Discussion on whether an increase in the number of converters is needed after switching to low-mercury catalysts
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After switching to low-mercury catalysts in calcium carbide-based vinyl chloride production plants, due to the longer activation period required for these catalysts and the difference in their activity compared to the high-mercury catalysts previously used, some companies carried out modifications to increase the number of converters in order to maintain the original production capacity and acetylene conversion rate. Please discuss the rationality of increasing the number of converters by about 20%.
Not necessarily; by choosing the right catalyst and operating under balanced conditions, the output of the converter can be adjusted to some extent.
When using low-mercury catalysts, it seems that they have a significant impact on the load in hydrogen chloride synthesis processes. However, if the purity of the by-produced hydrogen chloride is high and consumption is not a concern, then they can be used fairly well
Low-mercury catalysts, due to the presence of stabilizers on their surface that are adsorbed during the adsorption of mercury chloride by activated carbon, show little difference from high-mercury catalysts in the early stages of use; however, this difference becomes more apparent later on, mainly as the rate of mercury consumption increases. In principle, replacing the low-mercury catalyst does not require the addition of a new converter; however, if full-production capacity is to be maintained, it is a better option to consider adding some converters.
The conversion efficiency of low-mercury catalysts is still relatively poor; to maintain a high load or to increase it, I believe it is necessary to use a converter~~~