Sulfur staged heating and purification unit

Abstract

This utility model belongs to the technical field of coal chemical equipment, specifically relating to a sulfur staged heating and purification device. The device includes: at least two reactors connected in series, each reactor having an inlet and an outlet; a heating component disposed on the outer wall of each reactor to provide independent heat to each reactor, so that each reactor operates at a different set temperature; wherein, in two adjacent reactors, the outlet of the upstream reactor is connected to the inlet of the downstream reactor through a conveying mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the technical field of coal chemical equipment, and in particular relates to a sulfur staged heating and purification device. Background Technology

[0002] In the process of desulfurization of coal gas in coking plants and coal chemical industries, sulfur paste or crude sulfur byproducts are generated. Currently, the most common practice is to sell or stockpile the sulfur paste directly as a low-end raw material without effective purification treatment. This extensive treatment method not only results in the failure to utilize sulfur resources at a high value, but also causes secondary pollution to the soil and atmosphere during storage, transportation, and use due to the slow release of harmful impurities.

[0003] Some companies use intermittent purification units to refine and purify sulfur paste. This process requires sequentially passing through different temperature ranges within the same equipment (for example, initial purification at 300℃ followed by deep purification at 400℃). However, this "one-reactor-for-all" approach has inherent drawbacks when processing large volumes of sulfur paste (such as several tons or tens of tons): the heat required to raise several tons of material from 300℃ to 400℃ is enormous, resulting in a heating process that can take several hours. This heating stage is merely for switching process conditions and does not generate any purification benefits itself, creating a long "ineffective waiting" window that severely restricts the improvement of production efficiency.

[0004] Therefore, how to solve the problem that traditional purification equipment, due to its slow heating and long waiting time, reduces the overall production efficiency when processing large volumes of sulfur paste 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 sulfur staged heating and purification apparatus.

[0007] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a sulfur staged heating and purification apparatus, comprising: At least two reactor bodies connected in series, each reactor body being provided with a feed inlet and a discharge outlet; A heating element is disposed on the outer wall of each of the vessels to provide independent heat to each vessel so that each vessel operates at a different set temperature; In the case of two adjacent vessels, the discharge port of the upstream vessel is connected to the inlet of the downstream vessel through a conveying mechanism.

[0008] In one alternative embodiment, the heating assembly includes an electromagnetic heating coil that is uniformly wound around the outer wall of each of the vessel bodies.

[0009] In one alternative embodiment, each of the reactor bodies is provided with a stirrer.

[0010] In one optional embodiment, the stirrer includes a stirring shaft and stirring blades disposed on the stirring shaft, wherein the axial projection range of the stirring blades corresponds to the axial projection range of the electromagnetic heating coil.

[0011] In one optional embodiment, the end of the stirring blade is provided with a scraper for scraping the inner wall of the vessel, and the bottom of the stirring shaft is provided with a spiral scraper.

[0012] In one alternative embodiment, the conveying mechanism includes a melt pump connected between the outlet and inlet of two adjacent reactor bodies.

[0013] In one alternative embodiment, at least one of the vessel bodies is provided with a slag discharge port at the bottom.

[0014] In one alternative embodiment, at least one of the vessel bodies is provided with a volatile gas collection port at its top.

[0015] In one alternative embodiment, the operating temperatures of at least two of the vessel bodies increase sequentially along the material conveying direction.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this utility model are that the sulfur segmented heating and purification device adopts a scheme of connecting at least two vessels in series, and each vessel provides independent heat. The material from the upstream vessel does not slowly absorb heat on its own, but immediately mixes with a large amount of high-temperature material in the downstream vessel under strong stirring. This efficient convective heat transfer method, compared with the traditional single-vessel overall heating method that relies on heat conduction and natural convection, can significantly shorten the heating time of the material between adjacent vessels, so that the production efficiency of the entire system is no longer limited by the long batch heating waiting time.

[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 This is a cross-sectional view of a sulfur staged heating and purification apparatus provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0021] In the picture: 100. Reactor body; 110. Feed inlet; 120. Discharge outlet; 130. Slag discharge outlet; 140. Volatile gas collection outlet; 200. Heating component; 210. Electromagnetic heating coil; 300. Conveying mechanism; 310. Melt pump; 400. Agitator; 410. Agitator shaft; 420. Agitator blade; 421. Scraper; 430. Spiral scraper. 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 a drawback in existing technologies: some companies use intermittent purification units to refine sulfur paste. This process requires sequentially passing through different temperature ranges within the same equipment (e.g., initial purification at 300℃, followed by deep purification at 400℃). However, this "one-pot-for-multiple-uses" approach has inherent flaws when processing large volumes of sulfur paste (e.g., several tons or tens of tons): the heat required to raise several tons of material from 300℃ to 400℃ is enormous, resulting in a heating process that can take several hours. This heating stage is merely for switching process conditions and does not generate any purification benefits itself, creating a long "ineffective waiting" window that severely restricts the improvement of production efficiency.

[0029] Based on the above research, this disclosure provides a sulfur staged heating and purification device. By constructing a multi-stage series continuous flow reaction system with separate temperature control, it trades space for time, transforming the traditional time-consuming step heating process in a single batch reactor into a highly efficient continuous purification process under multiple isothermal reaction units, thus solving the above problems.

[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 1This disclosure provides a staged heating and purification apparatus for sulfur, comprising at least two reactor bodies 100 connected in series, each reactor body 100 being an independent reaction vessel constituting the core space for the purification reaction. Each reactor body 100 is provided with an inlet 110 and an outlet 120. The inlet 110 of the first reactor body 100 is used to receive sulfur paste or crude sulfur raw materials to be processed, and the outlet 120 of the last reactor body 100 is used to discharge the final product that meets the purity requirements. The reactor bodies 100 are connected end to end through their inlets and outlets. Specifically, in two adjacent reactor bodies 100, the outlet 120 of the upstream reactor body 100 is connected to the inlet 110 of the downstream reactor body 100 through a pipe, thereby forming a continuous material flow channel. To achieve the process objective of staged heating and purification, each reactor body 100 is equipped with an independent heating component 200. Heating components 200 are installed on the outer wall of each vessel 100 to heat the vessel 100 from the outside. The heat is conducted to the material inside through the vessel wall. The heating components 200 of each vessel 100 are independently controlled and operate, allowing operators to set and maintain different operating temperatures for each vessel 100. For example, the temperature of the first vessel 100 can be set at 300°C for preliminary removal of low-boiling-point impurities, while the temperature of the second vessel 100 connected in series can be set at 400°C for deep removal of high-boiling-point impurities. Stable operation of each vessel 100 at different set temperatures is the foundation for achieving segmented and efficient purification. Simultaneously, to ensure material can be transported from the upstream vessel 100 to the downstream vessel 100, a conveying mechanism 300 is installed on the connecting pipeline between adjacent vessels 100. During operation, sulfur paste or crude sulfur continuously enters the system from the inlet of the first vessel 100. Inside, it is heated to the first set temperature (e.g., 300°C) by an independent heating component for preliminary purification. Subsequently, the pre-purified material is continuously fed into the second vessel 100 through the discharge port 120 and connecting pipe by the conveying mechanism 300. In the second vessel 100, the material is heated by its independent heating element 200 and maintained at a second set temperature (e.g., 400°C) for further purification. Since each vessel 100 operates at its own constant optimal temperature, the material begins to react effectively immediately upon entry, without waiting for overall heating. This process can be repeated sequentially until the material passes through all the series-connected vessels 100, completing the entire segmented purification process, and is then discharged from the discharge port 120 of the final vessel 100.

[0034] See also Figure 1In some embodiments, the heating component 200 is specifically in the form of an electromagnetic heating coil 210. This electromagnetic heating coil 210 serves as the core heat source, and is installed by tightly and uniformly winding and fixing it to the cylindrical outer wall surface of each vessel 100. The winding spacing of the coil remains uniform to ensure a uniformly distributed alternating magnetic field is formed circumferentially and axially on the outer wall of the vessel 100, thereby avoiding localized overheating or heating dead zones. Each electromagnetic heating coil wound on each vessel 100 is an independent heating unit, equipped with an independent power supply and control module. This allows the operator to precisely and independently control the heating power of each vessel 100, thereby achieving and maintaining different set operating temperatures for each vessel (e.g., 300°C and 400°C).

