A device for supplying or removing heat, carrying out reactions, and mixing and dispersing fluid media.

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for supplying or removing heat, carrying out reactions and mixing and dispersing fluid media within a chamber (1) having an internal diameter (D) for a medium (I) comprising internal connections made of a bundle of tubes (2) having an external diameter (d) or of elongated elements preferably parallel to the longitudinal axis of the chamber and with cross members or cross layers (31, 41) installed in a crosswise manner between the elements, such that the cross members are inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis of the chamber and are in contact with each other. They are not in contact. Along a series of consecutive axial sections or along the longitudinal (L) direction, the cross sections between the tubes are preferably rotated by 90 degrees. A heat transfer medium (II) can flow in the tubes in either the direction of flow or counter-flow, resulting in a mixer / heat exchanger or reactor with a very high heat transfer capacity and almost a plug flow.

Description

A device for supplying or removing heat, carrying out reactions, and mixing and dispersing fluid media. Technical background The technical field of the invention relates to a device for supplying or removing heat, carrying out reactions and mixing and dispersing fluid media with an installation according to the preamble of claim 1. The device consists of a bundle of tubes or other elongated elements with an orientation preferably parallel to the longitudinal axis of the chamber and between the tubes or elongated elements, rods or layers of rods are placed with a primary arrangement that is inclined towards the longitudinal axis of the chamber and there is at least one secondary arrangement of rod layers in which the angle of the rods of the primary arrangement has an opposite sign to the arrangement of the secondary layers of rods that pass by each other but do not collide with each other. The rods are installed between the tubes of the tube bundle and do not contact each other. A tube or a row of tubes is preferably placed between the crossed rods of the primary arrangement and the secondary arrangement. The flow medium (product) flows in the main axial direction of flow around the tubes in the chamber. Due to the crosswise arranged rods which are inclined relative to the tubes or relative to the axis of the chamber, the flow medium is forced to cross flow around the tubes and at the same time is constantly mixed. A heat transfer medium in the tubes can flow cocurrently or countercurrently with the product, but does not necessarily have to flow in this way. The chamber is preferably a round tube or the envelope space of a tube bundle heat exchanger. The device according to the invention is preferably suitable for laminar flow environments, but can also be used with turbulent flow. The invention further relates to a process for carrying out heterogeneous catalytic reactions or mass transfer in a flow environment in a device according to the invention. Previous industry In the patent description CH 642 564, a highly efficient static mixer for laminar flow with highly viscous products is disclosed, in which the mixing elements consist of groups of 6 to 10 cross-bars connected by cross-sectional projections, which are arranged in cross-planes. Here, the bars or planes are preferably inclined at 45° with respect to the flow direction and adjacent bars are in contact with each other at the points of intersection. The length of the mixing elements is 0.75 to 1.5 D and the successive mixing elements are arranged in the chamber with a rotation of 90°. In particular, to improve heat transfer in laminar flow pipes, an elongated version with cross-bars inclined at only 30° with respect to the flow direction is known, which also has a lower pressure drop coefficient and a lower mixing and heat exchange effect. As described in CH 627 263. These mixing elements are today, with minor modifications, used by many suppliers as x-mixers. For example, SMX, SMXL, KMX, GX, CSE-X, AMX or UM. etc.). These mixers are characterized by a very good mixing effect, a high heat transfer or Nu-number (Nu = D / ) and a very narrow residence time spectrum. Here, the heat transfer coefficient on the product side, D (or also d) means  the pipe diameter and  the thermal conductivity of the product. Furthermore, the Nu-number is independent of the pipe length, unlike an empty pipe, due to cross-mixing and boundary layer renewal, even in laminar flow. The heat transfer coefficient  in laminar flow increases by a factor of 5 to 10 compared to an empty tube. Typical heat transfer coefficients k for highly viscous materials with these devices are in the range of 150 to 250 W / (m2K). Static mixers with the X structure have the narrowest residence time range of all known static mixers. The measured Bodenstein number is 50 - 100 m-1, or for example, up to 200 for a reactor with a length of 2 m (F. Streiff in Wärmeübertragung bei der Kunststoffaufbereitung, p. 241 / 275, VDI-Verlag, Düsseldorf 1986). In this way, an ideal plug flow is practically obtained (Bo = . The Bodenstein number is a standard, dimensionless measure for the width of the residence time distribution or axial mixing based on the dispersion model (Bo = vL / Dax). Here, v is the mean axial flow velocity, Dax is the axial dispersion coefficient, and L is the axial length of the device. The