As projects are scaled-up, to transition from the laboratory to the plant environment, they undergo rigorous screening to ensure that the final process is safe, robust, and reliable.

After optimisation of the preferred synthetic route in the laboratory, each chemical stage will undergo a Design and Operability Study (‘DOPS’), where our Chemists and Process Engineers, and others as required, combine to translate the synthetic method into an operable process.

Each chemical transformation is subjected to a thermochemical screen, to ensure that all potential chemical reaction hazards are identified, and that the thermal stability of the associated compounds is understood. This not only enables us to ensure a reliable basis of safety for scale-up, but also a basis of control to provide optimal performance at scale.

Final approval to commission the process is subject to a Hazard and Operability Study (‘HAZOP’) where a multi-disciplinary team are led through a structured review of all aspects of the process to ensure compliance with all of our needs. 

As process are up-scaled from the laboratory they continue to receive the full support of our Process Development and Quality Control teams on a 24 hour basis.