Practical engineering for lab & pilot systems
Creating reactor systems that actually work.
Many reactor systems run, but not well. They're hard to operate, results don't reproduce, or the data is noisier than it should be. The cause is usually traceable to the design, the equipment selection, the assembly, or the controls. Practical Reactor Systems covers what good looks like in all four.
Kevin Bazazzadeh · 13 years in petrochemical R&D and process safety at Total and SABIC
Browse the technical libraryReactor Systems
Equipment selection, flow systems, pressure control, reactor configuration, and design topics.
Explore categoryAutomation & Instrumentation
PLC architecture, control philosophy, instrumentation, alarms, interlocks, and data acquisition.
Explore categoryProcess Safety
Safeguards, failure scenarios, PHA considerations, pressure protection, and abnormal operation.
Explore category
Design study · Six-part video series
From Paper to Bench Unit
From published chemistry to a proposed bench-scale reactor system. Follow the design decisions, equipment selection, controls, and hazard review.
Featured article
Dead Legs and Dead Volume in Lab Reactor Systems
How dead legs and excess hold-up volume delay composition changes, affect reactor data, and create fouling risks, with practical ways to reduce them.
Latest Articles
View all articlesEngineering Notes
Engineering Note · 02
Multipoint Temperature Probe vs. Thermowell with Individual Thermocouples
Compare flexible thermowell measurements with repeatable multipoint probes, and profile the furnace before fixing your measurement locations.
Engineering Note · 01Why Regulator Outlet Pressure Can Rise as a Gas Cylinder Empties
Why a regulator's outlet pressure can drift upward as cylinder pressure falls, and how two-stage regulation reduces the effect.
Practical experience behind the engineering.
I'm Kevin Bazazzadeh. Over 13 years in petrochemical R&D at Total and SABIC, I designed, built, and programmed seven lab-scale reactor systems, then ran them to generate data. I also wrote the site's control system standard. My last four years there were as the site's process safety engineer, managing MOCs, leading pre-startup safety reviews, and facilitating HAZOPs.
Practical Reactor Systems collects what that work taught me about building systems that produce good data, run reliably, and operate safely.
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Send me a question or suggestion about reactor systems, automation, or process safety. Your feedback helps me improve the site and may inspire future articles. If you’d like to contribute an article or Engineering Note, get in touch with your idea.