Application Case of Chemical Emulsifier Equipment
In the field of specialty chemical manufacturing, the homogenization and emulsification process of multi-phase materials has long been a key link that restricts production efficiency and product quality consistency. For enterprises engaged in the production of water-based polymer emulsions, the stability of the emulsification system directly affects the storage period, film-forming performance and application effect of the final product. This case records the application process of a high-shear chemical emulsifier in a specialty chemical production line, focusing on its application scenarios, operational performance and actual benefits in the production process, so as to show the technical value of the equipment in practical production.
1. Background of Production Demand and Pre-Equipment Dilemma
The production line involved in this case is mainly engaged in the production of water-based acrylic emulsions, which are widely used in architectural coatings, textile auxiliaries and other fields. Before introducing the new emulsifier, the production line adopted a traditional mechanical stirring device with a stirring speed of 800-1000 rpm. In the actual production process, this device gradually exposed a series of problems that were difficult to solve.
First of all, in the mixing stage of monomers and emulsifiers, due to the limited shearing force of the traditional stirring device, the oil-phase monomers could not be fully dispersed in the water phase, resulting in the formation of large oil droplets with uneven particle size distribution. The particle size of the emulsion measured by the laser particle size analyzer was mostly between 300-500 nm, and the coefficient of variation (CV) of particle size distribution exceeded 25%, which could not meet the product standard of CV ≤ 15%. In addition, the uneven dispersion led to insufficient contact between the initiator and the monomers in the polymerization stage, resulting in the generation of a large number of coarse particles, and the content of coarse particles in the finished product was as high as 0.8% (by mass), which seriously affected the product quality.
Secondly, the traditional stirring device had low mixing efficiency. It took 90 minutes to complete the pre-emulsification of 5 cubic meters of materials, and the whole polymerization cycle was as long as 6 hours. The long production cycle not only restricted the daily output of the production line, but also increased the energy consumption in the production process. The power consumption per ton of finished product was as high as 180 kWh, which increased the production cost of the enterprise.
In addition, the traditional device had poor sealing performance, and the leakage of materials and solvents often occurred during the production process, which not only caused material waste, but also had potential safety hazards to the production environment. The maintenance frequency of the equipment was as high as once every 15 days, and the downtime caused by maintenance accounted for about 8% of the total production time, which further reduced the production efficiency of the production line.
In order to solve these problems, the enterprise decided to introduce a new type of high-shear chemical emulsifier, hoping to improve the product quality, shorten the production cycle and reduce the production cost through the upgrade of equipment.
2. Application Scenario and Operational Principle of the Emulsifier
The newly introduced high-shear chemical emulsifier has a volume of 5 cubic meters, which is fully compatible with the original production line of the enterprise. Its main application scenarios include pre-emulsification of acrylic monomers, homogenization of polymerization systems and post-treatment of finished emulsions. The core components of the equipment include a high-shear rotor-stator system, a frequency conversion drive device, a double-layer jacketed reaction kettle and an intelligent control system, and its operational principle is based on the combined action of strong shearing, impact and cavitation.
In the pre-emulsification stage, the oil-phase monomers (methyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate, etc.) and water-phase emulsifiers (sodium dodecyl sulfate, non-ionic emulsifiers, etc.) are added to the reaction kettle in proportion. The high-shear rotor-stator system of the emulsifier runs at a variable speed of 2800-3600 rpm, and the rotor drives the materials to form a high-speed rotating flow field. When the materials pass through the tiny gap between the rotor and the stator (the gap is adjustable between 0.2-0.5 mm), they are subjected to strong shearing force, which breaks the large oil droplets into small droplets. At the same time, the high-speed flow of materials will form local low-pressure areas in the kettle, resulting in cavitation effect. The collapse of cavitation bubbles generates huge impact force, which further refines the oil droplets and promotes the uniform mixing of oil phase and water phase.
In the polymerization stage, the emulsifier is linked with the initiator feeding system. The intelligent control system can adjust the shearing speed of the equipment according to the polymerization reaction rate and the viscosity change of the system. In the initial stage of polymerization, the reaction rate is fast, and the emulsifier runs at a high speed of 3200 rpm to ensure the uniform dispersion of the initiator in the system and avoid local overheating and the generation of coarse particles. In the later stage of polymerization, with the increase of system viscosity, the shearing speed is reduced to 2800 rpm to prevent the emulsion from being over-sheared and affecting the stability of the emulsion.
In the post-treatment stage of the finished emulsion, the emulsifier runs at a low speed of 1500 rpm for homogenization treatment, which further eliminates the small amount of coarse particles generated in the polymerization process and improves the uniformity of the finished product. The double-layer jacketed structure of the equipment can realize the precise control of the material temperature, and the temperature control accuracy is ± 0.5 ℃, which provides a stable reaction environment for the polymerization reaction and ensures the smooth progress of the reaction.
In addition, the equipment is equipped with a fully enclosed sealing system, which adopts a mechanical seal with double-end face flushing, which can effectively prevent the leakage of materials and solvents. The intelligent control system can realize the automatic control of the whole production process, including material feeding, temperature control, shearing speed adjustment and discharge, and can record and store all production parameters, which is convenient for the enterprise to trace the production process and quality control.
3. Operational Performance of the Emulsifier in Practical Production
After the installation and debugging of the equipment, the enterprise carried out a one-month trial production, and conducted a comprehensive test on the operational performance of the emulsifier from the aspects of product quality, production efficiency, equipment stability and energy consumption.
