExd motor, and the shaft seal is a cartridge double mechanical seal to DIN 28138 with a pressurising and lubrication unit. [2] [3]

For high-pressure work, Huixin's GSH/FCH pilot pressure reactors of 50–500 L are rated 100 bar standard (−0.1 to 250 bar customised) and 0–350 °C, with SS304 or SS316 wetted parts or titanium, Hastelloy and duplex steel, stirring at 0–450 or 0–500 rpm with 1.5–5.5 kW motors, electric heating standard and PID temperature control to ±1 °C. [5]

Berchance offers anchor, paddle, turbine, propeller and frame impellers, multi-layer impellers on large diameters, and mechanical or packing seals. IDA's reactors pair a high-speed dispersion shaft (up to 2,880 rpm on small units) with low-speed mixing shafts, use SS304 as standard with SS316L or Hastelloy on request, and fit a mechanical seal as standard with magnetic coupling for hazardous service; it states its vessels are designed to ASME Section VIII Division 1. [1] [4]

Ask for design and test pressure and temperature for vessel and jacket separately, the design code and stamp (ASME VIII, PED, GB), corrosion allowance and material certificates, lining type and spark-test records for glass-lined vessels, agitator type, speed range, power and shaft design, seal type and barrier system, nozzle schedule, relief device sizing basis, and hazardous-area rating.

03

Choose the reactor construction

The constructions below are drawn from the suppliers cited; choose by corrosion, pressure and mixing duty.

04

Compare chemical reactor suppliers

These companies list jacketed or stirred chemical reactors. Their published pages show what they offer, not tested performance.

05

Trace the reactor components

This is a functional reference built from the sources cited; it is not one maker's design.

06

Fill the specification fields with values for your reaction

A reactor quotation needs values for your chemistry and site. The table explains each field, gives published values where a reviewed source states them, and says what to obtain from the supplier.

07

Send the reaction, vessel and utility data together

Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.

Reaction: [heat release; temperature profile; hazards]
Vessel: [working volume; pressure; temperature; code]
Material: [stainless; alloy; glass-lined; corrosion data]
Mixing: [viscosity; solids; gas; impeller]
Heat transfer: [jacket; half-pipe; coil; media; area]
Supply: [seal; drive; controls; documentation]

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