US2526463A - Vessel for handling corrosive fluids - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 17, 1950 FERGUSQN 2,526,463

VESSEL FOR HANDLING CORROSIVE FLUIDS Filed Dec. 23, 1947 24 B3 PLUG sun l8 LEAD Lmmo i? mum: H 1

\AA I H G a 23 4 A LEM Lmma 2O E as ( /Y/ lg YT l6 Patented Oct. 17, 1950 VESSEL FOR I IANDLING CORROSI VE FLUIDS Frank A. Ferguson, Baytown, Tex., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Standard Oil Development Company, Elizabeth, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application December 23, 1947, Serial No. 793,540

4 Claims.

The present invention is directed to an improved valve assembly and to an improved vess'el adapted for handling corrosive fluids. More particularly, the invention is directed to an improved vessel having a metallic corrosion resistant lining and provided with a readily replaceable valve assembly. The invention is further directed to a readily replaceable valve assembly adapted to be used in corrosion resistant vessels.

In the petroleum industry, vast amounts of sulfuric and other corrosive acids are employed in processing operations. For example, in the treating of naphtha and lubricating oil, in order to provide a stable product, it is often necessary to treat petroleum fractions with varying amounts of sulfuric acid to produce a product of desired quality. The quantities of sulfuric acid handled make it imperative that the used acid be recovered for reuse in the refining operations. Many refineries, therefore, recover from the acid sludges, resulting from the acid treatment of petroleum, the sulfuric acid contained therein. In the recovery of sulfuric acid, it is conventional practice to dilute the contaminated acid or sludges with water and then heat the dilute sludge with open steam to about 225 F. to effect an easy separation between the sulfuric acid and the organic contaminants.

It is a well known fact that weak sulfuric acid is a very corrosive liquid and it is, therefore, necessary to provide processing vessels which resist the corrosive tendency of the sulfuric acid. One method of providing vessels for handling the corrosive acid is to line steel tanks or kettles with lead. The conventional method of lining tanks with lead is to cover the interior surface with a sheetor sheets of lead to conform to the configuration of the vessel being lined by burning lead sheets of various sizes together. The lead is held against the wall of the vessel by means of bolts located at spaced intervals which penetrate the lead and the shell of the vessel and are in themselves protected by providing sheets of lead over the bolts.

The vessels employed in handling corrosive fluids such as weak sulfuric acid usually have a bottom portion which includes a conical shaped structure. This conical portion of the vessel usually comprises an outlet which includes a conventional to line vessels with lead and then to provide an internal lining over the lead lining such as a ceramic lining as illustrated by brick work which is resistant to corrosive fluids such as sulfuric acid. The purpose of providing a ceramic lining such as brick work is to insulate the lead lining against the relatively high temperatures employed in processing weak sulfuric acid. If the brick lining were not employed, the high temperatures employed in contact with the lead lining would result in the lead becoming distorted due to expansion. The mechanical work put into the lead lining by the effect of the high temperatures and the resulting expansion cause the lead to become cracked and distorted and to pull away from the restraining members such as bolts which attach it to the shell of the vessel.

. It has also been customary to attach the plug seat of the outlet valve directly to the lead lining and then to apply the lining of ceramic material such as brick work over the lead lining adjacent the plug seat which is attached to. the lead lining. During commercial operation of handling sulfuric acid at temperatures of from approximately 225 to 240 F., the impact of the valve plug against the plug seat and the effect of the high temperatures requires replacement of the plug seat after about four months operation. It will be readily seen that when the plug seats are attached directly to the lead lining it is necessary to remove a substantial amount of the brick work to replace a plug seat. This results in a considerable amount of time required for removing the brick work, burning off the plug seat from the lead lining, replacing the plug seat and then relaying the brick work. When this is done the brick work, which has been removed, is unsuitable for reuse because of its condition from exposure to the corrosive fluid, such as weak sulfuric acid. It is impractical to re-cement brick work which has been exposed to corrosive sulfuric acid solutions. It will thus be seen that/ a serious economic loss is suffered in operating time and by loss in constructional materials.

