Phi-TEC II

Low φ-factor adiabatic calorimeter — vent sizing & thermal runaway

The Phi-TEC II is an adiabatic calorimeter supporting low phi-factor test cells, fully replicating manufacturing-plant conditions on a lab scale so thermal-runaway risks can be simulated and assessed. Because the runaway rate is not tempered by the equipment, the measured pressure-rise rate and final temperature — with calculated TMR d and adiabatic temperature rise (ΔT ad,d) — represent what would happen in a production-scale incident.

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Low φ-factor

Plant-scale accuracy

Ambient to 500 °C

Temperature range

0 to 137 bar

Pressure range

Up to 110 mL

Test-cell volume

DIERS vent sizing

Emergency relief

Plant-scale

Runaway data

Overview

Low Phi-Factor for Plant-Scale Data

By combining thin-walled test cells with automatic pressure compensation, the Phi-TEC II achieves phi-factor values close to 1. This ensures that measured reaction behaviour closely reflects real plant conditions, reducing the need for data correction.

Designed for DIERS-Based Safety Analysis

The Phi-TEC II generates the critical data required for DIERS (Design Institute for Emergency Relief Systems) methodologies, including temperature and pressure rise rates, gas generation and reaction kinetics — enabling direct use of experimental data in vent-sizing calculations and emergency relief system design.

Comprehensive Thermal Runaway Characterization

It enables precise measurement of temperature and pressure rise, gas generation and reaction kinetics under adiabatic conditions — usable directly for DIERS-based vent sizing and safety system design, and for studying process deviations and maloperations.

Flexible and Scalable Testing

With configurable test methods and the ability to simulate real process conditions, the Phi-TEC II supports both detailed hazard analysis and advanced process-safety studies in a compact bench-top format.

Key specifications

Test cells	Compatible with low- and high-phi-factor test cells
Test-cell material	Glass, stainless steel or Hastelloy
Test-cell total volume	Up to 110 mL (test-cell dependent)
Temperature range	Ambient to 500 °C
Pressure range	0 to 137 bar
Stirring	Indirect magnetic stirrer bar (standard, 300 rpm); optional direct overhead for metal cells & viscous samples
Reagent addition	Optional high-pressure liquid feed pump for controlled dosing; high-pressure injector for rapid addition, replicating plant-scale conditions
Calorimetry mode	Adiabatic calorimetry
Safety control	Automatic, user-configurable hazard detection and shutdown; hardware & software fail-safes on every system

Applications

Vent sizing (DIERS)Emergency relief system designThermal runaway characterizationProcess safetyQuenching & depressurization studiesScale-up

Software, control & safety

The Phi-TEC II runs on H.E.L’s WinISO software — a customizable interface with real-time sensor readings and user-defined experiment plans, shared across the H.E.L range to save time on training.

Automatic, user-configurable hazard-detection and shutdown procedures protect the operator, with hardware and software fail-safes on every system.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Phi-TEC II used for?

A low phi-factor adiabatic calorimeter for high-accuracy thermal-runaway characterisation and emergency relief system design — replicating plant conditions on a lab scale.

What does “low phi-factor” mean?

Thin-walled cells plus automatic pressure compensation give phi-factor values close to 1, so the runaway rate is not tempered by the equipment and measured rates reflect a production-scale incident.

How does it support vent sizing?

It generates DIERS (Design Institute for Emergency Relief Systems) data — temperature and pressure rise rates, gas generation and kinetics — usable directly in vent-sizing calculations.

What safety controls can it inform?

Emergency and evaporation cooling, quenching, controlled depressurisation and vent sizing (per DIERS methodology).

What temperature, pressure and volume?

Ambient to 500 °C, 0 to 137 bar, and test-cell volumes up to 110 mL.

Is it customisable?

Yes — low/high phi-factor cells, optional high-pressure dosing and injection, and configurable methods to replicate your plant conditions. Customisation is central to H.E.L’s approach.

Selected publications

The Effects of Acid and Hydrogen Peroxide Stabilizer on the Thermal Hazard of Adipic Acid Green SynthesisLiu et al. · Sustainability · 2023 Carsten Schmidt, Jürgen Schmidt, Jens Denecke & Jörg SeewigProcess Safety & Environmental Protection · 2023 Yue Sun, Lei Ni, Maria Papadaki, M. Sam Mannan et al.Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries · 2023

The Phi-TEC II features in many peer-reviewed studies — these are just three. Subscription or purchase may be required for full access. View all publications →