[0035] See also Figure 1 In some embodiments, to achieve uniform heating and efficient reaction of the materials, a stirrer 400 is vertically installed inside each vessel 100. The stirrer 400 is powered by a drive motor, which is typically mounted outside the top end cap of the vessel 100. The motor's output shaft is connected to a stirring shaft 410 extending into the vessel 100 via a sealing device, transmitting rotational power to the vessel. The stirrer 400 includes a stirring shaft 410 and stirring blades 420 disposed on the stirring shaft 410. Preferably, the axial mounting position of the stirring blades 420 on the stirring shaft 410 is designed to cover the main heating area of ​​the vessel 100. The vertical projection range of the stirring blades 420 corresponds to the core heating section generated by the electromagnetic heating coil wound around the outer wall of the vessel 100. When the electromagnetic heating coil heats the vessel wall, the material temperature near the vessel wall rises first. The stirrer 400, through rotation, forces the material inside the vessel to form a strong radial and axial circulating flow. This continuously brings materials from the high-temperature zone to the low-temperature zone, greatly promoting heat transfer and exchange, and effectively avoiding local overheating or uneven temperature.

[0036] See also Figure 1In some embodiments, a scraper 421 is provided at the end of the stirring blade 420 (i.e., the end furthest from the stirring shaft 410 and closest to the inner wall of the vessel 100). This scraper 421 is typically made of a high-temperature resistant, wear-resistant, and somewhat elastic material (such as polytetrafluoroethylene, special engineering plastics, or metal springs). The scraper 421 is fixed to the end of the stirring blade 420 by a mechanical connector, and its scraping surface maintains close contact or a very small gap with the curved surface of the inner wall of the vessel 100. When the stirring shaft 410 rotates, the stirring blade 420 drives the scraper 421 at its end to move in a circular motion along the inner wall of the vessel 100. By providing the scraper 421, the scale adhering to the inner wall of the heating area can be continuously scraped away. This scale is mainly formed by the carbonization of organic matter and the agglomeration of salts in sulfur paste, and has extremely poor thermal conductivity. The continuous scraping action of the scraper 421 effectively prevents the formation and thickening of the scale layer. By removing the "thermal resistance" of scale, scraper 421 directly ensures that the heat from the vessel wall can be efficiently transferred to the material inside the vessel, thereby maintaining the continuous and stable heat transfer effect of the equipment and avoiding increased energy consumption and uneven heating caused by scaling.

[0037] See also Figure 1 In some embodiments, the conveying mechanism 300 includes a melt pump 310, which is connected between the outlet and inlet of two adjacent reactor bodies. The melt pump 310 can withstand temperatures above 400°C, and its special mechanical seal or packing seal structure can effectively prevent leakage of high-temperature, toxic sulfur melt, ensuring production safety and avoiding material loss and environmental pollution.

[0038] See also Figure 1 In some embodiments, a spiral scraper 430 is provided at the bottom of the stirring shaft 410. Its form can be a continuous spiral blade or a discontinuous scraper 421, and its outer edge contour is adapted to the inner wall of the conical or arc-shaped end cap at the bottom of the vessel. When rotating, the spiral scraper 430 can scrape away scale buildup at the bottom of the vessel. A slag discharge port 130 is provided at the bottom of the vessel body 100. When waste slag accumulates to a certain amount at the slag discharge port 130, the slag discharge valve can be opened periodically to discharge the waste slag from the vessel body 100.

[0039] See also Figure 1 In some embodiments, a volatile gas collection port 140 is provided at the top end cap of at least one vessel 100. The collection port is connected to an external exhaust gas treatment system (such as a condenser, alkaline scrubbing tower, incinerator, or activated carbon adsorption device) via a pipe. Under the negative pressure provided by a blower, the gas is directionally drawn away from the vessel 100. When the sulfur paste or crude sulfur is heated to a set temperature (such as 300°C or 400°C) in the vessel, the volatile organic compounds (VOCs), moisture, and partially decomposed acidic gases (such as H2S, SO2) and other impurities contained therein will volatilize due to heat, forming a gaseous mixture. The separation of these gaseous impurities from the liquid sulfur is one of the key steps in the purification process.

[0040] See also Figure 1 In some embodiments, the operating temperatures of at least two of the reactor bodies 100 increase sequentially along the material conveying direction. Specifically, different set temperatures include a first temperature of 300℃±10℃ and a second temperature of 400℃±10℃. The first temperature stage of 300℃±10℃ primarily targets the effective removal of low-to-medium boiling point volatile impurities. When the material melts and is held at this temperature, the organic impurities (such as certain hydrocarbons and heterocyclic compounds), as well as some bound water and trace amounts of acidic gases contained therein, have boiling points or decomposition temperatures below 300℃, and therefore can vaporize and escape in large quantities. Simultaneously, this temperature also promotes the decomposition of some unstable salts. Precisely controlling the temperature between 290℃ and 310℃ ensures that these impurities are efficiently removed while avoiding excessive volatilization of sulfur itself or unnecessary side reactions. The second temperature stage of 400℃±10℃ primarily removes high-boiling point stubborn impurities with boiling points close to those of sulfur itself. These impurities may include certain high-molecular-weight organic compounds, complex sulfides, etc., which are difficult to volatilize at 300°C, but can be effectively separated at high temperatures of 390°C to 410°C. In the series-connected unit, the functions of these two temperature ranges are clearly defined yet synergistic, together forming a complete and efficient refining and purification process.

[0041] In summary, this sulfur staged heating and purification device employs a scheme in which at least two reactors 100 are connected in series, with each reactor 100 providing independent heat. The material from the upstream reactor 100 does not slowly absorb heat on its own, but is immediately mixed with a large amount of high-temperature material in the downstream reactor 100 under strong stirring. This highly efficient convective heat transfer is extremely fast, and the heating process of a small amount of low-temperature material can be completed in a short time, thus freeing the production efficiency of the entire system from the long batch heating wait.

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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 staged heating and purification device for sulfur, characterized in that, include: At least two vessel bodies (100) connected in series, each vessel body (100) is provided with a feed inlet (110) and a discharge outlet (120). A heating element (200) is disposed on the outer wall of each of the vessels (100) to provide independent heat to each of the vessels (100) so that each vessel (100) operates at a different set temperature; Among the two adjacent vessel bodies (100), the discharge port (120) of the upstream vessel body (100) is connected to the inlet port (110) of the downstream vessel body (100) through a conveying mechanism (300).

2. The sulfur staged heating and purification apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The heating assembly (200) includes an electromagnetic heating coil (210) which is uniformly wound around the outer wall of each of the vessels (100).

3. The sulfur staged heating and purification apparatus as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Each of the aforementioned vessels (100) is equipped with a stirrer (400).

4. The sulfur staged heating and purification apparatus as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The stirrer (400) includes a stirring shaft (410) and stirring blades (420) disposed on the stirring shaft (410), the axial projection range of the stirring blades (420) corresponding to the axial projection range of the electromagnetic heating coil (210).

5. The sulfur staged heating and purification apparatus as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The end of the stirring blade (420) is provided with a scraper (421) for scraping the inner wall of the vessel body (100), and the bottom of the stirring shaft (410) is provided with a spiral scraper (430).

6. The sulfur staged heating and purification apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The conveying mechanism (300) includes a melt pump (310), which is connected between the outlet and inlet of two adjacent reactor bodies.

7. The sulfur staged heating and purification apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, At least one of the vessel bodies (100) is provided with a slag discharge port (130) at its bottom.

8. The sulfur staged heating and purification apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, At least one of the vessel bodies (100) is provided with a volatile gas collection port (140) at its top.

9. The sulfur staged heating and purification apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The operating temperatures of at least two of the vessel bodies (100) increase sequentially along the material conveying direction.

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