Reinforced heat exchange type oil-water emulsion static mixer

Abstract

The application discloses a reinforced heat exchange type oil-water emulsion static mixer, which comprises a pipeline body provided with a mixing pipeline and a heat exchange flow channel. The mixing pipeline is composed of an inlet section, a converging section, a throat section, a diverging section and an outlet section. The heat exchange flow channel is arranged on the inner wall of the pipeline body and crosses the pipeline sections. The converging section, the throat section and the diverging section are each provided with at least one group of spiral ribs and spiral grooves. The converging section and the diverging section are arranged with at least two groups of turbulence elements. The heat exchange flow channel is respectively connected with an inflow pipe and an outflow pipe. The inlet section is connected with a branch pipe. Through the cooperation of the heat exchange flow channel and the mixing pipeline, the countercurrent heat exchange principle is utilized, the multi-stage synergistic effect of fluid contraction and acceleration, turbulence element shearing and spiral rib rotational flow mixing of the mixing pipeline structure is utilized, the fluid temperature is synchronously regulated during the mixing process, the flow resistance and the shear threshold of the high-viscosity oil phase are significantly reduced, the fluid rheological property is optimized, the effective temperature field can be maintained during the mixing process, and the high-efficiency emulsification of the oil-water two-phase is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of oil-water emulsification, and more specifically to an enhanced heat exchange type static mixer for oil-water emulsification. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, in the fields of biodiesel production and pesticide slow-release formulation processing in modern agriculture, efficient emulsification of high-viscosity biomass oils with the aqueous phase is a key process for improving the mass transfer efficiency of subsequent reactions. The viscosity of the oil-water two-phase mixture is extremely sensitive to temperature, especially for animal and vegetable oils, whose viscosity increases exponentially as temperature decreases. Under low-temperature conditions, the high-viscosity oil phase has poor fluidity, making it difficult for conventional static mixers to fully break up oil droplets using only mechanical shearing. This can easily lead to problems such as large emulsion particle size, high energy consumption, and even flow channel blockage.

[0003] In existing technologies, tubular static mixers are commonly used online oil-water emulsification devices. Their basic structure mainly includes a mixer shell, fluid inlet and outlet flanges, and several sets of static mixing elements fixedly installed inside the shell. These mixing elements are mostly components such as spiral vanes, corrugated vanes, and baffles, which shear and reorganize the fluid driving the flow. However, this type of mixer still has the following problems: 1. The viscosity of the oil phase is highly sensitive to temperature. Existing mixers do not have heat exchange function. Under normal operating conditions, the viscosity of the oil phase is high and the fluid performance is poor. This leads to a decrease in the shearing, tearing and dispersing ability of the mixer to the oil phase, resulting in oil phase agglomeration, large oil droplet residue, insufficient mixing uniformity, and difficulty in forming a stable emulsion between the oil and water phases. 2. Currently, the commonly used mixer is paired with an independent external heat exchanger for preheating. However, heat is lost during the process of transporting the material to the mixing chamber, making it difficult to maintain a suitable temperature field at the moment of mixing. This results in low emulsification efficiency and unstable emulsification effect.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a static mixer that can integrate heat exchange and emulsification functions and is suitable for high-viscosity oil-water emulsification, in order to meet the requirements of low energy consumption and stable operation in crude oil pipeline transportation and other high-viscosity oil-water emulsification industrial scenarios. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of the aforementioned technologies by proposing an enhanced heat exchange type oil-water emulsification static mixer, which aims to solve the problems mentioned above.

[0006] This invention provides an enhanced heat exchange type oil-water emulsification static mixer, including a pipe body. The pipe body is provided with a mixing pipe for supplying oil and water flow and mixing. The mixing pipe is provided with an inlet section, a converging section, a throat section, a diverging section and an outlet section in sequence along its flow direction. The inner wall of the pipe body is provided with a heat exchange flow channel that spans each pipe section and has an annular cavity structure. Both the converging section and the expanding section have a conical tube wall structure. The diameter of the converging section gradually decreases from the inlet section to the throat section, and the diameter of the expanding section gradually increases from the throat section to the outlet section. The side wall of one end of the pipe body is provided with an inflow pipe that communicates with the heat exchange channel, and the side wall of the other end is provided with an outflow pipe that communicates with the heat exchange channel. The outer wall of the pipe body is provided with a branch pipe that communicates with the inlet section. The inner wall of the tapering section, the inner wall of the throat section, and the inner wall of the expanding section are each provided with at least one set of spiral ribs extending spirally along the inner wall of the pipe, and each pipe section has a spiral groove cut along the spiral ribs at its inner wall. Both the tapering section and the expanding section are provided with at least two sets of flow-dispersing elements. The plane on which the flow-dispersing elements are located is perpendicular to the conical tube wall on which they are located, and the arrangement of two adjacent sets of flow-dispersing elements is opposite.

