A reactor suitable for materials that tend to stick to the walls

Abstract

This invention discloses a reactor suitable for materials that easily stick to the reactor walls, comprising a jacketed reactor, a reactor jacket liquid injection system, and a liquid raw material buffer tank transfer system. The reactor shell is made of microporous sintered metal, with uniformly distributed micropores and a smooth inner surface. The liquid injected into the jacket is the reactant or a solvent that does not interfere with the reaction. Under the pressure difference across the microporous sintered metal shell, the liquid in the jacket permeates to the inner surface of the reactor, forming a uniform liquid film, thereby effectively preventing easily adhering materials from adhering to the reactor inner wall. This design can be applied to jacketed tubular reactors, jacketed reaction vessels, and even to conveying pipelines where material adhesion frequently occurs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a novel reactor suitable for easily adherent materials, belonging to the field of chemical reactor technology. Background Technology

[0002] In chemical reactions, raw materials or reaction products often gradually adhere to the inner wall of the reactor. As the amount of sticky deposits on the reactor wall increases, the heat transfer efficiency of the reactor wall decreases, and the reaction space gradually shrinks. When this occurs, the usual solution is to shut down the reactor and clean the sticky deposits from the inner wall. In some reaction processes, such as polymerization, the formation rate of substances prone to sticking to the wall is relatively fast, requiring frequent shutdowns for cleaning. Whether in experimental reactors or industrial production reactors, the problem of sticky materials adhering to the walls has always been a major challenge in related fields. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a new type of reactor that can avoid the adhesion of sticky materials to increase uptime, extend the stable operating time of the equipment, support scientific research and development, and improve economic efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is to provide a novel reactor suitable for materials that are prone to adhesion.

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this utility model provides a reactor suitable for easily adhering materials, comprising a liquid intermediate tank, a liquid feed buffer tank, and a sintered metal reactor. The sintered metal reactor is equipped with a reactor jacket. The top of the liquid intermediate tank is connected to a feed funnel via a liquid feeding valve, and the bottom of the liquid intermediate tank is connected to the top of the liquid feed buffer tank via a transfer valve. The tops of the liquid intermediate tank and the liquid feed buffer tank are respectively connected to a nitrogen main pipe via an intermediate tank nitrogen valve and a buffer nitrogen valve. The bottom of the liquid feed buffer tank is connected to the inlet end of a liquid pump. The outlet end of the liquid pump is divided into two paths: one path connects to the bottom of the reactor jacket, and the other path connects to the top of the liquid feed buffer tank via a back pressure regulating valve. The top of the reactor jacket is connected to the top of the liquid feed buffer tank via a jacket exhaust valve.

[0005] Preferably, a nitrogen pressure reducing valve is provided on the nitrogen main pipe.

[0006] Preferably, the sintered metal reactor has a feed inlet at the top and a discharge outlet at the bottom.

[0007] Preferably, the top of the liquid feed buffer tank is vented via a back pressure valve connected to the buffer tank.

[0008] Preferably, the reactor jacket is provided with a low-point drain valve at the bottom.

[0009] Preferably, a reaction pressure sensor is provided at the top of the sintered metal reactor, and a jacket top pressure sensor is provided at the top of the reactor jacket. The reaction pressure sensor, the jacket top pressure sensor, the back pressure regulating valve, and the differential pressure gauge inside and outside the reactor form a control loop.

[0010] Preferably, the outlet of the liquid pump is equipped with a liquid flow meter.

[0011] Preferably, the intermediate liquid tank is equipped with an intermediate tank pressure gauge on its top.

[0012] Preferably, the liquid feed buffer tank is equipped with a buffer tank pressure gauge on the top.

