Why Titanium is the Ideal Material for the Chemical Industry

Titanium, with its excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical properties, is widely used in many fields. Particularly in chemical applications, titanium can replace stainless steel as a corrosion-resistant material, significantly extending the service life of equipment, reducing costs, preventing pollution, and improving productivity. In recent years, the scope of titanium use in the chemical industry in China has been expanding, and its consumption has been increasing year by year, making titanium one of the primary anti-corrosion materials in chemical equipment. As a corrosion-resistant structural material for chemical installations, titanium has become the ideal material in chemical equipment.

Main Applications of Titanium in the Chemical Industry

Chlor-Alkali Industry

Titanium's earliest application in the chemical industry was in the chlor-alkali industry, including the production of chlorine, chlorine oxides, pesticides, and bleaching powder. In chlorine production, titanium equipment and pipelines constitute nearly a quarter of the total equipment mass. This includes metal anode electrolytic cells, ion membrane electrolytic cells, anolyte pumps, tube-type wet chlorine coolers, dechlorination towers for chlorine wastewater, chlorine gas cooling scrubbers, refined brine preheaters, vacuum dechlorination pumps, and valves.

Soda Ash Industry

In soda ash production, titanium is primarily used for crystallizer external coolers, ammonia condensers on distillation towers, ammonium chloride mother liquor heaters, plate heat exchangers, umbrella plate heat exchangers, carbonization tower cooling pipes, carbon dioxide turbine compressor rotors, and alkali pumps.

Vacuum Salt Production

Titanium is used in ammonia evaporators, preheaters, precoolers, flanges, tube sheets, pump housings, and elbows.

Petrochemical and Synthetic Fiber Industry

Currently, titanium equipment is used in both imported and domestically designed polyester, nylon, and vinylon synthetic fiber enterprises. The use of titanium equipment has played an active role in the development of China's synthetic fiber production, especially in maintaining safe, stable, and continuous production, improving product quality, preventing premature corrosion and failure of stainless steel, extending equipment lifespan, reducing downtime and maintenance, and improving overall economic efficiency.

Fine Chemical Industry

In the production of propylene oxide (PO), titanium is the ideal anti-corrosion metal material for handling the strong corrosive media involved, such as liquid chlorine and propylene. Using carbon steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, or stainless steel would be ineffective against corrosion.

Inorganic Salt Industry

Inorganic salts include chlorates and potassium salts. China's production capacity for sodium chlorate has exceeded 1 million tons, with around 500,000 tons under expansion or in preliminary work. Titanium equipment used includes electrolytic cells, titanium anodes, reactors, evaporators, etc. Each 10,000 tons of sodium chlorate production requires approximately 15 tons of titanium.

Potassium salt products include potassium chloride, potassium sulfate, potassium nitrate, and potassium carbonate. China's total production capacity for potassium nitrate and potassium carbonate is about 600,000 tons. Titanium equipment is required for evaporators, preheat tanks, and coolers in their production processes.

Other Industries

• Titanium Dioxide: Used in film concentrators, calciner feed pipes, centrifuge distribution plates, etc.
• Urea: Used in urea synthesis tower linings, ammonia stripping towers, general decomposition tower heaters, methylamine pump intake and discharge valves and springs, high-pressure mixers, etc.
• Dyes: Used in coil heat exchangers, absorption tower spray heads, purification tower spray heads, fans, water ring vacuum pumps, filters, etc.
• Nitric Acid: Used in nitric acid evaporators, nitrogen oxide tail gas preheaters, nitric acid steam preheaters, gas scrubbers, rapid coolers, condensers, turbine blowers, pumps, valves, pipes, etc.

Characteristics of Titanium Alloys

1. Low Density: Significantly reduces load on tubular columns, especially in ultra-deep oil wells.
2. High Strength: Includes tensile strength, creep strength, and fatigue strength.
3. Excellent Corrosion Resistance: Outstanding resistance to seawater corrosion.
4. Wide Temperature Range: Usable from -269°C to +600°C.
5. High Elastic Deformation Capacity: High yield strength and low elastic modulus (E), suitable for springs and parts needing large displacements.
6. Low Thermal Expansion Coefficient: Makes oil equipment more adaptable to temperature changes, reducing internal stress on structural parts.
7. Non-Magnetic: Meets requirements for normal operation of various detection, communication, and control methods in equipment.
8. Good Processing Performance: Titanium alloys are suitable for casting, forging, welding, 3D printing, and other processes, making them a preferred choice in engineering material selection.

Titanium alloy tubes, flanges, various bolt accessories, and other applications in the oil industry are becoming more widespread. As titanium processing techniques and technologies improve, titanium alloy materials and equipment will see even broader use.