Methacrylic Acid Crystallization Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for producing (meth)acrylic acid through gas-phase catalytic oxidation are inefficient due to variable quality and recovered amounts of purified product, as they do not maintain a constant feed to crystallization stages and result in excessive transfer and energy consumption.

Innovation Solution

A process involving repeated crystallization operations where a constant amount of (meth)acrylic acid solution is subjected to each crystallization stage, with rules governing the transfer of melt between stages to maintain uniformity and minimize unnecessary transfer, ensuring stable operation and enhanced purity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the whole amount of melt obtained by crystallizing the liquid raw material in the k th crystallization stage is transferred to the (k+1) th crystallization stage, then the purification process can be completed, but the operation becomes inefficient when the amount varies significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepurification completenessVSAvoidoperational efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by determining and storing the required amount of liquid raw material for the (k+1) th crystallization stage in advance, before the actual crystallization process begins. This allows the system to prepare the appropriate quantity of material beforehand, avoiding inefficiencies that would arise from transferring variable amounts of melt during the process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback by measuring the amount of liquid raw material obtained from the k th crystallization stage and using this information to determine how much material should be supplied to the (k+1) th stage. This closed-loop control ensures that the correct amount of material is transferred, maintaining operational efficiency while ensuring purification completeness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of manufacture

If variable amounts of melt are transferred between crystallization stages, then the process follows the natural crystallization output, but it results in excessive transfer operations and energy consumption

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocess flexibilityVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

By determining the required amount of liquid raw material for each crystallization stage in advance and storing this information, the system可以避免 unnecessary transfer operations. The preliminary determination of material quantities allows for optimized process planning that reduces energy consumption while maintaining the flexibility needed for varying crystallization outputs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter of material transfer quantity from variable to controlled based on predetermined values. By using the stored amount information to guide transfers, the system optimizes energy consumption while adapting to the specific requirements of each crystallization stage, effectively balancing flexibility and energy efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Manufacturing precision

If multiple crystallization operations are performed without controlling the amount of liquid raw material, then purification can be achieved, but the quality and quantity of final product become unstable

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveproduct purityVSAvoidproduct consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by determining and storing the required amount of liquid raw material for each crystallization stage before the process begins. This pre-planning ensures that each stage receives the appropriate quantity of material, leading to stable and consistent product quality and quantity across multiple crystallization operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback by using the measured amount of liquid raw material from each crystallization stage to determine the supply amount for the next stage. This closed-loop control mechanism ensures that product purity is maintained while achieving consistent results across multiple operations, as each stage is adjusted based on actual measurements from previous stages.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

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 efficient production of purified (meth)acrylic acid by stabilizing crystallization operations, reducing energy consumption, and minimizing impurity incorporation, thereby improving the quality and quantity of the final product.

Implementation Method 1

a (meth)acrylic acid solution is crystallized and the crystallized (meth)acrylic acid is melted to obtain a (meth)acrylic acid melt

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCrystallization: Crystallisation

Implementation Method 2

a (meth)acrylic acid solution is crystallized and the crystallized (meth)acrylic acid is melted to obtain a (meth)acrylic acid melt

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMelting: Melting

Data Source

PatentEP2450339B1Process for production of (METH)acrylic acid
Publication Date: 2017.07.26 NIPPON SHOKUBAI CO LTD
  • EP2450339B1 patent drawingFigure 1

AI summary

A process for producing (meth)acrylic acid, comprising the step of repeating a crystallization operation "n" times (providing "n" is an integer 2 or more) to produce purified (meth)acrylic acid from crude (meth)acrylic acid, wherein a (meth)acrylic acid solution is crystallized and the crystallized (meth)acrylic acid is melted to obtain a (meth)acrylic acid melt in the crystallization operation; wherein a constant amount Ak of the (meth)acrylic acid solution is subjected to the kth crystallization operation (providing "k" is an integer 1 or more and n-1 or less), and the (meth)acrylic acid melt obtained by the kth crystallization operation is utilized as the (meth)acrylic acid solution for the k+1th crystallization operation without being discharged from a crystallizer or is transferred from the crystallizer to a k+1th storage tank for storing the (meth)acrylic acid solution to be used in the k+1th crystallization operation depending on the stored amount of the k+1th storage tank.