# US 2009/0260791 A1 · Pipe/filler unit, internal heat exchanging type distillation column and production method thereof

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- Number: US 2009/0260791 A1
- Document ID: US20090260791A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 12/375,829
- Filed: 2007-02-28
- Published: 2009-10-22
- Earliest claimed: 2006-07-31
- Assignees: Kimura Chemical Plants Co., Ltd.; National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
- Inventors: Toshinari Nakanishi; Kazumasa Aso; Kensuke Iuchi; Kinpei Horiuchi; Masaru Nakaiwa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20090260791A1

## CPC

- F28D 7/16: the conduits being arranged in parallel spaced relation ({F28D7/0008 - F28D7/0058 take precedence}; F28D7/02 - F28D7/10 take precedence)
- B01D 3/28: Fractionating columns with surface contact and vertical guides, e.g. film action
- F28D 3/02: with tubular conduits
- F28F 13/003: {by using permeable mass, perforated or porous materials (F28F13/18 takes precedence)}
- F28F 2280/02: Removable elements
- Y10T 29/49377: Tube with heat transfer means
- Y10T 29/49396: Condenser, evaporator or vaporizer making
- F28D: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT (fluid heaters having heat generating means and heat transferring means F24H; furnaces F27; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general)
- B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28)
- F28F: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16)
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

An inside regular filler layer is disposed inside a pipe where heat is exchanged between an inside and an outside of a pipe wall so as to abut an inner peripheral surface of the pipe, and an outside regular filler layer is disposed outside the pipe so as to surround the pipe and closely contact an outer peripheral surface of the pipe. The outer peripheral surface of the pipe is subjected to close contact-promoting processing in order to enhance close contacting feature between the outer peripheral surface and the outside regular filler layer. The pipe/filler unit is used for the distillation section of an internal heat exchanging type distillation column.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A pipe/filler unit comprising:
a pipe where heat is exchanged between an inside and an outside of a pipe wall;
an inside regular filler layer disposed inside the pipe so as to abut an inner peripheral surface of the pipe, and
an outside regular filler layer disposed outside the pipe so as to surround the pipe and closely contact an outer peripheral surface of the pipe
wherein the outside regular filler layer is formed from a plurality of split tubular regular fillers which is split into a plurality of pieces in a peripheral direction. the plurality of split tubular regular fillers has a tubular structure disposed so as to cover an outer peripheral surface of the pipe, and the outside regular filler layer that is the tubular structure formed of the plurality of split tubular regular fillers is fastened by a fastening member so as to closely contact the outer peripheral surface of the pipe.

### Claim 2

(canceled)

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The pipe/filler unit of claim 1,
wherein the outer peripheral surface of the pipe is subjected to close contact-promoting processing for promoting the close contact feature between the outer peripheral surface and the outside regular filler layer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The pipe/filler unit of claim 3,
wherein the close contact-promoting processing is at least one of
(a) a processing of winding a wire rod around the outer peripheral surface of the pipe;
(b) a processing of providing a convex shape on the outer peripheral surface of the pipe; and
(c) a processing of forming an excavated groove in the outer peripheral surface of the pipe.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The pipe/filler unit of claim 4,
wherein at least one of the wire rod, the convex shape, and the excavated groove is disposed at a predetermined angle in a spiral shape and at a predetermined interval as viewed in a direction parallel to an axial direction, at the outer peripheral surface of the pipe.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The pipe/filler unit of claim 4,
wherein, if the close contact-promoting processing is the processing of winding a wire rod around the outer peripheral surface of the pipe, a wire rod whose diameter is 2 to 5 mm is used as the wire rod.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The pipe/filler unit of claim 5,
wherein, when the wire rod is spirally wound around the outer peripheral surface of the pipe, an angle at which the wire rod is wound is 7 to 15° with respect to a plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the pipe.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The pipe/filler unit of claim 5,
wherein, when the wire rod is spirally wound around the outer peripheral surface of the pipe, an interval from a center of the wire rod is 8 to 15 mm.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The pipe/filler unit of claim 1,
wherein a plurality of outside belt-like bodies which goes around the outside regular filler layer is disposed at a predetermined pitch in the axial direction of the pipe in an outer peripheral portion of the outside regular filler layer,
a plurality of cuts is formed at a pitch of 15 mm or less in a peripheral direction, in a side portion, which is located on an upper side when the pipe/filler unit is used, of both side portions of each outside belt-like body along its longitudinal direction, and
the side portion where the cuts of the outside belt-like body are formed is bent outward within a range of 40 to 90°.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The pipe/filler unit of claim 1,
wherein a plurality of inside belt-like bodies which goes around the inside regular filler layer is disposed at a predetermined pitch in the axial direction of the pipe in an outer peripheral portion of the inside regular filler layer,
a plurality of cuts is formed at a pitch of 15 mm or less in a peripheral direction, in a side portion, which is located on an upper side when the pipe/filler unit is used, of both side portions of each inside belt-like body along its longitudinal direction, and
the side portion where the cuts of the inside belt-like body are formed is bent outward within a range of 40 to 90°.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

