Column tube reactor and its circulating mixing system

Abstract

This utility model belongs to the field of chemical equipment technology, specifically relating to a tubular reactor and its circulating mixing system. The reactor includes: a reactor body with an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe at both ends; a pipe bundle including multiple parallel connecting pipes arranged in the inner cavity of the reactor body, wherein the inner diameter of a single connecting pipe ranges from 10mm to 100mm; a circulation pipeline with its inlet connected to the outlet pipe and its outlet connected to the inlet pipe; and a circulation pump arranged in the circulation pipeline for driving the material to circulate in a closed loop formed by the reactor body, the pipe bundle, and the circulation pipeline.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of chemical equipment technology, and in particular relates to a tubular reactor and its circulating mixing system. Background Technology

[0002] Reactors are key equipment used for mixing and reaction in industries such as chemical, pharmaceutical, and food processing. Currently, mechanically stirred reactors are the most widely used, but their method of mixing by relying on the rotation of stirring blades has inherent drawbacks: the fluid velocity drops sharply in areas such as the reactor wall, bottom, baffles, and around the stirring shaft, creating dead zones for mixing.

[0003] These dead zones lead to uneven fluid mixing, especially for high-viscosity fluids or heterogeneous reaction systems. This can easily cause localized concentrations to be too high or too low, triggering side reactions and affecting product quality. To improve mixing, existing technologies mostly focus on optimizing the shape of the stirring blades (such as using anchor or spiral types) or adding baffles. However, these improvements are all adjustments within the framework of mechanical stirring and cannot fundamentally eliminate mixing dead zones.

[0004] Therefore, how to solve the problem of uneven mixing of fluid reactants caused by the existence of mixing dead zones in traditional reactors is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art.

[0005] It should be noted that the information disclosed in this background section is only for understanding the background technology of the present application concept, and therefore, the above description is not considered to constitute prior art information. Utility Model Content

[0006] This disclosure provides at least one tubular reactor and its circulating mixing system.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a tubular reactor, comprising: The vessel body has an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe at each end; A pipe bundle, comprising multiple parallel connecting pipes, is disposed in the inner cavity of the vessel body, wherein the inner diameter of a single connecting pipe ranges from 10 mm to 100 mm. The circulation pipeline has its inlet connected to the outlet pipe and its outlet connected to the inlet pipe; A circulating pump, installed on the circulating pipeline, is used to drive the material to circulate in a closed loop formed by the vessel body, the pipe bundle, and the circulating pipeline. In an optional embodiment, the vessel body includes an upper cavity and a lower cavity, and the two ends of the pipe bundle are respectively connected to the upper cavity and the lower cavity.

[0008] In one optional embodiment, the upper cavity is provided with a feed inlet, and the lower cavity is provided with a discharge outlet.

[0009] In one optional embodiment, the upper cavity and the lower cavity are separated by a horizontally arranged partition; the partition is assembled onto the vessel wall of the vessel body by a connector.

[0010] In one alternative embodiment, the connector includes a flange and bolts; the outer edge of the partition is fitted onto the vessel wall of the vessel body via the flange and bolts.

[0011] In one optional embodiment, the partition plate is provided with the same number of mounting holes as the connecting pipes, and the connecting pipes pass through the mounting holes to communicate with the upper and lower cavities.

[0012] In one alternative implementation, the circulating pump is a positive displacement pump or a slurry pump.

[0013] In one optional embodiment, the ratio of the radial cross-sectional area of ​​the upper and lower cavities to the total flow cross-sectional area of ​​the pipe bundle is 1.5:1 to 10:1.

[0014] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a circulating mixing system for a tubular reactor, comprising: a circulating pipeline, the inlet of which is connected to the outlet pipe of the reactor, and the outlet of which is connected to the inlet pipe of the reactor; The tubing bundle, comprising multiple parallel connecting pipes, is disposed within the cavity of the reactor, wherein the inner diameter of each connecting pipe ranges from 10 mm to 100 mm. A circulating pump, installed on the circulating pipeline, is used to drive the material to circulate in a closed loop consisting of the inner cavity of the reactor, the pipe bundle, and the circulating pipeline.

