Salt lake lithium precipitation reaction kettle device

Abstract

The utility model discloses a salt lake lithium precipitation reaction kettle device, relates to the field of salt lake lithium resource extraction equipment, and can solve the problems of insufficient reaction, high consumption of a sodium carbonate solution and difficulty in further improvement of the purity of lithium salt caused by non-uniform distribution of the sodium carbonate solution in the prior art. The salt lake lithium precipitation reaction kettle device comprises a rack, a reaction kettle, a heating piece for heating a solution in the reaction kettle, a first charging hole for adding a concentrated lithium solution into the reaction kettle, a second charging hole for adding a sodium carbonate solution into the reaction kettle, and a discharging hole for discharging the reacted solution and lithium carbonate precipitate in the reaction kettle, the interior of the reaction kettle is connected with a feeding pipe communicated with the second feeding opening, one end, far away from the second feeding opening, of the feeding pipe is closed, the feeding pipe surrounds the top in the reaction kettle in the circumferential direction of the reaction kettle, and the feeding pipe is located above the liquid level of a solution in the reaction kettle; a plurality of liquid drainage holes are uniformly formed in the bottom of the feeding pipe at intervals in the length extension direction of the feeding pipe.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of lithium resource extraction equipment in salt lakes, specifically to a lithium precipitation reactor device in salt lakes. Background Technology

[0002] Lithium carbonate is an important inorganic compound and a fundamental chemical material with wide applications, playing a vital role in lithium battery materials, glass and ceramics, aluminum electrolysis, and pharmaceuticals and other chemical industries. Especially driven by the rapid development of the new energy industry, the demand for lithium carbonate in the lithium-ion battery field continues to grow. Therefore, improving the production efficiency and purity of lithium carbonate has become an important research direction in this field.

[0003] In existing technologies, lithium carbonate can be produced through a brine extraction process. This process uses brine from a salt lake as raw material, and involves multiple steps to concentrate and purify the brine, ultimately obtaining a concentrated lithium salt solution (mainly composed of lithium chloride). The concentrated lithium salt solution is then discharged into a reaction vessel, and a sodium carbonate solution is injected into the vessel. Through a chemical reaction under specific temperature and pressure conditions, lithium carbonate precipitate is formed. This process is simple and efficient, and is currently one of the main methods for industrial production of lithium carbonate.

[0004] However, sodium carbonate solution is typically added directly to the reactor. The area near the injection point, due to its higher concentration, experiences a localized, excessively rapid reaction, while areas farther from the injection point, with lower concentrations, exhibit slower or even incomplete reaction rates. This unevenness prevents sodium carbonate from fully participating in the reaction, necessitating the addition of additional sodium carbonate solution to compensate for the incomplete reaction. This increases sodium carbonate consumption and production costs.

[0005] Furthermore, in existing technologies, reaction vessels typically heat the solution by placing an electric heating rod or similar device at the center of the vessel. Because the heating source is concentrated in the center, the solution temperature near the heating source is higher, while the temperature further away is lower, creating a significant temperature gradient. This not only affects reaction efficiency and product quality but also leads to higher heating energy consumption, increasing production costs. Utility Model Content

[0006] Therefore, this application provides a lithium precipitation reactor device in a salt lake to solve the problems of insufficient reaction caused by uneven distribution of sodium carbonate solution, large consumption of sodium carbonate solution, and difficulty in further improving the purity of lithium salt in the prior art.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following technical solution:

[0008] A lithium precipitation reactor device for salt lakes includes a frame, a reactor connected to the frame, a heating element connected to the reactor and used for heating the solution inside the reactor, a first feed port opened at the top of the reactor for adding concentrated lithium solution into the reactor, a second feed port opened at the top of the reactor for adding sodium carbonate solution into the reactor, and a discharge port opened at the bottom of the reactor for discharging the reacted solution and lithium carbonate precipitate from the reactor. The reactor interior is connected to a feeding pipe communicating with the second feed port. The end of the feeding pipe away from the second feed port is closed. The feeding pipe surrounds the top of the reactor in a circumferential direction and is positioned above the liquid surface of the solution inside the reactor. Multiple drainage holes are evenly spaced along the length of the feeding pipe at its bottom.