The present invention is directed to an improved method for installing a plug seat in a lined vessel such that the installation may be made in a manner that the ceramic lining. for example, brick work, will not be disturbed anti the plug seat may be easily replaced without removing the brick work and without requiring a burning operation in the vessel.

In accordance with. the present invention, a lead liner is installed in a vessel in the usual manner with the lead lining being brought out of the vessel through the outlet and lapped over a' flange of the outlet. A ceramic lining, such as a layer of brick, is laid directly on to the lead lining. The lead lining is then extended upward from the outlet and lapped over the brick work for a distance of approximately'two feet over the brick work adjacent the outlet. The valve plug seat is then placed, without burning to the extended lining, onto the lapped-over section of the lining extending over the brick work and rests directly on the extended lining which, in turn, extends over the brick work. A separate sheet of lead in the form of a sleeve is then burned onto the valve plug seat adjacent the outlet and is brought down through the outlet and extended over the flange. This burning operation may be done outside of the vessel. It will thus be seen that in accordance with the present invention the valve plug seat rests on an extension of the lead lining and is attached only by means of its extension sleeve which has its lower end flared outwardly so that it is bolted to the flange. Accordingly, the valve plug assembly may be placed in position by passing the extension sleeve through the outlet until the valve plug seat rests on the lining and then flaring the lower end of the extension sleeve outwardly so that it may be bolted to the flange. Similarly, the valve plug seat may be removed by removing the bolts from the flange, bending the lower end of the extension sleeve inwardly so that it will pass through the bly out of the vessel.

The present invention may be adapted to lining various types of vessels requiring an o tlet valve with a plug seat. It may be employe in conical shaped vessels such as kettles and the like. It may also be employed in vessels having a curved or flat surface adjacent the outlet.

The present invention will be further illustrated by reference to the drawing in which Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail of the plug seat showing the arrangement in the vessel; and

Fig. 3 is a detail of the plug seat showing its relation to the lining.

Referring now to the drawing and specifically to Fig. 1, numeral l I designates the shell of a tank or a kettle and numeral 82 is a lead lining whose outer surface bears against shell H. A lining of ceramic ware, such as brick work i3, rests directoutlet and then simply lifting the valve assemly on the inner surface of lining l2. The sheet of lead I2 extends downwardly through an outlet i4 and is carri through outlet It to flange l5 which allows a seal o the lead lining. The lining I 2 is extended upward and around the brick lining l3 by extension l6 and is lapped over the brick lining as shown b numeral I! for a distance of approximately two feet. A plug seat I8 is placed onto the'extension I I. There is then attached firmly to the plug seat ill by burning to the plug seat l8 a sleeve of lead IS in the form of a cylinder or in any other form to conform to the shape of outlet M, which is carried down through the outlet I4 and lapped over the flange I 5 similar to the lining l2 and the inner surface of sleeve I9 bears directly on the outer surface of lining l2. Sleeve I9 is attached to seat l8 by ring I911. Outlet M has connected to it by flange I5 a pipe 20 which has attached to it a flange 2i. Pipe 20 is also lined with lead similar to outlet I 4. The lining of pipe 20 is designated by numeral 22. This lead lining is also carried over the flange 2|. Flanges II and 2| may be connected through bolts 23.

The valve plug 24 seats in the plug seatdi. Valve plug 24 is raised or lowered through valve stem 25 which may be actuated from the exterior of the tank or kettle ll through a, lever arrangement or by other suitable devices.

