Introduction to Equipment Design and Instrument Selection in Pilot Plants

Applying large scale specifications to a pilot plant will almost certainly yield poor experimental results. For example, company specifications might require 2”, 300# flanged tap points with 300# flanged isolation ball valves, flushing rings, and diaphragm seals to measure dP across a reactor, while this reactor might be only 1 inch in diameter. This example illustrates the need for specialized, scale specific design knowledge. The authors of this session will share their small scale equipment and instrumentation design and selection experience, and will discuss complications and difficulties encountered along the path of scaling up equipment.