[0015] In one alternative implementation, the circulating pump is a positive displacement pump or a slurry pump.

[0016] The beneficial effect of this utility model is that the tubular reactor drives the material to circulate in the reactor body and the internal pipe bundle through a circulating pump. It utilizes the shear and turbulence effect generated by the fluid in the narrow pipe to achieve mixing, thus eliminating the mixing dead zones formed around the reactor wall, baffles and stirring shaft by traditional mechanical stirring.

[0017] Other features and advantages of this invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practicing the invention. The objectives and other advantages of this invention are realized and obtained through the structures particularly pointed out in the description and drawings.

[0018] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of this utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 A front view of a tubular reactor provided for an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 2 This is an internal structural diagram of a tubular reactor provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] In the picture: 100. Reactor body; 110. Inlet pipe; 120. Outlet pipe; 130. Upper cavity; 131. Feed inlet; 140. Lower cavity; 141. Discharge outlet; 150. Partition plate; 151. Mounting hole; 200. Pipe bundle; 210. Connecting pipe; 300. Circulation pipeline; 400. Circulation pump; 500. Connecting parts; 510. Flange; 520. Bolt. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this utility model, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of this utility model.

[0023] In this document, when it is mentioned that a first component is located on a second component, this can mean that the first component can be directly formed on the second component, or that a third component can be inserted between the first and second components. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the thickness of the components may be exaggerated or reduced for the purpose of effectively describing the technical content.

[0024] In this document, when an element or layer is referred to as “located,” “joined to,” “connected to,” “attached to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly located, joined, connected, attached to, or coupled to the other element or layer, or there may be intermediate elements or layers present. Conversely, when an element is referred to as “directly on another element or layer,” “directly joined to,” “directly connected to,” “directly attached to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intermediate elements or layers present. Other terms used to describe relationships between elements should be interpreted in a similar manner (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0025] In this document, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As used herein, expressions such as “at least one of…” modify the entire list of elements when following a list of elements, rather than individual elements in the list. For example, the expression “at least one of a, b, and c” should be understood to include only a, only b, only c, both a and b, both a and c, both b and c, or all of a, b, and c.

[0026] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific exemplary configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular articles “a,” “an,” and “the” may also be intended to include plural forms unless otherwise clearly stated herein. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are inclusive and thus specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be construed as requiring them to be performed in the specific order discussed or shown, unless specifically identified as such. Additional or alternative steps may be employed.

[0027] As used herein, the phrases “in one embodiment,” “according to one embodiment,” “in some embodiments,” etc., generally refer to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic following the phrase can be included in at least one embodiment of this disclosure. Therefore, a particular feature, structure, or characteristic can be included in more than one embodiment of this disclosure, such that these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. As used herein, the terms “example,” “exemplary,” etc., are used to “serve as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation, aspect, or design described herein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or superior to other implementations, aspects, or designs. Rather, the use of the terms “example,” “exemplary,” etc., is intended to present concepts in a specific manner.

[0028] Research has revealed shortcomings in existing technologies: traditional mechanically stirred reactors, which rely on rotating impellers for mixing, have inherent flaws. In areas such as the reactor walls, bottom, baffles, and around the stirring shaft, fluid velocity drops sharply, creating mixing dead zones. These dead zones lead to uneven mixing, especially for high-viscosity materials or heterogeneous reaction systems, easily causing localized excessively high or low concentrations, which can trigger side reactions and affect product quality. To improve mixing, existing technologies mainly focus on optimizing the impeller shape (such as using anchor or spiral impellers) or adding baffles. However, these improvements are merely adjustments within the framework of mechanical stirring and cannot fundamentally eliminate mixing dead zones.