[0009] Optionally, the heating element is a heating pipe that is spirally wound around the outer wall of the reactor from the top to the bottom and is used to introduce steam. The end of the heating pipe near the top of the reactor is a steam inlet pipe, and the end of the heating pipe near the bottom of the reactor is a condensate outlet.

[0010] Optionally, the reactor includes a cylindrical shell and an arched shell integrally formed at the bottom of the cylindrical shell. The cylindrical shell and the arched shell form a receiving cavity for containing liquid. The cylindrical shell is connected to the frame. The first feed port and the second feed port are both opened at the top of the cylindrical shell. The discharge port is opened at the bottom of the arched shell. The heating tube is spirally wound from the outer wall of the cylindrical shell to the outer wall of the arched shell.

[0011] Optionally, the lowest point of the arched shell has an arc-shaped protrusion facing the receiving cavity, the discharge port is located on the outside of the arc-shaped protrusion, the outer wall of the arched shell is connected to the discharge port with a discharge pipe communicating with the discharge port, the heating tube has a condensate pipe at the condensate outlet, and the discharge pipe and the condensate pipe are located on opposite sides of the arc-shaped protrusion.

[0012] Optionally, the top of the cylindrical shell is connected to the frame via a connector, and multiple lifting rings are connected to the top of the cylindrical shell. Multiple support ears are connected to the outer peripheral wall of the cylindrical shell. The multiple support ears are evenly arranged along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical shell. The ground structure is provided with multiple support legs for supporting the support ears, and the multiple support legs and multiple support ears correspond one-to-one.

[0013] Optionally, a stirrer is connected to the top center of the cylindrical shell, and the stirring paddle of the stirrer extends into the solution in the receiving cavity to stir the solution in the receiving cavity. A plurality of baffles are evenly spaced on the inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical shell to limit the eddy currents generated by the stirring paddle in the solution.

[0014] Optionally, the top of the cylindrical shell is further provided with a reserved hole, an exhaust hole, a manhole, and multiple observation holes; the outer peripheral wall of the cylindrical shell is provided with a first arrangement hole for arranging a thermometer in the receiving cavity and a second arrangement hole for arranging a level gauge in the receiving cavity.

[0015] Optionally, the diameter of the drain hole is 6-9 mm.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, this application has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0017] Concentrated lithium solution is injected into the reactor through the first feed port, while sodium carbonate solution is injected into the feed pipe connected to the reactor through the second feed port. The feed pipe is arranged circumferentially around the reactor, above the solution surface, and has multiple drain holes evenly spaced along its length at its bottom. The sodium carbonate solution is evenly distributed through the feed pipe and simultaneously flows into the solution in the reactor through the multiple drain holes, thus achieving uniform addition of sodium carbonate solution. This effectively avoids the phenomenon in existing technologies where concentrated injection of sodium carbonate solution results in higher concentrations near the injection point and lower concentrations in areas far from the injection point, leading to increased operating costs due to excessive sodium carbonate addition. It ensures a uniform concentration distribution of the mixed solution (a mixture of concentrated lithium solution and sodium carbonate solution) in the reactor, improving the sufficiency of the reaction and the efficiency of lithium carbonate formation.

[0018] The heating element continuously heats the mixed solution in the reactor, maintaining it within the optimal reaction temperature range (80-85℃). During the reaction, the pH value is controlled between 7 and 9. After a set time (2-4 hours), the mixed solution in the reactor completes the reaction, forming lithium carbonate precipitate. Subsequently, the reacted solution and lithium carbonate precipitate are discharged from the discharge port and proceed to the next process unit for concentration and further processing.

