Symyx Technologies has announced the global availability of its Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor, a high-throughput system capable of screening and optimising catalysts and processes
The Symyx Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor can be used in a variety of traditional applications within petrochemicals and refining, in addition to emerging areas such as biofuels and other biorenewable processes.
"We've had the privilege of using an early prototype of the Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor from Symyx Technologies at the Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo (IMP) Combinatorial Catalysis Laboratory," said JA Montoya, director of the combinatorial catalysis laboratory at IMP.
"The Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor has been successfully applied for a series of R+D projects in petrochemical and refining areas.
"Thousands of experiments have been performed using this workflow and we have found the equipment to be robust, versatile and easy-to-use.
"Most importantly, the Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor has achieved a very high level of throughput for catalyst development and optimisation|".
The Symyx Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor provides data consistent with traditional laboratory-scale fixed-bed setups for gas, liquid and trickle-phase processes, and can be used effectively as a pre-screen for catalyst batches slated for use in pilot plants and manufacturing.
Rather than automating and synchronising current lab equipment, Symyx says the Parallel Fixed Bed Reactor is a step-change in R+D technology to provide business results in the mature fields of refining and petrochemicals as well as in emerging areas such as biofeedstock and biofuel applications, where time-to-market for processes is critical.
