All demonstration plants have similar goals and key design factors, similar to pilot plants. Demonstration plant suppliers should use your process goals to balance these design factors and design your custom module. Common design goals for pilot plant services include:
Validate testing data, either from a lab test or a pilot plant test
Prove that a new technology or chemical formulation can be successfully produced by commercial equipment
Produce product in large enough amounts to attract investors, show business viability, or test in a market
Create a permanent, flexible process system that can be used to bring multiple formulations or technologies to a commercial market test
Gather additional data on process parameters at a larger operating capacity
Demonstrate a clear path to return on investment (ROI) for producing the end product
Optimize a process or automate a low-volume production
The design factors that have to be balanced for successful scale-up include:
Non-linear process design
Reaction Kinetics
Chemical equilibrium
Material interactions
Fluid dynamics
Thermodynamics
Agitation methods
Equipment selection
