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Upon completion of laboratory scale studies, the current industry practice is to transfer the process to either a very small hard-piped chemical reactor (200 liter) or a hybrid reactor (25 liter up to 200 liter). A hybrid reactor consists of a small traditional reactor bottom coupled with glass top head and glass overheads and condenser (below). These reactor systems are placed in well-ventilated enclosures that provide maximum protection for the process chemist or technicians. These set-ups are commonly called kilo laboratories and can safely scale the process from the 1 kg batch size level to 10 kgs.
However, every process slated for scale-up should undergo process safety analysis and equipment compatibility review prior to actual processing. All isolated intermediates and products should be subjected to DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimeter) testing before the process is approved for transfer to larger equipment. Depending on the results of the DSC, additional testing such as Accelerating Rate Calorimetry (ARC) or Reaction Calorimeter-1 (RC-1) may be required. This information is critical in order to establish actual energy values that will be generated within the resulting batch mixtures. The process vessels being considered must be able to safely handle this energy in an emergency situation. It should be noted that these tests are typically the minimum required.
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