[0007] Preferably, the inlet section, the throat section, and the outlet section all have circular pipe wall structures of equal diameter.

[0008] Preferably, the pipe body includes an inner pipe and an outer pipe, the outer pipe is sleeved outside the inner pipe, and the two ends of the outer pipe are sealed to the two ends of the inner pipe, so that the inner wall of the outer pipe and the outer wall of the inner pipe enclose the heat exchange channel, and the inner wall of the inner pipe forms the mixing pipe.

[0009] Preferably, both the outer wall of the outlet section and the outer wall of the inlet section are provided with baffle assemblies. The baffle assembly includes a plurality of inner ring baffles and a plurality of outer ring baffles. The inner sides of the plurality of inner ring baffles are connected to the outer wall of the inner pipe, and the outer sides of the plurality of outer ring baffles are connected to the inner wall of the outer pipe. The plurality of inner ring baffles and the plurality of outer ring baffles are arranged alternately along the axis of the pipe body.

[0010] Preferably, the outer wall of the throat section is provided with spiral ribs arranged at the heat exchange channel, and has spiral grooves cut along the spiral ribs.

[0011] Preferably, the spiral ribs at the converging section, the throat section, and the expanding section are all in three sets, and the starting ends of the three sets of spiral ribs at the same pipe section are arranged in a circular array relative to the axis of the pipe section.

[0012] Preferably, four of the aforementioned baffles are provided at the tapered section, and the four baffles are arranged along the axial direction of the tapered section, with adjacent groups of baffles facing opposite directions.

[0013] Preferably, the spoiler has an overall hollow frame structure and is composed of multiple non-continuous rhomboid and triangular frames.

[0014] Preferably, the intersection line of the spiral rib and the spiral groove at the throat segment after being cut along the central axis is a sine curve.

[0015] Preferably, the tapering section and the expanding section are arranged in a mirror-symmetric manner with respect to the mid-section of the throat section.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: 1. In terms of heat exchange performance, thanks to the shell-and-tube dual-channel and counter-current heat exchange design composed of heat exchange channels and mixing pipes, the baffle components in the inlet and outlet sections transform the heat exchange fluid from straight flow to cross-baffle flow, significantly extending the flow path; combined with the multi-layered reinforced structure of "inner spiral fins - inner spiral grooves - outer spiral fins - outer spiral grooves" in the throat region, it drives the heat exchange fluid to generate strong three-dimensional swirling flow, significantly disrupting the thermal boundary layer; this global temperature control capability rapidly reduces the shear threshold of the high-viscosity oil phase, improves the fluid rheology, and lays an excellent physical property foundation for subsequent efficient emulsification.

[0017] 2. In terms of mixing performance, the mixing pipe constructs a highly efficient mixing mechanism of "external swirl and internal impact, multi-stage progression". The spiral ribs on the walls of the tapering and expanding sections induce the fluid to rotate over a wide range, while the four-stage inclined orthogonally opposed turbulence-inducing components arranged axially continuously cut and break up the fluid at the center of the flow channel. Combined with three sets of spiral ribs arranged in a circumferential array, the dead zone and eccentric vortex of the flow are effectively eliminated. When the fluid passes through the high-speed shear zone of the throat, the oil-water interface is repeatedly torn and reorganized, realizing the gradual refinement of droplet size and highly uniform mixing at the microscale.

[0018] 3. Its structure achieves deep synergy and positive feedback between heat exchange and mixing. By improving the physical properties of the fluid through temperature control, it significantly enhances the efficiency of mechanical shearing and turbulent breaking. At the same time, the symmetrical flow channel design and the guiding effect of the spiral structure ensure the stability of the flow field and the efficient recovery of pressure. Under low resistance and low noise operating conditions, it takes into account both excellent emulsification quality and wide adaptability to working conditions, solving the problems of the separation of mixing and heat exchange structures and low efficiency in handling high-viscosity fluids in traditional equipment.

