Metal clad materials have a wide range of applications in the field of petrochemicals. The following are some of the main aspects:
In petrochemical production, many chemical reactions need to be carried out under specific temperature, pressure and chemical environments. Reactors and pressure vessels have to withstand high temperatures, high pressures and the action of various corrosive media. For example, in the cracking process of petroleum, the reaction temperature can be as high as 800 - 900 °C, and the pressure may reach dozens of atmospheres. It is difficult for traditional single metal materials to meet these harsh conditions simultaneously.
2. Application Principles
Metal clad materials combine metals with different properties together, so that they can give play to their respective advantages. For instance, metals with good high-temperature resistance are combined with those having excellent corrosion resistance. Taking the titanium-steel clad plate as an example, the titanium layer can provide good corrosion resistance and is able to resist the corrosion of common acidic media such as hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid in petrochemical production, while the steel layer provides sufficient strength and toughness to ensure the structural stability of the reactor under high-temperature and high-pressure environments.
3. Case Illustrations
In the cracking furnace reactor for ethylene production, a nickel-based alloy-carbon steel clad plate is used. The nickel-based alloy layer can withstand the high temperature and corrosive gases generated during the cracking process, and the carbon steel layer supports the structure of the entire reactor. The application of this composite plate effectively extends the service life of the reactor and reduces the maintenance cost of the equipment.
1. Background and Requirements
There are a large number of pipelines in petrochemical enterprises for transporting various oil products, chemical raw materials and products. These pipelines need to face different media, including crude oil, natural gas, various chemicals, etc., and there are great differences in the corrosiveness, temperature and pressure of the media. For example, natural gas pipelines transporting corrosive gases containing hydrogen sulfide are prone to corrosion, which may lead to pipeline leakage and cause safety accidents and environmental pollution.
2. Application Principles
Taking advantage of the multi-layer structure characteristics of metal clad materials, the clad layers can be designed according to the media that different pipeline sections are in contact with. For the inner surface in contact with corrosive media, corrosion-resistant metals such as stainless steel and titanium alloy can be used, while the outer layer can use high-strength carbon steel to withstand the pressure of the pipeline. The bimetallic composite pipeline is a typical application, and its manufacturing methods include explosive welding, mechanical rolling, etc. Explosive welding can make the two metals achieve good metallurgical bonding under the instantaneous high temperature and high pressure, ensuring the overall performance of the composite pipeline.
3. Case Illustrations
In the oil pipeline system of an offshore oil platform, a stainless steel-carbon steel composite pipeline is adopted. The stainless steel inner layer effectively prevents the corrosive components in crude oil from eroding the pipeline, and the carbon steel outer layer ensures the mechanical properties of the pipeline such as resistance to wind and waves and pressure in the marine environment, enabling the pipeline to transport crude oil safely and stably.
1. Background and Requirements
There are a large number of heat exchange links in the petrochemical production process. Heat exchangers need to transfer heat between fluids at different temperatures and prevent the mixing and corrosion between fluids. For example, in the refining process of crude oil, crude oil needs to be heated to a certain temperature before fractionation, and at the same time, the heat after fractionation needs to be recovered for preheating crude oil, which requires efficient heat exchange equipment.
2. Application Principles
Metal composite materials can optimize the performance of heat exchangers. By selecting metals with high thermal conductivity as the inner layer, such as copper alloys, the heat transfer efficiency can be improved. The outer layer uses metals with good corrosion resistance and mechanical strength, such as aluminum alloys or stainless steel. In addition, metal composite materials can also enhance their anti-fouling performance through special surface treatments to reduce the thermal resistance during heat exchange. For example, an anti-fouling coating is prepared on the surface of the composite plate to make it difficult for impurities in the fluid to adhere to the heat exchange surface.
3. Case Illustrations
In the shell-and-tube heat exchanger of a refinery, copper-stainless steel composite tubes are used. The copper layer can quickly transfer heat from the high-temperature fluid to the low-temperature fluid, and the stainless steel outer layer prevents the heat exchanger from being eroded by corrosive substances such as chloride ions in the cooling water, thus improving the service life and heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger.