The AVN Blog

AVN partnered with a client to develop and manufacture an organosodium catalyst for a critical process application. The project involved the pilot-scale use of sodium metal, requiring meticulous planning and execution due to the inherent process hazards. AVN’s Environmental, Health & Safety (EH&S) team worked closely with pilot… Read More

In July, AVN welcomed chemistry students from Marshall University for an educational outreach event focused on industrial chemistry, process development, and continuous manufacturing. The visit provided students with a unique opportunity to explore an important area of chemical manufacturing that is often not emphasized in traditional undergraduate chemistry curricula:… Read More

AVN designed and built a catalyst testing unit featuring a 2 cm x 0.75 m tubular reactor heated by an electric furnace capable of exceeding 600 °C, with an approximate catalyst volume of 30 cc. The system was configured to deliver controlled feeds of up to five gases and liquids. Reactor effluent samples were… Read More

Last week, June 4-6,  the AIChE Process Development Symposium was held at the West Virginia Regional Technology Park, sponsored by AVN Corporation.  The PDS is a national symposium put on by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) with the help of its Process Development Division.  The symposium… Read More

A company developed a process for a new bio-based product that required hydrogenation followed by distillation. To demonstrate scalability, AVN commissioned a 6-inch internal-diameter, 22-foot-tall fixed-bed hydrogenation reactor along with three large packed distillation columns. Over multiple campaigns, operating with continuous, around-the-clock shifts, the team produced multiple totes of… Read More