SiC wire-mesh structured packing for chemical rectification: structural design for optimizing mechanical properties and acid corrosion resistance

• A novel corrosion-resistant SiC wire-mesh structured packing was proposed and prepared. • The effect of corrugated sheet characteristic parameters on compression strength was investigated by FEM method. • Compression strength was significantly improved by constructing a corrugated sheets-flat sheets composite configuration. • The SiC wire-mesh structured packings were utilized in chemical industry and operated stably for over 3 years. Wire-mesh structured packings are essential mass-transfer components in chemical rectification/separation processes. However, their inherent high-porosity design and delicate thin-structure characteristic typically result in compromised mechanical properties. Furthermore, conventional metallic structured packings exhibit quite limited corrosion resistance when exposed to either oxidizing or reducing acidic environments. In this study, a hybrid process combining template replication and reaction sintering was developed, enabling the fabrication of SiC wire-mesh structured packings. A synergistic approach combining finite element analysis (FEM) and experimental validation was applied to optimize the traditional wire-mesh structural parameters. Mechanical performance was further enhanced by strategically inserting planar SiC sheets between adjacent corrugated layers, resulting in a remarkable 12-fold increase in compressive strength (from 1.8 MPa to 21.4 MPa). The fabricated wire-mesh SiC also exhibited superior anti-acid corrosion ability compared with the metallic counterparts. The corresponding industrial products have been commercialized and operated stably for over 3 years.