Regarding the issue of how to quickly establish the circulation rate in the middle section of catalytic distillation at the start of operation.

There really is no need to rush the establishment of No. 1 Middle School. At that time, the tower could not provide enough extraction volume to Unit 1 (the amount of oil collected was far insufficient), and meanwhile the distillation tower used a large amount of cold reflux to keep the top temperature low, resulting in high reaction pressure; therefore, pressure had to be controlled by venting through flares, and the operators in charge of the reaction often hesitated to increase the throughput at such times. From my experience, when regulating the flow at the outlet of the first pump, it’s sufficient to open it two notches – that’s roughly one-fifth of the normal flow rate. The diesel supply valve at the inlet of the first pump should be opened as well. When carrying out the reaction and flare-off, efforts should also be made to increase the processing volume; you should know the exact amount for your own installation. Remember to bring the spare pump from No. 1 Plant, so as to prevent water from accumulating inside. When the liquid reservoir in Stage 1 contains enough liquid as a result of the increase in reaction volume, it will not become empty. With stable conditions in Stage 1, the top temperature can be easily controlled, cold reflux is reduced, and thus the reaction pressure drops as well. However, during the heating process in Unit 1, it is essential to maintain good coordination with the stabilization system. If both the stabilization tower and the separation tower use heat from Unit 1, it is necessary to wait until Unit 1 has stabilized to some extent; coordination in this regard is very important! The method you mentioned for saving by using flaring does exist; it involves installing steam heaters at the bottom of the separation tower. This helps to raise the temperature of the separation tower earlier, and as a result, less carbon dioxide is carried into the stabilizer. In this way, a large amount of non-condensable gas won’t be sent to the liquefied gas tank in the stabilizer for flaring, thereby preventing the loss of valuable carbon three and carbon four compounds! Also, the units usually come equipped with rich gas flare tanks, which can recover some of the oil; in addition, gas holders can also help in recovering some of it. There’s nothing else much that can be done! This post was last edited by mjl25mp6 on 2008-1-12 16:37.]