residence time behavior of such a reactor with Bo = 200 is comparable to that of a cascade of 100 ideal stirred tanks. Many applications of static mixers require intensive cross-mixing, high heat transfer capacity, and short time scales at the same time. For example, reactors, especially with laminar flow, are used as polymerization reactors. In other applications, the products must be heated or cooled in a short time, without undesirable reactions and product changes occurring (polymerization, degradation). In an empty tube, the cross-flow to the wall in There is no laminar flow. This has a very adverse effect on heat transfer, shelf life distribution and product quality.In some applications, the flow medium is also 2-phase (gas / liquid) and this device, in addition to heat exchange, also causes intensive mixing of the phases and dispersion. For example, heating polymer solutions with volatile components or cooling plastic melts with blowing agents. An X-mixer in a chamber that is heated or cooled from the outside is the ideal solution for all these tasks with low throughput. However, scaling up to industrial outputs becomes impossible because the surface area to volume ratio in a tube with a larger diameter decreases very quickly and the heat can no longer be transferred sufficiently. One possible solution to this problem is to connect many tubes in parallel in a tube bundle heat exchanger and install a mixing element in the tubes. In this way, the desired properties of the mixers are maintained, but unfortunately only in one tube. Very large differences in flow rate and residence time can occur from one tube to another.If viscous products are to be cooled or if polymer solutions react and / or are at least partially destroyed in the heat exchanger at the same time, this leads to a very high risk. Different temperatures and viscosities in the individual pipes lead to so-called uneven distribution. Uneven distribution leads to obvious unevenness of flow rate, temperature and viscosity in the individual pipes. The result can be a breakdown of the machine or a reduction in product quality. Due to the relatively high pressure drop coefficient of the X-mixing elements, shell and tube heat exchangers must be built with short and numerous tubes. This, in addition to the cost of installing the elements, makes them very expensive because the tube sheets become thick and the volume of the heads becomes very large. In heaters with partial degassing, the pressure drop of the mixing elements prevents premature partial degassing, which results in product damage or prevents complete degassing. Another disadvantage of the X-structure is its mechanical weakness in absorbing flow forces. Especially when under tension, they behave like a sliding mesh and easily separate. But even when under pressure, they behave like a spring and are not very stable. As a result, the rods for high-viscosity products must be made very thick. This leads to a sharp increase in pressure drop. Reinforcing elements or outer rings are used to make the structure more stable. The patent specification DE 28 39 564 proposes a static mixer or reactor heat exchanger that adopts the basic idea of ​​the X-structure but replaces the rods with tubes in which a heating or cooling medium flows. In this way, a solution was found to maintain the specific heat exchange surface per volume with a small chamber diameter during scale-up and, at the same time, to obtain a similar mixing effect and a similar residence time behavior as an x-mixer. The structure consists of intersecting and winding curved tube coils. The tubes are also preferably inclined at 45° with respect to the flow direction and take on the function of rods. A number of such intersecting snakes each form a mixing element and successive elements are installed in a chamber with a rotation of 90°. Each element should be equipped with its own collector for the heat transfer medium. The design and construction of these devices is very difficult and expensive. In order to maintain the standard, the element length is chosen as long as possible, which of course has an adverse effect on the mixing effect due to the small number of 90° turns. The pressure drop on the product side as well as on the heat transfer medium side is very high. The flow velocity in the tube coils can be very uneven. This problem leads to the risk of additional uneven distribution on the product side, especially if, for practical reasons, the shape is circular instead of the square shape originally intended. By choosing the diameter and number of tube coils, very large reactor volumes with a high ratio of heat exchange area A to volume V or with a high specific heat transfer capacity ( / vT) = (kA / V) > 10 KW / m3K can be achieved independently of the reactor volume (see page 265 of the reference cited above). In the formulas, , refers to the transferable heat flow, T refers to the average temperature difference between the product and the heat transfer medium, and k refers to the heat transfer coefficient. This device simplifies scale-up and eliminates the need for parallel tubes. The risk of uneven distribution is therefore reduced. However, the use of volume with a heat exchange surface with the smallest possible bending radius of the tube coils and the pressure drop are limited. In this device too, the residence time distribution is as low as the mixer x. Again, the measured Bodenstein numbers are approximately 1-60 m. However, the homogenization length for gentle mixing is up to twice as long as in the SMX mixer due to the round shape of the rods and due to the long elements (W. Müller, Chem.-Ing.Tech. 54 1982, No. 6). The structure cannot be used for highly viscous products without additional long support elements because it is not sufficiently stable. According to US2004 / 0125691, the stability is improved with additional long support elements, but remains a disadvantage and is also expensive.Despite the shortcomings and problems, the devices have stood the test of time and are known as SMR reactors and are often used as polymerization or cooling reactors for viscous products, for example, in fiber mills or for cooling plastic melts. Patent specification EP1 067 352 presents a static mixer heat exchanger or reactor with crossed bars of the X structure with a single tube bundle. The X structure has only 4 bars in the cross-section and the tubes are guided through holes in the bars that are inclined at 45° to the flow direction. The bars are arranged in groups of cross-sections that form an angle of 90° to each other. The bars abut each other and at least partially against the tubes and are connected to each other. The X structure is made up of 4 bars across the cross-section and the tubes are fed through holes in the bars of the completed structure. The axial distance of the bars should be 0.2 - 0.4 D. A modification of this structure is presented in patent specification WO 2008 / 141472 in which the axial distance between the bars and the inner diameter of the tubes should be less than 6. This improves the heat transfer. By choosing the diameter and number of tubes, very large reactor volumes with high heat exchange surface to volume ratios, or with high specific heat transfer capacities, such as SMR, can be achieved.The pressure drop on the heat transfer medium side is significantly lower than in the SMR and there are no mechanical limitations due to the bending radius. According to the invention, the service life of this structure is also very good and comparable to that of the X-mixers. However, this construction is very complex and requires very high precision. Aligning all the holes of the mixer and the tube sheet without tolerances must be very difficult. Mechanical strength remains a problem, as with the X-structure. Description of the invention The object of the invention is to provide a device for supplying or removing heat, carrying out reactions or also as a reactor for photosynthesis and mixing and spreading flow, liquid, gas or multiphase media in a tubular chamber without uneven distribution and with a low residence time distribution and preferably for viscous products, with an X-structure, which is much simpler and cheaper to manufacture than previously known devices with a similar structure and, if required, has a high stability against flow forces and low pressure drop. , both as a heat transfer medium and as a product. This object is achieved by the features of claim 1. Particularly advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims. Another aspect of the present invention is the subject matter of the independent method of claim 20. "T-spacing" or "t-tube spacing" specifically means the distance between the tube centers of two adjacent tubes in a tube row transverse to the tube or housing axis or the distance between the center of two adjacent tubes of long elements in a transverse row transverse to the axis of the long elements or housing axis. "Square spacing" means in particular that the distances from the centres of adjacent pipes in a first direction transverse to the pipe or chamber axis and in a second direction transverse to the pipe or chamber axis are equal, where the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. . The same applies similarly to long elements. This square spacing is shown and described, for example, in the VDI Heat Atlas, 6th edition, 1991, section Ob6, figure 9. Brief map recommendation Exemplary embodiments of the invention are depicted in the accompanying drawings and are described in more detail below. Figure 1 shows a side view of a portion of one embodiment of a device according to the invention with 9 tubes and 4 cross-bars in a cross-sectional projection in a housing with a cross-sectional cut. Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a protrusion in the flow direction through an embodiment of the device according to the invention with 9 tubes and 4 layers of rods in the cross-sectional protrusion. The rods have a maximum width b = t − d and are located between the tubes. Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a protrusion in the direction of flow through one embodiment of a device according to the invention with 21 tubes or bars and 6 bars in the cross-sectional protrusion, where the maximum width of the bars is in the area of ​​the tubes b = t - d and may even be reduced. The bars are placed between the tubes. Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional projection in the flow direction through an embodiment of the device according to the invention with 16 tubes and 5 bars in the cross-sectional projection, where the width of the bars has notches in the region of the tubes and the width of the bar b is smaller than the tube spacing but greater than the space between adjacent tubes. There are no tubes in the axes of the sections. This arrangement allows for U-shaped tube loops. Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional elevation in the flow direction through one embodiment of a device according to the invention with 32 tubes and 7 layers of rods in the cross-sectional elevation. Figure 6 shows the projection in the direction of flow of a cross-section through one embodiment of a device according to the invention, as shown in Figure 5 with only minor spaces used for tubes or elongated elements. Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional elevation in the flow direction through an embodiment of a device according to the invention with 45 tubes and 8 layers of rods in the cross-sectional elevation, where the sign of the rod slope is the same for 2 adjacent layers of rods (shown by shading) and the variations in groups. #x200fFigure#x200f#x200f 8 protrusions#x200f#x200f#x200f#x200f in the direction of flow#x200f #x200f#x200fFrom a#x200f#x200f#x200f#x200f device according to#x200f#x200f this #x200f#x200finvention shows#x200f#x200f#x200f#x200f#x200f#x200f,#x200f #x200f#x200fsections#x200frotation#x200f#x200fof#x200f#x200f is#x200f#x200f90 degrees.#x200f Figure 9 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of a device according to the invention with rods (31a, 41b) partially cut to the length L of the mixing elements. The rods have a maximum width b > (t - d) and partially enclose the tubes. Figure 10 shows another embodiment of a device according to the invention, in which the rods are at least partially displaced relative to each other in the longitudinal direction and the mixing elements are axially spaced. Figure 11 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of a device according to the present invention, in which the rods are intertwined in the form of 90° rotational crosses according to Figure 8. Figure 12 shows a representation of possible shapes and cross-sections for rods and long elements or tubes, which is not limited to these embodiments. Figure 13 shows a perspective view of a possible grid connection of bars to a layer of bars by means of retaining bars. Figure 14 shows a perspective view of one possible type of layer of bars made of inclined bars connected together to form a corrugated sheet layer of bars. Figure 15 shows the result of a mixing test with a structure according to the invention according to Figure 9 (RWX) compared to a static mixer according to CH642 564 with 8 rods in the cross-sectional protrusion. Example visualizations According to the idea of ​​the invention, the device comprises a preferably circular housing 1 with an inner diameter D and an inner tube bundle with tubes 2 parallel to the longitudinal axis and the main flow direction and having an outer diameter d. Other elongated elements can also take the place of the tubes. The tube bundle preferably has a square tube spacing t. Between the tubes, rods (31,41) or layers of rods are installed with an inclination , preferably  = 30 - 60°, preferably  = 45  relative to the longitudinal axis. The inclination angle of the cross rods (31,41) is preferably of opposite sign and the rods that follow each other in the axial direction of a layer of rods between the tubes are preferably parallel to each other and preferably all have the same spacing m. Preferably, there is a tube or a row of tubes between the crossbars, but it is also possible that the inclination angle of the rods on both sides of a tube or a row of tubes has the same sign, with the change of sign occurring only after several adjacent rods or layers. The bars of the bar layers are preferably arranged one behind the other in the transverse direction in parallel, intersecting the planes A, B at an inclination angle  relative to the longitudinal axis. All bars preferably have the same inclination angle . However, it is also possible for the bars or the bar layers to be axially offset if required and / or for the vertical spacings m of the bars or also the inclination angle in one bar layer to differ from that of another bar layer. The bars are therefore arranged in the transverse direction and no longer in common planes. The bars have a width b, which is less than or at most equal to the tube spacing t. The bars are preferably perpendicular to the tubes with a width b. However, it is also possible to install the bars with a width inclined to the tubes. The bars can, but do not have to, reach all the way to the wall of the chamber and can only touch it at certain points. The flow medium (I) or product flows in the chamber or in the space of the tube bundle covering around the tubes or long elements, and in the tubes a heat transfer medium (II) can flow co-currently or counter-currently.But it does not have to be this way. In each case a number of rods na following each other in the axial direction form a layer of rods and all layers of rods in a section of length L form a mixing element. The layers of rods of the successive mixing elements are rotated by 90° and placed between the tubes. The length L is preferably 0.5 to 4 D. A longitudinally cut mixing element consists of full-length rods (31, 41) and cut rods (31a, 41b). For low pressure drop, the rods preferably have a width b less than the tube spacing t and their installation is particularly simplified when the maximum width is ultimately b = t – d (Fig. 2 and Fig. 3). The wider bars have recesses (Fig. 4) for the passage of the tubes and can also be easily installed in the existing tube bundle if they are positioned at a slight angle during installation. The line of contact with the tubes is increased with wider bars, which has a beneficial effect on the structural strength and heat transfer when connecting the tubes to the bars. Of course, not all the bars of the device need to have the same width and shape. Fig. 9 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of a device according to the invention without a housing with a tube bundle consisting of 9 tubes and mixing elements of length L = D with 4 bars in cross section. The bars in this embodiment are slightly wider than the free space between the rows of tubes and have a maximum width b > (t –d). The bars do not have to be cut to length L, but the bars of the bar layers can go to the next element as long as they do not collide with subsequent bars that are rotated 90 degrees or the mixing elements are installed with spacing, as shown in Figure 10.Thus, frequent 90° rotations of the rod direction are desirable for cross-mixing and heat transfer to the tubes. However, if the length L is too short, the movement across the entire cross-section becomes insufficient and the construction becomes more complicated. On the other hand, if the number of 90° rotations is too small, cross-mixing is reduced. The distinction of this device is the provision of another type of previously unknown rod arrangement, as shown in Figure 8 and Figure 11. In this device, rods (31, 41) and rods (31', 41') rotated by 90 degrees are placed in an interlaced element between tubes 2. The result is an element that mixes simultaneously in two transverse directions. All subsequent elements have the same structure. The elements can be made as spaced apart or nested as possible. The usual 90 degree rotation of the individual elements is no longer necessary and a uniform structure is created. All mixing elements within a device according to the invention are preferably constructed in the same manner and with the same rod spacing. However, for specific applications, such as localized dispersed mixing or localized enhancement of heat or mass transfer, it may be necessary to select a narrower or smaller axial spacing m of the rods, rod width b or mixing element length L of individual mixing elements or group mixing elements in a device. In order to achieve a high level of stability, the bars can be connected to the tubes at all or only some of the intersection points, by welding, soldering or gluing. However, if this is not desirable for practical reasons, it is not necessary to connect the bars to the tubes and groups of bars or layers of bars can be connected to each other by spacers and additional supports. Finally, bars in a layer can also be connected and sloped with metal sheets. The layers of bars can then take the form of a corrugated sheet. In Figure 2 straight bars with a width b = t are shown as an example, while in Figure 4 in a further embodiment the bars are wider with recesses for the tubes. The width of the bars can vary along their length, and the side edges can have a curved shape, as shown in Figure 3 as another example. The maximum width is b = t. In Figures 2 to 8, different angles of inclination of the cross-section bars are shown with different shading directions. For simplicity, the following refers to “tubes” or “tube bundles” in which a medium preferably flows for the supply or dissipation of heat, although other elongated elements, even without a heat transfer medium, such as rods, profiles, heat-conducting rods, rod-shaped luminaries or tubes with a semi-permeable or porous wall can be used instead if necessary. Furthermore, the application of the invention is not limited to metallic materials.The bars are preferably flat, plate-shaped profiles made of sheet metal or U- or V-shaped profiles or tubes or hollow profiles or bars. Finally, the surface of the bars can also be structured. Figure 12 shows a selection of possible profile shapes that can be used both as bars and as long elements. Possible production processes The construction of the apparatus according to the invention is very simple for a flexible tube bundle. The rods or groups of rods can be inserted into the final tube bundle. This is particularly possible when the rod width is everywhere smaller than t – d and the rods are connected to the tubes only at points accessible from the outside. But wider rods up to b = t can also be easily inserted individually between the final tube bundles with a suitable slope during installation. As long as the rods are to be connected to the tubes at points not accessible from the outside, it is not necessary to insert the rods during assembly of the tube bundle. The rods are preferably installed in a U-shaped tube bundle, since the apparatus can be expanded in this way and no thermal stresses are created. In this case, there are no tubes in the main axes of the case cross-section. The disadvantage of this arrangement is that a correct counterflow to the heat transfer medium is not possible. When manufacturing heat exchangers with fixed tube sheets and baffle plates, the baffle plates are usually first installed in the housing and then the tubes are removed. This manufacturing process can also be used for devices according to the invention. For this purpose, the rods are connected to only a few of the long elements, so that a stable structure is formed, which can be embedded in the housing of the device like conventional baffle plates. Finally, the remaining tubes are pressed through the tube sheet and the X-structure at the designated locations. In this case, the tubes, with the exception of the support elements, are not connected to the rods. In addition to the manufacturing process mentioned, it is possible to manufacture the entire installation and the tubes or long elements in one piece using a 3D printer, provided that the dimensions and materials allow this. In another type of production, the installations are made of easily meltable materials in a 3D printer and covered with a predominantly ceramic mass.The material inside the hardened mold is then melted and what remains is a mold filled with liquid metal (investment casting) or a hardening resin. More visualization examples The number and size of the tubes parallel to the longitudinal axis are determined by the required ratio of the exchange surface to the volume of the device or the required specific heat transfer capacity ( / VT) = (kA / V) or, if no heat is to be transferred, by the required support and stability of the rods and structure. The specific exchange areas (A / V) in the reactors according to the invention are > 50 m2 / m3 and can be up to 400 m2 / m3. The specific heat transfer capacity of the reactors according to the invention with highly viscous products can reach more than 100 kW / m3. For example, in the case of highly exothermic polymerization reactions, if the specific heat transfer capacity of the reactor is not high enough, hot spots and runaway reactions occur. As a result, these reactions can only be controlled in tubular reactors with small diameters. The reactors according to the invention correspond in terms of heat transfer capacity, mixing behavior and residence time distribution to tubular reactors with X-mixing elements with tube diameters of 10 mm (A / V = 400 m2 / m3) to 80 mm (A / V = 50 m2 / m3). In contrast to these tubular reactors, in the reactors according to the invention, the specific exchange area and the specific heat transfer capacity can be selected largely independently of the volume of the reactor or the device, which makes scaling up very easy. For example, polymerization reactions are highly exothermic and have a higher viscosity. In order to be able to control them reliably with a low molecular weight distribution, devices such as the device according to the invention are essential. Due to the very high specific heat transfer capacity and the narrow time spectrum, the polymerization reactions can be controlled isothermally in practice at a low temperature difference. Since the reaction and heat transfer take place in a chamber with constant cross-mixing, there is no possibility of uneven distribution. The results obtained from this test example with small tubular reactors with X-mixing elements with the aid of the device according to the invention with comparable mixing behavior and residence time are easily scalable to industrial scale. The spacing of the tubes is preferably chosen so that it is uniform over the entire cross-section. With square spacing of the tubes, the structure is very simple because the components of all the mixing elements are the same. It is also possible to vary the spacing in both the transverse direction and the width of the bars of the groups rotated by 90 degrees or to vary locally. However, it is also possible to choose the spacing locally, differently, or to eliminate the tubes individually or in groups, or to use long tubes or elements with other characteristics such as lightweight elements or elements with semi-permeable or porous walls, or to use tubes or bars without heat transfer medium or other long profiles to reinforce the structure in the desired positions of the tubes instead of the tubes for heat exchange, provided that the required heat transfer capacity allows this. The number of bars nb in the protrusion in the cross-section corresponds to nb = rm + where rm represents the number of tubes in the row of tubes or near the axis of the cross-section.Unlike known X-mixers, the number of rods increases with increasing number of tubes and / or diameter of the chamber. Surprisingly, it has been found that the number of rods in the transverse direction has only a small effect on the pressure drop. If the number of rods is at least nb = 4 and is hardly increased to more than nb = 8, the mixing effect will also be very good. Figure 5 shows a view in the flow direction of an embodiment of a device according to the invention with 32 tubes and 7 rods on the cross-section. In many practical applications of the devices according to the invention, the flow medium only needs to be mixed or dispersed statically, without heat being supplied or dissipated at the same time, or without the need for product tempering. The tube positions can then be partially separated and / or the tubes can be completely or partially replaced by complete profiles that act as reinforcement for the structure. This results in static mixers with very high stability against flow forces, such as those that arise during extrusion or injection molding of hard plastic melts. Figure 6 shows a model like Figure 5 in which not all possible tube positions are involved and in which some tubes are replaced by bars or complete profiles. Figure 12 shows a selection of possible shapes of the long elements, although this selection is not exhaustive. These long elements can be installed both axially instead of the tubes 2 and inclined relative to them as alternative shapes of the bars (31, 41). Successive axial bars 31 can be connected by auxiliary elements 5 to form a layer of bars and placed between the tubes, as shown in Figure 13. Inclined sheets are also possible as connectors, and the layer of bars becomes a corrugated sheet-like structure, as shown in Figure 14. Cross bars or profiles inclined to the axis of the chamber ensure intensive transverse mixing and transverse flow and improve heat and mass transfer to the tubes. The vertical distance m between the bars arranged in the direction of flow is a determining factor for the pressure drop in the tube bundle structure according to the invention, since it significantly affects the wetted surfaces of the facilities in the reactor. Therefore, if only good cross mixing with little or no heat exchange is required, the distance m should be as large as possible, preferably 0.2 to 0.4D. It is expected that the frequent intersection of the tubes with the bars and the frequent rotation of the direction of the bars are favorable for heat transfer to the tubes. It has been found that in laminar flow, when the ratio m / d < 4, the heat transfer coefficient or mass transfer to the tubes increases greatly. However, with a smaller distance m, the pressure drop of the device also increases. Therefore, the optimal distance m or the optimal diameter d of the inner tubes and the optimal tube spacing t depend on the specific requirements of the application. Test results In a mixing test with a hardening polyester resin, a device according to the invention was installed with a series of 9 tubes, each with 4 tubes, and the cross bars were arranged according to their protrusion in the flow direction of a cross-section as shown in Figure 9. The element length L up to a 90° rotation was 1D and the maximum width of the bars b was 60% of the pipe spacing t. The result obtained was compared with a mixer X from the prior art CH 642 564 with 8 bars with respect to the protrusion in the flow direction of a cross-section and the same rod spacing m between the bars, the same element length and the same angle of inclination of the bars. The hardened mixer rods were each cut after a length of 1D and the maximum thickness l of a layer was measured as a criterion for the mixing quality and compared with the initial thickness. This measurement method is very simple and efficient for showing the mixing process and the mixing quality in static mixers with laminar flow, especially in the initial mixing zone. The result of the mixing test is shown in Figure 15. Surprisingly, almost the same maximum layer thickness (mixing quality) is achieved in the device according to the invention with only 4 rods as in the static mixer of the prior art with 8 rods! The wetted rod surface of the device according to the invention is only about 60% compared to the design according to the prior art. Therefore, it can be expected that the pressure drop in laminar flow is also reduced by about the same proportion, since the axially aligned tubes hardly contribute to the pressure drop.This test shows that the device according to the invention also achieves an excellent mixing effect with low pressure drop, even if the bar width is significantly smaller than the tube spacing or even if the bars are placed between the tubes without recesses (maximum bar width b = t – d). Application range The application of the device disclosed in this invention is not limited to the laminar flow range. It is known that the X-structure is very suitable for the dispersion of liquids or gases in turbulent flow in low viscosity media. Therefore, this device is suitable for low viscosity media for high temperature reactions or also for biological reactors. If the tubes are replaced by rod-shaped generators or light guides, this device is also suitable for photosynthesis. In the case of vertical installation, a catalyst carrier can also be easily poured into the chamber for carrying out heterogeneous and catalytic reactions with higher heat of reaction in a fixed bed or in a fluidized bed. The disclosed device is preferably used as a mixer-heat exchanger with low axial and high transverse back mixing. - As a heat exchanger for laminar flow in general - Heating or cooling polymer solutions or melts - Product heating with partial degassing before chamber degassing - Cooling of viscose products - Heat-sensitive or reactive viscose products - Reactors, especially polymerization reactors - Gas-liquid reactor - Bioreactor with photosynthesis - Reactor for heterogeneous catalysis with fixed bed or fluidized bed Or even without a heat transfer medium as a static mixer with a stable structure and low pressure drop, preferably for viscous products. Static mixers for plastic melts have to withstand very high flow forces and always require temperature control to keep the operating temperature within the desired range. This is why these mixers are equipped with a heatable double-layer tube. The mixing elements often have to be held on the chamber wall in order to withstand the flow forces. And so the mixing elements cannot be removed and the welding tests required for pressure vessel setups are not always possible. In the device disclosed in this invention, an X-mixer is provided for this and similar applications, which is easily heated, very stable and expandable and therefore no longer requires a very expensive double-layer tube and is replaced by U-shaped tube coils through which a heat transfer medium flows. If necessary, additional long profiles at the tube positions provide the necessary structural reinforcement.The mixer according to the invention can also be heated up to operating temperature quickly, because no high pressure is expected to build up in the chamber, as is the case with a double-layer tube.

Claims

Claims 1. A device for supplying or removing heat, carrying out reactions and for mixing and dispersing fluids flowing in a chamber (1) with an internal diameter D, along whose longitudinal axis a main flow direction for the flow of a liquid, gaseous or multiphase product (I) is determined, together with equipment, characterized in that the equipment comprises a tube bundle (2) with an external diameter d or other elongated elements and between the tubes or other elongated elements, at least one rod of a first arrangement (31) is installed, this rod being inclined at an angle  = 30 - 60° degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the chamber and, transversely thereto, at least one second rod of a second arrangement (41) is installed with preferably the same angle of inclination but with the opposite sign, such that the rods have a width b and this width is smaller than or at most equal to the distance t of the tube bundle and the rods do not contact each other.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one rod of the first arrangement (31) is planar in shape and at least one rod of the second arrangement (41) is also planar in shape.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that successive rods along the axis of a layer form a rod between tubes or other elongated elements, the rods of a layer being preferably parallel and spaced m apart, and the rod layers are rotated after a certain number of rods or length L by preferably an angle of 90 degrees ('31, '41) and installed between the tubes.

4. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a first layer of bars (31) is adjacent to a second layer of bars (41) arranged in a crosswise manner, with a tube or a row of tubes between them, and the bars do not contact each other.

5. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that there is a distance between adjacent bars across the main flow direction and the maximum width b of the bars is preferably less than 85% and in particular less than 65% of the distance t of the tubes.

6. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rods fit between the tubes of the tube bundle without the need for a groove and the maximum width b is equal to t – d.

7. The device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bars are arranged in the transverse direction such that each one is located in the intersecting planes A and B.

8. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the axial distance m of the rods in at least one rod position is equal to 0.2 to 0.4 D.

9. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the axial distance m of the rods is less than d 4 at least in one rod position.

10. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that groups of layers of mixing element rods form an axial length L, and the layers of mixing element rods are successively rotated through an angle of 90 degrees and placed between the tubes, and the length L of the mixing elements is preferably 0.5 to D 4.

11. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cross bars (31, 41) of a first group are interlocked with the cross bars ('31, '41) of a second group rotated through an angle of 90 degrees to form a mixing element which performs mixing in two transverse directions.

12. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least some of the elongated elements are tubes with an inlet and an outlet for a liquid, gaseous or vaporous heat transfer fluid (II), which fluid flows co-currently or counter-currently with the flow of the product (I) outside the tubes.

13. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least some of the elongated elements are electric heating rods or electric heating coils.

14. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least a portion of the elongated elements have porous or semipermeable walls for an exchange process.

15. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least part of the elongated elements are connected to the rods or are made integrally with the rods.

16. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rods of at least one layer of rods are inclined towards each other and are connected by means of auxiliary elements or metal sheets, forming a layer resembling a corrugated sheet.

17. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that groups of rod layers are connected to each other transversely or longitudinally by auxiliary elements.

18. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ratio of the surface area of ​​the tube bundle to the empty volume of the apparatus or reactor is at least 50 square meters per cubic meter.

19. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least some of the elongated tubes or elements are optical elements or elements with a semipermeable or porous wall or tubes or rods without heat transfer fluid or other elongated profiles for reinforcing the structure at desired locations of the tube bundle.

20. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least some of the spaces intended for the tubes of the tube bundle are left empty.

21. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the equipment comprises a tube bundle (2) with an external diameter d or other elongated elements aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the chamber and having a square spacing t.

22. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one second rod of the second arrangement (41) has the same angle of deflection but with the opposite sign relative to at least one rod of the first arrangement (31).

23. A method for carrying out heterogeneous catalytic reactions or for mass transfer in a flowing fluid in an apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the product space (I) around the tubes of the tube bundle is filled with a solid or fluidized bed of catalyst supports or ion exchange resins.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that the flowing fluid is a highly concentrated solution or melt in a single-phase or multiphase state and the ratio of the surface area of ​​the tube bundle to the empty volume of the device or reactor is at least 50 m2 / m3.

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