Reactors and reactors for raw material fluids

Abstract

The present invention provides a reactor for raw material fluids that can easily and efficiently react the raw material fluids under high temperature and high pressure. [Solution] A reactor 1 comprises an inner tube 10 and an outer tube 20 that surrounds the inner tube 10, wherein a raw material fluid supplied under pressure to the inner tube 10 is heated and reacted by a heat transfer medium supplied under pressure to the outer tube 20, wherein the outer tube 20 comprises a heating tube 21, cooling tubes 22 and 23 connected to both ends of the heating tube 21 via three-way joints 26 and 27 and having their ends closed, and cooling jackets 24 and 25 that surround the cooling tubes 22 and 23, wherein the heating tube 21 heats the inner tube 10 with a heat transfer medium flowing between the three-way joints 26 and 27 on both sides, and the cooling tubes 22 and 23 cool the inner tube 10 with cooling water flowing through the cooling jackets 24 and 25 via a heat transfer medium that remains in the cooling tubes 22 and 23.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a reactor and a reaction apparatus for a raw material fluid, and more particularly to a reactor and a reaction apparatus for reacting a raw material fluid under high temperature and high pressure.

Background Art

[0002] As a conventional apparatus for reacting a raw material fluid in a supercritical state under high temperature and high pressure, a fluid purification apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known. This apparatus includes a reaction tank having a double cylinder structure. A mixed fluid of wastewater and air supplied at high pressure to the inner cylinder is heated by a heater through the pressure equalizing water supplied to the outer cylinder, and the organic substances in the wastewater are decomposed and purified. The purified fluid discharged from the reaction tank is introduced into the inner pipe of a double pipe structure purification fluid transfer pipe communicating with the inner cylinder of the reaction tank, and is cooled by a heat exchanger through the pressure equalizing water supplied to the outer pipe. The inner cylinder of the reaction tank and the inner pipe of the purification fluid transfer pipe are made of titanium to improve corrosion resistance, and are pressurized from the outside by pressure equalizing water to prevent rupture.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above fluid purification apparatus, since the supply of pressure equalizing water to the outer cylinder of the reaction tank and the supply of pressure equalizing water to the outer pipe of the purification fluid transfer pipe are performed in separate systems, not only is the operation of individually adjusting the pressure of the pressure equalizing water likely to be troublesome, but there is also a problem that the apparatus configuration becomes complicated.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a reactor and a reaction apparatus for a raw material fluid that can easily and efficiently react a raw material fluid under high temperature and high pressure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The object of the present invention is achieved by a reactor comprising an inner tube and an outer tube covering the inner tube, wherein a raw material fluid supplied under pressure to the inner tube is heated and reacted by a heat transfer medium supplied under pressure to the outer tube, the outer tube comprising a heating tube, a cooling tube connected to both ends of the heating tube via three-way joints and having its ends closed, and a cooling jacket covering the cooling tube, wherein the heating tube heats the inner tube with a heat transfer medium flowing between the three-way joints on both sides, and the cooling tube cools the inner tube with cooling water flowing through the cooling jacket, via a heat transfer medium accumulating in the cooling tube. The inner tube is preferably made of titanium or a titanium alloy.

[0007] Furthermore, the above-mentioned object of the present invention is achieved by a raw material fluid reactor comprising: a raw material fluid reactor having the above-described configuration; a raw material supply device for pressurized supply of raw material fluid to the inner tube; a heat transfer medium supply device for pressurized supply of a high-temperature heat transfer medium to the outer tube; a cooling water supply device for supplying cooling water to the cooling jacket; and a recovery device for recovering the raw material fluid that has passed through the reactor.

[0008] In this raw material fluid reaction apparatus, the recovery apparatus preferably comprises a plurality of double-acting cylinders configured to push the raw material fluid supplied from the reactor to the first pressure chamber into a recovery tank by supplying filling water to the second pressure chamber. The supply of raw material fluid to the first pressure chamber and the discharge of filling water from the second pressure chamber, and the supply of raw material fluid from the first pressure chamber to the recovery tank and the filling water to the second pressure chamber are alternately performed between the plurality of double-acting cylinders by operating an on-off valve, thereby allowing for continuous recovery of the raw material fluid and discharge of the filling water. The filling water discharged from the recovery apparatus is preferably configured to merge with the heat transfer medium that has passed through the outer pipe before passing through the first back pressure valve.

