Reactors

Reactors, batch reactors or chemical reactors as they are also known are generally used in the production of chemicals and work by reacting two or more substances to form a new substance. They are often used in the chemical, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries.

They consist of cylindrical vessel with dished ends with a top mounted agitator fitted with one or more impellers driven by an electric drive and motor. The reactor is also fitted with internal baffles and a jacket or internal coil depending on the type of reaction required. They can be operated under pressure or vacuum and at temperature. They are often constructed from various different metals depending on the corrosive nature of the process they are to be used on. Typically they are constructed from stainless steel, mild steel with a glass lining and from exotic alloys such as hastelloy or incolloy. They can range in size from lab scale type to large industrial reactors depending the quantity of product the user wishes to produce.

They are often manufactured by metal fabrication companies such as Ardeth Engineering, Langfields, Pfaudler and DeDietrich.