Closure for clean chemical reactor

Abstract

Apparatus and methods of closing and sealing chemical reactor vessels, which are relatively less susceptible to contaminant build-up and more easily maintained in such a state. The chemical reactor vessel comprises a vessel body and a separable head attached thereto wherein the means for attaching and sealing said head to said body comprises; a seal means, a flange means, a shield means and an attachment means. The seal means functions, in compression, to prevent leakage of fluids into and from said chemical reactor vessel. The flange means functions to impose compressive loads to the seal means to cause the seal means to prevent leakage of fluids into and from the chemical reactor vessel. The shield means are integral with at least one of the flange means, which function to substantially prevent contaminants from contacting the seal means and those portions of such flange means which are adjacent to the seal means and which function to inhibit the build-up of contaminants within and adjacent to the attaching and sealing means. The attachment means function to apply compressive loads to the flange means and concurrently function to removably fix the head to the body. The attachment means are subject to the functions of the shield means and which, concurrently, function to fix the shield means to the chemical reactor vessel such that the shield means cannot be separated from the chemical reactor vessel without first disassembling the attachment means and releasing the compressive loads from the flange means.