[0019] It enables simultaneous temperature control of the fluid during mixing, significantly reduces the flow resistance and shear threshold of the high-viscosity oil phase, optimizes fluid rheology, maintains an effective temperature field during mixing, and achieves efficient emulsification of the oil and water phases. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only preferred embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 for Figure 2 Enlarged view of point A in the middle; Figure 4 This is a left view of one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the tapering section in a certain embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the throat segment in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the throat segment in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 for Figure 7 Enlarged view of point B in the middle; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the front structure of the spoiler in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 10 This is a simulated oil phase volume fraction cloud map of the main body of the pipeline in a certain embodiment of the present invention. The enlarged peripheral schematic diagram is a radial cross-sectional phase distribution cloud map corresponding to different axial positions. Figure 11 This is a simulated velocity trajectory cloud diagram in one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 12 This is a simulated velocity contour map of the axial section of the pipeline body in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 13 This is a simulated temperature cloud map of the axial section of the pipeline body in a typical calculation step during transient simulation, according to a certain embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] In the diagram: 1. Pipe body; 11. Inlet section; 12. Outlet section; 2. Branch pipe; 3. Heat exchange channel; 31. Inner ring baffle; 32. Outer ring baffle; 4. Converging section; 41. Helical ribs of the converging section; 411. Helical ribs of the first converging section; 412. Helical ribs of the second converging section; 413. Helical ribs of the third converging section; 42. Turbulent element; 421. First turbulent element; 422. Second turbulent element; 423. Third turbulent element; 424. Fourth turbulent element; 43. Helical groove of the converging section; 431. Helical groove of the first converging section; 432. Helical groove of the second converging section; 433. Helical groove of the third converging section; 5. Throat section; 51. Helical ribs on the outer wall of the throat; 511. Outer wall of the throat. 512. First spiral rib on the outer wall of the larynx; 513. Third spiral rib on the outer wall of the larynx; 52. Spiral rib on the inner wall of the larynx; 521. First spiral rib on the inner wall of the larynx; 522. Second spiral rib on the inner wall of the larynx; 523. Third spiral rib on the inner wall of the larynx; 53. Spiral groove on the outer wall of the larynx; 531. First spiral groove on the outer wall of the larynx; 532. Second spiral groove on the outer wall of the larynx; 533. Third spiral groove on the outer wall of the larynx; 54. Spiral groove on the inner wall of the larynx; 541. First spiral groove on the inner wall of the larynx; 542. Second spiral groove on the inner wall of the larynx; 543. Third spiral groove on the inner wall of the larynx; 6. Gradual expansion section; 7. Inflow tube; 8. Outflow tube. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. In the following description, the expression "some embodiments" describes a subset of all possible embodiments; however, it should be understood that "some embodiments" can be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments and can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0024] It should also be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" another element, it can be directly attached to the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," "outer," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0025] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0026] This section will describe in detail specific embodiments of the present invention. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings. The purpose of the drawings is to supplement the textual description with graphics, so that people can intuitively and vividly understand each technical feature and overall technical solution of the present invention, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0027] Example: Reference Figures 1 to 13 The present invention provides an enhanced heat exchange type oil-water emulsification static mixer, including a pipe body 1. The pipe body 1 is provided with a mixing pipe for supplying oil and water flow and mixing. The mixing pipe is provided with an inlet section 11, a converging section 4, a throat section 5, a expanding section 6 and an outlet section 12 in sequence along its flow direction. The inner wall of the pipe body 1 is provided with a heat exchange flow channel 3 that spans each pipe section and has an annular cavity structure. Both the converging section 4 and the expanding section 6 have conical tube wall structures. The diameter of the converging section 4 gradually decreases from the inlet section 11 to the throat section 5, and the diameter of the expanding section 6 gradually increases from the throat section 5 to the outlet section 12. The side wall of one end of the pipe body 1 is provided with an inflow pipe 7 that communicates with the heat exchange channel 3, and the side wall of the other end is provided with an outflow pipe 8 that communicates with the heat exchange channel 3. The outer wall of the pipe body 1 is provided with a branch pipe 2 that communicates with the inlet section 11. The inner walls of the tapering section 4, the throat section 5, and the expanding section 6 are each provided with at least one set of spiral ribs extending spirally along the inner wall of the pipe, and spiral grooves cut along the spiral ribs are provided at the inner wall of each pipe section. Both the contraction section 4 and the expansion section 6 are provided with at least two sets of turbulence-disrupting elements 42. The plane where the turbulence-disrupting element 42 is located is perpendicular to the conical tube wall where it is located, and the arrangement of two adjacent sets of turbulence-disrupting elements 42 is opposite.