[0009] Preferably, the heat transfer medium supply device includes a check valve that opens when the pressure of the heat transfer medium that has passed through the outer tube becomes higher than the pressure of the raw material fluid in the inner tube, allowing a portion of the heat transfer medium to merge with the raw material fluid.

[0010] Preferably, the raw material supply device includes a cylinder pump that supplies raw material fluid, a drive pump that supplies working fluid to the cylinder pump to drive the cylinder pump, and a safety valve that opens when the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the cylinder pump exceeds a predetermined set pressure, thereby discharging the working fluid to the outside. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the reactor and reaction apparatus for raw material fluids of the present invention, the raw material fluid can be easily and efficiently reacted under high temperature and high pressure. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a reaction apparatus for raw material fluids according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the recovery device included in the reaction apparatus for the raw material fluid. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a raw material fluid reactor (hereinafter simply referred to as "reactor") according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the reactor 100 mainly comprises a raw material fluid reactor (hereinafter simply referred to as "reactor") 1, a raw material supply device 30, a heat transfer medium supply device 40, a cooling water supply device 50, and a recovery device 60.

[0014] The reactor 1 comprises an inner tube 10 to which the raw material fluid is supplied under pressure, and an outer tube 20 to which a heat transfer medium is supplied under pressure. The outer tube 20 is arranged concentrically with a gap between it and the inner tube 10 so as to surround the inner tube 10.

[0015] The inner tube 10 is preferably made of a material that has high corrosion resistance to strongly acidic or strongly alkaline raw material fluids, for example, titanium or a titanium alloy. Both ends of the inner tube 10 protrude from both ends of the outer tube 20, and a raw material inlet 11 and a raw material outlet 12 are formed in the protruding portions. Thermometers 3a and 3b for acquiring prior temperature data are provided in the raw material inlet 11 and raw material outlet 12.

[0016] The outer tube 20 comprises a heating tube 21, cooling tubes 22 and 23 connected to both ends of the heating tube 21 via three-way joints 26 and 27, respectively, and cooling jackets 24 and 25 that surround the cooling tubes 22 and 23. The ends of the cooling tubes 22 and 23 opposite to the three-way joints 26 and 27 are closed. The material of the outer tube 20 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to form it from a high-strength material such as stainless steel because a heat transfer medium such as purified water is supplied at high pressure (e.g., 20 MPa).

[0017] The three-way joints 26 and 27 are made of, for example, Swagelok joints, and their two connection ports connect the heating tube 21 to the cooling tubes 22 and 23. The other connection port of the three-way joint 27 is the heat transfer medium inlet 27a, and the other connection port of the three-way joint 26 is the heat transfer medium outlet 26a. The temperature of the heat transfer medium at the heat transfer medium inlet 27a and the heat transfer medium outlet 26a is measured by thermometers 3c and 3d, respectively. The portion of the inner tube 10 that passes through the heating tube 21 is heated by the heat transfer medium flowing between the three-way joints 26 and 27.

[0018] The cooling jackets 24 and 25 are formed in a tubular shape and are arranged concentrically with the outer tube 20, through which cooling water is passed. Because one end of the cooling tubes 22 and 23 is closed, the heat transfer medium inside the cooling tubes 22 and 23 remains stagnant. Therefore, the portion of the inner tube 10 that passes through the cooling tubes 22 and 23 is cooled by the cooling water passing through the cooling jackets 24 and 25 via the heat transfer medium stagnating in the cooling tubes 22 and 23.

[0019] In the reactor 1 having the above-described configuration, the raw material inlet portion 11 on the upstream side of the inner pipe 10 is arranged above the raw material outlet portion 12 on the downstream side. The reactor 1 of the present embodiment is vertically erected, but it may be arranged in an inclined manner, and further, it may be arranged horizontally or in a manner where the raw material inlet portion 11 is below the raw material outlet portion 12.

