The liquid hydrocarbon carryover is severe; how should the gas separation unit adjust its operation?
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Recently, severe liquid carryover in the feed gas to the inlet separation unit caused significant fluctuations in the operation of the depropanization tower: the bottom temperature, top temperature, and top pressure all varied greatly, with significant amounts of propylene present at the tower bottom. By means of replacing the raw materials, discharging heavy liquids, and adjusting the propane removal reflux ratio, normal operation was restored within 28 hours. I wonder if anyone has encountered such problems; please share your experiences.
Minimize liquid entrainment; if unavoidable, a gas-liquid separator can be added at the feed inlet of the tower (inside the tower).
Installing a gas-liquid separator inside the tower can reduce the amount of heavy components that reach the subsequent propylene separation tower, thereby minimizing the impact on propylene separation processes. However, this does not eliminate the impact on the depropanization tower; in fact, the amount of propylene in the tower bottom may increase, leading to waste. Additionally, it increases the load on the reboiler at the tower bottom, raising energy consumption, and it can also cause periodic fluctuations in the temperature and pressure at the tower top. Moreover, the liquid presence in the raw material is not a permanent issue but rather an occasional occurrence; it is therefore advisable to make adjustments in the operation process to restore normal conditions as soon as possible.
If there is liquid present, enhance liquid removal using the device at the front
How can operations be adjusted so that, once the raw materials no longer contain liquid, the remaining liquid in the device can be removed and normal production in the device can be restored as soon as possible? That is, to quickly reduce the impact on the operation of the depropanization tower!