[0028] Specifically, the inlet section 11, the throat section 5, and the outlet section 12 all have circular pipe walls of equal diameter.

[0029] Specifically, the pipe body 1 includes an inner pipe and an outer pipe. The outer pipe is sleeved outside the inner pipe, and the two ends of the outer pipe are sealed to the two ends of the inner pipe so that the inner wall of the outer pipe and the outer wall of the inner pipe enclose each other to form a heat exchange channel 3, and the inner wall of the inner pipe forms a mixing pipe.

[0030] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 In some embodiments, baffle assemblies are provided on the outer wall of the outlet section 12 and the outer wall of the inlet section 11. The baffle assemblies include a plurality of inner ring baffles 31 and a plurality of outer ring baffles 32. The inner sides of the plurality of inner ring baffles 31 are connected to the outer wall of the inner pipe, and the outer sides of the plurality of outer ring baffles 32 are connected to the inner wall of the outer pipe. The plurality of inner ring baffles 31 and the plurality of outer ring baffles 32 are arranged alternately along the axis of the pipe body 1, so that the hot fluid in the jacket flows in a tortuous path in the annular channel, prolonging the heat exchange time and promoting a more uniform distribution of the hot fluid in the circumferential and axial directions, thereby improving the heating uniformity and heat exchange efficiency of the emulsion fluid in the pipe.

[0031] In some embodiments, the outer wall of the throat section 5 is provided with spiral ribs arranged at the heat exchange channel 3, and has spiral grooves cut along the spiral ribs.

[0032] Reference Figures 2 to 7 In some embodiments, the spiral ribs at the converging section 4, the throat section 5, and the expanding section 6 are in three sets, with the starting ends of the three sets of spiral ribs arranged in a circumferential array relative to the axis of the same pipe section. It should be noted that each set of spiral ribs is provided with a spiral groove cut along the spiral rib.

[0033] Specifically, the intersection line of the spiral rib and the spiral groove at the throat segment 5 after being cut along the central axis is a sine curve.

[0034] Combination Figures 2 to 7 It should be noted that in this embodiment, the tapered section 4 has a tapered contraction structure, and the pipe diameter gradually decreases from the inlet section 11 to the throat section 5. Three sets of tapered section spiral ribs 41 (i.e., the first tapered section spiral rib 411, the second tapered section spiral rib 412, and the third tapered section spiral rib 413) are provided on the wall surface of the tapered section 4, with initial angles of 90°, 210°, and 330° respectively, and a phase difference of 120°. The tapered section spiral ribs 41 extend spirally forward along the inner wall of the pipe. Three tapered section spiral grooves 43 (i.e., the first tapered section spiral groove 431, the second tapered section spiral groove 432, and the third tapered section spiral groove 43) are formed by cutting along the three sets of tapered section spiral ribs 41. The cross-sections of the three sets of tapered section spiral ribs 41 and the three tapered section spiral grooves 43 are all rectangular.

[0035] The larynx segment 5 is a circular tube of equal diameter, with three sets of spiral ribs 52 on its inner wall surface (i.e., the first spiral rib 521, the second spiral rib 522, and the third spiral rib 523), with initial angles of 90°, 210°, and 330° respectively. Spiral grooves 54 (i.e., the first spiral groove 541, the second spiral groove 542, and the third spiral groove 543) are formed by cutting along the spiral ribs 52 on the inner wall surface of the larynx. Three sets of sinusoidal spiral ribs 51 (i.e., the first spiral rib 511, the second spiral rib 512, and the third spiral rib 513) are also provided on the outer wall of the larynx segment 5, corresponding to the inner wall ribs. Spiral grooves 53 (i.e., the first spiral groove 531, the second spiral groove 532, and the third spiral groove 533) are also formed on both sides of the outer wall ribs. The intersection lines of the spiral ribs 51, 52, 53, and 54 along the central axis are all sinusoidal curves.

[0036] It should be further explained that, compared with a single set of spiral fins with the same spiral gap, the three sets of spiral fins arranged in a circumferential array with a 120° phase difference at the starting end can only induce swirl on one side of the flow channel, easily causing uneven circumferential disturbance in the flow field, generating eccentric vortices, and resulting in large differences in emulsification effect at different positions of the fluid cross-section. This application uses three sets of spiral fins with a 120° phase difference, which can simultaneously initiate swirl at three points in the circumferential direction, continuously applying a spiral guiding effect to the fluid at multiple circumferential positions along the entire axial direction. This results in a more uniform circumferential distribution of the flow field and effectively improves the shearing and dispersion emulsification effect of the oil and water phases throughout the entire flow channel cross-section. Simultaneously, the simultaneous initiation of swirl at three points in the circumferential direction not only makes the circumferential disturbance of the flow field more uniform but also ensures more sufficient contact between the fluid and the pipe wall, avoiding the weakening of heat transfer caused by local low-velocity areas and contributing to improving the uniformity of circumferential heat transfer. In addition, the spiral grooves corresponding to the three sets of spiral fins increase the heat transfer area of ​​the inner wall of the flow channel and disturb the near-wall fluid, which helps to break the thermal boundary layer and reduce thermal resistance, so that heat can be transferred to the center of the flow channel more efficiently. In the throat section, the spiral grooves exist on both the inner wall of the mixing pipe and the outer wall of the heat exchange flow channel. The inner wall grooves increase the heat transfer area and generate additional disturbances to the oil and water phases, promoting phase interface renewal and droplet refinement. The outer wall grooves further enhance heat transfer. The two work together to improve emulsification uniformity and heat transfer efficiency.

[0037] Based on the above embodiments, refer to Figure 2 , Figure 4 and Figure 5In some embodiments, four spoilers 42 (i.e., first spoiler 421, second spoiler 422, third spoiler 423 and fourth spoiler 424) are provided at the tapered section 4. The four spoilers 42 are arranged along the axial direction of the tapered section 4, and the orientations of adjacent sets of spoilers 42 are opposite.

[0038] Reference Figure 9 Specifically, the spoiler 42 has an overall hollow frame structure and is composed of multiple non-continuous rhomboid and triangular frames.

[0039] Four sets of inclined flow disruptors 42 are arranged axially inside the tapered section 4. Each flow disruptor 42 has a hollow frame structure, composed of multiple discontinuous rhomboid and triangular frames, fundamentally different from conventional straight-plate or columnar flow disruptors 42. The plane of the flow disruptor 42 is perpendicular to the conical surface of the tapered section 4, and both its upstream and downstream sides are constructed with inclined cutting edges. Adjacent sets of flow disruptors 42 face opposite directions (rotated 180° to face each other). This alternating arrangement creates a periodically changing spatial intersection angle between the inclined edges and the mainstream vortex induced by the helical ribs. The dimensions of the four sets of flow disruptors 42 gradually decrease from the inlet to the outlet to accommodate the pipe diameter contraction. This structure utilizes the inclined edges to apply a "sliding shear" effect to the rotating fluid, inducing secondary vortices perpendicular to the mainstream direction in the gap region between adjacent helical ribs. This achieves penetration and emulsification enhancement of the core flow field, effectively avoiding the flow dead zone and high energy consumption problems easily caused by conventional flow disruptors 42. The hollow frame structure formed by the combination of rhomboid and triangular frames has good geometric stability. Compared with the baffle with a sealed plate structure, the staggered hollow structure baffle 4 generates strong disturbance while having less flow resistance, reducing pumping energy consumption. At the same time, the hollow area promotes the formation of local micro-circulation of fluid, enhances near-wall fluid disturbance, and helps to weaken the thermal boundary layer, thus improving heat exchange performance while enhancing the emulsification effect.

[0040] Reference Figure 5 In some embodiments, the multiple baffles 42 arranged along the axial direction of the tapered section 4 are scaled proportionally with the diameter of the tapered section 4, that is, the baffles 42 near the large diameter end of the tapered section 4 are larger in size, and the baffles 42 near the small diameter end of the tapered section 4 are smaller in size.

[0041] Reference Figure 2 In conjunction with the above embodiments, in some embodiments, the tapering section 4 and the expanding section 6 are arranged in a mirror-symmetric manner with respect to the mid-section of the throat section 5. The expanding section 6 is completely symmetrical to the tapering section 4 in structure, with equal cone angles. The wall surface of the expanding section 6 is also provided with three sets of spiral ribs and corresponding three sets of spiral grooves, with the same structural form as that of the tapering section 4.