[0020] The raw material supply device 30 includes a cylinder pump 31 that supplies the raw material fluid supplied to the tip side of the piston 31a from a tank (not shown) toward the raw material inlet portion 11 of the inner pipe 10, a drive pump 32 that supplies the working fluid to the base end side of the piston 31a to drive the cylinder pump 31, and a safety valve 33 that is opened and discharges the working fluid to the outside when the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the cylinder pump 31 becomes a predetermined set pressure (for example, 22 MPa) or more. A plurality of cylinder pumps 31 may be provided, and the raw material fluid can be continuously supplied to the inner pipe 10 by alternately discharging the raw material fluid from each cylinder pump 31.

[0021] The heat medium supply device 40 includes a supply pump 41, a preheater 42, and a heater 43. The heat medium such as purified water discharged from the supply pump 41 is introduced into the heat medium inlet portion 27a of the outer pipe 20 after being heated in the preheater 42 and the heater 43. The preheater 42 preheats the heat medium before being introduced into the heater 43 by heat exchange with the high-temperature heat medium flowing through the heat medium discharge line 28 connected to the heat medium outlet portion 26a of the outer pipe 20. The heat medium discharged from the supply pump 41 can also bypass the preheater 42 by operating the on-off valves 44a and 44b. The discharge pressure of the supply pump 41 is measured by the pressure gauge 2a.

[0022] A first back pressure valve 90 is provided at the outlet of the heat medium discharge line 28. When the pressure in the heat medium discharge line 28 reaches the set pressure (for example, 20 MPa), the first back pressure valve 90 opens and discharges the heat medium to the outside while maintaining the pressure in the heat medium discharge line 28 at the set pressure. Further, a first check valve 91 and a second check valve 92, which are check valves that open when the pressure of the heat medium passing through the outer pipe 20 becomes higher than the pressure of the raw material fluid in the inner pipe 10, are connected to the heat medium discharge line 28. The first check valve 91 opens when the pressure in the heat medium discharge line 28 becomes higher than the pressure of the raw material fluid before being supplied to the inner pipe 10, and mixes a part of the heat medium with the raw material fluid. The second check valve 92 opens when the pressure in the heat medium discharge line 28 becomes higher than the pressure of the raw material fluid after passing through the inner pipe 10, and mixes a part of the heat medium with the raw material fluid. The temperature and pressure on the inlet side of the first back pressure valve 90 in the heat medium discharge line 28 are measured by a thermometer 3e and a pressure gauge 2b, respectively.

[0023] The cooling water supply device 50 includes a chiller 51 that cools the cooling water. The cooling water cooled by the chiller 51 passes through the cooling jackets 24 and 25 in sequence and then returns to the chiller 51. The cooling water supply device 50 further includes a first cooler 52 that cools the raw material fluid discharged from the inner pipe 10 by heat exchange with the cooling water cooled by the chiller 51, and a second cooler 53 that cools the heat medium discharged from the outer pipe 20 and passing through the heater 42 by heat exchange with the cooling water discharged from the cooling jacket 25. The temperature of the raw material fluid before being cooled by the first cooler 52 is measured by a thermometer 3f.

[0024] The recovery device 60 recovers the raw material fluid after the reaction cooled by the first cooler 52 and discharges the filling water used for recovering the raw material fluid. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the recovery device 60. As shown in FIG. 2, the recovery device 60 includes a plurality of double-acting cylinders 61 and 62. The double-acting cylinders 61 and 62 each include a first pressure chamber 61b and 62b and a second pressure chamber 61c and 62c separated by pistons 61a and 62a.

[0025] The first pressure chambers 61b and 62b can be supplied with the reacted raw material fluid, and by switching the flow path using the on-off valves 63a, 63b, 63c, and 63d, the first pressure chambers 61b and 62b can be connected to the recovery tank. In addition, the second pressure chambers 61c and 62c can be supplied with filling water, and by switching the flow path using the on-off valves 64a, 64b, 64c, and 64d, the second pressure chambers 61c and 62c can be connected to the filling water discharge line 66. The filling water supplied to the second pressure chambers 61c and 62c can be pressurized by operating a follow-up pressure pump (not shown).