[0029] Based on the above research, this disclosure provides a tubular reactor that abandons the traditional central mechanical stirring mode. Instead, it constructs a closed-loop circulation system by combining an internal pipe bundle with an external circulating pump. Driven by the circulating pump, the material repeatedly flows through the narrow channels within the pipe bundle, utilizing the strong shearing and turbulence effects generated by the fluid in the pipes to achieve uniform mixing, thus eliminating mixing dead zones from the working principle.

[0030] The shortcomings of the above solutions are the result of the inventor's practical experience and careful research. Therefore, the discovery process of the above problems and the solutions proposed in this disclosure should be considered as the inventor's contribution to this disclosure.

[0031] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0032] The following detailed description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, describes some embodiments of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0033] See Figure 1 This disclosure provides a tubular reactor, including: a reactor body 100, which can be a vertically arranged cylindrical pressure vessel. An inlet pipe 110 and an outlet pipe 120 are respectively provided at the upper and lower ends of the reactor body 100 for connecting to an external circulation pipeline 300. A pipe bundle 200 is also provided inside the reactor body 100, comprising multiple parallel connecting pipes 210, the two ends of which communicate with the upper cavity 130 and the lower cavity 140 of the reactor body 100, respectively.

[0034] See also Figure 1The reactor is externally equipped with a circulation pipeline 300. The inlet of the circulation pipeline 300 is connected to the outlet pipe 120 of the reactor body 100, and the outlet is connected to the inlet pipe 110 of the reactor body 100. A circulation pump 400 is connected in series on the circulation pipeline 300. When the circulation pump 400 is working, it is suitable for driving materials (such as reaction liquids, slurries, etc.) to flow out of the outlet pipe 120 of the reactor body 100, enter the circulation pipeline 300, and then return to the interior of the reactor body 100 via the inlet pipe 110. The flow path of the materials in the reactor body 100 is as follows: first, it enters the upper cavity 130, and then it is distributed to each connecting pipe 210. When flowing through the narrow connecting pipe 210, efficient mixing and mass transfer are achieved due to fluid shearing and turbulence. Then it enters the lower cavity 140, and is finally driven by the circulation pump 400 to complete the continuous circulation flow in the closed loop formed by the reactor body 100, the pipe bundle 200, and the circulation pipeline 300. By using this forced circulation method through the pipe bundle 200, the mixing dead zones present in traditional mechanical stirring are avoided.

[0035] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments, the vessel body 100 includes an upper cavity 130 and a lower cavity 140. The upper cavity 130 and the lower cavity 140 are separated by a horizontally arranged partition 150, forming two independent chambers. Mounting holes 151, matching the number and size of the connecting pipes 210, are provided on the partition 150. Both ends of each connecting pipe 210 vertically penetrate the mounting holes 151, so that the upper end of the connecting pipe communicates with the space of the upper cavity 130, and the lower end of the connecting pipe 210 communicates with the space of the lower cavity 140. Optionally, the connecting pipes 210 can be fixed to the partition 150 by welding or expansion, thereby ensuring the sealing and stability of the connecting pipes 210. Therefore, the pipe bundle 200 serves as the sole channel connecting the upper and lower cavities. The material flow path in the system is as follows: the circulating pump 400 drives the material to enter from the upper cavity 130, where the material is evenly distributed and flows downwards into each connecting pipe 210. The material achieves efficient mixing as it flows through the narrow connecting pipe 210. Subsequently, the mixed material flows out from the lower end of the connecting pipe 210, collects in the lower cavity 140, completing one mixing cycle, and then enters the next cycle. Through this structure, this reactor combines "circulating mixing" with "pipeline shearing," using the upper and lower cavities 140 to guide the fluid directionally through the pipe bundle 200, eliminating the mixing dead zones problem of traditional stirred tank reactors.