[0042] Based on the axisymmetric characteristics of the expanding section 6 and the contracting section 4, this mixer unit possesses excellent scalability. In practical industrial applications, the outlet section 12 of the preceding mixer unit can be directly connected to the inlet section 11 of the following mixer unit, forming a periodic multi-stage emulsification channel. Although asymmetric structures can also achieve series connection of units, the internal flow field conditions of each unit are inconsistent, and the shearing and swirling effects are offset. Under multi-stage superposition, the emulsification effect is prone to fluctuation, making it difficult to stably reproduce the emulsification efficiency of each stage. However, with a symmetrical structure, the internal flow field conditions of each unit remain consistent after series connection, the fluid shearing and swirling effects can be periodically and stably replicated, and the multi-stage emulsification effect is easy to control, adapting to process scenarios with different emulsification precision requirements.

[0043] In other embodiments, the number of spiral fins can be adjusted to two or more groups according to actual needs; the cross-sectional shape of the spiral fins can be triangular, trapezoidal or other curved shapes in addition to sine curves and rectangles; the number of turbulence-disrupting elements 42 can be adjusted to three or more groups according to the length of the tapered section 4; the heat exchange fluid in the heat exchange channel 3 can be selected as hot water, steam or other heating media according to process requirements; the rotation direction of the spiral fins and grooves can be adjusted clockwise or counterclockwise according to the fluid properties; the number, spacing and thickness of the baffles can also be adaptively increased, decreased and adjusted according to actual heat exchange requirements; in addition, the size of the annular cavity of the heat exchange channel 3 (including the outer tube diameter, inner tube diameter, length, etc.) can be adjusted according to actual heat exchange load requirements, for example, increasing the outer tube diameter to increase the volume of heat exchange fluid and improve the overall heat exchange capacity. The axial length of the throat section 5 and the size ratio of the spiral fins on the inner wall of the throat section relative to the pipe diameter can be adjusted according to the physical properties of crude oil, such as viscosity, density and emulsification requirements, in order to match the shear rate and heat exchange requirements under different viscosity conditions and achieve a balance between emulsification effect and energy consumption.

[0044] Working principle: Fluid mixing and emulsification process: The oil-water mixture enters through the mixing pipe, and the emulsifier is injected through branch pipe 2. The two fluids begin to contact at the inlet section 11, where temperature control reduces the shear threshold of the high-viscosity oil phase and improves its rheological properties. In the converging section 44, the spiral fins induce premixing. Since the heat exchange channel 3 almost completely covers the mixing pipe along its axial direction, the material begins to be subjected to continuous flow guidance and macroscopic rotation before entering the converging section 44. Combined with the cutting action of the inclined turbulence element 42, the fluid generates complex three-dimensional vortices, and the oil-water interface is continuously stretched and renewed. The emulsifier begins to penetrate and disperse into the oil phase. After entering the throat section 5, the fluid velocity reaches its peak. Under the strengthening effect of the spiral fins and grooves, the oil droplets are further refined and dispersed in a softened state, promoting the adsorption and distribution of the emulsifier at the oil-water interface. Subsequently, the fluid enters the diffuser section 66, where the cross-section of the flow channel gradually expands, the flow velocity decreases, and the pressure is restored. Under the stabilizing effect of the spiral structure, the oil and water phases and the emulsifier form a dense emulsion structure through sufficient momentum exchange, and finally form a uniform and stable emulsion system that is discharged from the outlet.

