What Are Scale-up and Scale-down?

Scale-up involves applying principles from mathematics, engineering, and chemistry to safely, economically, and predictably translate laboratory processes to larger commercial chemical reactors. In specialty and fine chemicals, this often means adapting a new chemical process for use in an existing plant-scale stirred tank reactor.

Scale-down, on the other hand, involves operating small-scale equipment in a way that mimics the key performance characteristics of larger systems. Since it’s nearly impossible to match all conditions—such as mixing, phase distribution, mass, and heat transfer—between large and small processes, scale-down focuses on replicating critical physical and chemical steps to control the overall process.

The technical aim of both scale-up and scale-down is to identify the most influential process steps and ensure that the operation is controlled by a single key step.

What Makes "The Fundamentals of Scale-Up" Unique?

This course teaches you how to pinpoint critical scale-up challenges in chemical reaction processes and develop robust methods for integrating them into existing industrial reactors. Key features include:

  • Clear Understanding: A simplified approach to the complex interactions of physical and chemical phenomena during scale-up and scale-down.
  • Efficient Techniques: Shortcut experimental methods and straightforward measurements using common laboratory tools.
  • Valuable Resources: Guidance to useful websites and literature.
  • Practical Tools: Easy-to-use calculations and modeling techniques that enable researchers to quickly address problems.

At rm2technologies.com, we specialize in innovative training and scale-up techniques, leveraging 40 years of industrial and academic experience. Our comprehensive courses and resources empower professionals to enhance their skills, think out-of-the-box and succeed in process scale-up projects.

Course Details

What Does the Course Include?

  • Comprehensive Materials: Over 500 pages of color notes, regularly updated to ensure the most current information.
  • Flexible Instruction: 1 to 2 days of on-site training at your facility, with pricing adjusted based on the number of attendees.

Who Has Taken the Course?

Over 600 chemists and laboratory engineers from various sectors of the chemical process industries have benefited from "The Fundamentals of Scale-Up." Participants include representatives from leading companies such as:

  • Monsanto
  • Merck
  • OxyChem
  • Dow Corning
  • Pfizer
  • Sepracor
  • Firmenich
  • Janssen Pharmaceuticals
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Air Products and Chemicals Inc.

Sample Syllabus

Here’s a sample syllabus from "The Fundamentals of Scale-Up." You can download a free PDF of the syllabus using the link below.

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