Factors to consider when scaling up a chemical process

1. Factors to consider when scaling up a chemical process GCE Unit10 Lesson 1 Industrial manufacture of chemical compounds

2. Starter activity: List the factors that might you might need to consider when scaling up a simple chemical process from a laboratory scale of a few kilograms to tonnes of the substance.

3. Lesson objectives • In this lesson you will investigate the: • Factors that need to be considered when scaling up a small scale preparation to a full manufacturing process.

4. Factors to consider: • the apparatus • the transfer of materials • heating • use and disposal of co-products of the reaction • formation of side products • disposal of effluent Remember:- Most reactions have co-products. They may be useful as a potential product or just effluent. Side-products also form, especially in organic reactions, and reaction conditions are used to minimise this.

5. Task:- Chose an example of a manufacturing process in either Nelson advanced science or Nuffield GNVQ science. List and explain fully the key factors required to scale-up from a laboratory scale to a full manufacture. Nelson pages 144/145; case study on page 160/161. Nuffield pages: 178 to 181 zinc chelate; 340/341; 342 to 346 Contact process making sulphuric acid; The Solvay process 351 to 356. Alternative is to find an example on the internet