[0019] The uniform distribution of the feed pipe and multiple drain holes not only reduces the consumption of sodium carbonate solution, but also improves the reaction efficiency and the quality of lithium carbonate production. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more intuitively illustrate the prior art and this application, several exemplary figures are provided below. It should be understood that the specific shapes and structures shown in the figures should not generally be regarded as limiting conditions for implementing this application; for example, based on the technical concept disclosed in this application and the exemplary figures, those skilled in the art are able to easily make conventional adjustments or further optimizations to the addition / reduction / classification, specific shapes, positional relationships, connection methods, size ratios, etc. of certain units (components).

[0021] Figure 1 A partial structural schematic diagram of a lithium precipitation reactor device in a salt lake provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Top view;

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Side view;

[0024] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the heating element of a lithium deposition reactor in a salt lake, provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 5 for Figure 3 A partial sectional view of the structure along the aa direction;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding pipe of a lithium precipitation reactor device in a salt lake, provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A bottom view.

[0028] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0029] 1. Reactor; 11. First feed port; 12. Second feed port; 13. Observation hole; 14. Manhole; 15. First arrangement hole; 16. Second arrangement hole; 17. Discharge port; 171. Discharge pipe; 18. Exhaust hole; 2. Heating element; 21. Steam inlet pipe; 22. Condensate pipe; 3. Support lug; 4. Support leg; 5. Connector; 6. Lifting ring; 7. Feeding pipe; 71. Drain hole; 8. Agitator; 9. Baffle; 101. Cylindrical shell; 102. Arched shell; 103. Receiving cavity; 104. Arc-shaped protrusion. Detailed Implementation

[0030] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0031] In the description of this application: unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more. The terms "first," "second," "third," etc., in this application are intended to distinguish the objects referred to and do not have any special meaning in terms of technical connotation (e.g., they should not be construed as an emphasis on importance or order). Expressions such as "comprising," "including," and "having" also mean "not limited to" (certain units, components, materials, steps, etc.).

[0032] refer to Figure 1-7 This application discloses a lithium precipitation reactor device in a salt lake, including a frame (not shown in the figure), a reactor 1 connected to the frame, a heating element 2 connected to the reactor 1 and used for heating the solution in the reactor 1, a first feed port 11 opened at the top of the reactor 1 for adding concentrated lithium solution into the reactor 1, a second feed port 12 opened at the top of the reactor 1 for adding sodium carbonate solution into the reactor 1, and a discharge port 17 opened at the bottom of the reactor 1 for discharging the solution and lithium carbonate precipitate after reaction in the reactor 1. The reactor 1 is connected to a feeding pipe 7 that communicates with the second feed port 12. The end of the feeding pipe 7 away from the second feed port 12 is closed. The feeding pipe 7 is wrapped around the top of the reactor 1 in the circumferential direction and is located above the liquid surface of the solution in the reactor 1. The bottom of the feeding pipe 7 is provided with a plurality of drain holes 71 evenly spaced along its own length direction.

[0033] Concentrated lithium solution is injected into reactor 1 through the first feed port 11, and sodium carbonate solution is injected into the feed pipe 7, which connects to reactor 1, through the second feed port 12. The feed pipe 7 is arranged around the circumference of reactor 1, above the solution surface, and has multiple drain holes 71 evenly spaced along its length at its bottom. The sodium carbonate solution is evenly distributed through the feed pipe 7 and flows into the solution in reactor 1 simultaneously from the multiple drain holes 71, thus achieving uniform addition of sodium carbonate solution. This effectively avoids the phenomenon of high concentration near the injection point and low concentration in areas far from the injection point caused by concentrated injection of sodium carbonate solution in the prior art, which leads to increased operating costs due to excessive addition of sodium carbonate. It ensures uniform concentration distribution of the mixed solution (mixture of concentrated lithium solution and sodium carbonate solution) in reactor 1, improving the sufficiency of the reaction and the efficiency of lithium carbonate formation.

[0034] Heating element 2 continuously heats the mixed solution in reactor 1, maintaining it within the optimal reaction temperature range (80-85℃). During the reaction, the pH value of the solution is controlled between 7 and 9. After a set time (2-4 hours), the mixed solution in reactor 1 completes the reaction, generating lithium carbonate precipitate. Subsequently, the reacted solution and lithium carbonate precipitate are discharged from discharge port 17, proceeding to the next stage for concentration and further processing.

[0035] The uniform distribution of the feed pipe 7 and multiple drain holes 71 not only reduces the consumption of sodium carbonate solution, but also improves the reaction efficiency and the quality of lithium carbonate production.

[0036] It should be noted that lithium carbonate precipitate is a white powdery solid, the main component of which is Li₂CO₃. The sodium carbonate in this application comes from two sources: one is purchased solid sodium carbonate, which is then added to demineralized water to prepare a sodium carbonate solution of a certain concentration; the other is the use of sodium carbonate solution, a byproduct of the lithium extraction process from the salt lake in the system, as a raw material.

[0037] In some embodiments, there may be multiple first feeding ports 11 and multiple second feeding ports 12.

[0038] The heating element 2 is a heating pipe that is spirally wound around the outer wall of the reactor 1 from the top to the bottom of the reactor 1 and is used to introduce steam. The end of the heating pipe near the top of the reactor 1 is the steam inlet pipe 21, and the end of the heating pipe near the bottom of the reactor 1 is the condensate outlet.

[0039] Heating element 2 employs a design where heating tubes are spirally wound around the outer wall of reactor 1 from top to bottom. The uniformly distributed turn spacing of the heating tubes allows for a large contact area with the outer wall of reactor 1, improving heat transfer efficiency. High-temperature steam is introduced through steam inlet pipe 21 at the end of the heating tube near the top of reactor 1. The steam in the heating tube is transferred downwards along the spiral path until it exits near the condensate outlet at the bottom of reactor 1. The heat released when the steam condenses inside the heating tube is uniformly transferred to the inner wall of reactor 1, thereby heating the mixed solution inside the reactor. The spiral distribution design of the heating tubes increases the contact area with the outer wall of reactor 1, enabling uniform heat transfer and avoiding the temperature gradient problem caused by localized heating in existing technologies.

[0040] In some embodiments, the total contact area between the heating tube and the outer wall of the reactor 1 is 5m². 3 .

[0041] The reactor 1 includes a cylindrical shell 101 and an arched shell 102 integrally formed at the bottom of the cylindrical shell 101. The cylindrical shell 101 and the arched shell 102 form a receiving cavity 103 for containing liquid. The cylindrical shell 101 is connected to the frame. The first feed port 11 and the second feed port 12 are both opened at the top of the cylindrical shell 101. The discharge port 17 is opened at the bottom of the arched shell 102. The heating tube spirally winds from the outer wall of the cylindrical shell 101 to the outer wall of the arched shell 102.

[0042] The reactor 1 is made of S30408 ​​stainless steel with excellent corrosion resistance. The cavity wall of its receiving chamber 103 is polished with high precision to form a smooth mirror effect, which effectively reduces dead corners and material accumulation, and avoids residual material from affecting the next reaction or causing contamination. At the same time, the smoothness of the cavity wall improves the fluid flow, ensuring that the solution is fully mixed and flows evenly during the reaction.

[0043] The lowest point of the arched shell 102 has an arc-shaped protrusion 104 facing the receiving cavity 103. The discharge port 17 is located on the outside of the arc-shaped protrusion 104. A discharge pipe 171 is connected to the discharge port 17 on the outer wall of the arched shell 102. A condensate pipe 22 is formed at the condensate outlet of the heating tube. The discharge pipe 171 and the condensate pipe 22 are located on opposite sides of the arc-shaped protrusion 104. The discharge pipe 171 and the condensate pipe 22 are located on opposite sides of the arc-shaped protrusion 104 to avoid positional interference between the discharge pipe 171 and the condensate pipe 22.

