What is Glass Lined Reactor?

Glass lined reactor is an important equipment for handling chemicals, and is widely evaluated in the chemical, pharmaceutical, food and other industries. Its interior is coated with corrosion-resistant glass lining, which can effectively prevent the reactants from contacting with the reactor. In addition to the traditional glass-lined reactor, there are several different types of glass lined reactors, such as single-layer glass reactors and jacketed glass reactors. These types of reactors have their own characteristics and are suitable for different reaction needs.

Main features of glass-lined reactors

• Strong corrosion resistance: The inner wall of the glass-lined reactor is coated with corrosion-resistant glass material, which can effectively resist the erosion of corrosive chemicals such as acids, alkalis, and solvents, ensuring the long-term stability of the reaction.
• High purity and pollution-free: The glass lining material will not react chemically with the reactants, avoiding contamination from the inner wall of the metal reactor, and ensuring the purity and quality of the product.
• High temperature resistance: The glass-lined reactor can withstand higher temperatures and adapt to high-temperature reaction processes, so it is particularly suitable for high-temperature catalysis or heating reactions.
• Easy to clean: The glass surface is smooth and anti-adhesive, making the cleaning of the reactor more convenient and reducing the risk of cross-contamination.
• Safety and stability: The design of the glass-lined reactor ensures stability during the reaction process and is suitable for some highly sensitive and safety-critical chemical reactions.

Main applications of glass-lined reactors

• Chemical synthesis: Glass-lined reactors are widely used in organic and inorganic synthesis reactions in the chemical industry, especially reactions involving corrosive substances such as acids, alkalis, and salts. For example, in chlorination reactions and fluorination reactions, glass-lined reactors can effectively prevent adverse reactions between reactants and reactor materials.
• Pharmaceutical industry: The pharmaceutical industry often needs to handle highly corrosive and sensitive substances. Glass-lined reactors can ensure that chemical reactions in the drug production process are not contaminated by any external substances, and can provide precise reaction control to ensure the purity and safety of drugs.
• Petrochemicals: In the process of petroleum refining, some chemical reactions and catalytic processes involve highly corrosive media. Glass-lined reactors can effectively resist the erosion of these corrosive media on reactor materials. Especially in some complex petrochemical reactions, glass-lined reactors can ensure the smooth progress of the reaction.
• Food and Beverage Industry: During the processing of food and beverages, some acidic or other corrosive raw materials need to undergo chemical reaction treatment. Glass-lined reactors can provide a clean, pollution-free reaction environment to ensure product quality and safety.

Design and construction of glass-lined reactors

The design of glass-lined reactors usually consists of two main parts: a metal support shell and a glass lining on the inner wall. The metal shell is usually made of stainless steel or carbon steel to withstand the mechanical pressure and temperature of the reactor. The glass lining uses special high-temperature and corrosion-resistant glass, such as aluminosilicate glass, which can effectively isolate the reactants from direct contact with metal materials. Glass-lined reactors include single-layer glass reactors and jacketed glass reactors.

Single-layer glass reactors are reactors composed of a single layer of glass, which are mainly used for small-scale or medium-low temperature chemical reactions. Single-layer glass reactors are usually made of high-quality glass with good transparency, and operators can directly observe the reaction process. Since there is no additional heating or cooling jacket, the temperature control capability of the single-layer glass reactor is relatively limited, so it is more suitable for chemical reactions where temperature control is not strict or heating is not required.

Jacketed glass reactors are equipped with a jacket outside the traditional glass reactor. This design can adjust the temperature inside the reactor through the heat medium (such as hot water, steam or coolant) in the jacket. Jacketed glass reactors are widely used in chemical reactions that require precise temperature control, especially for high-temperature or low-temperature reaction processes.

Summary

Glass-lined reactors have become an ideal choice for handling corrosive substances and high-purity reaction processes in many industries due to their excellent corrosion resistance, non-pollution, high-temperature resistance and easy cleaning. Whether in chemical synthesis, pharmaceutical industry, petrochemical industry, or food processing, glass-lined reactors have demonstrated their wide application potential and efficient reaction control capabilities.