Supplementary Lecture #5: Batch Reactors for Determining Intrinsic Kinetics

This is a stainless-steel, heavy-walled, jacketed reaction bomb, with glass liner for corrosive fluids. The external cooling jacket allows good temperature control, while the lid has three ports for thermocouple, fluid inlet and sample outlet. All fittings are rated to 2500psi, and the vessel itself is capable of withstanding 4000 psi.

This is a low-pressure equivalent – a two-piece glass reactor with a cooling jacket for temperature control, and three ports for thermocouple, inlet and outlet flow. A wide assortment of one- and two-piece glass reactors are available through any scientific glass company (e.g. Ace, Chemglass, etc.). One-piece glass vessels are great for low-pressure (sub-atmospheric) reactions as well.

This is a four-port glass reactor, with a stirring rod for mixing, thermocouple and septum for syringing out samples for analysis. Temperature control is provided by a heating mantle.

Another high-pressure reactor, used for studying hydrogenation kinetics. Two sampling ports allow injection and withdrawal of reactants and samples. You can tell that this picture was taken after the experiments were finished, as there is something clearly wrong with the arrangement.