Chemical Process Development

Process Development Involves:

• Operating parameters, such as temperatures, flows, etc. are verified
• Reaction conditions, i.e. agitator speed, product flowability, product filterability, etc. are tested and verified
• Mass & Energy Balances are performed on Laboratory scale, compared with literature information and then incorporated in the Commercial Plant design
• Synthesis and other unit operations, i.e. filtration, distillation, etc. are performed and tested on Laboratory scale

Process Development Projects:

• Bromoxynil Process – Designed, built and operated a glass-lined pilot plant for process development of Bromoxynil (nitrile herbicide) at AECI Research
• MNR Steam Stripping – Developed a laboratory steam stripping process and recovered Mono Nitro Resorcinol (MNR) for AECI Explosives
• Hypo Phosphoric Acid – Developed a process on laboratory scale, scale-up to a 50-litre glass-lined reactor and produced Hypo Phosphoric Acid, which was used in electroless plating of machine parts
• Microballoon – Microballoon polymer high pressure process optimisation, agitator design and testing
• Titanium Project – Research on a pyrometallurgical process and generation of thermodynamic properties for the Peruke Titanium Project
• Hydrazine Pilot Plant – Detail designed, built and operated a Hydrazine Process Pilot Plant, producing 2% aqueous Hydrazine solution
• WF₆ Pilot Fluidisation – Designed, built and operated a pilot Fluidised Bed Reactor for piloting the fluidisation characteristics of a WF₆ Fluidised Bed Reactor by using simulation raw materials
• UDMH Pilot Plant – Co-designed, built and operated a pilot plant for the production of a 2.5% aqueous solution of Unsymmetrical Dimethyl Hydrazine (UDMH)
• UDMH Distillation – Co-designed, built and operated a laboratory scale fractionating distillation column for the separation and purification of Unsymmetrical Dimethyl Hydrazine (UDMH)
• NTO Synthesis – Synthesized Nitrotriazolone (NTO) on laboratory scale with the emphasis on developing a continuous commercial production plant
• Chromium Electrocoagulation – Developed a electrocoagulation facility with alternating pulsed current and electrodes with various materials and configurations for the recovery of Chromium from tannery effluent

Laboratory Process Development: Boiling Point Determination (Multipole Projects)

Laboratory Bench Scale Electrocoagulation Test Work (Multipole Projects)