[0045] The heat exchange process is as follows: The heat exchange fluid enters from the inlet pipe 7, fills the annular cavity, and flows in the opposite direction to the material in the mixing pipe, forming countercurrent heat exchange. Within the annular cavities of the inlet section 11 and the outlet section 12, inner and outer ring baffles 31 and 32 are respectively arranged on the outer wall of the inner pipe and the inner wall of the outer pipe, respectively. These baffles force the heat exchange fluid to change from straight flow to cross-flow, significantly extending the flow path and significantly improving the heat transfer coefficient of the inlet and outlet sections 12. This ensures rapid heating of the oil phase at the inlet and temperature stability of the emulsion system at the outlet. Simultaneously, the staggered inner and outer ring baffles 31 and 32 create alternating circumferential and axial flow paths for the heat exchange fluid within the annular cavity, preventing excessively low local flow velocities or flow deviations. This promotes a more uniform distribution of the heat exchange fluid around the pipe, effectively suppressing the tendency for droplet aggregation due to local temperature differences, and further ensuring the uniformity of the emulsion system. As the fluid flows through the converging section 4, throat section 5, and expanding section 6, it is induced by the multi-layered reinforced structure of the spiral grooves on the outer wall of the inner tube and the inner spiral fins-inner spiral grooves-outer spiral fins-outer spiral grooves within the throat section 5. This generates a three-dimensional swirling flow along the flow path, effectively disrupting the thermal boundary layer and increasing the heat transfer area. This maintains efficient heat transfer throughout the entire flow path and suppresses the tendency for droplet coalescence caused by local temperature fluctuations. In particular, the throat section 5, with its inner and outer walls simultaneously equipped with spiral fins and spiral grooves, forms a multi-layered nested reinforced heat transfer structure, achieving peak heat transfer area and disturbance intensity. Simultaneously, the fluid velocity is highest at the throat section 5, and this high velocity further thins the heat transfer boundary layer, making this region the most efficient in terms of heat transfer throughout the entire flow path. This provides the most adequate thermal conditions for efficient emulsification of the oil and water phases. The heat transfer fluid finally flows out from the outlet pipe 8, completing the heat transfer cycle.

[0046] Reference Figures 10 to 13 The flow of oil and water in the mixing pipeline, the mixing behavior, and the temperature distribution of the heat exchange channel 3 were visualized and analyzed using Fluent numerical simulation. according to Figures 10 to 12 It can be seen that after the emulsifier is injected into the inlet section 11 via the branch pipe 2, the two-phase interface is initially distinct and unevenly distributed. After entering the converging section 4, under the synergistic effect of the spiral fins and the inclined turbulence element 42, the oil-water phase interface begins to continuously stretch and renew, and the emulsifier gradually penetrates into the oil phase, making the phase distribution more complex. When reaching the throat section 5, the peak fluid velocity and three-dimensional swirling flow promote further fine dispersion of the oil phase droplets, and the phase interface area increases significantly. Subsequently, in the expanding section 6 and the outlet section 12, the flow channel cross-section recovers, causing the flow velocity to slow down and the pressure to rise. Under the effect of steady flow, the oil-water two phases and the emulsifier complete sufficient momentum exchange and interface arrangement, ultimately forming a micro-uniform and stable emulsion system. This process intuitively confirms the full-process coupling mechanism of "heat exchange and viscosity reduction - swirling homogenization - stable emulsification".

[0047] Reference Figure 11 and Figure 12 It can be seen that the spiral structure in the converging section 4, the throat section 5, and the expanding section 6 induces a strong and stable three-dimensional swirling flow. The streamlines are highly dense and periodically entangled in the core region of the throat, effectively eliminating the flow dead zone in the central region and significantly enhancing the local shear and mixing intensity. After undergoing multi-stage shearing and swirling homogenization, the fluid decelerates smoothly in the expanding section 6, and the pressure is effectively restored, indicating that the structure has excellent hydrodynamic properties while ensuring high emulsification efficiency.

[0048] Reference Figure 13 It can be seen that, under the typical calculation step of transient simulation, the hot fluid in the heat exchange channel 3 flows in the annular cavity in the opposite direction to the material in the main pipe, forming countercurrent heat exchange. At the inlet section 11 and outlet section 12, the structure of the inner and outer ring baffles 31 and 32 on the inner and outer walls causes the fluid to cross-flow. Combined with the spiral ribs and spiral groove multi-layer reinforcement structure at the converging section 4, throat 5 and expanding section 6, the near-wall thermal boundary layer is effectively disturbed and destroyed. Along the flow direction of the hot fluid in the heat exchange channel 3, the downstream and near-wall regions at the interval between the inner ring baffles 31 and 32 show obvious temperature transition and local temperature gradient. The mixing of hot and cold fluids is enhanced, which strengthens the shear dispersion between the oil phase and water phase in the pipe body 1. The cloud map shows that the temperature field is continuously distributed along the axial direction. The high-temperature zone near the wall and in the flow channel has a continuous thermal effect on the main pipe area. A reasonable temperature gradient is maintained between the central main pipe area and the upper and lower heat exchange sides, so that the high-viscosity oil phase is in a suitable temperature control environment from the inlet section 11 to the outlet section 12. The viscosity increase is suppressed, thus providing stable thermal conditions for the above-mentioned efficient emulsification process and effectively reducing the tendency of droplet coalescence and demulsification caused by local temperature drop.

