What is a stainless steel reactor?

Stainless steel reactor setups are commonly used as batch reactors formulating certain chemical blends or reactions. Each chemical process requires specific environmental parameters such as temperature and pressure that are easily maintained within the stainless reactor vessel. Most stainless steel reactors are equipped with stirrers to help with mixing and agitation as well.

Goldleaf Scientific even carries homogenizers that can easily be equipped to stainless steel reactors that allow for emulsion of large quantities at a time. A homogenizer is more efficient at stirring as it evenly disperses different reactants throughout the solution. This creates a better reaction mixture for a number of reasons from improving reaction rate to consistent results in lab testing.

Parts of a Stainless Steel Reactor Vessel

Each reactor comes with a set of components. Starting with the jacketed stainless steel reactor vessel that connects to an external heater or chiller to maintain temperatures. These vessels are the main part of any stainless steel reactor and ultimately dictate what your reactor will be used for. Starting with the size from benchtop scale for small batch testing, to pilot plant scale of 100 liters for medium sized processes and testing, to large scale vessels over 100 gallons for use in chemical plants and other facilities.

Types of Stainless Steel Reactors:

GMP Certified

The highest quality of stainless steel reactor vessels that meet a number of standards to be used in pharmaceutical environments for sanitary and cleanliness purposes. These types of vessels are reserved mostly for specific reactions and will not be used unless these standards are particularly required for a users process.

Industrial Reactors

Much more common for standard chemical reactions like high temperature petrochemical processes, cosmetics, and high pressure chemical processes. These are implemented more often when cross contamination and mixing between batches is less of a concern. Usually for continuous batch reactors or a semi batch reactor type of setup.

Ancillary Equipment and Parts

Condensers

Usually included in every reactor kit is some type of a condenser, the most common being a reflux condenser. These can come in glass or steel, depending on the users process. A reflux condenser on a reactor will capture any vapors and either condense them back into the reactor, or into a separate collection chamber. Other condensers can be used for fractional distillation to molecularly separate compounds based on temperature differences in condensation, which can come in as a glass coil condenser, stainless steel tube and shell condenser, or other variations.

Feed Flasks

Another component usually included in a reactor kit is a feed flask used to measure out additives to a reaction. Feed flasks can come in glass or stainless steel and can have marking for measuring out liquids. A valve at the bottom of the flask limits the flow rate allowing for a drip feed if needed.

Vacuum Pump and Manifold

A lot of industrial process, especially petrochemical and oil refinement processes that create excess vapors which must be captured. Vacuum pumps and manifolds will be connected to a condenser atop the reactor and will pull out all vapors emitted from the reaction. These vapors can be captured for reuse or filtered out for disposal.

Heaters and Chillers

Almost every reactor setup is going to require temperature control. Depending on the size of your stainless steel reactor vessel, you may need benchtop models to large scale rooftop units with industrial sized stand-alone units connected throughout the facility. Finding the heater or chiller with the proper power ratings is key to maintaining precise temperatures. An underpowered unit might never reach the required operating temperate. Especially in selecting a chiller for an exothermic chemical reaction that will release heat and require a strong chiller to fight the rise in energy.

Lifting Motors for Stainless Steel Reactors

Since a large stainless steel reactor vessel is so heavy, they require frames that are able to lift the heavy lids or reactor bodies. Goldleaf reactors are equipped with an electric lifting motor to easily remove the lid and attached equipment without having to remove anything clamped to the lid.

These frames are also able to tilt the reactor body a full 180 degrees for easy cleaning or removal of solids from any crystallization process.

Explosion Proof Stainless Steel Reactors

Explosion proof stainless steel reactors are needed for chemical reactions that use or give off volatile vapors which could create an unsafe working environment. Goldleaf can easily create explosion proof electronics and motors that are safe to use in a hazardous process.