It will thus be seen that in accordance with the present invention the valve plug seat l8 rests on the brick lining I3 with the lower end of sleeve 19 flared outwardly and secured between flanges I 5 and 2|. Accordingly, the valve plug seat l8 may be removed from the vessel by removing bolts 23, separating flanges l5 and 2| and bending thelower end of sleeve l9 inwardly so that the sleeve may be passed through outlet thereby allowing the removal of the assembly. Similarly, the assembly may be placed in position merely by passing the sleeve l9 down through the outlet 14 until the valve plug seatrests on extension I! whereupon the lower end of sleeve I 9 may be flared outwardly so that it extends between and is in contact with flanges l5 and 2|. If necessary, openings may be made through this flared end'to allow bolts 23 to pass therethrough when securing flange 2| to flange [5. It will be apparent to a worker skilled in the art that-a plug seat assembly may be removed or replaced as desired without disturbing the brick lining l3. 7

In a specific embodiment in accordance with the present invention, a kettle having a capacity of 1875 barrels of sulfuric acid was lined with lead similar to the embodiment described in conjunction with the drawing. A brick lining was laid over the lead lining and the lead lining was then carried down through an outlet simi lar to outlet I 4 and also extended u/pward over the brick lining. A plug seat was placed on the extension equivalent to extension I! and a sleeve similar to sleeve l9 was burned to the plug seat 18 and carried down through the outlet M as has been described.

The valve plug after several months of operation caused distortion of the plug seat and required replacement of the latter. In accordance with the device of the present invention, this was done by removing the bolts, equivalent to bolts 23 in the drawing. A new plug seat was then placed on the extension I! with a sleeve which was carried down through the outlet M as described in conjunction with the drawing. The time required to replace the plug seat was approximately 2.0% of that required prior to the present invention; for .example, the plug seat may now be replaced in 30 minutes, whereas, prior to the present invention, 24 hours, or more, were often required for brick lined vessels handling corrosive fluids. Furthermore, it was unnecessary to disturb the brick lining of the vessel.

It will be apparent to the skilled worker that the extensions I6 and I! may be easily areplaced also without distunbing the brick lining and in some instances it may be preferred to replace extensions l6 and I! when new plug seats are to be installed.

It will be further apparent that this may be accomplished without difficulty.

The nature and objects of the present invention having been fully described and illustrated, what I wish to claim as new and useful and to secure by Letters Patent is: V 1. A vessel adapted for handling corrosive fluids which comprises, in combination, an outer shell defining an outlet terminating in a flange, a lead liner arranged within the shell with its outer surface in contact with the "irmer surface of the shell, a ceramic lining arranged within the vessel with its outer surface in contact with the inner surface of the lead liner, a lead extension member secured to the lead liner extending through said outlet of the shell and flared outwardly in contact with the flange of said outlet and also extending over the ceramic lining adjacent the outlet to define a shoulder on said ceramic lining with a diameter greater than that of the outlet, a valve seat member in said vessel arranged to rest on said shoulder, a lead sleeve secured to the valve seat and extending through said extension member below the flange of the outlet and flared outwardly in contact with the portion of the extension member adjacent said flange.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 including a plug valve element within the vessel engageable with the seat and making a fluid tight seal therewith when so engaged,

3. A vessel adapted for handling corrosive liquids which comprises an outer metallic shell, an inner lead liner arranged with its outer surface bearing against the inner surface of the shell, an outlet from said vessel, a ceramic lining whose outer surface bears directly against the inner surface of said lead liner, a lead extension to said lead liner extending through said outlet and also extending over said ceramic lining for a distance suflicient to provide a shoulder, said shoulder having a diameter greater shell, an outlet from said vessel, a ceramic lining whose outer surface bears directly against the inner surface of said lead liner, an extension to said lead liner extending through said outlet and also extending over said ceramic lining for a distance suflicient to provide a shoulder, said shoulder having a diameter greater than the diameter of said outlet, a valve seat resting on said shoulder, a plug engageable with said seat and adapted to be raised or lowered, a

lead sleeve attached to said valve seat and extending through said outlet, and a flange on said outlet arranged for lapping said lining and said sleeve FRANK A. FERGUSON.

REFERENCES crrEn The following references are or record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name a Date 1,366,170 De Jahn i Jan. 18, 1921 1,899,413 Fritz Feb. 28.1933

2,054,587 Newhaus Sept. 15, 1936

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