Titanium heat exchangers

Materials that are corrosion resistant to the expected cathodic polarization qualify as impressed current cathodes. Austenitic CrNi steels are used with strong acids. The oleum (i.e., fuming sulfuric acid) and concentrated sulfuric acid tanks used in sulfonating alkanes and in the neutralization of sulfonic acids are anodi-cally protected using platinized brass as cathodes [15]. Lead cathodes are used to protect titanium heat exchangers in rayon spinning baths [16]. 

OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION (OTEC). Utilization of ocean temperature differentials between solar-heated surface water and cold deep water as a source of electric power. In tropical areas such differences amount to 35-40°F. A pilot installation now operating near Hawaii utilizes a closed ammonia cycle as a working fluid, highly efficient titanium heat exchangers, and a polyethylene pipe 2000 feet long and 22 inches inside diameter to handle the huge volume of cold water required. Alternate uses for such a system, such as electrolysis of water,... 

The cell gas consisting of wet chlorine is cooled by titanium heat exchanger to condense water vapor and brine mist, and dried using concentrated sulfuric acid prior to liquefaction. 

The hypochlorite temperature should preferably be not more than 20° C and not higher than 25°C under any circumstances. The recommended cooling system is an in-line titanium heat exchanger which may be used to cool incoming hypochlorite or in a recirculation mode to keep the contents of the bulk storage tank cool. 

The chlorine gas can be cooled indirectly in a tubular titanium heat exchanger so that the cooling water is not contaminated and the pressure drop is small. The resultant condensate is either fed back into the brine system of the mercury process or dechlo-rinated by evaporation in the case of the diaphragm process. 

Nickel—Copper. In the soHd state, nickel and copper form a continuous soHd solution. The nickel-rich, nickel—copper alloys are characterized by a good compromise of strength and ductihty and are resistant to corrosion and stress corrosion ia many environments, ia particular water and seawater, nonoxidizing acids, neutral and alkaline salts, and alkaUes. These alloys are weldable and are characterized by elevated and high temperature mechanical properties for certain appHcations. The copper content ia these alloys also easure improved thermal coaductivity for heat exchange. MONEL alloy 400 is a typical nickel-rich, nickel—copper alloy ia which the nickel content is ca 66 wt %. MONEL alloy K-500 is essentially alloy 400 with small additions of aluminum and titanium. Aging of alloy K-500 results in very fine y -precipitates and increased strength (see also Copper alloys). 

In the chemical industry, titanium is used in heat-exchanger tubing for salt production, in the production of ethylene glycol, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, and terephthaHc acid, and in industrial wastewater treatment. Titanium is used in environments of aqueous chloride salts, eg, ZnCl2, NH4CI, CaCl2, and MgCl2 chlorine gas chlorinated hydrocarbons and nitric acid. 

In oil and gas refinery appHcations, titanium is used as protection in environments of H2S, SO2, CO2, NH, caustic solutions, steam, and cooling water. It is used in heat-exchanger condensers for the fractional condensation of cmde hydrocarbons, NH, propane, and desulfurization products using seawater or brackish water for cooling. 

Galvanic or impressed current anodes are used to protect these components. The anode material is determined by the electrolyte zinc and aluminum for seawater, magnesium for freshwater circuits. Platinized titanium is used for the anode material in impressed current protection. Potential-regulating systems working independently of each other should be used for the inlet and outlet feeds of heat exchangers on account of the different temperature behavior. The protection current densities depend on the material and the medium. 

B. A. Prine, Analysis of Titanium/Carbon Steel Heat Exchanger Fire, Paper presented at AIChE Loss Prevention Symposium, Aug. 1991. 

Important applications for titanium have been developed in processes involving acetic acid, malic acid, amines, urea, terephthalic acid, vinyl acetate, and ethylene dichloride. Some of these represent large scale use of the material in the form of pipework, heat exchangers, pumps, valves, and vessels of solid, loose lined, or explosion clad construction. In many of these the requirement for titanium is because of corrosion problems arising from the organic chemicals in the process, the use of seawater or polluted cooling waters, or from complex aggressive catalysts in the reaction. 

Titanium is the only one of the more common structural metals which is not attacked by wet chlorine gas and it is thus widely used as a heat exchange material for cooling the gas after the electrolysis stage. Preheating of sodium chloride brine is carried out in titanium plate heat exchangers, while titanium butterfly valves, demisters, and precipitators handle the chlorine gas produced in the cell. The most important use of titanium in chlorine production is as anodes in place of graphite in the electrolytic process. This is covered in more detail later. 

The resistance of titanium in nitric acid is good at most concentrations and at temperatures up to boiling . Thus tubular heat exchangers are used in ammonium nitrate production for preheating the acid prior to its introduction into the reactor via titanium sparge pipes. In explosives manufacture, concentrated nitric acid is cooled in titanium coils and titanium tanks are... 

Copper-base alloys will corrode in aerated conditions. It is, therefore, sometimes appropriate to consider cathodic protection. It becomes particularly relevant when the flow rates are high or when the design of an item causes the copper to be an anode in a galvanic cell (e.g. a copper alloy tube plate in a titanium-tubed heat exchanger). Corrosion can be controlled by polarisation to approximately — 0-6V (vs. CU/CUSO4) and may be achieved using soft iron sacrificial anodes. 

---