Fluidized Bed Reactor Retrofit for a CNT Producer
Powder MaterialsProject Background
A carbon nanotube producer had capacity bottlenecks and quality inconsistency with fixed-bed reactors. Sought fluidized bed conversion to improve capacity and product uniformity.
Pre-Retrofit Issues
| Issue | Status |
|---|---|
| Reactor type | Fixed bed |
| Batch output | 8 kg |
| Temp uniformity | ±15℃ |
| Product purity | 92-95% |
| Batch repeatability | CV=12% |
| Energy consumption | 18 kWh/kg |
Solution
Replaced fixed-bed with SR-P production-scale fluidized bed reactor, retaining existing heating and tail gas systems, adding fluidization gas distributor and continuous feed/discharge.
Work scope:
- Reactor body replacement (dia. 600mm fluidized bed)
- Sintered metal distributor (3% opening ratio)
- Fluidizing gas preheating system
- Continuous feed/discharge conversion
- Control system upgrade (PID fluidization + data acquisition)
Results
| Metric | Before | After | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batch output | 8 kg | 25 kg | +212.5% |
| Temp uniformity | ±15℃ | ±3℃ | -80% |
| Product purity | 92-95% | 97-98% | +3-6% |
| Repeatability | CV=12% | CV=4% | -67% |
| Energy consumption | 18 kWh/kg | 11 kWh/kg | -39% |
| Annual capacity | 60 t/a | 180 t/a | +200% |