[0026] More specifically, the reacted raw material fluid filled in one double-acting cylinder 61 can be recovered into a recovery tank by supplying filling water to the double-acting cylinder 61 with valves 63b and 64b closed and valves 63a and 64a open. Simultaneously, by closing valves 63d and 64d and opening valves 63c and 64c, the reacted raw material fluid is filled into the other double-acting cylinder 62, and the filling water from the other double-acting cylinder 62 is pushed out into the filling water discharge line 66. The reacted raw material fluid filled in the other double-acting cylinder 62 can be recovered into a recovery tank by supplying filling water to the double-acting cylinder 62 with valves 63c and 64c closed and valves 63d and 64d open. In parallel with this, by closing the on-off valves 63a and 64a and opening the on-off valves 63b and 64b, the reacted raw material fluid is filled into one of the double-acting cylinders 61, and the filling water from the other double-acting cylinder 61 is pushed out into the filling water discharge line 66. In this way, by alternately performing the supply of raw material fluid to the first pressure chambers 61b and 62b and the discharge of filling water from the second pressure chambers 61c and 62c, as well as the supply of raw material fluid from the first pressure chambers 61b and 62b to the recovery tank and the filling water into the second pressure chambers 61c and 62c, between the multiple double-acting cylinders 61 and 62 by operating the on-off valves 64a, 64b, 64c, and 64d, the recovery of raw material fluid and the discharge of filling water can be performed continuously.

[0027] The filling water discharge line 66 is equipped with a second back pressure valve 65 that opens when the pressure exceeds a predetermined set pressure (for example, 21 MPa) to discharge the filling water to the outside. As shown in Figure 1, the filling water discharge line 66 is equipped with an on-off valve 93 and a check valve 94, and the downstream side is connected to the heat transfer medium discharge line 28, so that the filling water is mixed with the heat transfer medium and discharged from the first back pressure valve 90. As a result, the pressure of the entire system of the reactor 100 is adjusted to a pressure that is approximately the same as the set pressure of the first back pressure valve 90. The on-off valve 93 is always open except when the pressure of the second back pressure valve 65 is set.

[0028] The reaction apparatus 100, having the above configuration, can heat the raw material fluid in the portion of the inner tube 10 that passes through the heating tube 21 by supplying the raw material fluid and heat transfer medium under pressure from the raw material supply device 30 and the heat transfer medium supply device 40 to the reactor 1, thereby allowing the raw material fluid to react under high temperature and high pressure. The type of raw material fluid is not particularly limited as long as it can be reacted under high temperature and high pressure, but the reaction apparatus 100 can be suitably used for applications in which a raw material slurry is hydrothermally reacted in a subcritical or supercritical state in the reactor 1, such as the synthesis of strontium ferrite under alkaline conditions, hydrogen production by alkaline decomposition of biomass, and the synthesis of zirconia from zirconium oxychloride raw materials in which hydrochloric acid is generated in the reaction.

[0029] In reactor 1, the pressure of the raw material fluid flowing inside the inner tube 10 and the pressure of the heat transfer medium flowing outside the inner tube 10 are maintained at approximately the same pressure as the set pressure of the first back pressure valve 90. Therefore, even when using titanium or other materials that have corrosion resistance but low strength at high temperatures as the material for the inner tube 10, the pressure resistance of the inner tube 10 can be easily ensured. Furthermore, the heat transfer medium that has become hot water in the heating tube 21 rises inside the outer tube 20 and is cooled by the cooling jacket 24 in the upper cooling tube 22, while the heat transfer medium heated in the lower cooling tube 23 by the high-temperature raw material fluid passing through the inner tube 10 is cooled by the cooling jacket 25. As a result, both ends of the inner tube 10 protruding from the outer tube 20 can be easily maintained at a low temperature that does not cause insufficient strength.

[0030] In reactor 1, if the inner tube 10 becomes blocked due to clogging of the inner tube 10 by solid matter contained in the raw material fluid, or due to malfunction of the on-off valves 63b and 63c of the recovery device 60, the pressure of the working fluid supplied from the drive pump 32 in the raw material supply device 30 increases, and when it exceeds the set pressure of the safety valve 33, the working fluid is released to the outside. This prevents the internal pressure of the inner tube 10 from rising excessively, thereby reliably preventing damage to the inner tube 10.

