Process for producing (METH)acrylic acid

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Solution Overview

Problem

The operation of refrigerators used in the crystallization and melting steps for producing (meth)acrylic acid is destabilized due to changes in cooling and heating loads caused by variations in temperature of the cooling and heating media, leading to inefficiencies and potential instability in the production process.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of buffer tanks to stabilize the temperature of the cooling and heating media, reducing temperature changes and maintaining consistent operation conditions, thereby stabilizing the refrigerator's operation and maintaining consistent cooling and heating loads.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If the temperature of cooling/heating medium is adjusted by a refrigerator to maintain constant temperature, then the temperature stability is improved, but the cooling/heating load changes due to temperature variation of returned medium, causing refrigerator operation instability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetemperature stability of cooling/heating mediumVSAvoidrefrigerator operation stability
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The buffer tank stores cooling/heating medium in advance, creating a temperature buffer that anticipates and absorbs load variations before they reach the refrigerator, allowing the refrigerator to operate with a more stable and predictable load

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The buffer tank acts as an intermediary between the crystallizer and the refrigerator, decoupling the temperature variations in the crystallizer from the refrigerator's operation, thereby protecting the refrigerator from destabilizing load changes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If buffer tank is introduced to stabilize temperature, then refrigerator operation stability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverefrigerator operation stabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The buffer tank is a simple, inexpensive vessel that provides substantial stabilization functionality without requiring complex control systems or expensive components, achieving reliability improvement with minimal complexity addition

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach allows for stable operation of the refrigerator regardless of load changes in the crystallizing and melting steps, ensuring consistent quality and yield of purified (meth)acrylic acid by maintaining constant temperatures and adjusting media temperatures as needed.

Implementation Method 1

a crystallizing step of supplying a cooling medium from a refrigerator to a crystallizer, thereby cooling a (meth)acrylic acid-containing solution, and obtaining a (meth)acrylic acid crystal

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCrystallization: Crystallisation

Implementation Method 2

a melting step of supplying a heating medium from the refrigerator to the crystallizer, thereby heating the (meth)acrylic acid crystal, and obtaining purified (meth)acrylic acid

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMelting: Melting

Data Source

PatentEP2431351B1Process for producing (METH)acrylic acid
Publication Date: 2017.09.20 NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO LTD
  • EP2431351B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2431351B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP2431351B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A process for producing (meth)acrylic acid, comprising a crystallizing step of supplying a cooling medium from a refrigerator to a crystallizer and returning the cooling medium from the crystallizer to the refrigerator, thereby obtaining a (meth)acrylic acid crystal from a (meth)acrylic acid-containing solution; and a melting step of supplying a heating medium from a refrigerator to the crystallizer and returning the heating medium from the crystallizer to the refrigerator, thereby melting the (meth)acrylic acid crystal; wherein the crystallizing step and the melting step are respectively performed at least once, thereby producing purified (meth)acrylic acid from a crude (meth)acrylic acid solution; temperature of the cooling medium discharged from the refrigerator is maintained constant at temperature T1; temperature of the cooling medium to be returned to the refrigerator is maintained constant at temperature T2; the temperature T2 is adjusted depending on a production amount of the purified (meth)acrylic acid per unit time.