Titanium: The Hardcore Partner Of The Chlor Alkali Industry

As a foundational chemical industry bolstering the national economy, the chlor-alkali industry stands as the "cornerstone" of modern industry. However, the extremely corrosive media throughout the entire production process have long restricted the industry's development. The emergence of titanium metal  has solved this problem, becoming an indispensable "hardcore partner" for the chlor-alkali industry and safeguarding its development.

 

Titanium's status as the perfect partner for the chlor-alkali industry stems from its inherent resistance to chloride ions and exceptional corrosion resistance. In chlor-alkali production, the chloride ion concentration of raw brine reaches 60,000 ppm, and the high-temperature wet chlorine gas generated by electrolysis has a temperature of up to 75~95℃.

 

In contrast, titanium delivers an impeccable corrosion resistance performance in such environments: the annual corrosion loss is merely 0.0025 mm in a high-temperature wet chlorine gas environment, the corrosion rate drops to 0.000565 mm/a in normal-temperature chlorine water, and only 0.00431 mm/a even in 80℃ chlorine water. This super strong corrosion resistance makes titanium a "steel guardian" against corrosion in chlor-alkali production.

 

 

From core production links to key process nodes, titanium materials run through the entire chlor-alkali production process, forming a complete "titanium equipment matrix" and comprehensively addressing corrosion and efficiency issues in all links.

1. Core Electrolysis Link
Metal anode electrolyzers and ion-exchange membrane electrolyzers are the "hearts" of chlor-alkali production. Their anode components take titanium as the base material and are coated with platinum group precious metal oxides to form high-stability metal anodes.

 

Compared with traditional graphite anodes, titanium-based metal anodes have a significantly extended service life, while also improving electrolysis efficiency, reducing energy consumption and cutting down pollution.

 

Since De Nora S.p.A. of Italy realized its industrial application in 1968, titanium anodes have quickly become the global mainstream. China began to promote their use in the 1970s, evolving from pilot applications to nationwide popularization, and driving a qualitative leap in the chlor-alkali industry.

2. Chlorine Gas Treatment Link
The high-temperature wet chlorine gas produced by electrolysis requires cooling and drying before utilization. Early graphite and glass tube coolers featured poor corrosion resistance, easy breakage and low heat exchange efficiency, while stainless steel coolers could only be used for 8 to 10 days.

 

In contrast, titanium coolers can operate stably for a long time in a high-temperature wet chlorine gas environment with a greatly improved heat exchange efficiency. A 78 ㎡ titanium cooler of Allied Chemical Corporation of the United States can achieve the cooling effect of a 140 ㎡ graphite device, while also shortening the process and reducing chlorine gas loss and pollution.

 

China produced its first titanium cooler as early as 1965, and now hundreds of titanium shell-and-tube coolers are in operation across the country, with some equipment remaining in perfect condition after nearly 20 years of service.

3. Other Key Nodes
Titanium materials are also widely used in refined brine preheaters, dechlorinators, chlor-alkali cooling and scrubbing towers, as well as conveying and control equipment such as pumps and valves for vacuum dechlorination.

 

Relying on their corrosion resistance and thermal conductivity, they not only improve electrolysis efficiency and ensure the purification quality of chlorine gas, but also completely solve the erosion problem caused by media such as high-concentration salt solutions and hypochlorites.
According to statistics, a ten-thousand-ton grade chlor-alkali plant consumes about 8 tons of titanium materials, and the production of 10,000 tons of caustic soda requires about 5 tons of titanium materials, which directly reflects the large-scale application of titanium materials in the industry.

 

Looking back at the development history of the chlor-alkali industry, three major technological transformations have all relied on the support of titanium materials, which have become a key underpinning for the industry's upgrading.

 

The first transformation, replacing horizontal electrolyzers with vertical ones, improved production efficiency and laid the foundation for the application of titanium materials.

 

The second, centered on the replacement of graphite anodes with titanium anodes, realized a qualitative leap in production capacity and marked an important technological breakthrough in the chlor-alkali industry.

 

The third, the popularization of ion-exchange membrane electrolyzers, expanded the application of titanium materials to a wider range. The anodes and anode liquid contact components of these electrolyzers depend on the impeccable corrosion resistance of titanium materials to operate stably under harsh working conditions of about 90℃ and high current density.

 

Baoji Ruihang Elaborate Material Technology Co.,Ltd is a manufacture of titanium and non-ferrous metal products, supplying plates,bars,forgings,wires,tubes etc. If you have a purchase plan, please contact us by email:Sam.Rui@bjrh-titanium.com.