1. What type of companies are using pilot units?

2. Why are these companies using pilot units ?

A pilot unit is the ideal tool for developing a new product. This is a compromise between a laboratory type equipment (cheaper, but useless for process and equipment optimization) and a full scale plant (too costly, technically and commercially risky at the initial stage of a product development).

Other advantages of a pilot unit:

• It allows semi-production for internal usage or marketing trials.
  
• It is skidded and equipped with automatic controls for easy installation and operation.
  
• It does not require a special EPA permit like a full scale plant does.
  

3. What are the advantages of RHE pilot units?

RHE's pilot units are custom designed to manufacture a given amount of synthetic resins or polymer/wax emulsions. They include the necessary equipment to handle solid/liquid raw materials and to deliver on-specs products. They are designed to operate under full vacuum or pressure up to 50 psig and temperatures up to 500F.

Depending on the application and the type of resin or emulsion required, RHE pilot units incorporate all or part of the equipment listed below:

• Split flanged body reactor with half pipe coil welded around shell, complete with high efficiency agitation system, hydraulic jack to lower half reactor for easy cleaning.
  
• Distillation column with reflux condenser or simple reflux vapor pipe.
  
• Desorbate or decantation tank with by-product handling and recycling system.
  
• Product filtration unit.
  
• Raw material feeding system.
  
• Vacuum pump with waste recycling system.
  
• Homogenizer with pre-emulsifier unit.
  
• Steam or thermal oil heating system.
  
• Fully automatic control system with PLC, PC based HMI, motor starters and VFDs.

Note: all equipment is installed on a skid with all pipework, automatic and manual valves, pumps/motors, instruments and access platform for easy installation, operation and maintenance.

4. Why do clients select RHE America for pilot units?

Most clients prefer an engineering firm with process know-how in the manufacture of synthetic resins and polymer/wax emulsions, and with the capability to design and supply full scale plants or pilot units that meet their special needs.

RHE-America fits such requirements having more than 40 years of experience in this field.

5. Which industries can benefit the most?

• paint and coatings industry
  
• ink manufacturing
  
• plastic manufacturing
  
• and, generally speaking, all specialty chemical industries that want to develop new synthetic resins or polymer/wax emulsions.