A production method of an internal heat exchanging type distillation column configured such that
a pipe inside and a pipe outside of a single pipe are isolated from each other inside a body barrel by connecting the single pipe with the body barrel by both end pipe plates, regular filler layers are disposed in the pipe inside and the pipe outside, respectively, gas and liquid inlets and gas and liquid outlets are disposed in the pipe inside and the pipe outside, respectively,
a difference is caused in operating temperature by causing a difference in operation pressure between the pipe inside and the body barrel, and a high-pressure side on the side of the pipe inside functions as an enriching section and a low-pressure side on the side of the pipe outside functions as a stripping section by transferring heat to the low-pressure side on the side of the pipe outside from the high-pressure side on the side of the pipe inside, with a pipe wall of the single pipe as a heat transfer surface,
the method comprising the step of obtaining a structure in which the pipe/filler unit according to claim 1 is inserted into the body barrel, whereby the pipe constituting the pipe/filler unit is used as the single pipe of the internal heat exchanging type distillation column, the inside of the pipe is used as the pipe inside of the internal heat exchanging type distillation column, the outside of the pipe is used as the pipe outside of the internal heat exchanging type distillation column, the inside regular filler layer constituting the pipe/filler unit is used as the regular filler layer of the pipe inside of the internal heat exchanging type distillation column, and the outside regular filler layer constituting the pipe/filler unit is used as the regular filler layer of the pipe outside of the internal heat exchanging type distillation column.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

A production method of an internal heat exchanging type distillation column having a structure in which
a plurality of single pipe units having a structure in which a pipe inside and a pipe outside of each pipe are isolated from each other inside a body barrel by connecting a plurality of pipes with the body barrel by both end pipe plates, the pipe inside and the pipe outside have gas and liquid inlets and gas and liquid outlets, respectively, regular filler layers are disposed inside each pipe constituting the plurality of pipes, the regular filler layer is disposed outside each pipe so as to surround an outer peripheral surface of each pipe, the regular filler layer disposed at the outer peripheral surface of each pipe is covered with a partition pipe made of a metallic thin plate for each pipe, is disposed at a predetermined pitch inside the body barrel, and which is configured such that a difference is caused in operating temperature by causing a difference in operation pressure between the pipe inside and the pipe outside, and a high-pressure side on a side of the pipe inside functions as an enriching section and a low-pressure side on a side of the pipe outside functions as a stripping section by transferring heat to the low-pressure side on the side of the pipe outside from the high-pressure side on the side of the pipe inside, with a pipe wall of each pipe constituting the plurality of pipes as a heat transfer surface,
the method comprising the step of obtaining a structure in which the pipe/filler unit according to claim 1 is inserted into the partition pipe, whereby the pipe constituting the pipe/filler unit is used as each pipe constituting the plurality of pipes of the internal heat exchanging type distillation column, the inside of the pipe is used as the pipe inside of the internal heat exchanging type distillation column, the outside of the pipe is used as the pipe outside of the internal heat exchanging type distillation column, the inside regular filler layer constituting the pipe/filler unit is used as the regular filler layer of the pipe inside of the internal heat exchanging type distillation column, and the outside regular filler layer constituting the pipe/filler unit is used as the regular filler layer of the pipe outside of the internal heat exchanging type distillation column.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The production method of an internal heat exchanging type distillation column of claim 12,
wherein, with a plurality of partition pipes being disposed parallel to an axial direction of the body barrel inside the body barrel and the body barrel being raised vertically, the pipe/filler unit is inserted into each of the partition pipes from above.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

An internal heat exchanging type distillation column produced through a step of inserting a pipe/filler unit into the body barrel or partition pipe by the method according to claim 11 the pipe/filler unit comprising:
a pipe where heat is exchanged between an inside and an outside of a pipe wall;
an inside regular filler layer disposed inside the pipe so as to abut an inner peripheral surface of the pipe; and
an outside regular filler layer disposed outside the pipe so as to surround the pipe and closely contact an outer peripheral surface of the pipe.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

An internal heat exchanging type distillation column produced through a step of inserting a pipe/filler unit into the body barrel or partition pipe by the method according to claim 12, the pipe/filler unit comprising:
a pipe where heat is exchanged between an inside and an outside of a pipe wall;
an inside regular filler layer disposed inside the pipe so as to abut an inner peripheral surface of the pipe; and
an outside regular filler layer disposed outside the pipe so as to surround the pipe and closely contact an outer peripheral surface of the pipe.