Seeking help with process challenges
Thread Content
In the distillation tower, the material is cooled to 140°C before being sent to the reflux tank; it is then cooled by circulating water in the second cooling stage. However, there is always a blockage, which prevents the establishment of a vacuum. An optimization plan is requested. The freezing point of the material is around 115.
Seeking help from experts; ideas are also welcome for discussion
The material passes through a first cooling stage at a temperature of around 140 degrees. Since the vacuum pump is of the Roots type and cannot handle such materials, circulating water is used for the second cooling stage
The freezing point is already at 115; not to mention the second cooling stage – even the first cooling stage will cause blockages, so improvements are needed... We should focus on the condensation method and vacuum generation
The first cold didn’t cause any blockage, but after the second cold I didn’t want to go through something similar to what happened with the first cold, so I’m asking if there are any good solutions
Use constant-temperature water to adjust the temperature, or add a first-stage liquid seal
Use cold hot water, or install a low-pressure steam generator to provide constant-temperature cooling; the steam generated is then recirculated and condensed back into the water below.
Close the return valve for the circulating water a bit more
The key is to control the wall temperature at the inlet of the cooling water. There are two ways to do this: one is to use co-current heat exchange (not counter-current), and the other is to control the inlet temperature of the cooling water (which should be hot water); a steam-water mixer can be used for this purpose. I hope to help you solve the problem in the simplest way possible.