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chemical reactor

chemical reactor

4.4
A container or device that holds and controls chemical reactions
  • noun
  • /ˈkɛmɪkəl riˈæktər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : reactor químico
  • Fly ash is sent to a 3-square-meter chemical reactor to be mixed with water and hydraulic binders.

Examples

  • The research team designed a new chemical reactor to improve the efficiency of chemical processes.

  • Viswanathan's background includes materials technology for steam turbines, boilers, combustion turbines, nuclear systems, and petroleum and chemical reactor vessels.

    Academic text (1996)
  • By being able to regulate the light allowed through the lens, choose from a selection of different kinds of paper for printing, and by using a whole series of chemical reactors that are used both in the negative and positive processes, the photographer is nowadays able to create a photographic image in which sharpnesses are evened out or, on the contrary, highlight certain areas without having to resort to retouching.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The laboratory contains a large chemical reactor that is used to produce various pharmaceuticals.

  • In the engineering class, we studied how a chemical reactor operates in a controlled environment to facilitate reactions.

How Big

chemical plant
  • Specialized
18 3.6
chemical reactor
  • Specialized
4.4
flask
24 3.7
test tube
  • Specialized
18 2.8

Surface Forms

Morphology

chemical + reactor

The phrase names a type of reactor specified by the modifier 'chemical' — i.e. a reactor used for chemical processes. This straightforward modifier+noun composition is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows 'chemical' and 'reactor' can readily infer it denotes a vessel/device for chemical reactions.

Etymology

Chemical reactor comes from a simple image: a container where chemical things are put together to 'react'. The word reactor is the device that holds and controls the reaction, so the phrase means 'a container or machine used to carry out chemical reactions'.