3.1 Product Quality Improvement
The most obvious change after using the new emulsifier is the improvement of emulsion particle size and distribution. The test data of the laser particle size analyzer shows that the average particle size of the emulsion is reduced to 150-200 nm, and the coefficient of variation of particle size distribution is controlled below 10%, which fully meets the product quality standard. The content of coarse particles in the finished product is reduced to less than 0.1%, which greatly improves the film-forming performance and storage stability of the emulsion. The storage period of the product is extended from the original 6 months to 12 months, and there is no delamination and precipitation phenomenon during storage.
In addition, the uniformity of the product is significantly improved. The detection results of multiple sampling points in the same batch of products show that the difference of solid content between each sampling point is less than 0.2%, and the difference of viscosity is less than 5 mPa·s, while the difference of solid content and viscosity of the products produced by the traditional device is more than 0.5% and 15 mPa·s respectively. The improvement of product uniformity reduces the rejection rate of the product from the original 5% to less than 0.5%, which effectively improves the qualification rate of the product.
3.2 Production Efficiency Improvement
The high shearing efficiency of the emulsifier significantly shortens the production cycle. The pre-emulsification time of 5 cubic meters of materials is reduced from 90 minutes to 30 minutes, a reduction of 66.7%. The whole polymerization cycle is shortened from 6 hours to 4 hours, a reduction of 33.3%. The daily output of the production line is increased from the original 12 tons to 18 tons, an increase of 50%. The increase of production capacity enables the enterprise to complete the order task ahead of schedule and improve the market response speed.
At the same time, the stability of the equipment is significantly better than that of the traditional device. During the one-month trial production, the equipment runs continuously for 25 days, and the maintenance frequency is reduced to once every 60 days. The downtime caused by maintenance accounts for only 1% of the total production time, which greatly improves the effective production time of the production line. The intelligent control system of the equipment realizes the automatic operation of the production process, reduces the manual operation links, and the number of operators per production line is reduced from 3 to 2, which further improves the production efficiency.
3.3 Energy Consumption and Cost Reduction
The frequency conversion drive device of the emulsifier can adjust the running speed according to the production demand, which effectively reduces the energy consumption of the equipment. The test data shows that the power consumption per ton of finished product is reduced from 180 kWh to 110 kWh, a reduction of 38.9%. The reduction of energy consumption directly reduces the production cost of the enterprise, and the energy cost per ton of product is reduced by about 42 yuan (calculated according to the industrial electricity price of 0.7 yuan/kWh).
In addition, the good sealing performance of the equipment reduces the material waste caused by leakage. The material utilization rate is increased from the original 95% to 99.5%, and the material loss per batch of production is reduced by 4.5%. The reduction of material waste further reduces the production cost of the enterprise. The maintenance cost of the equipment is also significantly reduced, and the monthly maintenance cost is reduced from the original 8000 yuan to 2000 yuan, a reduction of 75%.
4. Long-term Application Benefits and Value Embodiment
After the formal operation of the equipment for 6 months, the enterprise has achieved significant economic and social benefits, and the value of the emulsifier in the production process is further highlighted.
In terms of economic benefits, the improvement of product quality has enhanced the market competitiveness of the enterprise's products. The qualified rate of the products has been greatly improved, and the complaints of customers about product quality have decreased by 80%. The enterprise has successfully entered the high-end market of architectural coatings, and the product price has increased by 5% on the original basis, which has improved the profit margin of the products. The increase of production capacity has enabled the enterprise to undertake more orders, and the monthly sales volume has increased by 40% compared with before the equipment upgrade. The reduction of energy consumption and maintenance cost has reduced the production cost per ton of product by about 80 yuan, and the monthly cost saving of the enterprise is about 144,000 yuan (calculated according to the monthly output of 180 tons).
In terms of social benefits, the good sealing performance of the equipment reduces the leakage of solvents and materials, which improves the safety of the production environment and reduces the pollution to the surrounding environment. The intelligent control system of the equipment realizes the digitization and informatization of the production process, which is convenient for the enterprise to carry out quality management and production scheduling, and promotes the transformation and upgrading of the enterprise's production mode. The extension of the product storage period reduces the waste of products caused by expiration, which is in line with the concept of green production and sustainable development.
In addition, the operation data of the equipment in the past 6 months shows that the equipment has good compatibility and scalability. The enterprise has carried out the trial production of water-based polyurethane emulsion on this equipment by adjusting the shearing parameters and process conditions, and has achieved good results, which expands the product range of the enterprise and provides a technical basis for the enterprise to carry out product innovation.
5. Summary of Application Effects
The application of the high-shear chemical emulsifier in the specialty chemical production line has effectively solved the problems of poor product quality, low production efficiency and high production cost faced by the enterprise in the past. The test data and actual production results show that the equipment has significant advantages in the aspects of emulsion homogenization, production cycle shortening and energy consumption reduction.
In terms of product quality, the average particle size of the emulsion is reduced by more than 50%, the particle size distribution is more uniform, and the content of coarse particles is reduced by 87.5%. The storage stability and application performance of the product are significantly improved. In terms of production efficiency, the pre-emulsification time is reduced by 66.7%, the whole polymerization cycle is reduced by 33.3%, and the daily output is increased by 50%. The effective production time of the production line is increased by 7% due to the reduction of maintenance downtime. In terms of cost control, the power consumption per ton of product is reduced by 38.9%, the material utilization rate is increased by 4.5%, and the monthly maintenance cost is reduced by 75%.
The application of the emulsifier not only brings direct economic benefits to the enterprise, but also promotes the improvement of the enterprise's production management level and product innovation ability, which provides a strong technical support for the sustainable development of the enterprise. This case fully shows that the advanced chemical emulsifier equipment can effectively improve the production level and product quality of the specialty chemical industry, and has important application value and promotion significance.
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