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`Challenges To Process Scale Up
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`Why does an effective lab scale process technology require an experienced
`engineering specialist to successfully scale-up a pilot or production plant? Why can't
`you take a process technology that works in a beaker and drop it into a 500 gallon
`tank? Why doesn't a lab scale system have a linear formula to increase production?
`These are just a few challenges to pilot plant scale up.
`
`The physical characteristics of a system inadvertently affect the chemical reaction,
`creating different results at each iterative size. Using your bench scale data, an
`experienced plant scale engineer can use Aspen I HYSYS modeling to successfully
`scale-up your technology. EPIC can achieve this in less time and cost through our
`proprietary industrial process scaleup design.
`
`Keep reading for information on:
`
`• Non-linear Pilot Plant Scale-up
`• Specific Challenges
`• Modeling Methods
`• Equipment and Materials of Construction
`• Modular System Design For Pilot Plant Scale UP
`
`Non-Linear Pilot Plant Scale Up
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`As a system increases in pilot plant scale, many properties related to the system size change, such as the proportion of
`surface area to mass, which cause other things, such as laminar and turbulent flow regimes, to change, especially for
`non-Newtonian fluids.
`
`In turn reaction kinetics, fluid mechanics and thermodynamics change in a non-linear fashion, affecting each other as
`they change. A productive process at lab scale may not produce the same results in larger scale.
`
`Specific Challenges to Process Scale-up
`
`EPIC has experience navigating a wide range of issues during pilot plant scale up. Specific types of challenges we
`address include the following physical and chemical elements of a scale-up of process technology:
`
`o Reaction kinetics - In systems with good reaction kinetics, molecules from each element mix efficiently and
`quickly together, reaching a state of equilibrium for the solution. Various physical and chemical factors can
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`prevent the molecules of the mixture from mixing and colliding correctly. This can create bad reaction kinetics
`without proper system design ..
`o Chemical Equilibrium -A reaction is not productive until chemical equilibrium is reached, which does not
`occur immediately. As increased quantities of chemicals are mixed, the time to reach equilibrium increases at
`a nonlinear rate.
`o Material properties - The properties of the materials in contact with process system chemicals are critical.
`Incorrectly selected materials can influence the reaction, erode over time, or make the system unnecessarily
`expensive.
`
`o Fluid dynamics - Keeping flow at the correct Reynolds
`number is important for thermal transfer and mixing
`efficiency. Fluid dynamics changes at a non-linear rate as
`systems increase in size, making changes between laminar
`and turbulent flow hard to predict.
`o Thermodynamics - Heat loss and gain can play a major
`role in chemical reactions. For example, some reactions
`discharge heat, increasing system temperature and further
`speeding up the reaction, letting off even more heat and
`causing temperatures to rise further. Controlling reaction
`temperature is important to a successful pilot plant scale up.
`o Equipment selection - The physical limitations of
`equipment can acutely impact the chemical reaction.
`Continuing the thermodynamics example, as some reactions
`create heat, it must escape the system in a timely matter so
`the reaction does not become unstable. The ratio of surface
`area to mixture volume determines how quickly heat can be discharged from the system. If the tank is the
`incorrect size, it will be difficult to control the chemical reaction, which will begin escalating quickly.
`o Agitation issues - Mixing techniques are crucial to achieving good reaction kinetics. As systems increase in
`volume, mixing presents several challenges. For example, as the volume of the reaction increases, so does
`the horsepower needed to stir the mixture. It is not always cost effective or feasible to add enough
`horsepower to stir the mixture as the system scales up. This problem is addressed by matching the tip speed
`of the larger agitator to the tip speed of the bench scale agitator. Creating the correct amount of turbulence
`within the tank to promote good reaction kinetics is an issue that is solved through angled agitators and
`baffles. Watch the video on the right for more information on how this works.
`
`--------------------------------~
`
`EPIC addresses these difficulties through Front-End Engineering and scale up design in Aspen HYSYS modeling. We
`established that the chemical technology can be scaled up for a reasonable cost and still produce the required output.
`We also look at specific system challenges based on whether your system is a sanitary process scaleup or an
`industrial process scale-up.
`
`Modeling Methods
`
`The use of several semi-empirical modeling methods determines the limitations of your pilot plant scale up through
`modeling, reducing costs and eliminating the need to build successive test systems. EPIC's professional engineers
`model this iterative process through computer simulations based on your lab scale data. The specific methods used to
`do this include:
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`o Chemical similitude studies - This method is dimensional similitude applied to chemical reactions and is
`derived from the laws of conservation of mass, momentum and energy in a chemical reaction. If a reaction is
`fast enough, chemical similitude is not very important, but in slow reactions it is very important to study.
`o Mathematical modeling- This method involves using computer programs to set parameters based on
`physical properties of the system for chemical reaction equations and running the program iteratively until the
`desired reaction size is reached. Methods used by EPIC for this include:
`o Aspen/HYSYS modeling - computer simulation programs that develop kilo-scale processes from
`bench-scale recipes
`o Finite Elemental Analysis (FEA) - numerical method that finds solutions of partial differential
`equations (POE)& integral equations
`o Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) - computer modeling technique used to produce flow
`simulations
`
`Equipment and Materials of Construction Selection
`
`Non-linear pilot plant scale-up effects can be managed with the proper equipment, system sizing and materials of
`construction, but at what cost?
`
`Materials of construction that are easily available and work in bench scale can be expensive and hard to find in large
`quantities. Finding feasible substitutes requires experienced scale-up design specialists with knowledge of material
`properties and available equipment.
`
`Design Engineers must balance cost savings and equipment selection without compromising the end goal of proving
`viability of final pilot plant scale-up. Production level equipment may be required to prove production level ability, even
`though the size of the lab or pilot plant does not require the same equipment as the production sized plant in order to
`work. Special equipment and compliance is also designed and tested during sanitary process scale-up.
`
`Selecting the proper amount of instrumentation and testing stations will keep costs under control and prove the process
`technology works.
`
`EPIC can cut 3 months off of your project time and save you 24% of your costs through modular design of your scale
`up system. We maximize speed of delivery while minimizing downtime with offsite parallel fabrication of process
`systems and onsite facilities preparation. Visit our Advantages to Modular Design/Build page to learn more about how
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`this approach can positively impact your project.
`
`Related Links
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`o Scale-up Capabilities
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`o Pilot Plants & Demonstration Plants
`
`o Production & Commercial Plants
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`• Process Scale-Up Capabilities
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`• Challenges To Process Scale Up
`
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