Certainly the simplest method to measure the amount of gas consumed in a reaction is to feed the gas from a vessel of known volume and to measure the pressure drop in this vessel during the course of the reaction. The consideration in this method is to select a supply vessel with a volume matched to the amount of gas that will be consumed in the reaction. It needs to be large enough to contain enough gas to complete the reaction and small enough that the pressure drop will be significant and measurable. This basic technique can be applied in a number of ways:

  1. The supply tank can be connected directly to the reaction vessel. This is the simplest and least expensive. The principal limitation of this approach is that the reaction pressure will fall as gas is consumed and the reaction will not be conducted at a constant pressure.
  2. The supply tank can be fitted with a constant pressure regulator. The regulator must be selected to match the planned operating pressure. This regulator will deliver gas to the reaction vessel at constant pressure overcoming the limitation described in (1) above.
  3. Initial and final pressures in the supply tank can be measured with analog gages, or continuous pressure readings can be made and recorded using pressure transducers. While the transducers add cost, they also add increased resolution and the opportunity to follow the rate of the pressure drop and hence the rate of reaction.
  4. Enhanced precision can be achieved by measuring the temperature in the supply tank and applying corrections as appropriate.

Parr has put together a series of high pressure burettes in complete packages for direct connection to our reactors.

These burettes can also be equipped with digital pressure transducers, internal thermocouples and data acquisition and reduction support. Please contact our customer support group for information on these possibilities.

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