The AVN Blog

A company was interested in testing a possible process concept involving a reaction of hydrogen cyanide. After safety reviews of the proposed work, the concept was studied at laboratory scale, which involved production of HCN for use in the experiments. After testing several approaches, it was determined that the concept… Read More

A company was operating a process that recovers a solvent by distillation and was encountering the build-up of solid material in the column and heat exchanger. This created a need for periodic maintenance and was reducing the capacity of the column. A multifunctional team was assembled to collaborate in addressing… Read More

A customer wanted to test several potential catalysts for an endothermic dehydration reaction. A catalyst test unit was designed based on a one-inch tubular reactor containing about 50 mL of catalyst, with the capability of being heated at temperatures up to about 550°C. The unit was equipped for delivery of… Read More

A client wanted to evaluate at pilot scale a process involving alkali metal-catalyzed addition of butadiene. A stirred pressure reactor was installed with a feed system for controlled addition of butadiene. The process was investigated to assess the effects of variables such as feed location and rate, temperature, stirring speed,… Read More

A liquid-phase batch process operated by a client had potential for conversion to a continuous process, which would increase the capacity of the unit. The process included hazardous materials with stringent requirements for temperature control. AVN prepared a process design for a unit, based on a small CSTR. Design safety… Read More