Chemical Engineering Lab

Flow Meter Demonstration

This accessory is designed to introduce students to three basic types of flow meter:

• Venturi meter
• Variable area flowmeter (Rotameter)
• Orifice plate
• 8 pressure tapping's are connected and displayed on the manometer bank to visualize pressure profiles

 Energy losses in bends

This accessory permits losses in different bends, a sudden contraction, sudden enlargement and a typical control valve, to be demonstrated.

• Mitre bend – 90° elbow – Swept bends (large and small radius)
• Sudden contraction and sudden enlargement
• Fully Instrumented with upstream and downstream pressure tappings.
• A bank of 12 water manometer tubes, mounted on the framework for visualisation of the pressure drop profiles.

Bernoulli’s Apparatus

This accessory illustrates those circumstances to which Bernoulli’s Theorem may be applied. Also, separately, why in other circumstances the theorem gives an inadequate description of the fluid behavior.

 Osborne Reynold’s Apparatus

This apparatus is intended to reproduce the classic experiments conducted by Professor Osborne Reynolds concerning the nature of laminar and turbulent flow.

• Reproducing the classic experiments conducted by Professor Osborne Reynolds concerning fluid flow condition
• Observing the laminar, transitional, turbulent flow and velocity profile

Liquid-liquid Extraction

Liquid / liquid extraction is important in chemical engineering where the separation of one or more of the components from a liquid mixture is required

Fluid Friction Measurement Unit

Basic Process Module

 The Basic Process Module contains everything that is needed to perform a range of single-loop process control experiments in conjunction with a PC.

Distillation Column

Instrumentation and control of distillation columns have changed considerably in the recent years, prompted by the advances of computer-linked systems which are generally supported by powerful software packages which allow the operators to handle operating data.

Fixed and Fluidized Bed Apparatus

The unit has three columns, one for use with water and two for use with air. The separate air and water columns enable the difference between ‘aggregative’ and ‘particulate’ fluidized bed characteristics to be demonstrated. The two air columns enable the effect of different packing material sizes to be demonstrated without having to remove, empty and repack a column.

Hydraulic Bench

Hydraulic Bench is designed as a portable and self-contained service module providing a controlled flow of water to a range of optional accessories.

 Gas absorption column

The Gas Absorption Column has been designed to demonstrate the principles of gas absorption and to provide practical training in the operation of a gas absorption plant.

Chemical Reactor Service Unit

The Computer Controlled Chemical Reactors Teaching Equipment demonstrates the characteristics of the important types of chemical reactors.

The self-contained benchtop service unit is designed to provide services for up to five different chemical reactors. Continuous stirred tank reactor, Tubular reactor with plug, Transparent batch reactor, Plug flow reactor and laminar flow.

Transparent Batch Reactor

Batch reactors are used widely in industry at all scales. Batch reactors are tanks, commonly provided with agitation and a method of heat transfer (usually by coils or external jacket). This type of reactor is primarily employed for relatively slow reactions of several hours’ duration, since the downtime for filling and emptying large equipment can be significant. Agitation is used to maintain homogeneity and to improve heat transfer. 

Reactions are monitored by conductivity probe as the conductivity of the solution changes with conversion of the reactants to product and visually due to the use of indicators.

Tubular Reactor

Tubular reactors are often used when continuous operation is required but without back-mixing of products and reactants.

The Tubular Reactor is specially designed to allow detailed study of this important process. Reactions are monitored by conductivity probe as the conductivity of the solution changes with conversion of the reactants to product. This means that the inaccurate and inconvenient process of titration, which was formally used to monitor the reaction progress, is no longer necessary.

Plug Flow Reactor

The Plug Flow Reactor demonstrates step and pulse changes for plug flow characterization and steady-state conversion for a second order reaction. It is a tubular packed column reactor made of clear acrylic and mounted on a steel frame. A static premixer at the bottom of the column provides premixing of the reagents entering the reactor and improves the flow distribution. Reactions are monitored by conductivity probe as the conductivity of the solution changes with conversion of the reactants to product. In addition, all the experiments are followed visually by means of the reactor transparency and the use of color indicators in all the experiments.

Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor

The continuous stirred tank reactor is used widely and is particularly suitable for liquid phase reactions. It is particularly used in the organic chemicals industry. Advantages include consistent product quality, straight forward automatic control and low manpower requirements.

The Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor is specially designed to allow detailed study of this important process. Reactions are monitored by conductivity probe as the conductivity of the solution changes with conversion of the reactants to product and by temperature.