Solvent Separation Apparatus and Solvent Separation Method

• US 20190308115A1
• Filed: 09/20/2017
• Published: 10/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Sung Kyu, Shin, Joon Ho
• Granted Patent: US 10,639,562 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 3/00 Distillation or related exchange processes in which liquids are contacted with gaseous media, e.g. stripping evaporation in general, e.g. of liquids for gas phase reactions B01B1/005; gas chromatography B01D15/08; destructive distillation C10B; preparation of alcoholic beverages by distillation C12H6/02
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 3/007 Energy recuperation; Heat pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 3/009 in combination with chemical reactions
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 3/346 the gas being used for removing vapours, e.g. transport gas
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 3/38 Steam distillation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 5/0039 Recuperation of heat, e.g. use of heat pump(s), compression
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 5/006 with evaporation or distillation
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 5/0075 with heat exchanging B01D5/0039 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 2/01 characterised by special features of the polymerisation apparatus used
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 236/06 Butadiene
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 6/10 Removal of volatile materials, e.g. solvents C08F6/001, C08F6/003, C08F6/005, C08F6/006, C08F6/008, C08F6/02, C08F6/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 11/02 of solvents, plasticisers or unreacted monomers
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 11/06 without chemical reactions
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 11/14 by treatment with steam or water
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2309/00 Characterised by the use of homopolymers or copolymers of conjugated diene hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2309/02 Copolymers with acrylonitrile
• CPC Class Codes: C08J 2309/06 Copolymers with styrene
• CPC Class Codes: C08L 101/00 Compositions of unspecified macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/10 Process efficiency
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/10 Greenhouse gas [GHG] capture, material saving, heat recovery or other energy efficient measures, e.g. motor control, characterised by manufacturing processes, e.g. for rolling metal or metal working

Abstract

The present invention relates to a solvent separation apparatus and a solvent separation method, and the solvent separation apparatus and the solvent separation method according to the present application can reduce the used amount of cooling water and the used amount of steam, in a process of separating a polymer and a solvent.

Claims

1. A solvent separation apparatus comprising:

a stripping unit in which a solvent outlet, a polymer outlet and an inlet are formed;

a water tank having a water outlet;

a heat exchange zone;

a mixing zone for mixing water in the water tank with a polymer solution and a piping system, wherein the piping system comprises a first line connecting the water outlet and the mixing zone, a second line connecting the mixing zone and the inlet of the stripping unit; and

a third line configured so that a mixture of a solvent and water can be discharged from the solvent outlet of the stripping unit,

wherein in the first line, an oily water outlet and an oily water inlet are formed, the piping system further comprises a fourth line configured so that a part of the water moving through the first line can be discharged through the oily water outlet and then recovered to the first line through the oily water inlet, and the third and fourth lines are configured to cross through via the heat exchange zone such that the water discharged through the oily water outlet can be heat-exchanged with the mixture of the solvent and the water moving through the third line and then recovered to the oily water inlet.

2. The solvent separation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchange zone comprises a condensing zone and a sub-cooling zone, the third line is configured so that the discharged mixture of the solvent and the water passes sequentially through the condensing zone and the sub-cooling zone, and the fourth line is configured so that the water discharged to the oily water outlet is introduced into the oily water inlet after passing through the condensing zone.

3. The solvent separation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the heat exchange zone is a heat exchanger simultaneously comprising a condensing zone and a sub-cooling zone in a same shell.

4. The solvent separation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a condenser provided on the third line, wherein the third line is configured so that the discharged mixture of the solvent and the water is introduced into the heat exchange zone after passing through the condenser.

5. A method for separating a polymer and a solvent using the solvent separation apparatus of claim 1 comprising:

heat-exchanging the water introduced from the oily water outlet of the first line into the heat exchange zone through the fourth line with the mixture of the solvent and the water discharged from the stripping unit through the third line to form a heat-exhanged water, and

introducing the heat-exchanged water into the inlet of the first line.

6. The solvent separation method according to claim 5, further comprising:

passing the mixture of the solvent and the water discharged through the third line from the stripping unit through the condenser for condensing the mixture of the solvent and the water before the mixture of the solvent and the water is heat-exchanged with the water introduced from the first line through the fourth line.

7. The solvent separation method according to claim 6,

wherein a stream of the fourth line flowing out of the heat exchanger and a stream of the third line flowing out of the condenser are adjusted so as to satisfy Equation 1 below:

|Tc−

Te|≤

40°

C.  

 

[Equation 1]

wherein, Tc represents a temperature of the stream of the third line flowing out of the condenser, and Te represents a temperature of the stream of the fourth line flowing out of the heat exchanger.

8. The solvent separation method according to claim 7,

wherein the temperature of the stream of the third line flowing out of the condenser is from 70 to 100°

C.

9. The solvent separation method according to claim 7,

wherein the temperature of the stream of the fourth line flowing out of the heat exchanger is from 50 to 80°

C.

10. The solvent separation method according to claim 6, further comprising:

cooling the stream passing through the condenser and the heat exchanger to separate the solvent and the water.

11. The solvent separation method according to claim 5, wherein the polymer comprises butadiene rubber, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, solution styrene butadiene rubber or ultra high-cis poly butadiene rubber.

12. The solvent separation method according to claim 5, wherein the solvent comprises an organic solvent.

13. A method for separating a polymer and a solvent using the solvent separation apparatus of claim 2 comprising:

heat-exchanging the water introduced from the oily water outlet of the first line into the heat exchange zone through the fourth line with the mixture of the solvent and the water discharged from the stripping unit through the third line to form a heat-exchanged water, and

introducing the heat-exchanged water into the inlet of the first line.