The Computer Controlled Catalytic Reactors, "QRCC", is an unit designed to perform the saccharose hydrolysis reaction in a continuous way by using catalytic fixed-bed reactors.
Saccharose hydrolysis is the industrial process to obtain glucose and fructose from saccharose. It is a reversible chemical reaction.
The QRCC unit is composed of three fixed-bed reactors. Two of them are fixed-bed reactors for chemical catalysis with the same chemical catalyst, called ionic exchange resin but with different grain size. The third reactor is a fixed-bed reactor for biological (enzymic) catalysis with an immobilized enzyme. To start the hydrolysis process our product (saccharose) has to pass through this enzyme.
Saccharose hydrolysis is favoured with temperatures around 50 ºC – 60 ºC. For that end, the reactors have a jacket through which hot water will flow. The water temperature is controlled with the PID control through the control software.
Feeding saccharose to our reactors is done through a peristaltic pump which allows the regulation of speed through the control software.
The resulting solution is pumped to the final-product flask. From this point on it will be analysed with a spectrophotometer that is adapted to QRCC unit interface.
As an optional supply, there is the possibility of acquiring the additional recommended element Computer Controlled Flow Injection Analysis (FIA) Unit, "QRCC-IF". This unit is a Flow Injection Analysis system, which is used to measure the conversion degree of the reaction of the saccharose hydrolysis in a continuous way.
This Computer Controlled Unit is supplied with the EDIBON Computer Control System (SCADA), and includes: The unit itself + a Control Interface Box + a Data Acquisition Board + Computer Control, Data Acquisition and Data Management Software Packages, for controlling the process and all parameters involved in the process.