Applications in the energy and petrochemical industries
※ Energy industry
Both thermal power and atomic power generation rely on steam to do work. The steam circuit is as follows:
The boiler generates steam - steam drives the turbine to do work - the steam after work is sent to the condenser - cooled into water - returned to the boiler to become steam again.
The main condenser consists of tube sheets and condenser tubes. Since steel has good thermal conductivity and can resist water corrosion, they are all made of pot brass, aluminum brass or white copper. According to the information, 5 tons of condenser tubes are required for every 10,000 kilowatts of installed capacity. A 600,000 kilowatt power plant requires 300 tons of condenser tubes.
The use of solar energy also requires a lot of copper tubes. For example: A swimming pool in a hotel near London, England, is equipped with a solar heater, which can keep the water temperature at 18-24℃ in summer. The solar heater contains 784 pounds (356 kg) of copper tubes.
※ Petrochemical Industry
Copper and many copper alloys have good corrosion resistance in aqueous solutions, non-oxidizing acids such as hydrochloric acid, organic acids (such as acetic acid, citric acid, fatty acids, lactic acid, oxalic acid, etc.), various alkalis other than ammonia, and non-oxidizing organic compounds (such as oils, phenols, alcohols, etc.); therefore, they are widely used in the petrochemical industry to manufacture various containers, piping systems, filters, pumps, valves and other devices that come into contact with corrosive media. Its thermal conductivity is also used to manufacture various evaporators, heat exchangers and condensers. Due to its good plasticity, copper is particularly suitable for manufacturing heat exchangers with complex structures and cross-woven copper tubes in modern chemical industry. In addition, bronze production tools are used in petroleum refining plants; the original reason is that no sparks will be emitted when impacted, which can prevent fires.
※ Marine Industry
The ocean occupies more than 70% of the earth's surface area, and the rational development and utilization of marine resources are increasingly valued by people. Seawater contains chloride ions that are prone to corrosion. Many engineering metal materials such as steel, aluminum, and even stainless steel are not resistant to seawater corrosion. In addition, marine biofouling will form on the surfaces of these materials, as well as non-metallic materials such as wood and glass. Copper is a unique material that is not only resistant to seawater corrosion, but also has a bactericidal effect when dissolved in water, which can prevent marine biofouling. Therefore, copper and copper alloys are very important materials in the marine industry and have been widely used in seawater desalination plants, offshore oil and gas production platforms, and other coastal and submarine facilities. For example, the piping systems, pumps and valves used in the desalination process, as well as the equipment used on the oil and gas production platforms, including bolts for splash zones and underwater, drilling days, anti-biofouling sleeves, pumps, valves and piping systems, etc.
