polar bear challenge jan 13

Dr Bashir Harji

Cambridge Reactor Design Ltd

About Cambridge Reactor Design (CRD)

• Founded in 1989 by Dr Bashir Harji still leads the company

• Providing custom engineering projects to Universities and companies in Europe

• Moved to developing new off-the-shelf products based on the most successful of these custom projects

• The Polar Bear Plus is our latest technology – an extremely simple tool for controlling the temperature of an object over a wide range - hot, ambient and sub ambient conditions

Why did we develop this technology?

Cooling agent + Organic solvent or salt

Dry ice/p-xylene +13

Liquid N2/Cyclohexane +6

Dry ice/Benzyl alcohol -15

Dry ice/Tetrachloroethylene

-22

Dry ice/o-Xylene -29

Dry ice/Acetonitrile -32

Dry ice/n-Octane -56

Dry ice/Isopropyl Ether -60

Dry ice/Acetone -79

Liquid N2/(none) -196

An alternative for freezing mixtures• Only work at a single

temperature for a

given mixture

• Large amounts of

cryogenic consumables

needed

• Costs for freezers,

transport, solvent

disposal

• Impractical to use in

a large number of

cases

• Safety concerns

An alternative to oil circulators

• Bulky apparatus

• Cumbersome

tubing –

especially

problematic in

glove boxes and

fume-hoods

• Tubing prone to

leaking (who

doesn’t like

cleaning up oil

from a fume

hood?)

Precise data and recording without the use of a computer

vs.

The Technology

Modular modification of cooling/heating surface

Standard “hot-plate” setup

Multiple smaller vessels for e.g. crystallization studies

Continuous flow setup with reagents running through a coil around a temperature-controlled cylinder

Fitted jacket for round-bottom flasks

Exceptional temperature-control

Performance Data: Polar Bear Plus - Crystal with Vial Holder and Ext. PT100

Master SP, C Measured Temperature, C

-40 -40.00 ± 0.02

-20 -20.00 ± 0.02

0 0.00 ± 0.04

20 20.00 ± 0.10

60 60.00 ± 0.04

100 100.00 ± 0.04

120 120.00 ± 0.04

140 140.00 ± 0.03

Programmable temperature profiles

• Set ramp times and gradients

• Record sample temperature without the use of a computer

Key advantages • Hot, ambient and sub-ambient -40 C to

+150 C in a shoebox.

• No solvents, heat transfer fluids or

other peripherals.

• Inexpensive: Running costs are ~5 cents

an hour.

• Setup costs ~ 40% cheaper than

equivalent oil circulator products.

• Can use/design attachments for

different experiments: continuous flow,

phase change studies, etc.

How you can helpIn which settings would the capability of precise temperature control in a compact package be most useful? What experiments would this technology make easier?

We’ve designed a range of different attachments for the device. How would you make use of this modularity? Any other great ideas for extending the device’s capabilities?

Any other crazy ideas what to do with the underlying technology?

We’re looking forward to your ideas – remember, just

use your marbles!

Thanks again to our challenge sponsors: