An adsorption tower

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of adsorption towers, and provides an adsorption tower, which at least includes: a main body having a water inlet and a water outlet. A plurality of adsorption columns are arranged in parallel in the tower cavity of the main body. Cover bodies with meshes are provided on the upper and lower end faces of each adsorption column. The cover bodies can limit the overflow of the adsorbent inside the adsorption column and allow liquid to pass through. In the adsorption tower provided by the present invention, a plurality of adsorption columns are arranged in parallel in the tower cavity of the main body. Compared with the original adsorption tower, the volume of each adsorption column is smaller, so that the adsorbent in each adsorption column can be freely dispersed in the liquid, thereby ensuring that when the liquid flows through the adsorption column, it can fully contact the adsorbent without forming runoff, thus avoiding the repeatedly flushing of the already saturated adsorbent by the brine with a high lithium ion concentration and the long-term flushing of the unadsorbed adsorbent by the brine with a low lithium ion concentration, which can greatly reduce the time of a single adsorption and desorption cycle and improve the efficiency of adsorption and desorption.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of adsorption towers, and particularly to an adsorption tower. Background Art

[0002] Common adsorption towers on the market at present include column-shaped adsorption towers with one or two chambers, continuous ion-exchange type adsorption tower groups, etc., which are all adsorption towers developed for the characteristics of traditional lithium molecular sieves. Lithium ion sieve has the characteristics of high adsorption and desorption efficiency and high adsorption capacity compared with lithium molecular sieve. Due to the too large volume of the tower cavity of the column-shaped adsorption towers and continuous ion-exchange adsorption tower groups on the market, the characteristics of lithium ion sieve cannot be fully exerted, and there is generally a problem that most of the adsorbents are not in an effective adsorption state for most of the time. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is that due to the too large volume of the tower cavity of the column-shaped adsorption towers and continuous ion-exchange adsorption tower groups on the market, the characteristics of lithium ion sieve cannot be fully exerted, and there is generally a problem that most of the adsorbents are not in an effective adsorption state for most of the time, so as to provide an adsorption tower.

[0004] To solve the above technical problem, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0005] An adsorption tower, at least including: a main body, having a water inlet and a water outlet, a plurality of adsorption columns are arranged in parallel in the tower cavity of the main body, and cover bodies with mesh holes are arranged on the upper and lower end faces of each adsorption column, and the cover bodies can limit the overflow of the adsorbent inside the adsorption column and can allow liquid to pass through.

[0006] Further, the end face of each adsorption column is in a regular hexagon structure, and seamless splicing is arranged between two adjacent adsorption columns arranged in parallel.

[0007] Further, the side length range of each adsorption column is 0.5 cm - 5 cm; the height range of each adsorption column is 5 cm - 50 cm.

[0008] Further, multiple layers of adsorption columns are arranged in the tower cavity along the height direction of the main body, and multiple adsorption columns in the same layer form an adsorption combination.

[0009] Further, the adsorption tower further includes trays, and trays are arranged on the top surface and the bottom surface of the adsorption combination; a plurality of mounting holes adapted to the shape of the end face of the adsorption column are arranged on the tray surface of the tray, and the end face of each adsorption column is inserted into the mounting hole.

[0010] Further, a water distributor is arranged between two adjacent upper and lower adsorption combinations, and the water distributor is suitable for making the liquid flow uniformly through each adsorption column in the same adsorption combination.

[0011] Further, the adsorption tower further includes an ultrasonic generator and a vibration motor; the ultrasonic generator is disposed in both the top cavity and the bottom cavity of the tower cavity; the vibration motor is located outside the main body, and the vibration motor is connected to the outer wall of the main body through a rigid rod.

[0012] Further, the adsorbent filled in each adsorption column is a lithium ion sieve adsorbent, and the particle diameter range of the adsorbent is 0.3 mm - 2 mm.

[0013] Further, flexible pipelines are connected to both the water inlet and the water outlet of the main body.

[0014] The technical solution of the present invention has the following advantages:

[0015] In the adsorption tower provided by the present invention, a plurality of adsorption columns are arranged in parallel in the tower cavity of the main body. Compared with the original adsorption tower, the volume of each adsorption column is smaller, so that the adsorbent in each adsorption column can be freely dispersed in the liquid, thereby ensuring that when the liquid flows through the adsorption column, it can fully contact the adsorbent without forming runoff, thus avoiding the repeatedly flushing of the already saturated adsorbent by the brine with a high lithium ion concentration and the long-term flushing of the unadsorbed adsorbent by the brine with a low lithium ion concentration. It can greatly reduce the time of a single adsorption and desorption cycle and improve the efficiency of adsorption and desorption. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the adsorption column in the adsorption tower in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the tray in the adsorption tower in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the adsorption tower in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] 1. Adsorption column; 2. Cover body; 3. Tray;