[0036] See also Figure 1In some embodiments, an inlet 131 is provided at the top of the upper cavity 130. Correspondingly, an outlet 141 is provided at the bottom of the lower cavity 140. Before the reaction begins, liquid or slurry materials can be preferentially fed into the reactor through the inlet 131 of the upper cavity 130. The materials fall naturally into the lower cavity 140 by gravity, which is beneficial for initial filling. The inlet 131 can also serve as a feed port for continuously or batch-adding other reactants or catalysts during the reaction. After the reaction is completed, the circulation pump 400 is turned off, and the outlet 141 at the bottom of the lower cavity 140 is opened, allowing the reaction products to be smoothly discharged under gravity. Positioning the outlet 141 at the lowest point of the reactor ensures that the materials can be completely emptied, avoiding residue.

[0037] See Figure 2 In some embodiments, the upper cavity 130 and the lower cavity 140 are separated by a horizontally arranged partition 150, which is a circular plate structure. The partition 150 is assembled to the vessel wall of the vessel body 100 via a connector 500. Specifically, the connector 500 includes a pair of flanges 510 and a plurality of fastening bolts 520. The outer edge of the partition 150 is clamped between the upper and lower flanges 510 and fastened together by the bolts 520. The upper and lower flanges 510 are located on the upper and lower sides of the partition 150, respectively, and the partition 150 is pressed together by the preload applied by the bolts 520, thereby achieving sealing and fixation between the partition 150 and the vessel body 100. Through the flange connection, a sealing gasket (not shown in the figure) can be placed between the partition 150 and the vessel wall to ensure the seal between the upper and lower cavities 140 and prevent material cross-contamination.

[0038] See also Figure 2 In some embodiments, the inner diameter of the individual connecting pipes 210 in the pipe bundle 200 has been optimized. Specifically, the inner diameter of a single connecting pipe 210 ranges from 10 mm to 100 mm. In practical applications, the selection can be further optimized according to the characteristics of the fluid material. For liquid-phase reactions with low viscosity and no solids, pipes with an inner diameter of 10 mm to 50 mm are preferred to reduce pressure loss while ensuring mixing effect. For slurry reactions that require the addition of solid particles, pipes with an inner diameter of 50 mm to 100 mm are preferred to ensure smooth flow.

[0039] See also Figure 1In some embodiments, to ensure the system can stably and reliably process slurries containing solid catalysts or particles and to prevent clogging, the circulation pump 400 is preferably a positive displacement pump or a slurry pump. Positive displacement pumps (such as diaphragm pumps, screw pumps, piston pumps, etc.) or specialized slurry pumps (such as rubber-lined centrifugal slurry pumps) are selected. These pumps are designed for harsh operating conditions and have the ability to pass through solid particles, effectively addressing the challenges faced by this reactor when processing solid catalyst slurries.

[0040] See also Figure 2 In some embodiments, the ratio of the radial cross-sectional area of ​​the upper cavity 130 and the lower cavity 140 to the total flow cross-sectional area of ​​the pipe bundle 200 is 1.5:1 to 10:1. According to fluid mechanics, when the flow rate of the circulating pump 400 is constant, the flow velocity is inversely proportional to the flow cross-sectional area. Specifically, when material flows from the upper cavity 130 to the lower cavity 140 through the pipe bundle 200, the flow cross-sectional area decreases sharply, and the flow velocity increases significantly. After this high-speed fluid enters the lower cavity 140, it can effectively impact and agitate the bottom space of the cavity, ensuring that the solid catalyst or particles are in a suspended state and are reintroduced into the pipe bundle 200 to participate in circulation, thereby preventing the accumulation and blockage of solids at the lowest point of the equipment (the bottom of the lower cavity 140).

[0041] See also Figure 1 Some embodiments also provide a circulating mixing system for a tubular reactor, comprising: a circulating pipeline 300, the inlet of which is connected to the outlet pipe 120 of the reactor and the outlet of which is connected to the inlet pipe 110 of the reactor; a pipe bundle 200, including multiple parallel connecting pipes 210, disposed in the inner cavity of the reactor; and a circulating pump 400 disposed on the circulating pipeline 300 for driving the material to circulate in a closed loop formed by the inner cavity of the reactor, the pipe bundle 200 and the circulating pipeline 300.