[0044] The top of the cylindrical shell 101 is connected to the frame via a connector 5. Multiple lifting rings 6 are connected to the top of the cylindrical shell 101. Multiple support ears 3 are connected to the outer peripheral wall of the cylindrical shell 101. The multiple support ears 3 are evenly arranged along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical shell 101. The ground structure (which can be a concrete ground structure) is provided with multiple support legs 4 for supporting the support ears 3. The multiple support legs 4 and the multiple support ears 3 correspond one-to-one.

[0045] Multiple lifting rings 6 are located on the top of the cylindrical shell 101, allowing the reactor 1 to be easily lifted by lifting equipment during installation, transportation, or maintenance. During installation, the reactor 1 is finally connected to the frame via connectors 5. Connectors 5 can take various forms such as bolts, flanges, and clamps to ensure reliable fixation of the reactor 1 to the frame, while facilitating disassembly and maintenance.

[0046] Multiple support ears 3 are connected to the outer peripheral wall of the cylindrical shell 101. These support ears 3 are evenly arranged along the circumferential direction of the shell and are supported on multiple support legs 4 respectively. The frame adopts a frame structure formed by multiple connecting rods. The one-to-one correspondence between the support ears 3 and the support legs 4 allows the weight of the reactor 1 to be evenly distributed to the frame and the multiple support legs 4, thereby effectively distributing the load.

[0047] A stirrer 8 is connected to the top center of the cylindrical shell 101. The stirring paddle of the stirrer 8 extends into the solution in the receiving cavity 103 to stir the solution in the receiving cavity 103. Multiple baffles 9 are evenly spaced on the inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical shell 101 to limit the eddy current generated by the stirring paddle in the solution.

[0048] A mixer 8 is fixedly connected to the inner top wall of the cylindrical housing 101 (or the mixer 8 is connected to the frame, with only the stirring paddle extending into the receiving cavity 103). The stirring paddle extends into the solution within the receiving cavity 103, effectively stirring the solution. The rotation of the stirring paddle (400 rpm) promotes thorough mixing of the materials in the solution, ensuring uniform contact and a complete chemical reaction between the concentrated lithium solution and the sodium carbonate solution during the reaction. Furthermore, the rotation of the stirring paddle prevents excessive accumulation of precipitates at the bottom of the receiving cavity 103, reducing agglomeration.

[0049] Multiple baffles 9 are evenly spaced on the inner circumferential wall of the cylindrical shell 101 to limit the eddy current effect generated when the impeller stirs the solution. If the eddy current phenomenon is not limited, it may lead to uneven fluid flow in the reactor 1, thereby affecting the material mixing efficiency. The baffles 9 reduce the eddy current phenomenon by disrupting the swirling flow in the solution.

[0050] In some embodiments, the top of the cylindrical housing 101 is further provided with a reserved hole, an exhaust hole 18, a manhole 14 and a plurality of observation holes 13; the outer peripheral wall of the cylindrical housing 101 is provided with a first arrangement hole 15 for arranging a thermometer in the receiving cavity 103 and a second arrangement hole 16 for arranging a level gauge in the receiving cavity 103.

[0051] The pre-drilled holes at the top of the cylindrical shell 101 serve as an additional redundancy design, allowing for the placement of additional sensors or equipment as needed. The vent 18 is used to promptly discharge excess gas from the reactor 1, preventing safety hazards caused by increased pressure due to gas accumulation. Multiple observation holes 13 are located at the top of the cylindrical shell 101, facilitating direct observation of the reactor 1's operating status by operators. The manhole 14 is designed as a large opening with a diameter of DN500, allowing operators easy access to the reactor 1 for maintenance, cleaning, or repair operations.

[0052] Through the first arrangement hole 15, a thermometer can be arranged in the receiving cavity 103 to monitor the temperature change in the reactor 1 in real time and transmit the temperature signal to the control system, so that the heating process can be dynamically adjusted according to the set temperature range to ensure that the reaction process is always maintained under the optimal temperature conditions.

[0053] The level gauge can be arranged in the receiving cavity 103 through the second arrangement hole 16 to monitor the liquid level height in the receiving cavity 103.

