Process Technology Group

Products & Services
Through our Process Technology group, we offer standard or custom Loop Reactors, complete turnkey plants, Loop Reactor components, and professional services to meet your processing needs:
Loop Reactors
  • Operating Volumes from 12 to 12,000 US Gallons (50 Liters to 50 M3)
  • Operating Pressures up to 3,000 PSIG (10 to 200 BAR)
  • Operating Temperatures up to 650 °F (350 °C)
  • Solid Catalyst Loads up to 10 wt. %
  • Solid Substrate Load up to 40 wt. %
  • Over 15 % Gas Dispersion Rate throughout the Loop
  • Up to 500 CP or higher
  • Stainless Steels, Special Alloys, Glass Lined, Graphite
  • Internal Polish and CIP for Pharmaceutical Industry
  • Continuous or Batch Operation
Complete Loop Reactor Plants
  • Feed & Discharge Systems
  • Loop Reactor & Heat Transfer Systems
  • Gas Loop Systems
  • Catalyst Addition/Removal/Recycle Systems
  • Computer Control Systems
  • Modular Construction
Loop Reactor Components
  • Mixing Nozzles
  • Reaction Pumps & Sealing Systems
  • Vessels & Heat Exchangers
  • Spare Parts
Services
  • Laboratory Development Work
  • Pilot Plant Demonstration Tests
  • Conceptual Studies & Process Engineering
  • Engineering & Procurement
  • Control System Engineering
  • Process Hazard Analysis
  • Project Management
  • Equipment & Module Fabrication Management
  • Construction Management
  • Start-up & Commissioning
  • Validation

Loop Reactor Technology
The processing advantages of Loop Reactors have been demonstrated for decades on thousands of applications: short cycle times, low catalyst consumption, high-yields, and reproducible results.

For many applications, pilot trials are unnecessary to establish performance. By using HHTC’s well-proven evaluation tools, we can size your Loop Reactor and recommend a model from our standard designs. Or for special applications, we can design a custom solution to meet your processing needs.

The HHTC Loop Reactor is suitable for many gas/liquid reactions:
  • Hydrogenations
    • Nitro Reductions (TDA, DCA, DCPA, etc.)
    • Water White Resin Hydrogenations
    • Double and Triple Bond Hydrogenations
    • Ring Saturations
    • Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Amines
    • Oil and Fats Hydrogenations
    • Sugar Hydrogenations
  • Alkylations and Reductive Alkylations
    • Alkylation of Phenolic Compounds
    • Reductive Alkylation of Aromatic Nitro Compounds
  • Ethoxylations
  • Propoxylations
    • Propoxylations with Loop and Stirred Reactors
  • Oxidations
    • Alcohol Oxidations
    • Aldehyde Oxidations
  • Aminations and Reductive Aminations
  • Carbonylations
  • Chlorinations
  • Esterifications
  • Nitrilations
    • Fatty Acids to Nitriles
  • Emulsion Polymerization
  • Esterifications for Oleochemicals (Sorbitane Esters)
  • Phosgenations
  • Other 2 and 3 phase Reactions
HHTC Loop Reactor Advantages
  • High Mass Transfer Rates, 5 to 10 times better than a stirred reactor
  • Flexible batch size, 30 to 100 % of nominal Loop Reactor capacity
  • Almost unlimited heat removal capacity
  • No internal coils (easy cleaning)
  • Reduced laminar boundary on catalyst surface, typically allows catalyst reductions by 50 to 75 %
  • Continuous or Batch Operation
  • No moving parts in the reactor headspace
  • Predictable scale-up
  • External gas circulation allows gas removal and shifting of chemical equilibrium
  • Batch or Continuous operation
HHTC Loop Reactor Operating Principle

The batch charge and slurry-type catalyst are continuously pumped through an external heat exchanger to the Jet Mixer in the top head of the HHTC Loop Reactor (Figure 1). The nozzle acts as an eductor, and the action of the slurry passing through creates intimate gas/liquid/solid mixing.

The chemical reaction takes place primarily inside the Jet Mixer in a well-defined impact zone prior to the gas/liquid disengagement at the Jet Mixer exit. Mass transfer rates are superior to conventional stirred reactors (5 to 10 times better). In the continuous operation mode, the mass transfer rate is increased to even higher levels.

The design of the Jet Mixer is adapted such that the HHTC Loop Reactor system is either under a high gas distribution or under a low gas distribution depending on the specific reaction. The distinct features of the HHTC Loop Reactor of clearly separated mixing, pumping, and heat removal capacity allow for simple and reliable equipment scale-up with the help of pilot plant tests and simulation programs.
Operating Parameters

  • Operating Volumes from 25 to 12,000 US Gallons (10 Liters to 50 M3)
  • Operating Pressures up to 3,000 PSIG (10 to 200 BAR)
  • Operating Temperatures up to 650 °F (350 °C)
  • Solid Catalyst Loads up to 10 wt. %
  • Solid Substrate Load up to 40 wt. %
  • Over 15 % Gas Dispersion Rate throughout the Loop
  • Up to 500 CP or higher
  • Stainless Steels, Special Alloys, Glass Lined, Graphite
  • Internal Polish and CIP for Pharmaceutical Industry
  • Continuous or Batch Operation
HHTC Loop Reactor Pilot Plant Services

For chemistry verification, or technology demonstration, or catalyst screening purposes we are able to provide various different pilot plant sizes to simulate your chemistry. The pilot plants vary in sizes from 20 up to 300 gallons (50 to 1,100 liters) gallons and up to 1,500 psig (100 bar).
Biotechnology
Pharmaceuticals
Specialty Chemicals
Surfactants