Solving exothermic reaction heat removal with calculated coil design
The customer was processing shale oil through catalytic hydrogenation. The reaction is highly exothermic — it generates heat faster than a standard jacketed reactor can remove it. Their previous setup used a single-layer jacket, and they were seeing temperature spikes during the reaction peak. Risk of thermal runaway was real.
We designed a 6-layer internal cooling coil arrangement. Each layer was spaced to maximize heat transfer surface area while maintaining proper flow distribution. We calculated the required heat removal capacity based on their reaction kinetics data, then sized the coil layout accordingly.
The agitator was also customized — a hydrogenation-specific impeller that promotes gas-liquid mass transfer while keeping the cooling coils clear of dead zones.
The reactor has been running for over 18 months without temperature control issues. Batch cycle time was reduced by approximately 15% compared to their previous setup because heating and cooling phases are now faster. The customer reported no unplanned downtime related to thermal management.