Jacketed Reactor
Jacketed Reactor
A jacketed reactor is an agitated reaction vessel with a second shell, the jacket, around the vessel wall. A hot or cold medium circulates through the jacket to heat or cool the batch, so the temperature can be raised, held or reduced without opening the vessel. Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey jacketed reactors in SS 316L (or a process-appropriate grade) for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food and botanical process lines that need controlled heating or cooling during reaction or processing.
The vessel is an SS 316L (or process-appropriate grade) shell with an external jacket, fitted with an agitator drive, a feed inlet, a vapour outlet and a product outlet, and a pressure gauge. The jacket has a hot/cold media inlet and outlet; the heating or cooling medium is configured to the process. A control panel offers temperature control, agitation control, pressure monitoring, recipe management and data logging and reports, and CIP / SIP readiness is available as an option. Electropolished product-contact surfaces support cleaning between batches. Capacity, materials and ancillaries are configured to requirement and established during process development and pilot validation.
Technical Specifications
| Product | Jacketed Reactor |
|---|---|
| Technology | Agitated reaction vessel with a heating / cooling jacket |
| Working Principle | A hot or cold medium circulates through the jacket to heat or cool the batch while the agitator keeps the contents mixed |
| Vessel Construction | SS 316L (or process-appropriate grade), electropolished product-contact surface |
| Agitation | Agitator and drive, configured to the process |
| Jacket Connections | Jacket inlet and outlet for hot / cold media; heating or cooling medium configured to the process |
| Process Connections | Feed inlet, vapour outlet and product outlet; additional nozzles as configured |
| Typical Configuration | Agitator drive, feed inlet, vapour outlet, jacket inlet and outlet, product outlet, pressure gauge and a control panel with temperature control, agitation control, pressure monitoring, recipe management, data logging and reports and CIP / SIP readiness as an option; the configuration is selected to the duty |
| Cleaning | CIP / SIP-ready connections as an option |
| Automation | PLC-based control with integrated instrumentation (configurable) |
| Capacity | Configured to requirement — pilot to commercial, with modular expansion |
| Compliance | GMP hygienic design; full documentation for qualification |
| Output | Reacted or processed batch, discharged through the product outlet |
Plant Capacities
| Scale | Typical Duty | Configuration |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Process validation and small-batch heating / cooling duties | Small jacketed vessel with agitator and instrumentation |
| Production | Plant-scale batch reactions and processing | Medium jacketed vessel with agitator, condenser and control panel as required |
| Large commercial | Larger batch volumes | Large jacketed vessel and ancillaries sized to the duty |
Vessel volume, jacket duty, agitation and ancillaries are configured to the process and batch size; a pilot unit is recommended to validate parameters before scaling.
Manufacturing Process
Charging
Raw materials and solvents are charged through the feed inlet.
Agitation & Mixing
The agitator keeps the contents mixed so heat is distributed through the batch.
Heating or Cooling
Hot or cold media circulating through the jacket inlet and outlet bring the batch to, and hold it at, the process temperature under recipe control.
Reaction or Processing
The batch runs under monitored temperature, agitation and pressure, with vapour leaving through the vapour outlet to a condenser where the process needs one.
Discharge
The finished batch is discharged through the product outlet.
Clean-in-Place
Where CIP / SIP-ready connections are fitted, the vessel is cleaned between batches.
Major Plant Equipment
- Jacketed SS 316L reactor vessel
- Agitator and drive
- Jacket inlet and outlet connections for hot / cold media
- Feed inlet, vapour outlet and product outlet nozzles
- Pressure gauge
- Condenser (where required)
- CIP / SIP-ready connections (optional)
- Instrumentation — temperature, pressure and agitation
- PLC-based control panel with recipe management and data logging
Plant Output
Applications
- Pharmaceutical and nutraceutical process manufacturing
- Botanical and herbal extraction industries
- Food and flavour processing
- Fine-chemical and specialty-chemical processing
Key Features
Jacketed Temperature Control
A jacket with inlet and outlet connections lets a heating or cooling medium control batch temperature during the process.
Instrumented, Recipe-Based Control
Temperature, pressure and agitation are monitored and controlled from the PLC panel, with recipe management and data logging.
Hygienic Construction
SS 316L (or process-appropriate grade) with electropolished product-contact surfaces, with full documentation to support GMP qualification.
CIP / SIP-Ready Option
CIP / SIP-ready connections are available as an option for cleaning between batches.
Turnkey Engineering
Design, fabrication, installation and commissioning are delivered as one accountable scope.
Scalable Capacity
The reactor is configured to requirement from pilot scale upward, with modular expansion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mechotech supply the complete Jacketed Reactor?
What is a jacketed reactor and when is it used?
How does the jacket control temperature?
How does the Jacketed Reactor differ from the other reactors Mechotech lists?
Which related reactors does Mechotech list?
What controls does the Jacketed Reactor have?
What capacities are available for the Jacketed Reactor?
What information is needed to specify a Jacketed Reactor?
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