[0049] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Any person skilled in the art can make many possible variations and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention, or modify them into equivalent embodiments, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technology of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention are within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A static oil-water emulsifier with enhanced heat exchange, characterized in that, The system includes a pipe body (1), which is provided with a mixing pipe for mixing oil and water flow. The mixing pipe is provided with an inlet section (11), a narrowing section (4), a throat section (5), a widening section (6) and an outlet section (12) in sequence along its flow direction. The inner wall of the pipe body (1) is provided with a heat exchange channel (3) that spans each pipe section and has an annular cavity structure. Both the tapering section (4) and the expanding section (6) have conical tube wall structures. The diameter of the tapering section (4) gradually decreases from the inlet section (11) to the throat section (5), and the diameter of the expanding section (6) gradually increases from the throat section (5) to the outlet section (12). The side wall of one end of the pipe body (1) is provided with an inflow pipe (7) that communicates with the heat exchange channel (3), and the side wall of the other end is provided with an outflow pipe (8) that communicates with the heat exchange channel (3). The outer wall of the pipe body (1) is provided with a branch pipe (2) that communicates with the inlet section (11). The inner wall of the tapering section (4), the inner wall of the throat section (5) and the inner wall of the expanding section (6) are provided with at least one set of spiral ribs extending spirally along the inner wall of the pipe, and spiral grooves cut along the spiral ribs are provided at the inner wall of each pipe section. Both the tapering section (4) and the expanding section (6) are provided with at least two sets of baffles (42). The plane of the baffle (42) is perpendicular to the conical pipe wall on which it is located, and the arrangement of two adjacent sets of baffles (42) is opposite. The pipe body (1) includes an inner pipe and an outer pipe. The outer pipe is sleeved outside the inner pipe. The two ends of the outer pipe are sealed to the two ends of the inner pipe so that the inner wall of the outer pipe and the outer wall of the inner pipe enclose the heat exchange channel (3). The inner wall of the inner pipe forms the mixing pipe.

2. The enhanced heat exchange type oil-water emulsifying static mixer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inlet section (11), the throat section (5), and the outlet section (12) all have circular pipe walls of equal diameter.

3. The enhanced heat exchange type oil-water emulsification static mixer according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the outer wall of the outlet section (12) and the outer wall of the inlet section (11) are provided with baffle components. The baffle components include several inner ring baffles (31) and several outer ring baffles (32). The inner sides of the several inner ring baffles (31) are connected to the outer wall of the inner pipe, and the outer sides of the several outer ring baffles (32) are connected to the inner wall of the outer pipe. The several inner ring baffles (31) and several outer ring baffles (32) are arranged alternately along the axis of the pipe body (1).

4. The enhanced heat exchange type oil-water emulsifying static mixer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer wall of the throat section (5) is provided with a spiral rib arranged at the heat exchange channel (3) and a spiral groove cut along the spiral rib.

5. The enhanced heat exchange type oil-water emulsification static mixer according to claim 4, characterized in that, The spiral ribs at the tapering section (4), the throat section (5), and the expanding section (6) are all in three sets, with the starting ends of the three sets of spiral ribs at the same pipe section arranged in a circular array relative to the axis of the pipe section.

6. The enhanced heat exchange type oil-water emulsifying static mixer according to claim 1, characterized in that, Four of the aforementioned baffles (42) are provided at the tapered section (4), and the four baffles (42) are arranged along the axial direction of the tapered section (4), with adjacent sets of baffles (42) facing opposite directions.

7. The enhanced heat exchange type oil-water emulsifying static mixer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The spoiler (42) has an overall hollow frame structure and is composed of multiple non-continuous rhomboid and triangular frames.

8. A static oil-water emulsifier with enhanced heat exchange according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The spiral ribs and spiral grooves at the throat segment (5) intersect along the central axis in a sinusoidal curve shape.

9. A static oil-water emulsifier with enhanced heat exchange according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The tapering section (4) and the expanding section (6) are arranged in a mirror-symmetric manner relative to the mid-section of the throat section (5).

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