Applications of reaction calorimetry in chemical engineering

Reaction calorimetry strongly penetrated process development laboratories in the fine chemicals industry. Applications of calorimetry to different fields of process optimization, chemical reactions and physical unit operations were developed. Applications were first developed in the field of process safety. The thermal data of reaction obtained in the calorimeters allow us to check if a reaction will be controllable at full scale under normal operating conditions and in case of equipment failure. Further, the accurate temperature control and heat flow measurement opened the door to more engineering related data, in the fields of phase equilibria like vapour liquid, solubilities, crystallization and also in the mixing techniques. Some examples of developments in these different fields will be reviewed.