Effect of inlet Temperature on Caustic Tower Operation in Ethane -----er Ethylene Pla

[joliemarcose]

Dear All, I am working in ethane -----er ethylene plant. We have double pipe low pressure steam heater at inlet of caustic tower which is located at -----ed gas/charge gas compressor intermediate stage with around 18 kg/cm2 pressure. Double pipe heater is increasing inlet gas temperature (superheating) by 3 deg C after knoking out the condensed hydrocarbon in KO drum of compressor discharge. During winter the inlet temperature is dropping to around 20-25 deg C and during summar it is increasing to around 40 deg C. Now my question is how this variation of temperature effect the efficiency of tower? Will there be more polymeric material/aldol/redoil formation? Please communicate. Thanks.

[siyahimawi]

Dear All, I am working in ethane -----er ethylene plant. We have double pipe low pressure steam heater at inlet of caustic tower which is located at -----ed gas/charge gas compressor intermediate stage with around 18 kg/cm2 pressure. Double pipe heater is increasing inlet gas temperature (superheating) by 3 deg C after knoking out the condensed hydrocarbon in KO drum of compressor discharge. During winter the inlet temperature is dropping to around 20-25 deg C and during summar it is increasing to around 40 deg C. Now my question is how this variation of temperature effect the efficiency of tower? Will there be more polymeric material/aldol/redoil formation? Please communicate. Thanks.

If the inlet -----ed gas temperature of caustic tower increases polymerisation increases, also caustic washing of acid gases increases,
otherwise there is no polymerisation and decreasing of the washing reaction rates. All is your choise, you can increase CG temperture and give additives to the column- anti aldol reaction addit., it may be decrease polymerisation, but these occurs a caustic corrosion in your caustic tower...

[joliemarcose]

Thanks Buddy. Any one has any different opinion?