[0054] In some embodiments, the first feed port 11, the second feed port 12, the reserved hole, the vent 18, the manhole 14, and the observation hole 13 are all connected to flanges extending outwards, which facilitates connection with external pipes, equipment, etc.

[0055] In some embodiments, the diameter of the drain hole 71 is 6-9 mm.

[0056] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way (as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features). For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described; these embodiments not explicitly written should also be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0057] The present application has been described in a relatively specific and detailed manner above through general descriptions and specific embodiments. It should be understood that, based on the technical concept of the present application, several conventional adjustments or further innovations can be made to these specific embodiments; however, as long as they do not depart from the technical concept of the present application, the technical solutions obtained by these conventional adjustments or further innovations also fall within the protection scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A lithium precipitation reactor apparatus for salt lakes, characterized in that, The apparatus includes a frame, a reactor connected to the frame, a heating element connected to the reactor for heating the solution inside the reactor, a first feed port at the top of the reactor for adding concentrated lithium solution into the reactor, a second feed port at the top of the reactor for adding sodium carbonate solution into the reactor, and a discharge port at the bottom of the reactor for discharging the reacted solution and lithium carbonate precipitate. The reactor is internally connected to a feeding pipe communicating with the second feed port. The end of the feeding pipe away from the second feed port is closed. The feeding pipe surrounds the top of the reactor in a circumferential direction and is positioned above the liquid surface of the solution inside the reactor. Multiple drain holes are evenly spaced along the length of the feeding pipe at its bottom.

2. The salt lake lithium precipitation reactor apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heating element is a heating pipe that is spirally wound around the outer wall of the reactor from the top to the bottom and is used to introduce steam. The end of the heating pipe near the top of the reactor is a steam inlet pipe, and the end of the heating pipe near the bottom of the reactor is a condensate outlet.

3. The salt lake lithium precipitation reactor apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The reactor includes a cylindrical shell and an arched shell integrally formed at the bottom of the cylindrical shell. The cylindrical shell and the arched shell form a cavity for containing liquid. The cylindrical shell is connected to the frame. The first feed port and the second feed port are both located at the top of the cylindrical shell. The discharge port is located at the bottom of the arched shell. The heating tube spirally winds from the outer wall of the cylindrical shell to the outer wall of the arched shell.

4. The salt lake lithium precipitation reactor apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The lowest point of the arched shell has an arc-shaped protrusion facing the receiving cavity. The discharge port is located on the outside of the arc-shaped protrusion. The outer wall of the arched shell is connected to the discharge port by a discharge pipe that communicates with the discharge port. The heating tube has a condensate pipe at the condensate outlet. The discharge pipe and the condensate pipe are located on opposite sides of the arc-shaped protrusion.

5. The salt lake lithium precipitation reactor apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The top of the cylindrical shell is connected to the frame via a connector. Multiple lifting rings are connected to the top of the cylindrical shell. Multiple support ears are connected to the outer peripheral wall of the cylindrical shell. The multiple support ears are evenly arranged along the circumferential direction of the cylindrical shell. The ground structure is provided with multiple support legs for supporting the support ears. The multiple support legs and the multiple support ears correspond one-to-one.

6. The salt lake lithium precipitation reactor apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, A stirrer is connected to the top center of the cylindrical shell. The stirring paddle of the stirrer extends into the solution in the receiving cavity to stir the solution in the receiving cavity. Multiple baffles are evenly spaced on the inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical shell to limit the eddy currents generated by the stirring paddle in the solution.

7. The salt lake lithium precipitation reactor apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The top of the cylindrical shell is also provided with a reserved hole, an exhaust hole, a manhole and multiple observation holes; the outer peripheral wall of the cylindrical shell is provided with a first arrangement hole for arranging a thermometer in the cavity and a second arrangement hole for arranging a level gauge in the cavity.

8. The salt lake lithium precipitation reactor apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The diameter of the drain hole is 6-9 mm.

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