Parr reactors and pressure vessels have been used in many industries for a wide variety of applications over our 120 year history. Parr has learned over the years that user requirements are always changing and we pride ourselves on building reactors and pressure vessels to fit each user’s needs. To meet this demand, Parr has become proficient at designing and manufacturing custom components. Examples of these custom features are shown below.
Catalyst Baskets
Catalyst baskets are widely used to contain catalyst particles preventing them from being destroyed by the impeller. Traditionally Parr manufactured catalyst baskets have been used in reactors with volumes of 300mL to 2000mL. The two custom baskets shown above have been made to work in much smaller volumes. The drawing on the left shows a basket assembly designed for our 4590 Series 100mL reactor. This basket assembly connects to the stirrer shaft and serves two functions: holding the catalyst and acting as the impeller to mix the liquid through the catalyst. In the drawing on the right, we have reduced the height of our traditional static catalyst basket assembly to fit in our 4560 Series 160mL Reactor. A shorter gas entrainment-style impeller forces the liquid and gas across the catalyst.
U-Bar Anchor Stirrers
U-bar anchor stirrers are commonly used to agitate materials with moderate viscosity at low RPMs. We have altered the anchor stirrers in many different ways. The photo on the left shows two stacked anchor stirrers with a wire brush scraper. This was designed for a high temperature application where PTFE scrapers could not be used. Tapered bottom cylinders leading to a drain valve have recently become more popular; the drawing on the right shows how we can alter the anchor stirrer to fit the taper of the cylinder.
Please note that a wire brush scraper may damage the protective oxide layer on the interior surface of the cylinder leading to increased corrosion rates in some processes.
Impeller Stirrers
Pitched blade impeller stirrers are the most common type of stirrer used in our reactors. The above drawings show some of the variations we can make from the standard 45 degree version. The drawing on the left shows rounded blade edges. On the right we have changed the 45 degree pitch to 90 degrees to yield a modified Rushton Impeller.
Spiral Stirrer
The photo at the right shows a very unique spiral stirrer. This includes a double helix with the helices angled in opposite directions. The outer spiral is designed for downward thrust and the inside helix is designed for upward thrust in a tapered-bottom vessel.
Sample and Test Tube Holders
From time to time, a researcher may need to place samples inside a pressure vessel. These samples may need to be supported, organized, or separated from neighboring samples in the vessel. The left and center images below show examples of sample holders designed to be used in a non-stirred pressure vessel with samples of different shapes. On the right is a test tube holder, for use with user supplied test tubes.
More information about our standard stirrer options is available here. If you would like more information about the custom internals described above or are interested in other custom options, please contact us so we can help find a solution to meet your needs.