[0013] This invention employs a pumping system to continuously inject reaction liquid raw materials or solvents into the jacket. The liquid or solvent permeates through the micropores of the reactor's sintered metal wall, forming a liquid film on the inner wall surface to prevent easily adhering materials from sticking to the reactor's inner wall. Because the continuously injected liquid constantly permeates through the reactor's sintered metal wall and forms a liquid film on the inner wall, even if the liquid film is carried away by materials, a new liquid film will be continuously generated, effectively preventing easily adhering materials from adhering to the reactor's inner wall. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a reactor suitable for materials that easily stick to the wall, provided by this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0015] To make this utility model more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] Example

[0017] like Figure 1 As shown, this utility model provides a reactor suitable for materials that easily stick to the walls, comprising a jacketed reactor, a reactor jacket liquid injection system, and a liquid raw material buffer tank transfer system. The jacketed reactor includes a sintered metal reactor 1, a reactor jacket 2, a reactor top pressure sensor 3, and a jacket low-point drain valve 16. The reactor jacket liquid injection system includes a liquid pump 5, a flow meter 6, a jacket top pressure sensor 4, a reactor internal and external differential pressure gauge 17, a jacket exhaust valve 8, and a back pressure regulating valve 7. The liquid raw material buffer tank transfer system includes a liquid feed buffer tank 9, a buffer tank pressure gauge 18, a buffer tank back pressure valve 15, a buffer tank nitrogen valve 14, a nitrogen pressure reducing valve 10, a liquid intermediate tank 11, an intermediate tank pressure gauge 19, a transfer valve 12, an intermediate tank nitrogen valve 13, a liquid feeding valve 20, and a feeding funnel 21.

[0018] The sintering metal reactor 1 has a feed inlet at the top and a discharge outlet at the bottom. A reactor jacket 2 is installed outside the sintering metal reactor 1, and a low-point venting valve 16 is installed at the bottom of the reactor jacket 2. The top of the intermediate liquid tank 11 is connected to the feeding funnel 21 via a liquid feeding valve 20, and the bottom of the intermediate liquid tank 11 is connected to the top of the liquid feed buffer tank 9 via a transfer valve 12. The tops of the intermediate liquid tank 11 and the liquid feed buffer tank 9 are connected to the nitrogen main pipe via an intermediate tank nitrogen valve 13 and a buffer nitrogen valve 14, respectively. A nitrogen pressure reducing valve 10 is installed on the nitrogen main pipe. The top of the liquid feed buffer tank 9 is vented via a back pressure valve 15. The bottom of the liquid feed buffer tank 9 is connected to the inlet of the liquid pump 5. The outlet of the liquid pump 5 is divided into two paths: one path connects to the bottom of the reactor jacket 2, and the other path connects to the top of the liquid feed buffer tank 9 via a back pressure regulating valve 7. The top of the reactor jacket 2 is connected to the top of the liquid feed buffer tank 9 via a jacket venting valve 8.

[0019] A reaction pressure sensor 3 is installed at the top of the sintering metal reactor 1, and a jacket top pressure sensor 4 is installed at the top of the reactor jacket 2. The reaction pressure sensor 3, the jacket top pressure sensor 4, the back pressure regulating valve 7, and the differential pressure gauge 17 inside and outside the reactor form a control loop. A liquid flow meter 6 is installed between the outlet end of the liquid pump 5 and the bottom inlet of the reactor jacket 2. An intermediate tank pressure gauge 19 is installed at the top of the intermediate liquid tank 11. A buffer tank pressure gauge 18 is installed at the top of the liquid feed buffer tank 9.

[0020] The volatile liquid raw material required for the experiment is added to the intermediate liquid tank 11 through the feeding funnel 21 and the liquid feeding valve 20. The intermediate liquid tank 11 is then filled with nitrogen through the nitrogen pressure reducing valve 10, the intermediate tank nitrogen valve 13, and the buffer tank nitrogen valve 14 to form a nitrogen seal between the liquid feed buffer tank 9 and the intermediate liquid tank 11. The liquid material in the intermediate liquid tank 11 is then added to the liquid feed buffer tank 9 through the transfer valve 12 under nitrogen seal protection.

[0021] The liquid-receiving portion of the sintered metal reactor 1 is made of microporous sintered metal with uniformly distributed micropores and a smooth surface. The reactor jacket 2 is made of stainless steel. The liquid inside the reactor jacket 2 is the reaction liquid raw material or a solvent permitted by the reaction system. The liquid inside the reactor jacket 2 is injected by a liquid pump 5, and the flow rate of the film-forming liquid on the inner wall of the reactor is monitored by a pump outlet flow meter 6.

