Titanium Reactor — Corrosion-Resistant Process Vessels Built to Your Drawing

Published by Engineering Team, Shaanxi Qianyi Tuoda Technology Co., Ltd on 2026-11-04

Titanium reactors · drawing to delivery

A titanium reactor is a pressure or atmospheric vessel where the wetted surfaces are made of titanium or titanium-lined steel, built to carry out a chemical reaction, mixing, or polymerization in media that destroy stainless steel within months. SXQYTD fabricates titanium reactors from Gr2, Gr7 and Gr12 to ASME Section VIII and GB/T 150, with full radiographic testing and PMI on every heat. Below is the procurement-level detail buyers actually need before they issue a PO.

Material	Gr2 / Gr7 / Gr12 (ASTM B265, SB-265)	Principle	Stirred / batch reaction vessel
Capacity	0.1 m³ – 50 m³ (custom)	Industry	Chlor-alkali, fine chemical, pharma, seawater
Design code	ASME VIII Div.1 / GB/T 150 / JB/T 4745	Lead time	4–8 weeks (stock plate shortens it)

1. What a titanium reactor is — by principle and by structure

By principle, most titanium reactors are stirred tank reactors: a cylindrical shell with a top-entry agitator, a baffle system, and internal coils or a jacket for heating/cooling. Where the reaction is gas-liquid (e.g., chlorination), a bubble-column or loop reactor is used instead of a mechanical agitator to avoid a rotating seal in aggressive gas.

By structure, there are two build routes: a solid titanium vessel (shell, heads and nozzles all titanium) for the most aggressive duty, and a titanium-clad steel vessel (carbon-steel body with a titanium layer on the wetted side) where pressure is high but the corrodent only contacts the lining. Clad construction cuts material cost 40–60% on large vessels, but the lining must be continuous and crevice-free or it fails fast.

2. Why titanium — material vs. medium vs. corrosion

Titanium survives because it grows a 2–5 nm TiO₂ passive film that self-heals in oxidizing conditions. The table below is the practical selection logic, not a catalogue claim:

Medium	Recommended grade	Why
Wet chlorine, hypochlorite, bleaches	Gr2 / Gr7	Strongly oxidizing; Gr2 passive film stable. Gr7 for swing to reducing conditions.
Dilute HCl, H₂SO₄ (reducing)	Gr7 / Gr12	Pd (Gr7) or Mo/Ni (Gr12) keeps the film alive where pure Gr2 dissolves.
Acetic, formic, organic acids	Gr2 / Gr12	Gr12 gives higher strength at similar cost where temperatures rise.
Seawater, brine	Gr2	Crevice corrosion risk above ~70°C — design must avoid stagnant crevices.

Two limits buyers forget: titanium oxidizes above ~315°C and loses the passive film, and it is weak against dry chlorine, fluoride ions, and strong reducing acids without Pd/Mo. Tell us the exact medium and concentration — that decides the grade, not the price list.

3. Technical standards we build to

• Material: ASTM B265 / ASME SB-265 (plate), B337/B338 (tube & pipe), B348 (bar) — mill test certs EN 10204 3.1 on every heat.
• Vessel code: ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII Div.1 (U-stamp available) or GB/T 150 + JB/T 4745 for the Chinese market.
• Welding: ASME IX qualification, GTAW with argon backing; weld colour acceptance per our internal spec (silver to straw = pass, blue/purple/grey = reject).
• Inspection: RT (radiographic) or UT on main seams, PT on all accessible welds, hydrostatic test, full PMI of the delivered material.

4. Manufacturing flow — from drawing to delivery

1) Drawing review & code confirmation → 2) Material release with MTC & PMI → 3) Shell rolling and head forming → 4) Fit-up and GTAW welding under argon purge → 5) Stress relief heat treatment → 6) RT/UT + PT inspection → 7) Hydrostatic test → 8) Pickling / passivation → 9) Agitator dynamic balance (if fitted) → 10) Final QA release and packing for export. Because we hold ~400 t of Gr2/Gr7 plate in Baoji, step 2 often starts within days of PO, not weeks.

5. Key component performance

Item	Control value	Note
Weld colour	Silver – light straw	Blue/purple/grey = oxygen-contaminated, re-work.
RT acceptance	ASME VIII / JB/T 4745	No crack, no incomplete fusion allowed.
Agitator balance	G6.3 (typical)	Higher grade on request for high-speed shafts.
Shell tolerance	±1 mm on ø, ±0.1t thickness	Verified before welding.

6. Application industries

Industry	Medium	Why titanium
Chlor-alkali	Anolyte, wet Cl₂	Steel fails in weeks; titanium runs for years.
PVC / bleaching	HCl, hypochlorite	Oxidizing acid duty, Gr2 standard.
Pharma / fine chem	Organic acids	Metal-ion-free product, easy clean.
Desalination	Seawater	No biofouling adhesion, long life.

7. Selection guide

By medium: oxidizing duty → Gr2; reducing or swing duty → Gr7; higher strength at moderate temp → Gr12. By structure: small vessel or worst-case medium → solid titanium; large high-pressure vessel with mild medium → titanium-clad steel. Send the medium, concentration, temperature and working pressure; we return a grade and a build route, not a guess.

8. Customizable items & accessories

• Shell / head thickness, jacket or half-pipe coil, internal baffles and dip pipes.
• Top- or side-entry agitator with titanium shaft and impeller; mechanical seal or magnetic drive.
• Nozzles, manways, sight glasses, thermowells, titanium-lined dip tubes.
• External heating jacket, insulation, and export-grade plywood or steel framing crate.
• Optional U-stamp, third-party inspection (SGS / TUV), and extended material traceability.

9. Lead time, test reports & warranty

Item	Commitment
Lead time	4–8 weeks typical; stock plate starts within days of PO.
Test reports	MTC 3.1, RT/UT report, hydrostatic record, PMI sheet, dimension report.
Warranty	12 months against material and workmanship defects from shipment.

10. FAQ

Can you build to our drawing and code?

Yes. Send the GA drawing and the design code (ASME VIII or GB/T 150); we confirm grade, thickness and inspection plan, then fabricate and certify.

Solid titanium or clad — which should I choose?

If the medium is severely aggressive or the vessel is small, solid titanium is safest. For large high-pressure vessels with milder medium, clad steel saves 40–60% on material.

How do you guarantee the welds are sound?

Every main seam is RT/UT inspected, all accessible welds are PT checked, and weld colour is controlled to silver–straw. Any blue or grey weld is cut out and re-done.