PHOSGENE PRODUCTION UNIT

Abstract

A unit for producing and/or processing phosgene, preferably for producing and processing phosgene, said unit being configured for at least one production mode and at least one maintenance mode and comprising a structure which defines a confined space in a production mode, wherein (i) the confined space contains at least one apparatus for producing phosgene, or for processing phosgene, or for producing and processing phosgene; (ii) the structure comprises at least one openable and lockable transfer means for temporary removal, in a maintenance mode, of at least part of at least one apparatus according to (i) from the structure through at least one of said transfer means in opened state.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A unit for producing and/or processing phosgene, said unit being configured for at least one production mode and at least one maintenance mode and comprising a structure which defines a confined space in a production mode, wherein (i) the confined space contains at least one apparatus for producing phosgene, or for processing phosgene, or for producing and processing phosgene; (ii) the structure comprises at least one openable and lockable transfer means for temporary removal, in a maintenance mode, of at least part of at least one apparatus according to (i) from the structure through at least one of said transfer means in opened state.

17. The unit of claim 16, wherein the structure comprises from 1 to 1000 openable and lockable transfer means.

18. The unit of claim 16, wherein (iii) the structure further comprises at least one openable and lockable access means for temporary access, in a maintenance mode, of at least one of the apparatuses according to (i) from outside the structure.

19. The unit of claim 18, wherein the structure comprises from 1 to 100 openable and lockable access means.

20. The unit of claim 18, wherein an openable and lockable access means according to (iii) is an upper part of said structure, said structure comprising a lower part and said upper part being located, in a production mode, on said lower part, the at least one apparatus according to (i) being located on said lower part, said upper part comprising the openable and lockable transfer means and optionally one or more further openable and lockable access means according to (iii).

21. The unit of claim 16, wherein the confined space according to (i) contains from 1 to 100 apparatuses according to (i).

22. The unit of claim 16, wherein the structure comprises a housing, wherein (iv) at least one opening is provided in said housing and at least one closing element for said opening is provided, said opening and said at least one closing element together forming the openable and lockable transfer means according to (ii).

23. The unit of claim 22, wherein at least part of the housing is in form of a skeleton to which a plurality of removable panels are removably attached, said removable panels forming closing elements according to (iv).

24. The unit of claim 22, insofar as directly or indirectly referring to embodiment 3 or 4, wherein (v) at least one opening other than the at least one opening according to (iv) is provided in said housing and at least one closing element other than the at least one closing element according to (iv) for said opening is provided, said opening and said at least one closing element together forming the openable and lockable access means according to (iii).

25. The unit of claim 16, wherein the confined space according to (i) contains (i.a) at least one apparatus for producing phosgene, and (i.b) at least one apparatus for processing phosgene.

26. The unit of claim 25, wherein at least in a production mode the confined space according to (i) is sub-divided into (i.i) at least one sub-space which contains at least one apparatus for producing phosgene according to (i.a); (i.ii) at least one sub-space, other than the at least one sub-space according to (i.i), which contains at least one apparatus for processing phosgene according to (i.b).

27. A unit for producing and/or processing phosgene, said unit being configured for at least one production mode and at least one maintenance mode and comprising a structure which defines a confined space in a production mode, wherein (i) the confined space contains at least one apparatus for producing phosgene, or for processing phosgene, or for producing and processing phosgene; (iii) the structure comprises an openable and lockable access means for temporary access, in a maintenance mode, of the at least one apparatus according to (i) from outside the structure; wherein said openable and lockable access means according to (iii) is an upper part of said structure and said structure further comprises a lower part on which said upper part is movably or removably mounted in a production mode; and wherein the at least one apparatus according to (i) is located on said lower part.

28. The unit of claim 16, being comprised in a production plant.

29. A production plant comprising a unit according to claim 16.

30. Use of a unit according to claim 16 in a production plant.

Description

[0133] The invention will now be further described by means of example embodiments in view of the figures. The figures show:

[0134] FIG. 1 an example embodiment of a first type of a unit according to the invention in a schematic perspective representation.

[0135] FIG. 2 an example embodiment of a second type of a unit according to the invention in a schematic perspective representation.

[0136] FIG. 1 shows schematically an example of a structure of the inventive unit according to the first type. This structure comprises a housing 10. The housing can have an own floor. In this case, the structure is comprised of the housing 10. If the housing does not have an own floor, usually the base on which the housing stands and the housing 10 together constitute the structure. As is typical for such a housing, it is geometrically a cuboid, or consists of cuboids; in the example embodiment shown, two cuboids. So, the outer walls of the housing extend either horizontally or vertically. In a production mode, the structure defines a confined space in which a plurality of apparatuses for producing or processing phosgene is located. In the embodiment shown, the housing has five levels.

[0137] The housing has a plurality of openings and further comprises panels and doors for closing those openings in a production mode of the unit. In the embodiment shown each panel/door is assigned to one opening. There are two types of openings, namely openings 20, 20′ of transfer means and openings of access means. In the production mode, the openings of the access means are closed by doors 32 and the openings 20, 20′ of the transfer means are closed by panels 22, 22′. One panel and one opening constitute a transfer means, one door and one opening constitute an access means. The openings of the access means have a typical “door size” of about 1 m in width and 2 m in height. The openings of the transfer means are substantially larger.

[0138] In the embodiment shown, each level of the housing 10 has one access means, and the first, second third, and fifth level have a transfer means. Two openings 20 of the transfer means are each located in a side wall and thus extending in a vertical plane, and two are each located in a top wall and thus extending in a horizontal plane.

[0139] As has been mentioned, in a production mode, all doors 32 and panels 22 are closed. In a maintenance mode, the doors 32 can be opened to give maintenance workers access to the inside of the housing. Further, the panels 22 can be removed so that an apparatus or a part of an apparatus can be moved through the respective opening 20, 20′ such that it can be maintained outside the housing.

[0140] FIG. 2 shows schematically an example of a structure of the inventive unit according to the second type. The structure also comprises or is comprised of a housing. This housing has a lower part 11 and an upper part 12. The lower part has an access means as described above. The door 32 of which can be seen. The lower part 32 could additionally have a transfer means, but such a transfer means is not shown in FIG. 2. The lower part 11 of the housing houses at least one apparatus for producing and/or for processing phosgene and the upper part 12 of the housing houses another apparatus for producing and/or processing phosgene. This other apparatus stands on the top wall of the lower part 11. In a maintenance mode, the upper part 12 can be lifted from lower part 11, such that the apparatus housed by the upper part 12 can be accessed. Thus, the upper part 12 itself forms an openable and lockable access means of the unit.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS IN THE FIGURES

[0141] 10 housing [0142] 11 lower part of housing [0143] 12 upper part of housing [0144] 20, 20′ opening of transfer means [0145] 22, 22′ panel of transfer means [0146] 32 door of access means