[0031] If, due to operational errors or minor leaks, the pressure of the heat transfer medium after passing through the outer tube 20 becomes higher than the pressure of the raw material fluid before it is supplied to the inner tube 10, the first check valve 91 opens, and a portion of the heat transfer medium merges with the raw material fluid. This maintains the pressure inside the outer tube 20 at approximately the same level as the pressure inside the inner tube 10, thus preventing the inner tube 10 from collapsing due to the pressure difference. Furthermore, if the pressure of the heat transfer medium after passing through the outer tube 20 becomes higher than the pressure of the raw material fluid after passing through the inner tube 10, the second check valve 92 opens, and a portion of the heat transfer medium merges with the raw material fluid. This also maintains the pressure inside the outer tube 20 at approximately the same level as the pressure inside the inner tube 10.

[0032] In the heat transfer medium supply device 40, the heat transfer medium supplied from the supply pump 41 can be efficiently heated by exchanging heat with the heated heat transfer medium in the preheater 42 before being heated by the heater 43. After the operation of the reaction apparatus 100 is finished, the heater 43 is stopped, and the on-off valve 44a is opened from closed, and the on-off valve 44b is closed from open, so that the heat transfer medium supplied from the supply pump 41 bypasses the preheater 42 without passing through it, thereby preventing heat from returning to the preheater 42 and allowing for rapid cooling. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 1 Reactor 10 Inner tube 20 outer tube 21 Heating tube 22,23 Cooling pipe 24,25 Cooling jacket 26, 27 Three-way joint 30 Raw material supply device 40 Heat medium supply device 50 Cooling water supply device 60 Recovery device 90 First back pressure valve 91 First check valve 92 Second check valve 100 Reactor

Claims

1. A reactor comprising an inner tube and an outer tube surrounding the inner tube, wherein a raw material fluid supplied under pressure to the inner tube is heated and reacted by a heat transfer medium supplied under pressure to the outer tube, The outer tube comprises a heating tube, cooling tubes connected to both ends of the heating tube via three-way joints and having their ends closed, and a cooling jacket covering the periphery of the cooling tube. The heating tube heats the inner tube by a heat transfer medium flowing between the three-way joints on both sides. The cooling tube is a reactor for a raw material fluid that cools the inner tube via a heat transfer medium that remains in the cooling tube by cooling water that flows through the cooling jacket.

2. The reactor for raw material fluid according to claim 1, wherein the inner tube is made of titanium or a titanium alloy.

3. A reactor for the raw material fluid according to claim 1, A raw material supply device that pressurizes and supplies raw material fluid to the inner tube, A heat transfer medium supply device that pressurizes and supplies a high-temperature heat transfer medium to the outer tube, A cooling water supply device that supplies cooling water to the cooling jacket, A reaction apparatus for raw material fluids, comprising a recovery device for recovering the raw material fluid that has passed through the reactor.

4. The recovery device comprises a plurality of double-acting cylinders configured to push the raw material fluid supplied from the reactor to the first pressure chamber into a recovery tank by supplying filling water to the second pressure chamber. The supply of raw material fluid to the first pressure chamber and the discharge of filling water from the second pressure chamber, and the supply of raw material fluid from the first pressure chamber to the recovery tank and the filling water to the second pressure chamber are performed alternately between a plurality of double-acting cylinders by operating an on-off valve, thereby allowing for continuous recovery of raw material fluid and discharge of filling water. The raw material fluid reaction apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the filling water discharged from the recovery device is combined with the heat transfer medium that has passed through the outer pipe and then passes through the first back pressure valve.

5. The reaction apparatus for raw material fluid according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the heat transfer medium supply device is equipped with a check valve that opens when the pressure of the heat transfer medium that has passed through the outer tube becomes higher than the pressure of the raw material fluid in the inner tube, thereby allowing a portion of the heat transfer medium to merge with the raw material fluid.

6. The raw material supply device comprises a cylinder pump for supplying raw material fluid, a drive pump for supplying working fluid to the cylinder pump to drive the cylinder pump, and a safety valve that opens when the pressure of the working fluid supplied to the cylinder pump exceeds a predetermined set pressure to discharge the working fluid to the outside, as described in claim 3 or 4.

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