What are the white particles produced by leaks in the ammonia cooler of low-temperature methanol washing?
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There was a leak in the ammonia cooling coil used for purification in our facility; methanol leaked into the ammonia, resulting in a decrease in the flow rate at the inlet of the ammonia compressor. After removing the filter from the compressor’s inlet pipe, it was found that the filter medium was clogged with white granular substances that dissolved when washed with water. Does anyone know what those white substances are and what they are made of?
The reactants of carbon dioxide and ammonia should be ammonium carbonate crystals at this temperature.
If methanol leaks into the ammonia-cooled gas, the consequences are severe, as it causes the inlet separation tank of that section to fill up, thereby significantly reducing the lifespan of the ammonia compressor. White particulates are carbon-ammonia crystals; there is a lot of carbon dioxide in methanol, and chemical reactions occur at low temperatures
Ammonium carbonate crystals – our factory has encountered them before
It took a lot of effort to clean the carbamide crystals from inside the pipes; the ammonia cooler had its core replaced
That’s indeed heavy. How did you locate the heat exchanger route? It must have been identified from the unit side