[0022] The jacketed reactor 1 is equipped with a jacket top pressure sensor 4 and a reactor top pressure sensor 3. The two pressure signals detected are sent to the differential pressure gauge 17 inside and outside the reactor to obtain the differential pressure signal. The flow rate of the film-forming liquid on the inner wall of the reactor is controlled by the differential pressure signal of the differential pressure gauge 17 inside and outside the reactor, which is linked to the pump outlet back pressure regulating valve 7.

[0023] This invention employs a pumping system to continuously inject reaction liquid raw materials or solvents into the jacket. The liquid or solvent permeates through the microporous sintered metal wall of the reactor, forming a liquid film on the inner wall surface to prevent easily adhering materials from sticking to the reactor's inner wall. The selection of the pore size of the sintered metal micropores can be preliminarily determined through calculations based on the reactor's inner surface area, a suitable liquid film thickness, and the pressure difference between the jacket and the reactor, if the sintered metal material supplier can provide the required data. However, currently, sintered metal material suppliers almost never provide such data; therefore, the necessary data can only be obtained through actual, direct testing of the sintered metal. Specifically, the liquid material or solvent used in the reaction system is used to test the film formation state on the outer wall of a small sintered metal tube with identical micropores, sealed at one end, under normal pressure. According to the actual surface area of ​​the small sintered metal tube, a micro-pump is used to inject liquid reaction raw materials or solvents permissible by the reaction system into the tube at a pre-calculated flow rate, and the state of liquid permeation through the outer wall of the tube and film formation is observed. If the formed liquid film thickness is uniform, the flow rate is appropriately reduced, i.e., the film thickness is reduced, and observation continues. Ultimately, the minimum flow rate and pressure difference that result in a uniform liquid film thickness are used as the benchmark. The flow rate range and pressure head of the injection pump are determined by expanding the outer surface area of ​​the test tube to the inner surface area of ​​the reactor receiving liquid.

[0024] If the reactor is tall, the density difference between the liquids in the jacket and the reactor, and even if the liquid level in the reactor is lower than the liquid level in the jacket, will cause a significant difference in pressure difference between the upper and lower ends of the reactor due to hydrostatic pressure. Therefore, the film-forming pressure difference obtained from the test must be corrected based on the pressure difference between the liquid in the reactor and the liquid in the jacket under operating conditions. This requires that the film-forming flow rate under the pressure difference between the bottom of the jacket and the bottom of the reactor also be tested during liquid film-forming tests. Assuming that the liquid levels in the jacket and the reactor are the same, if the liquid density in the jacket is lower than the material density in the reactor, then when setting the pressure difference between the top of the jacket and the top of the reactor, an additional pressure difference between the inside and outside of the bottom of the reactor must be added. This ensures that the liquid in the jacket at the bottom of the reactor forms a uniform liquid film on the inner wall of the reactor under sufficient pressure difference, while an excess liquid film forms from bottom to top on the inner wall of the reactor. In short, the setting of the pressure difference between the jacket and the reactor is based on ensuring that a uniform liquid film can be formed at the point of minimum pressure difference, and this determines the discharge pressure of the injection pump and the liquid injection flow rate. In practice, the reactor jacket volume can be calculated in advance, and the cumulative flow at the outlet flow meter of the injection pump can be used to determine whether the jacket is full of liquid. Since the liquid material used in each experiment may be different, before starting a new experiment, the jacket vent valve should be opened to connect the jacket to the feed buffer tank, and the liquid in the jacket should be drained from the low-point drain valve. After draining the liquid from the jacket, the liquid or solvent to be used in the experiment should be added to the feed buffer tank. The jacket vent valve should be opened, and the injection pump should be started to fill the jacket with liquid material while simultaneously venting the gas in the jacket, until the cumulative flow at the pump outlet flow meter exceeds the calculated value of the reactor jacket volume. The excess portion should flow back to the buffer tank through the jacket vent valve and related pipelines. After the jacket is filled with liquid, the jacket vent valve should be closed. When the reaction system is pressurized, the differential pressure gauge should be set according to the pre-calculated pressure difference between the reactor jacket and the reaction pressure, and the relevant equipment and instruments should be put into automatic mode. As the reaction system pressure increases, the pressure at the top of the jacket also increases, and a constant pressure difference is maintained. During normal testing, the pressure difference between the top of the jacket and the top of the reactor can be monitored, and this pressure difference signal can be used to interlock and control the pump outlet back pressure regulating valve to ensure a constant pressure difference between the inside and outside of the reactor, thereby ensuring that a liquid film forms at all liquid contact points on the reactor inner wall. If the injection flow rate of the film-forming liquid or solvent is relatively large compared to the corresponding feed, it can be pre-deducted from the liquid or solvent feed flow rate of the reaction system. If the film-forming liquid is volatile, it can be manually added to the intermediate tank, then the feeding valve can be closed, and nitrogen can be purged into the intermediate tank to increase the pressure to the same level as the feed buffer tank, keeping the isolation valves for nitrogen to both tanks open. Then, the transfer isolation valve between the two tanks can be opened, and under nitrogen protection, the liquid in the intermediate tank can be transferred to the feed buffer tank by its own weight. Because the continuously injected liquid constantly permeates through the sintered metal wall of the reactor and forms a liquid film on the inner wall, even if the liquid film is carried away by the material, a new liquid film will be continuously generated, which can effectively prevent easily adhering materials from adhering to the inner wall of the reactor.This design can be applied to jacketed tube reactors, jacketed reaction vessels, and even to conveying pipelines where material adhesion frequently occurs.

