Internal Loop Reactor Draft Tube Segmentation for Scale-Up
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional internal loop reactors are limited in size due to practical difficulties in bending large tubes and constructing large vessels under high pressure, which restricts the reactor volume to around 8-12 cubic meters.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a heat exchanger formed by a plurality of cooling tubes as a draft tube between the riser and downcomer sections, allowing for easier construction and attachment of reactor parts, and providing lateral support to manage buckling stresses, enabling larger reactor volumes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If conventional internal loop reactor design is used, then construction is simpler, but reactor volume is limited to 8-12 cubic meters
Solution Approach 1:
The draft tube is segmented into multiple cooling tubes connected by webs or metal strips, allowing the structure to be assembled in sections rather than as a single large piece. This segmentation enables easier construction and reduces the difficulty of bending large tubes while achieving the desired large reactor volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling tubes serve dual functions: they provide heat exchange surfaces for temperature control and simultaneously form the structural draft tube separating riser and downcomer sections. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate structural components, simplifying construction while enabling larger reactor volumes.
2Productivity
If larger reactor vessels are constructed under high pressure, then reaction capacity increases, but construction difficulty increases due to buckling stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The webs or metal strips connecting the cooling tubes function as flexible structural elements that can accommodate buckling stresses while maintaining the draft tube configuration. These flexible connections allow the structure to withstand high pressure conditions without failing, enabling larger reactor vessels to be constructed.
Solution Approach 2:
The draft tube structure combines multiple materials (cooling tubes, webs, metal strips) to create a composite structure that leverages the strength properties of each component. This composite construction provides enhanced resistance to buckling stresses while maintaining the necessary heat exchange functionality for large-scale reactions.
3Strength
If cooling tubes are connected by webs or metal strips, then lateral support and buckling stress management improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling tubes, webs, and metal strips are merged into a single integrated draft tube structure that performs both heat exchange and structural support functions. This merging eliminates the need for separate support structures, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining lateral support capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling tubes themselves serve as the primary structural element of the draft tube, utilizing their own rigidity and the connections between them to provide lateral support and resist buckling stresses. This self-service approach eliminates the need for additional support structures, simplifying the overall device design.
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 design facilitates the construction and maintenance of larger internal loop reactors, increasing reactor volume significantly, allowing for a scale-up of reactions like the Oxo Process to volumes of 20-40 cubic meters with stable temperature control and efficient fluid circulation.
Implementation Method 1
the heat exchange means comprises a plurality of cooling tubes attached to each other by webs or metal strips attached between the tubes over a predetermined length
Implementation Method 2
The difference between the specific gravities of the gas/liquid phase mixture on the one hand and the liquid phase alone on the other hand results in a difference in hydrostatic pressure between the ascending branch and the descending branch, thus leading to circulation of the liquid phase in the reactor
Implementation Method 3
The hydroformylation reaction, also known as the Oxo Reaction or Oxo Process, consists in reacting a synthesis gas made up of a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen and at least one C n H 2n olefin so as to obtain a mixture of aldehydes and primary alcohols containing n+1 carbon atoms. The reaction is generally catalyzed with carbonyls of transition metals such as cobalt.
Data Source
Figure 1~2A
Figure 2B
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to improvements in internal loop reactors. The reactor of the invention is characterized by a plurality of cooling tubes which form the annulus between the riser and the downcomer path of said internal loop reactor. The reactor also provides improvements in hydroformylation reactions using the improved reactor.