Reactor Design · Automation · Process Safety

Engineering series · Design study

From Paper to Bench Unit

A six-part series on designing a bench-scale reactor system from published research.

What does it take to turn a research paper into a reactor system you can specify? This project follows the work from a design basis through process drawings, equipment selection, physical layout, controls, and hazard review. The endpoint is a proposed design, not a constructed unit.

This is a design-only series: building a bench scale unit like this would cost roughly $150k–$200k depending on specifics. That broad build-cost explains the design-only approach here.

Start Part 1 Watch on YouTube

The project

From reported chemistry to a design you can question.

Chemistry
CO₂ methanation over Ni/SiO₂–Al₂O₃, using published research as the starting point.
Source paper
Usman et al. “CO₂ methanation over Ni/SiO₂–Al₂O₃ catalysts: effect of Ba, La, and Ce addition.” RSC Advances, 2025, 15(14), 10958–10969. DOI: 10.1039/d4ra08895f.
Intended scale
A bench-scale reactor system. Reactor size, catalyst inventory, throughput, and numerical operating conditions remain to be defined for this design study.
Design objectives
Develop a traceable design basis, process and instrumentation drawings, equipment specifications, a usable layout, control logic, and a hazard-review feedback loop.

The six-part roadmap

1 of 6 published

Start with the basis, then carry the decisions through the whole system. Titles and deliverables for planned episodes are provisional.

  1. 01 From Paper to Bench Unit, Part 1 of 6 — Design Basis: presenter, research papers, and reactor skid.

    From Research Paper to Design Basis

    Establish the design basis by separating research conditions, required calculations, and assumptions from information still needing confirmation.

    Published
  2. 02
    Thumbnail forthcoming

    Developing the P&ID

    Develop the process arrangement, instrumentation, flow paths, and analyzer sampling points.

    Planned
  3. 03
    Thumbnail forthcoming

    Hazard Review

    Review the proposed design for hazards and identify safeguards to carry into component selection, layout, and controls.

    Planned
  4. 04
    Thumbnail forthcoming

    Components and Bill of Materials

    Select components and develop the bill of materials from the process requirements and hazard-review findings.

    Planned
  5. 05
    Thumbnail forthcoming

    Physical Layout

    Arrange the system and its components with access for operation, maintenance, and equipment removal.

    Planned
  6. 06
    Thumbnail forthcoming

    Controls and Commissioning

    Develop the control strategy, I/O, interlocks, and commissioning plan for the proposed design without constructing or commissioning a unit.

    Planned

Project resources

Each episode’s downloads section is the single source for its files, revisions, and availability. No separate copies are hosted here.