[0021] 4. Mounting hole; 5. Main body; 6. Water inlet;

[0022] 7. Water outlet; 8. Ultrasonic generator; 9. Vibration motor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0023] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0024] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation to the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0025] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0026] In addition, the technical features involved in different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0027] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the adsorption column in the adsorption tower in the embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the tray in the adsorption tower in the embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the adsorption tower in the embodiment of the present invention; as Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown in the figure, this embodiment provides an adsorption tower, which at least includes: a main body 5, having a water inlet 6 and a water outlet 7. For example, the water inlet 6 is located at the top of the main body, and the water outlet 7 is located at the bottom of the main body 5; a plurality of adsorption columns 1 are arranged in parallel in the tower cavity of the main body 5. For example, along the horizontal direction, a plurality of adsorption columns 1 are arranged in parallel at the same height position. For example, along different heights, a plurality of adsorption columns 1 can also be arranged in the tower cavity. For example, covers 2 with mesh holes are provided on the upper and lower end faces of each adsorption column 1, and the size of the mesh holes is selected according to the particle diameter of the adsorbent, so that the cover 2 can limit the overflow of the adsorbent inside the adsorption column 1 and allow the liquid to pass through.

[0028] In the adsorption tower provided in this embodiment, a plurality of adsorption columns 1 are arranged in parallel in the tower cavity of the main body 5. Compared with the original adsorption tower, the volume of each adsorption column 1 is smaller, so that the adsorbent in each adsorption column 1 can be freely dispersed in the liquid, ensuring that when the liquid flows through the adsorption column 1, it can fully contact the adsorbent without forming runoff, thus avoiding the repeatedly flushing of the already saturated adsorbent by the brine with a high lithium ion concentration and the long-term flushing of the unadsorbed adsorbent by the brine with a low lithium ion concentration. This can significantly reduce the time of a single adsorption and desorption cycle and improve the efficiency of adsorption and desorption.

[0029] Among them, the end face of each adsorption column 1 has a regular hexagonal structure, and two adjacent adsorption columns 1 arranged in parallel are seamlessly spliced.

[0030] Among them, the side length range of each adsorption column 1 is 0.5 cm - 5 cm; the height range of each adsorption column 1 is 5 cm - 50 cm.

[0031] Among them, a plurality of adsorption columns 1 are arranged in multiple layers in the tower cavity along the height direction of the main body 5, and a plurality of adsorption columns 1 in the same layer form an adsorption combination.

[0032] Among them, the adsorption tower further includes trays 3, and trays 3 are provided on both the top and bottom surfaces of the adsorption combination; a plurality of mounting holes 4 adapted to the end face shape of the adsorption column 1 are provided on the tray surface of the tray 3, and the end face of each adsorption column 1 is inserted into the mounting hole 4, and the adsorption column 1 and the mounting hole 4 can be connected by threads.

[0033] Among them, a water distributor is provided between two adjacent upper and lower adsorption combinations, and the water distributor is adapted to make the liquid flow evenly through each adsorption column 1 in the same adsorption combination.

[0034] Among them, the adsorption tower further includes an ultrasonic generator 8 and a vibration motor 9; ultrasonic generators 8 are provided in both the top cavity and the bottom cavity of the tower cavity; the vibration motor 9 is located outside the main body 5, and the vibration motor 9 is connected to the outer wall of the main body 5 through a rigid rod. With such a setting, during the water washing process that is necessary for each adsorption and desorption cycle of the adsorption combination, the ultrasonic vibration process can be used to make the water washing efficiency higher and can greatly save water consumption.

[0035] Among them, the adsorbent filled in each adsorption column 1 is a lithium ion sieve adsorbent, and the particle diameter range of the adsorbent is 0.3 mm - 2 mm.

[0036] Among them, flexible pipelines are connected to both the water inlet 6 and the water outlet 7 of the main body 5.

[0037] Specifically, as Figure 1 shown, its upper and lower surfaces are regular hexagons, with side lengths of 0.5 cm - 5 cm and a height of 5 cm - 50 cm. The upper and lower surfaces are cover bodies 2 with mesh holes, so as to keep the lithium ion sieve adsorbent in the column body of the adsorption column 1, and at the same time ensure that the liquid flow can pass through the adsorption column 1 smoothly from top to bottom or from bottom to top. The column body material of the adsorption column 1 can be a light and strong acid and alkali corrosion resistant material, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, etc.

[0038] Among them, since the lithium ion sieve adsorbent is particles with a diameter of 0.3 mm - 2 mm and a density close to that of water, it can be freely dispersed in the liquid in the above-mentioned adsorption column 1, so as to ensure that when the liquid flows through the adsorption column 1, it can fully contact the adsorbent without forming runoff. At the same time, at high flow rates, such as 100 times or more of the space volume per hour, no pressure drop will be formed between the upper and lower surfaces of the adsorption column 1.

