How can I maintain the performance of my jacketed lab reactor? What are maintenance kits?

By looking after your equipment, you can ensure it has a long life with consistent high performance.

Consumable items such as O-rings are expected to require replacement over time with use.  How frequently this is required will depend on how you are using the equipment (for instance, prolonged use at high speeds and high viscosities will mean faster wearing of the stirrer guide, and very low temperature work can cause the piston O-rings to become brittle).  Please regularly check all seals and moving parts and replace them if they show any signs of wearing etc. – before they fail and you have any significant leak.

To prevent downtime, we recommend you keep spare parts so they are available to install whenever required.  We offer maintenance kits containing the most common consumables for each of our standard jacketed lab reactors:

RR121150: Reactor-Ready Maintenance Kit
  • RR121027: Oil Wipe for Support Rods (Pack of 10)
  • RR121063: Stirrer Guide Bearing Seal B24 10 mm (Pack of 1)
  • RR121064: Stirrer Guide Ferrule & Shaft Seal B24 10 mm (Pack of 1)
  • RR121071: 23 mm Viton O-Rings for Quick Release Hose Coupling (Pack of 2)
  • RR121072: 28 mm Viton O-Rings for Quick Release Hose Coupling – NW12 (Pack of 2)
  • RR121090: FEP Encapsulated Silicone Vessel O-ring – DN100 (Pack of 1)
  • RR166100: Replacement 15 mm Piston Top O-Ring (Pack of 1)
  • RR166102: Replacement 15 mm Piston Middle O-Ring (Pack of 1)

N.B. For Reactor-Ready Duo, simply order 2 x RR121150.

RR210100: Reactor-Ready Pilot Maintenance Kit
  • RR121027: Oil Wipe for Support Rods (Pack of 10)
  • RR121136: Stirrer Guide Bearing Seal B34 16mm (Pack of 1)
  • RR121138: Stirrer Guide Ferrule & Shaft Seal B34 16mm (Pack of 1)
  • RR121071: 23 mm Viton O-Rings for Quick Release Hose Coupling (Pack of 2)
  • RR210050: 34 mm Viton O-Rings for Quick Release Hose Coupling – NW20 (Pack of 2)
  • RR210022: FEP Encapsulated Silicone Vessel O-ring – 200 mm (Pack of 1)
  • RR166104: Replacement 25 mm Piston Top O-Ring (Pack of 2)
  • RR166106: Replacement 25 mm Piston Middle O-Ring (Pack of 1)

N.B. This does not include the Chemraz 25 mm piston top O-rings (part number RR210074 for a pack of 2), which are recommended for high temperature use.

LR199010: Lara Maintenance Kit
  • RR121063: Stirrer Guide Bearing Seal B24 10 mm (Pack of 1)
  • RR121064: Stirrer Guide Ferrule & Shaft Seal B24 10 mm (Pack of 1)
  • RR121071: 23 mm Viton O-Rings for Quick Release Hose Coupling (Pack of 2)
  • RR121072: 28 mm Viton O-Rings for Quick Release Hose Coupling – NW12 (Pack of 2)
  • RR121090: FEP Encapsulated Silicone Vessel O-ring – DN100 (Pack of 1)
  • RR166100: Replacement 15 mm Piston Top O-Ring (Pack of 1)
  • RR166102: Replacement 15 mm Piston Middle O-Ring (Pack of 1)

N.B. This applies to the current model of Lara (Lara Plus) only – not the older Lara Classic; if you have a Lara Classic (serial number 1001 to 1060), please contact us for advice.

Other items that should be regularly checked and replaced as required are the PTFE piston itself, the PTFE stirrer shaft, and the whole PTFE stirrer guide.

If you require help identifying part numbers for any reaction system parts, please feel free to contact us, and we’ll be happy to help.

Please also ensure the reaction system is kept clean (for example, clean up any chemical spillages on metal parts immediately, and do not allow residue to build up in the bottom outlet valve) to prevent avoidable damage.