The Dynamic Tubular Reactor is a type of reactor developed and manufactured based on continuous equipment research, designed to complement the limitations of microchannel reactors in reactions involving solid participation. As an emerging industry, many devices do not have a unified naming standard. Static equipment such as coiled heat exchangers and tubular mixers are often referred to as tubular reactors.
The Dynamic Tubular Reactor is a typical skid-mounted unit, comprising six sections: the reaction system, power system, pressure regulation system, transportation system, control system, and frame system. It is powered by an external 380V industrial power supply, with the feeding system providing the reaction raw materials and the temperature control system regulating the temperature of the reaction system.
The tubular reactor features high processing accuracy and a complex system composition, with many exquisite design and processing aspects that are not discussed due to limited space. Our main focus is on how to address the heat and mass transfer issues within its reaction system.
The heat exchange in the tubular reactor is primarily ensured by three components. First, the main shaft of the reaction system is designed as a jacket, with a heat-conducting oil channel within the jacket's interlayer rapidly removing the heat generated by the reaction. Besides mechanical stirring, the central shaft of the tubular reactor also serves as a heat-conducting oil channel, thus dissipating heat. At the mechanical seal position of the tubular reactor, condensate water is circulated from the overhead accumulator, ensuring that the internal and external pressures of the mechanical seal are equal while also removing a large amount of stored heat generated by mechanical rotation. Statistics show that the heat transfer efficiency of the tubular reactor is five times that of a conventional釜式反应器, making it suitable not only for exothermic reaction systems but also for low-temperature reactions like butyllithium.
Achieving better material mixing in tubular reactors is significantly more complex. This involves not only the spiral mixing provided by the central shaft but also the shearing force from the blades on the central shaft, as well as the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the reaction substrate itself. Simplifying the model, the mixing process in a tubular reactor is akin to whisking eggs in a bowl with chopsticks. The mixing effect of two chopsticks is always better than one, as the tubular reactor produces multiple streams of fluid during operation, enhancing the mixing. On the other hand, since it is shearing force rather than spiral propulsion, the material pushed forward by the pump system as a whole is less likely to experience the back-mixing issues commonly seen in batch reactors.