Custom Equipment for Stainless Steel Reactors

Since every application varies widely, we have in house manufacturing capabilities to create the exact setup needed for any process vessel. Custom attachments can include unique condensers or heat exchangers along with manifolds or one of a kind control panels for different sensors. It is important to work with a company that can work with end users to create customized solutions as there is no one standard setup for any process.

Stainless Steel Reactor System Planning and Consulting

Part of creating customized solutions is taking the time to work with your supplier to decide exactly the type of setup needed. From planning designs, to power requirements, and facility layouts, Goldleaf can assist from start to finish in developing a stainless steel reactor system.

Goldleafs line of stainless steel reactors has a variety of setups not available anywhere else. Our reactors have a number of variations:

-Jacketed Stainless Steel Reactor (Single or Double Jacketed)

-Non-Lift and Motorized Lifting Reactor Skids (For easy cleaning and collection)

-High Pressure Stainless Steel Reactor

-Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor

-Plug Flow Reactor

These variations allow us to design custom reactor skids that perfectly fit your needs. We can plan full layouts, plumbing, electrical, and ancillary equipment such as heaters, pumps, and more. Our in house manufacturing allows us to create entirely custom builds. Our shop has glassblowing, machining, and electric capabilities to make the exact piece you need. Some of our custom stainless steel reactors include:

-Stainless Steel Chemical Reactor

-Stainless Steel Conical Fermenter

-Stainless Steel Pharmaceutical Reactor

-Food and Beverage Stainless Steel Reactors

All of our reactors can fit any certification you need. Let us know what your local requirements are and we will have all of your equipment up to code.

-UL Listings

-C1d1 /C1d2

-ETL

-316 Grade Steel

-Explosion Proof

-Air Powered

What is a Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor?

A system with a constantly stirring impeller that creates a well mixed solution for even distribution of reactants at a certain rate.

What is a Plug Flow Reactor?

A plug flow reactor, also called a continuous tubular reactor, uses tubes to constantly stream reactants into a mixture allowing for sequential reactions by consistently adding fresh reactants to the vessel. Thus, a plug flow reactor forces molecules into a solution all going the same direction with no back flowing or vertical mixing, creating an even flow of reactants.

What chemicals are safe for our stainless steel reactors?

Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Chloride, Urea, Sulfurous Acid, Sulfuric Acid, Stannic Chloride, Sodium Sulfite, Sodium Sulfide, Sodium Sulfate, Sodium Silicate, Sodium Peroxide, Sodium Nitrite, Sodium Nitrate, Sodium Chlorite, Sodium Chlorate, Sodium Bromide, Sodium Bisulfate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Acetate, Silver Nitrate, Silver Bromide, Quinine Sulfate (Dry), Quinine Bisulfate (Dry), Pyrogallic Acid, Potassium Sulfate, Potassium Permanganate, Potassium Oxalate, Potassium Iodide, Potassium Hydroxide, Potassium Dichromate, Potassium Cyanide, Potassium Bromide, Picric Acid, Phosphoric Acid, Perchloric Acid, Nitrous Acid, Nitric Acid, Mercuric Nitrate, Mercuric Cyanide, Malic Acid, Magnesium Sulfate, Magnesium Chloride, Magnesium Carbonate, Gallic Acid, Ethyl Chloride, Cupric Chloride, Copper Cyanide, Copper Carbonate, Copper Acetate, Chlorobenzene, Carbon Tetrachloride, Calcium Nitrate, Calcium Hydroxide, Calcium Chloride, Benzoic Acid, Ammonium Sulfite, Ammonium Sulfide, Ammonium Sulfate, Ammonium Phosphate, Ammonium Oxalate, Ammonium Hydroxide, Ammonium Carbonate, Ammonium Bromide, Ammonium Bicarbonate

What are some applications of our stainless steel reactors?

Water Desalination, Utilities, Solar Power, Sea Water, Pharmaceutical, Petrochemical, Oil & Gas, Nuclear Power, Mining, LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), Geothermal, Chemical Process, Biomass