Step into the future of heat treatment with the SH Scientific’s Rotary Kiln, also known as the lab scale rotary kiln, tailored for continuous pyrolysis.
Standout Rotary Kiln Features:
- Versatile Applications: Be it food waste processing, high-purity battery material development, or any other specialized requirement, this rotary kiln is your multifaceted solution.
- Quartz Tube View Port: This Rotary Kiln offers a distinctive Quartz view port, ensuring meticulous monitoring of sample distribution inside the tube, guaranteeing every operation’s precision.
- Heating Jackets: Say goodbye to tar buildup between the heat zones, feeder, and collector. Our rotary kiln is engineered to provide uninterrupted efficiency.
- Multiple Hot Zones: Whether you need two, three, or five hot zones, our lab scale rotary kiln has you covered. Custom configurations are also available upon request.
- Energy-Efficient & Resilient: Benefit from quick heat-up and enduring operations with our kiln’s Kanthal-A heating element and ceramic insulation.
With the SH Scientific Lab Scale Rotary Kiln, also known as the rotary tube furnace, experience the harmonious blend of precision, real-time monitoring, and adaptability in one state-of-the-art package. Your quest for perfection finds its match here.
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Lab scale rotary kiln questions
Selection and operating questions specific to tilt-enabled continuous rotary kilns.
How is residence time controlled in a lab scale rotary kiln?
Three controls set how long material stays in the hot zone of an SH Scientific lab scale rotary kiln: tube rotation from 0 to 14 rpm, feeding screw speed from 0 to 8 rpm, and tube inclination from 0 to 8 degrees. Together they place residence time anywhere from a few minutes to several hours without altering the thermal profile, which is what allows the same recipe to be tested at several different feed rates.
What temperatures and tube materials are available for a lab scale rotary kiln?
SH Scientific lab scale rotary kilns reach 1200°C with quartz or stainless steel 310S tubes, and 1500°C with alumina tubes. Custom builds also support Inconel, nickel alloys, and RSiC where the process atmosphere is chemically aggressive, as in rare earth or chloride processing. Tube material, not the setpoint alone, usually decides the practical limit, because the temperature a process can sustain depends on what the tube tolerates in that specific atmosphere.
What tube diameters and volumes are available for a lab scale rotary kiln?
Tube diameters are 100, 120, and 140 mm outside diameter in 2-zone and 3-zone versions, with 625 or 950 mm of heated length. Tube full volume across the SH Scientific lab scale range runs 5 to 15 liters depending on configuration, and target fill is a fraction of that figure. Larger diameters are available as custom builds where throughput requirements exceed the standard range.
How does material get fed into a lab scale rotary kiln without clogging?
Three feeder mechanisms can be combined on SH Scientific lab scale rotary kilns: a screw conveyor turning at 0 to 8 rpm for steady introduction, a vibration mechanism that applies high-frequency force to break up bridging, and a hammer that lets an operator knock loose denser clumps inside the feed vessel. Free-flowing powders often need only the screw. Sticky, fibrous, or moist feedstocks such as food waste and biomass usually need all three to hold a steady feed rate.
What hopper and receiving vessel sizes are available for a lab scale rotary kiln?
Feeding hoppers and receiving vessels are available from 2 to 10 liters on SH Scientific lab scale rotary kilns. Sizing follows run length and feed rate rather than tube volume: the hopper needs to hold enough material for an uninterrupted run, and the receiving vessel needs headroom for the full processed batch plus any change in bulk volume, since pyrolysis and calcination frequently reduce mass while increasing porosity.
What are the alumina tube dimensions in a 1500°C lab scale rotary kiln?
The alumina tube in an SH Scientific 1500°C lab scale rotary kiln is 100 mm outside diameter with a 90 mm inside diameter, 1800 mm total length, and 950 mm of heated length. Alumina is specified where the process needs a higher temperature ceiling than metal allows, or where contact with metal would contaminate the material. It is more brittle than stainless steel, so handling and thermal ramp rates matter more.
How is tar condensation prevented during pyrolysis in a rotary kiln?
Heating jackets hold the feed and discharge ends, and the spaces between heat zones, above the tar condensation point, so tar never accumulates rather than being cleaned out afterward. SH Scientific includes them on the rotary kiln lines. This matters most for biomass, food waste, and mixed plastics, where condensed tar otherwise blocks transfer points and shortens service life. Optional tar-condensing apparatus can be added downstream when the tar fraction is itself the product of interest.
Can I see the material while a lab scale rotary kiln is running?
Yes, SH Scientific lab scale rotary kilns include a quartz viewing port at the end of the tube, so operators can check sample distribution and buildup during operation and adjust tilt angle or rotation speed mid-run. Many competing designs require opening the furnace to inspect, which breaks the atmosphere and disturbs the thermal profile, meaning the run being diagnosed is also the run being spoiled.
How is atmosphere control verified before a rotary kiln ships?
A vacuum pump and chiller with a digital mass flow controller and back pressure regulator are available as a turn-key package. Every SH Scientific unit undergoes rotation, heating, and vacuum retention testing before shipment, and the retention test is performed while the tube is turning with inert gas flowing after vacuum is established. Testing a rotating seal under gas flow is the condition that matters, because a seal that holds while stationary can still leak in motion.
What applications is a lab scale rotary kiln used for?
SH Scientific lab scale rotary kilns are used for continuous processes: biomass pyrolysis and biochar production, cathode synthesis and battery waste recycling, rare earth separation and refining, calcined clay and low-carbon cement research, titanium and metal powder processing, and catalyst regeneration. A lab scale kiln fits work where throughput and steady-state conditions matter more than recovering one discrete batch; where full sample recovery is the priority, a batch rotary furnace is usually the better choice.