HEL has introduced the Flowcat continuous-flow bench reactor for laboratory scale fixed-bed hydrogenation.
The company said the system delivers high-pressure flow chemistry with the flexibility to rapidly tune hydrogenation conditions to suit the chemistry.
The design of the system allows for rapid screening of process conditions, which is particularly useful in the early stage generation of key API intermediates, where the behaviour and chemistry of the species may be an unknown.
Overheads are kept to a minimum with the system capable of producing results from a few millimetres of product, but retaining the ability to ramp up production volumes once ideal conditions are identified.
At the heart of the system is a tubular reactor with standard 3mL or 12mL isothermal reaction zone.
The system operates up to 400C and 200 bar.
Any heterogeneous catalyst can be used and users can pack their own columns.
The wide-bore reactor removes any propensity for blockages and extends the reliability of the system.
The Flowcat delivers flow hydrogenation in a laboratory bench-top unit, and is easy to use, requires little maintenance and is adaptable for the full array of high-pressure chemistries.