Upscaling - from the pilot plant to production

Replicating chemical processes from laboratory scale to kilogram scale and beyond to production scale can be a significant challenge. Scaling up, including test runs, quickly becomes a factor of time and cost, not to mention the necessary investments in the required equipment. Furthermore, the so-called Upscaling technical expertise that is not present in every company. At DMG Chemie in Leipzig, we have everything for a successful Scale transfer What is needed: a modern, well-equipped laboratory and many years of experience with process and material testing.

Upscaling bedeutet, die Auflösung eines Bildes oder Videos zu erhöhen.

Upscaling oder Scale-up is a term borrowed from English (to scale up = enlarge, expand) used for the practice in chemical process engineering Scale-up of production processes The aim is the establishment of a technical production facility that can ultimately produce the same products as in the initial production, only with significantly larger margins. The correct German translation is „Maßstabsübertragung“. However, this term is now almost completely being replaced by the English term.

Upscaling, also known as scale-up, is the process of taking a chemical reaction or process from a laboratory setting to a larger industrial scale. In chemistry, systematic upscaling is indispensable for several key reasons: 1. Economic Viability: Laboratory-scale experiments are often too small and costly to produce chemicals in quantities required for commercial use. Systematic upscaling allows for the production of larger batches, thus reducing the per-unit cost of the product and making it economically viable to bring to market. 2. Meeting Market Demand: Industrial applications and consumer products require significant quantities of chemicals. Without the ability to scale up production, it would be impossible to meet the demands of various industries, from pharmaceuticals and agriculture to manufacturing and materials science. 3. Process Optimisation and Efficiency: As a process is scaled up, new challenges and inefficiencies often emerge. A systematic approach allows for the identification and addressing of these issues, leading to optimised reaction conditions, improved yields, reduced waste, and enhanced energy efficiency. This might involve changes to reactor design, mixing strategies, heat transfer mechanisms, and separation techniques. 4. Safety Considerations: Chemical reactions that are safe on a small scale can become hazardous when scaled up. Heat generation, pressure build-up, and the handling of larger quantities of potentially dangerous materials require careful consideration. Systematic upscaling ensures that safety protocols and engineering controls are implemented at each stage to mitigate risks. 5. Reproducibility and Consistency: For a product to be commercially successful, it must be produced consistently and to a high standard. Upscaling studies help to ensure that the process remains reproducible and that the quality of the final product is maintained, regardless of the batch size. 6. Understanding Reaction Kinetics and Thermodynamics: As scale changes, factors like heat and mass transfer become more significant. Systematic upscaling allows researchers and engineers to better understand how these factors affect reaction kinetics and thermodynamics, which is crucial for designing effective larger-scale processes. 7. Technological Advancement: The challenges encountered during scale-up often drive innovation in chemical engineering and process technology. Developing new equipment, control systems, and methodologies for larger-scale production contributes to the advancement of the chemical industry as a whole. In essence, systematic upscaling is the critical bridge between groundbreaking laboratory discoveries and the mass production of chemicals that underpin modern society and industry. It transforms theoretical potential into tangible, practical, and economically viable solutions.

Product and process development in chemistry often still takes place in the laboratory beaker. However, the insights gained from this cannot be directly transferred to production. Rather, it is necessary to find suitable technologies and carry out scale-up calculations as well as feasibility studies.

Critical parameters in chemical reactions include, for example:

Fabric concentrations,
Temperatures,
Heating and cooling times,
Homogenisation times,
the removal of air and
the incorporation of additives.

These influencing factors can have a very different effect on a small scale compared to a large scale. For instance, the heat of reaction, particularly in endothermic or exothermic processes, places very diverse demands on equipment during scale transfer. For example, the control behaviour of pumps can change in conjunction with the periphery. Heating and cooling times, on the other hand, are often determined very imprecisely during initial production. If this is not taken into account during scale-up, subsequent chemical production can be characterised by an expansion of heating or cooling times, which in turn leads to an explosion of the overall production time.

Furthermore, the use of conventional laboratory technology such as a dispersing tool or propeller stirrer provides no indication of the homogenisation times required in the subsequent production process. Consequently, product qualities can vary significantly between development and production. To achieve specific product properties such as texture or viscosity, thickening agents with a low bulk density are used in many processes. These often present developers with problems even in the laboratory, as excessive dust generation or clumping frequently occurs. In large-scale production, this can result not only in qualitative and safety-related disadvantages but also in extremely long mixing times.

Only through comprehensive process adjustments within the scope of a Systematic scale-ups It can be ensured that the scale-up functions smoothly and ultimately achieves the same results on a production scale as previously in the laboratory or pilot production. Thus, upscaling is one of the most important engineering tasks that chemical process engineering deals with.

Wie funktioniert das Upscaling in der Chemie?

During scale-up, all technical parameters are repeatedly adjusted and optimised until everything is perfect. To achieve this, dimensionless numbers such as the Reynolds number, Froude number, or Euler number, for which geometric dimensions are irrelevant, are first determined in a model experiment using laboratory equipment scaled down proportionally. With the help of these numbers, proportionally larger plants can be realised for pilot production, allowing for realistic prototype manufacturing and, in some cases, even the initial production of small batches.

Key questions that arise when scaling up for businesses are:

What are the goals of scaling up?
What are the important aspects of the process to be amplified?
What are the controlling mechanisms?
How big should the whole thing be?
What flow conditions occur?
What equipment is required for the process?

Scaling for businesses – that's what we can do for you

Have you developed a promising process in the lab that you want to test on a larger scale? Or are you planning a production expansion for which your existing facilities are too small? Then you can benefit from our upscaling expertise. Whether you are a manufacturing company or a prototype manufacturer: we will support you with our expertise in Product capacity planning and the Scale transfer from the smallest scale to a scale of tonnes.
We expertly and competently support all necessary process adjustments and optimisations for upscaling in chemistry, particularly the adaptation of your existing formulations, with PhD scientists and our own research laboratory. With known process parameters, defined product specifications, and in coordinated process steps, we will assist you with scale-up, saving you time and costs.

DMG Chemie GmbH – Your reliable upscaling partner for systematic chemical scale-up

Upscaling is a critical phase in chemistry when moving from laboratory or pilot production to mature series manufacturing. The transfer from small to large scale is an immense challenge that requires broad expertise from areas such as product capacity planning, industrial chemistry, process engineering, and chemical reaction engineering. At the same time, there are high demands regarding operational safety, economic efficiency, environmental protection, and resource-efficient, sustainable production.

With our extensive practical experience, we have the competence and know-how to help you with this important project. Likewise, our company in Leipzig can support you if product capacity planning reveals that existing production facilities are too small for future requirements and need to be expanded. We leave nothing to chance in this process.

See you if needed as part of a commissioned research project we determine the characteristics the final product you require should have, or we thoroughly examine existing formulations. If necessary, we develop various approaches, including corresponding prototypes, test them with you, and continue to optimise everything until you are satisfied.

In our work, we attach great importance to Discretion and trust. We start with a free initial consultation in which you outline the rough scope of the planned project and the most important questions are clarified. The next step is the declaration of intent and confidentiality. Only then will the contract be drawn up.

We would be pleased to inform you in a personal meeting about our comprehensive possibilities in Upscaling in chemistry. Get in touch with us today to schedule an appointment and benefit from our expertise.