Technical issues with 304 stainless steel external coil reactors – please help, experts.
Thread Content
Our company ordered a reaction kettle with 304 stainless steel outer coil at the end of 2007; heat transfer oil at 270 degrees was used to raise the temperature of the jacket, with the temperature inside the kettle being around 60 degrees before heating started. One year after the start of operation of this reactor, leaks were detected in the welds of the external coil; the manufacturer was called in 5 times to carry out repairs, but the problem could still not be resolved. At present, the management requires that the reactor vessel be replaced with a jacketed type (without replacing the lid or the internal mixing device; the original reactor’s lid and vessel were welded together, rather than connected via flanges). In my opinion, the reason for this is leakage caused by the fact that the welds on the external coil were not fully penetrated, and the material used was not standard 304 ； Question for help: 1. Is my judgment correct? Please, experts, provide additional information and corrections ； 2. Can such a reaction kettle be modified as requested by the management, by using a jacketed kettle body and welding it to the original lid? Personally, I think the investment required for this is too high; it would be better to build a new one ； 3. If it can be rectified, what actions do I need to take to do so? How should the design conditions be provided ； 4. Are there any manufacturers that can carry out this task? ；
It’s probably not caused by the corrosion of heat transfer oil; rather, it’s deformation resulting from stress and temperature differences
2# mingyao1987 The deformation caused by stress temperature differences is indeed the case. The problem is that even when it’s changed to a jacketed design, the same issue persists. How can I ensure this doesn’t happen? It is necessary to check whether the material of the original reactor is 304; otherwise, there will be more problems with welding. I hope everyone will give more suggestions. Thank you!
To address the material issue, it is currently being considered to use flange connections for the reactor body and the lid, thereby avoiding the risk of using different materials. I will discuss with a manufacturer regarding the replacement parts for the reactor body to find out whether it is possible to have fully welded joints along with X-ray inspection. For now, this is the only solution that can be considered; I will keep you informed once there is progress after those discussions.
Specializing in the production of stainless steel reaction kettles and spiral plate heat exchangers www.hgzysb.cn
How thick is your inner liner? If it’s not thick enough, the tank is prone to collapsing during the jacketed heating process or when it’s empty