The first application of titanium equipment and pipelines in Soviet chemical production occurred at the Bereznikovsky Chlor-Alkali Plant. In 1960, a 3 m³ stripping chamber and a 120-meter-long chlorinated water pipeline were installed in the electrolysis workshop. By 1963, another chemical plant introduced tubular coolers (140 m² surface area) for wet chlorine cooling and wet chlorine pipelines in its chlorine production division. In sodium trichloroacetate production, heat exchangers (48 m² surface area), storage tanks, pumps, pipelines, and ventilators were installed. All these devices have operated flawlessly, with no signs of corrosion on the metal bodies or welds.

After 1969, the use of titanium equipment expanded significantly. By 1970, titanium applications in the chemical industry tripled compared to 1969, and by 1971, usage increased by another 60%. This growth continued in Soviet chemical production. In 1971, 15 enterprises accounted for 83% of titanium equipment usage, rising to 88% across 30 enterprises by the end of 1975.

A joint enterprise demonstrated the feasibility and benefits of titanium equipment. From 1970 to 1975, the economic gains from adopting titanium equipment, pipelines, and flues exceeded 33 million rubles. Projections under the Tenth Five-Year Plan suggested potential benefits surpassing 60 million rubles.

Today, over 170 processes across 100 enterprises successfully employ titanium equipment and pipelines. Nearly a quarter of these applications are in chlorine production. In chlorine-related industries (chlorine oxides, pesticides, chloramines, bleaching powder), titanium equipment constitutes about 40% of total installations.

The largest users of titanium equipment (35%) are metal chloride, sulfate, and inorganic fertilizer production sectors. These industries involve highly corrosive media, where titanium’s exceptional resistance outperforms stainless steel and cast alloys prone to pitting and stress corrosion cracking.

Historically, reliable structural materials for chlorine production were scarce. However, titanium now proves effective across nearly all chlor-alkali production stages. For example, titanium tubular heat exchangers for brine preheating operate for years without maintenance, while stainless steel equivalents require shutdowns every 8–10 days for repairs. Many titanium wet chlorine pipelines remain in excellent condition.

Using titanium heat exchangers for wet chlorine and chlorinated water cooling simplifies gas drying processes, reduces chlorine losses, and minimizes wastewater contamination. Enhanced drying efficiency stabilizes compressor operations.

Internationally, titanium adoption in chlor-alkali industries is well-documented. Annual demand for titanium plates in these sectors grows by 5–10%. In the U.S., over half of chemical industry titanium is used for chlorine production heat exchangers. Union Carbide replaced graphite tubes with titanium tubes in brine cooling systems, extending service life from 2–3 years to over a decade. Titanium’s thin-walled tubes eliminate scaling and maintain high heat transfer rates: 78 m² of titanium performs equivalently to 140 m² of graphite. New heat exchangers in chlorine chemistry are now exclusively titanium-based.

In mercury-cell electrolysis, titanium prevents contamination of brine by iron, chromium, vanadium, and molybdenum salts. Abroad, titanium is used for brine dechlorination tanks, evaporators, and pumps.

For diaphragm and mercury-cell chlor-alkali, sodium hypochlorite, and calcium hypochlorite production, titanium is the most economical pump material. Georgia-Pacific (U.S.) uses titanium pumps to transfer 85°C brine containing 270–320 g/L NaCl crystals and ≥0.5 g/L free chlorine, with a projected 10-year lifespan. German firms employ cast titanium pumps for chlorine-saturated water (20% Cl₂) and chlorinated brine.

Titanium is the sole corrosion-resistant material for chlorine dioxide, hypochlorites, chlorates, perchlorates, and perchloric acid production. For instance, in high-temperature chlorination of slaked lime, titanium’s corrosion rate remains ≤0.001 mm/year. Titanium bleaching powder equipment shows no corrosion after 1.5 years, while stainless steel suffers severe corrosion, particularly at welds.

In Beckmann chambers (chlorination via countercurrent chlorine-air mixtures over slaked lime), titanium supports, coolers, agitators, manifolds, and exhaust fans extended maintenance intervals after 2–4 years of testing.

Abroad, titanium equipment (heat exchangers, pumps, tanks, filter presses, sprayers) is widely used for sodium and calcium hypochlorite production.

Recent trends in electrochemical production favor titanium electrodes. In chlorine and chlorate production, titanium anodes with ruthenium oxide active layers dominate. Today, 30% of global chlorine is produced via ruthenium-coated titanium anodes, with graphite anodes being phased out.

Platinum-plated or foil-welded titanium anodes have largely replaced pure platinum anodes in hydrogen peroxide, perchloric acid, perchlorate, and other processes.

The alkali industry and its subsidiaries are major titanium consumers. In soda ash production, titanium is extensively used for distillation gas coolers and condensers.

Thin-walled titanium tubes (≥20-year lifespan) improve heat transfer, increase heat exchange surface area, and expand tube channel cross-sections. This is critical for distillation condensers, where gas release during filtrate heating can reduce channel areas. Traditional tubes, aside from poor corrosion resistance (≤3-year lifespan), suffered from thick rust layers that drastically reduced thermal conductivity, impacting productivity and economic efficiency.