[0039] Among them, due to the high adsorption efficiency characteristics of the lithium ion sieve adsorbent, the column height of a single adsorption column 1 of 5 cm - 30 cm can fully exert the adsorption efficiency of the adsorbent, avoiding the repeatedly washed by the brine with a high lithium ion concentration of the already saturated adsorbent, and also avoiding the long-term washed by the brine with a low lithium ion concentration of the adsorbent that has not adsorbed lithium, while greatly reducing the time of a single adsorption and desorption cycle.

[0040] Among them, since a single adsorption column 1 has a small volume, the loading of the adsorbent is very simple. When replacing the adsorbent, only need to disassemble each adsorption column 1, separately disassemble / load the adsorbent, or replace the original adsorption column 1 with an adsorption column 1 filled with a new adsorbent.

[0041] Among them, the adsorption column 1 is loaded on the adsorbent tray 3 during use. The structure of the adsorbent tray 3 is as Figure 2As shown in the figure, it is connected to the cover 2 of the adsorption column 1 by means of threading or snap connection. For example, various water pumps required for adsorption and desorption can be connected to the tray 3. For example, under the uniform distribution of the adsorption columns 1, several simple water distributors can be arranged above the tray 3 to ensure uniform and normal flow of the liquid in each adsorption column 1. For example, as long as the liquid flow from the upstream is evenly distributed, it can ensure that the liquid flows into the adsorption column 1 evenly, and the absolute amount of adsorbent in a single adsorption column 1 is relatively small, which is conducive to the uniform distribution of the adsorbent itself.

[0042] Among them, two trays 3 and the corresponding number of adsorption columns 1 in the middle can form an adsorption combination. When an adsorption tower has multiple adsorption combinations, a single group of cycles can simultaneously use one adsorption combination, two adsorption combinations, three adsorption combinations or even multiple adsorption combinations to adsorb the same part of the brine.

[0043] Among them, if an adsorption tower has only one adsorption combination, corresponding zoning design can be carried out on the tray 3, and the outflow liquid of some adsorption columns 1 can be used as the inflow liquid of another part of the adsorption columns 1, so that the adsorption columns 1 can be used in series, supplemented by the addition of an appropriate amount of desorbing acid, thereby increasing the lithium ion concentration in the desorbing liquid.

[0044] Among them, due to the high adsorption efficiency and high adsorption capacity of the lithium ion sieve adsorbent, the adsorption and desorption performance of each cycle is not very consistent, which results in differences in adsorption efficiency and lithium concentration in the desorbing liquid between consecutive multiple cycles. However, the adsorption tail liquid and desorbing liquid obtained in the adsorption combination designed in this application are the averages of the adsorption tail liquid and desorbing liquid obtained from multiple adsorption columns 1. Through the averaging effect, the originally wider distribution of adsorption efficiency and lithium concentration in the desorbing liquid is well bridged, which better meets the requirements of industrial production for the raw material liquid.

[0045] Among them, since the adsorption columns 1 are all hexagonal structures, the overall strength of the adsorption combination formed by them and the tray 3 is much higher than that of the bed layer of the traditional adsorption tower.

[0046] Example 1:

[0047] Using the adsorption tower in this application, the side length of the upper and lower surfaces of the adsorption column is 5 cm, the height is 50 cm, and there are 217 adsorption columns in a single layer. 1174 L of adsorbent is loaded to adsorb a certain salt lake brine with a lithium ion concentration of about 250 ppm and an adsorption flow rate of 15 times the space velocity per hour. The test results are shown in Table 1:

[0048] Table 1

[0049]

[0050] Comparative Example 1:

[0051] Using an existing adsorption tower, the upper and lower surface radii of the cylindrical adsorption column bed are 20 cm, the height is 100 cm, and 1256 L of the same adsorbent is loaded to adsorb the brine from South American M Salt Lake. The lithium ion concentration is about 250 ppm, and the adsorption flow rate is 15 times the space velocity per hour. The test results are shown in Table 2:

[0052] Table 2

[0053]

[0054] It can be seen that the adsorption efficiency of Example 1 is significantly higher than that of Comparative Example 1, and the stability of the adsorption efficiency and the stability of the lithium ion concentration in the desorption liquid are significantly better.

