The reactor is a key equipment in latex production. Due to long-term accumulation, it is difficult to remove the rubber adhering to the inner wall, stirring rod, and accessories using high-pressure water guns, which seriously affects the heat exchange and production of the reactor. Using a reactor electric heater to heat the entire reactor modifies the adhered rubber and removes the attachments. Below we will introduce in detail:
During the latex production process, due to the failure to take timely measures, the rubber adhering to the inner wall and accessories of the reactor becomes thicker and thicker, and the adhesion becomes stronger. The high-pressure water jet cleaning method was adopted, with the water gun generating a pressure of 40MPa, but the effect was poor, time-consuming, and labor-intensive, making it difficult to effectively remove. For the excellent chemical cleaning method, it could not be used because no effective cleaning agent to dissolve the rubber was found. After analysis, we selected the electric heating method to heat the entire interior of the reactor, modifying the adhered rubber to achieve the purpose of removing attachments. The on-site implementation of this method for removing attachments is introduced.
During on-site implementation, all connections of the reactor should be disconnected and isolated with asbestos gaskets. The electric heating components are fixed inside the reactor using brackets, and the electric heating components are insulated from the container with insulating porcelain tubes. The reactor electric heater heats the reactor, which has been purged with nitrogen, as a whole. The temperature is controlled at 250-300°C and kept constant for 3-5 hours to heat the attachments to the point of carbonization. After cooling, the carbonized material is flushed with a high-pressure water gun and supplemented by manual removal. Among them, an umbrella cap is added above the combined electric heater to prevent oil droplets from falling on the electric heating sheet, causing local combustion and ensuring safe construction. The system adopts programmed temperature rise, gradually heating, and introduces a small amount of nitrogen from the bottom of the reactor to dilute the concentration of flue gas inside the reactor, and an exhaust fan is added to promptly extract the flue gas from the reactor.
The electric heating method can effectively remove attachments from the reactor. The operating temperature is controlled at 250-300°C, and the attachments can be treated when they melt or carbonize. The appropriate temperature avoids a large amount of flue gas and also reduces the impact of carburization on the inner wall of the stainless steel reactor on future production. The oil droplets precipitated during heat treatment will burn when exposed to an open flame, posing a safety hazard. During on-site implementation, an umbrella cap is added above the combined electric heater to prevent local combustion of oil droplets. During construction, the system adopts programmed temperature rise, gradually heating, and an exhaust fan is added to promptly extract the flue gas from the reactor. After cooling, the carbonized material is flushed with a high-pressure water gun and supplemented by manual removal.