Claims

1. A reactor suitable for use with materials that tend to stick to the walls of the reactor, characterized in that, The system includes a liquid intermediate tank (11), a liquid feed buffer tank (9), and a sintered metal reactor (1). The sintered metal reactor (1) is equipped with a reactor jacket (2). The top of the liquid intermediate tank (11) is connected to the feed funnel (21) through a liquid feed valve (20). The bottom of the liquid intermediate tank (11) is connected to the top of the liquid feed buffer tank (9) through a transfer valve (12). The tops of the liquid intermediate tank (11) and the liquid feed buffer tank (9) are connected to the nitrogen main pipe through the intermediate tank nitrogen valve (13) and the buffer tank nitrogen valve (14), respectively. The bottom of the liquid feed buffer tank (9) is connected to the inlet end of the liquid pump (5). The outlet end of the liquid pump (5) is divided into two paths: one path is connected to the bottom of the reactor jacket (2), and the other path is connected to the top of the liquid feed buffer tank (9) through a back pressure regulating valve (7). The top of the reactor jacket (2) is connected to the top of the liquid feed buffer tank (9) through a jacket exhaust valve (8).

2. The reactor suitable for use with wall- sticky materials of claim 1, wherein, The cylindrical body of the sintered metal reactor (1) is made of sintered metal material, with a smooth inner wall surface, uniform micropore distribution, and pore size that ensures a uniform liquid film thickness when the liquid permeates through the reactor wall.

3. The reactor suitable for use with wall- sticky materials of claim 1, wherein, The sintered metal reactor (1) has a feed inlet at the top and a discharge outlet at the bottom.

4. The reactor suitable for use with wall- sticky materials of claim 1, wherein, The top of the liquid feed buffer tank (9) is vented by connecting the buffer tank back pressure valve (15).

5. The reactor suitable for use with materials that readily coat the walls of claim 1, wherein, The reactor jacket (2) is equipped with a low-point drain valve (16) at the bottom.

6. The reactor suitable for use with wall- sticky materials of claim 1, wherein, The sintered metal reactor (1) is equipped with a reaction pressure sensor (3) at the top and a jacket top pressure sensor (4) at the top of the reactor jacket (2). The reaction pressure sensor (3), the jacket top pressure sensor (4), the back pressure regulating valve (7), and the differential pressure gauge (17) inside and outside the reactor form a control loop.

7. The reactor suitable for use with wall- sticky materials of claim 1, wherein, A liquid flow meter (6) is provided between the outlet end of the liquid pump (5) and the bottom inlet of the reactor jacket (2).

8. The reactor suitable for use with wall- sticky materials of claim 1, wherein, The liquid intermediate tank (11) is equipped with an intermediate tank pressure gauge (19) on its top.

9. The reactor suitable for use with wall- sticky materials of claim 1, wherein, The liquid feed buffer tank (9) is equipped with a buffer tank pressure gauge (18) on top.

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