[0055] Example 2:

[0056] Using the adsorption tower in this application, the side lengths of the upper and lower surfaces of the adsorption column are 5 cm, the height is 50 cm, and each layer contains 217 adsorption columns. 1174 L of adsorbent is loaded to adsorb the brine from a certain salt lake. The lithium ion concentration is about 500 ppm, and the adsorption flow rate is 8 times the space velocity per hour. The test results are shown in Table 3:

[0057] Table 3

[0058]

[0059] Example 3:

[0060] Using the adsorption tower in this application, the side lengths of the upper and lower surfaces of the adsorption column are 5 cm, the height is 50 cm, and each layer contains 217 adsorption columns. 1174 L of adsorbent is loaded to adsorb the brine from a certain salt lake. The lithium ion concentration is about 500 ppm, and the adsorption flow rate is 8 times the space velocity per hour. After adsorption, deionized water is used for washing. The washing flow rate is 30 times the space velocity per hour. The ultrasonic generator is turned on with a frequency of 100 kHz, and the vibration motor is turned on with a frequency of 50 Hz until the conductivity of the washed water flowing out is 700 μs, and 2800 L of water is used.

[0061] Comparative Example 3:

[0062] Using an existing adsorption tower, the upper and lower surface radii of the cylindrical adsorption column bed are 20 cm, the height is 100 cm, and 1256 L of adsorbent is loaded to adsorb the brine from a certain salt lake. The lithium ion concentration is about 500 ppm, and the adsorption flow rate is 8 times the space velocity per hour. After adsorption, deionized water is used for washing. The washing flow rate is 30 times the space velocity per hour until the conductivity of the washed water flowing out is 700 μs, and 5300 L of water is used.

[0063] Example 4:

[0064] Using the adsorption tower in this application, the side length of the upper and lower surfaces of the adsorption column is 5 cm, the height is 50 cm, there are 217 adsorption columns in a single layer, and 1174 L of lithium ion sieve adsorbent is loaded. After loading 217 new adsorption columns with adsorbent in advance, the adsorbent is replaced on site. Starting from the shutdown, the adsorption columns are replaced until they are reinstalled in the adsorption tower and adsorption can begin, which takes 1 hour and 35 minutes.

[0065] Comparative Example 4:

[0066] Using an existing adsorption tower, the radius of the upper and lower surfaces of the cylindrical adsorption column bed is 20 cm, the height is 100 cm, and 1256 L of lithium ion sieve adsorbent is loaded. The new adsorbent is transported to the site and the adsorbent is replaced on site. Starting from the shutdown, the adsorption columns are replaced until the replacement of the new adsorbent is completed and adsorption can begin, which takes 4 hours and 52 minutes.

[0067] In summary, the adsorption tower in this application improves the adsorption efficiency of the adsorbent; improves the adsorption and desorption stability of the adsorbent, making it more convenient to connect with subsequent processes in large-scale industrial production; significantly reduces the time required for on-site adsorbent replacement; can increase the lithium concentration in the desorption liquid; can greatly save the water consumption for washing, and is suitable for areas with scarce fresh water resources.

[0068] Obviously, the above embodiments are only examples given for clear illustration and are not limitations on the implementation manners. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to enumerate all the implementation manners here. And the obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom are still within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An adsorption tower, characterized in that, At least including: A main body having a water inlet and a water outlet. A plurality of adsorption columns are arranged in parallel in the tower cavity of the main body. Each of the upper and lower end faces of each adsorption column is provided with a cover body with mesh holes. The cover body can limit the overflow of the adsorbent inside the adsorption column and allow liquid to pass through; The end face of each adsorption column has a regular hexagonal structure, and two adjacent adsorption columns arranged in parallel are spliced seamlessly; The side length of each adsorption column ranges from 0.5 cm to 5 cm; The height of each adsorption column ranges from 5 cm to 50 cm; The adsorbent filled in each adsorption column is a lithium ion sieve adsorbent, and the particle diameter of the adsorbent ranges from 0.3 mm to 2 mm.

2. The adsorption tower according to claim 1, characterized in that A plurality of layers of adsorption columns are arranged in the tower cavity along the height direction of the main body, and a plurality of adsorption columns in the same layer form an adsorption combination.

3. The adsorption tower according to claim 2, characterized in that It further includes trays, and trays are provided on both the top surface and the bottom surface of the adsorption combination; The tray surface is provided with a number of mounting holes adapted to the shape of the end face of the adsorption column, and the end face of each adsorption column is inserted into the mounting hole.

4. The adsorption tower according to claim 2, characterized in that A water distributor is arranged between two adjacent upper and lower adsorption combinations, and the water distributor is adapted to evenly flow the liquid through each adsorption column in the same adsorption combination.

5. The adsorption tower according to claim 1, characterized in that It further includes an ultrasonic generator and a vibration motor; The ultrasonic generator is arranged in both the top cavity and the bottom cavity of the tower cavity; The vibration motor is located outside the main body, and the vibration motor is connected to the outer wall of the main body through a rigid rod.

6. The adsorption tower according to claim 1, characterized in that Flexible pipelines are connected to both the water inlet and the water outlet of the main body.

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