08,21,2026 21 views
【Pharmaceutical Network Product Information】In industries such as fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and new materials, after the process research and development enters the pilot stage, the projects undertaken by the pilot base often involve multiple process routes. During the verification process of the same project, adjustments may also be made based on the process resultsreactorType, operating parameters, or device configuration. The pilot base mainly faces three types of problems in equipment configuration and process validation:
1. Equipment configuration is difficult to fix
After changes in process conditions, the pipelines, feeding and heat exchange units of the original equipment may need to be reconfigured, and fixed equipment may also require reinstallation, debugging or even modification. Configuring fixed equipment for different processes will increase equipment investment and idle.
2. One set of equipment is difficult to adapt to different processes
There are differences in reaction types, material states, temperatures, pressures, and other conditions among different projects. It is difficult to match different process routes with a single reactor and fixed equipment configuration. After replacing the project, it is necessary to re select and configure.
3. The small-scale trial has entered the pilot scale, and the process conditions need to be re validated
The material quantity and equipment scale in the pilot stage are different from those in the pilot stage. After entering the pilot stage, it is necessary to reconfirm the heat and mass transfer, material transportation, temperature control, and continuous operation stability. For reactions with strong heat release, thermal sensitivity, multiphase reactions, and high selectivity requirements, further verification of operating conditions such as temperature and pressure is needed.
These issues fall at the equipment level, and what the pilot base needs is a device that can both complete current process validation and adjust functional units and reactor configurations according to project changes. The continuous flow pilot multi-functional modular solution launched by Shen's Weizhiyuan solves the above pain points from the aspects of equipment combination, reactor selection, and operation control.
Modular installation, reducing redundant configurations
At the 8th CMC-CHINA China Pharmaceutical Industry Expo in 2026, Shen's Weizhiyuan released a continuous flow pilot multi-functional platform. The platform consists of a feeding block, a reaction block, a heat exchange unit, and a control system. Each functional unit is independently configured and used in combination according to process requirements.
In response to the repeated installation and modification issues caused by changes in process conditions, the platform adopts a modular pry design. When the process conditions change, only the corresponding units need to be adjusted, without the need to rebuild the entire equipment; When a new project enters, the functional units are reorganized according to the process requirements to reduce the repetitive installation, debugging, and modification of fixed equipment caused by project changes, and to lower the equipment idle rate.
Feeding unit configurationmetering pumpMass flow metersafety valveWait, support liquid, gas, and slurry feeding, and can choose different liquid receiving materials according to material conditions; The heat exchange unit is equipped with an integrated thermostat, covering a temperature range of -40 ℃ to 250 ℃, with a control accuracy of ± 0.5 ℃, and supporting single or dual temperature zone configurations; The control system adopts a distributed integrated approach, integrated into corresponding modules or independently built into modules, supporting data storage, trend analysis, and report generation.
Multiple reactor configurations, selected according to the process
The reaction pry block supports the configuration of microchannel reactors, tubular reactors, dynamic tubular reactors, fixed bed reactors, and loop reactors. Different reactors correspond to different reaction conditions and residence time requirements, and the same platform selects corresponding reactors according to project requirements to solve the problem of a single reactor being difficult to match different process routes.
The basic module of the microchannel reactor showcased this time has a single board liquid holding capacity of 100mL and supports multiple modules in series and parallel. The operating temperature ranges from -40 ℃ to 200 ℃ and the operating pressure is 0-40 bar. It can be used for strong exothermic reactions such as nitrification and peroxidation. Multi module series connection is mainly used to extend dwell time, while parallel connection is mainly used to amplify processing capacity.
The tubular reactor adopts a spiral tube structure to enhance mass and heat transfer, while also considering pressure resistance. It is suitable for high temperature, high pressure, and long residence time reactions. The pilot treatment capacity is determined based on the pipe diameter, length, and flow rate, and can be adjusted according to amplification requirements.
Fixed bed reactors are used for catalyst evaluation and gas-solid, liquid-solid catalytic reactions; Dynamic tubular reactors are suitable for reactions with certain viscosity, solid content, or requiring enhanced mass transfer; Loop reactors are used for continuous reactions in gas-liquid and gas-solid systems.
A platform that undertakes multiple types of pilot tasks
In response to the issue of reconfirming process parameters after entering the pilot stage, the platform controls and records conditions such as feed, temperature, pressure, and residence time to provide data basis for amplification verification; In response to the problem of difficult fixed equipment configuration, modular dismantling reduces the redundant construction of the entire device; To address the issue of significant differences in reaction conditions across different processes, multiple reactor configurations are available to meet different pilot requirements.
For pilot bases that undertake research and development tasks for multiple products and processes, functional units can be recombined when new projects enter, and corresponding modules can be adjusted when process conditions change. A pilot plant can serve the validation of different products and processes through the combination of different functional units and reactors, reducing the investment and idle caused by repeated equipment configuration.