[0042] In summary, this tubular reactor uses a circulating pump 400 to drive the material to circulate within the reactor body and the internal pipe bundle 200. It utilizes the shearing and turbulence effects generated by the fluid in the narrow pipes to achieve mixing, fundamentally eliminating the mixing dead zones formed around the reactor wall, baffles, and stirring shaft by traditional mechanical stirring.

[0043] In the description of the embodiments of this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed 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 connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0044] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships, are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this utility model. Furthermore, terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms used herein do not imply order or sequence unless expressly indicated herein. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments, the first element, component, region, layer, or segment discussed above may be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer, or segment.

[0045] Spatially relative terms, such as “inside,” “outside,” “below,” “below,” “down,” “above,” “up,” etc., may be used herein to describe the relationship between one element or feature illustrated in the figures and another element or feature. In addition to the orientations depicted in the figures, spatially relative terms may be intended to cover different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the figure is flipped, an element described as “below” or “below” other elements or features would be oriented as “above” other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can cover both above and below orientations. The device may be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptors used herein are interpreted accordingly.

[0046] In the above discussion, unless otherwise stated, when used to describe numerical values, the terms “about,” “approximately,” “basically,” etc., indicate a change of + / - 10% in that value.

[0047] Based on the above-described preferred embodiments of this utility model, and through the foregoing description, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the technical concept of this utility model. The technical scope of this utility model is not limited to the contents of the specification, but must be determined according to the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A tubular reactor, characterized in that, include: The vessel body (100) has an inlet pipe (110) and an outlet pipe (120) at its two ends respectively. The pipe bundle (200) includes multiple parallel connecting pipes (210) arranged in the inner cavity of the vessel body (100), and the inner diameter of a single connecting pipe (210) ranges from 10 mm to 100 mm. The circulation pipeline (300) has its inlet connected to the outlet pipe (120) and its outlet connected to the inlet pipe (110); A circulating pump (400) is installed on the circulating pipeline (300) to drive the material to circulate in a closed loop consisting of the vessel body (100), the pipe bundle (200) and the circulating pipeline (300).

2. The tubular reactor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The vessel body (100) includes an upper cavity (130) and a lower cavity (140), and the two ends of the pipe bundle (200) are respectively connected to the upper cavity (130) and the lower cavity (140).

3. The tubular reactor as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The upper cavity (130) is provided with a feed inlet (131), and the lower cavity (140) is provided with a discharge outlet (141).

4. The tubular reactor as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The upper cavity (130) and the lower cavity (140) are separated by a horizontally arranged partition (150), which is assembled on the vessel wall of the vessel body (100) by a connector (500).

5. The tubular reactor as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The connector (500) includes a flange (510) and bolts (520), and the outer edge of the partition (150) is fitted onto the vessel wall of the vessel body (100) via the flange (510) and bolts (520).

6. The tubular reactor as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The partition (150) is provided with the same number of mounting holes (151) as the connecting pipe (210), and the connecting pipe (210) passes through the mounting holes (151) to communicate with the upper and lower cavities (130, 140).

7. The tubular reactor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The circulating pump (400) is a positive displacement pump or a slurry pump.

8. The tubular reactor as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The ratio of the radial cross-sectional area of ​​the upper and lower cavities (130, 140) to the total flow cross-sectional area of ​​the pipe bundle (200) is 1.5:1 to 10:

1.

9. A circulating mixing system for a shell-and-tube reactor, characterized by, include: The circulation pipeline (300) has its inlet connected to the liquid outlet pipe (120) of the reactor and its outlet connected to the liquid inlet pipe (110) of the reactor. The pipe bundle (200) includes multiple parallel connecting pipes (210) arranged in the inner cavity of the reactor, wherein the inner diameter of a single connecting pipe (210) ranges from 10 mm to 100 mm. A circulating pump (400) is installed on the circulating pipeline (300) to drive the material to circulate in a closed loop consisting of the inner cavity of the reactor, the pipe bundle (200) and the circulating pipeline (300).

10. The cyclic mixing system as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The circulating pump (400) is a positive displacement pump or a slurry pump.

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