Formula 1 of Temperature Technology

Unlike conventional laboratory circulators, the Presto Series allows fast temperature changes and wide working temperature ranges without the need to change fluids. Such a concept is made possible by the almost totally sealed construction of the systems. These instruments are mainly used in the fields of polymerisation, polycondensation and combinatorial chemistry where the systems' requirement is the dynamic and precise temperature application of reaction blocks, jacketed reactors, and thermal blocks.

Market requirements for laboratory circulators have changed over the years. Particularly in the fields of chemical and pharmaceutical research more capacity, rapid heating, as well as fast response to exothermic reactions, are demanded. JULABO's newly developed Presto Series is the perfect solution for these temperature applications. The Presto Temperature Systems with their new concept are completely different to common laboratory circulators. A classical temperature curve, providing information on the heat-up performance and the sudden appearance of an interference factor after the system has attained a steady state, reveals these advantages (Fig. 2)

High Dynamic Temperature Application

Compared to common laboratory circulators, the Presto Temperature System reacts much faster. The Presto System requires less time for heating as well as for controlling deviations caused by an interference factor, without overshooting the selected temperature. Though the Presto provides similar cooling and heating capacities, the system is at least twice as fast as existing circulator technology. The benefits for the user are obvious: Short waiting times and rapid results without neglecting control accuracy. But speed is not the only feature that one expects from a modern temperature application instrument, and the Presto Series is well equipped also in this respect. The working temperature ranges from -85 °C to +250 °C. It provides heating and cooling capacities up to 5 kW as well as an electronically controlled circulating pump with a maximum pressure of 1.6 or 2.2 bar, respectively. Thus quick compensation of exothermic reactions within the shortest time is guaranteed.

ICC - Intelligent Cascade Control

For temperature control JULABO's reliable ICC technology (Intelligent Cascade Control) is used. This has been further improved for the Presto Series and results in a high dynamic temperature behaviour. ICC represents a self-optimizing control technology with high temperature stability even for different external systems and bath liquids with different viscosities. The controller automatically adapts to the control situation and optimises the control parameters. On the other hand, the classical PID parameters can be checked any time and may be adjusted manually.

Smallest Footprint

When developing the Presto Temperature Systems we kept an eye on user demands and requirements. One aim was the development of a compact temperature system having a small footprint without neglecting heating and cooling capacities. This was a challenging task for the development engineers and was finally realised by using modern components. For example, the LH45 model has a footprint of only (W) 30 x (D) 49 x (H) 64 cm.

ACC - Active cooling control

The integration of active cooling capacity control up to +250 °C and the automatic changeover from water to air-cooling with only limited space available represent other innovative features. In modern laboratories, laboratory instruments are required to be installed in a cabinet and operating noises from the ventilator should be reduced to an acceptable minimum. The heat dissipated by laboratory instruments is also a negative factor. The Presto models help to reduce this by an automatic changeover from air to water-cooling. Not only the heat dissipated from the instrument when it is cooling, but also the heat generated by the circulating pump and electronics are withdrawn from the system. All in all, more than 95 % of the generated heat is radiated to the cooling water.

Motor Driven Injection Valve

To ensure fast and sufficient cooling capacity is available for temperature application under all working conditions, the cooling compressor is running permanently. Cooling control is effected by a motor-driven injection valve controlled by the electronics. This allows optimum adaptation to changing working conditions and application of just the right amount of cooling capacity. One of the most important components is the heat exchanger. It consists of a pressure-protected container comprising of a heater, circulating pump and a cooling coil for dissipating energy. All parts are made of high-grade stainless steel. The small internal volume is one of the reasons why the system achieves dynamic temperature application characteristics.

Integrated Filling System

The integrated filling system allows convenient and rapid filling. When required, tilt the filling funnel on the front of the unit and fill in the heat transfer liquid using a funnel. If necessary, the circulating pump is operated at reduced rotational speed during the filling process. The filling system is accessible at all times - even when the instrument is placed under a lab bench, and so inconvenient and time-consuming filling processes are prevented.

Ease of Operation

Operation of the Presto Systems is identical to the successful concept of the existing JULABO circulator series. All basic functions, including indication of the internal and external actual values, setpoint value, pump pressure and liquid level displays, are directly available on the temperature system. These values are indicated on a bright and clear VFD-Info-Display. The safety value (high temperature cut-out) is also directly set on the temperature system. The control module is removable and with an extension cable it may be placed some metres from the system. This is helpful for operation under a hood, for example.

Removable Control Module

The unit is operated via the interactive LCD display with keypad integrated in the control module. The electrical connections located behind the removable control module (Fig. 3) are easily accessible any time. The cables are held in place by cable guides available on the housing.

Electrical Connections

The digital ports include an RS232 interface and an RS485 interface (for bus data exchange) as well as a Profibus interface (option). Thus the instruments of the Presto Series are perfectly suitable for implementation into automated laboratories. The units also provide connections for standby, alarm, temperature recorder and analogue setpoint selection. A built-in programmer allows programming of 6 profiles with 60 sections each, providing even more flexibility in the operation of the unit.

Quality and Service

All Presto Temperature Systems are manufactured in accordance with the high JULABO quality standards. Production processes have been ISO 9001 certified since 1994. Users benefit from a well coordinated net of about 100 distributors and service partners worldwide, as well as from our own JULABO subsidiaries.