How to remove wax blockage in an atmospheric pressure tower?
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During operation, it was found that the extractant pipe for fusel oils in the atmospheric tower was blocked; upon inspection, it turned out to be a blockage caused by wax. It was analyzed that the extraction process in the atmospheric tower has been abnormal recently, possibly due to such wax blockages inside the tower. I would like to ask if your facility has encountered similar issues? How to remove it?
Stop the system to drain all the methanol from it; after the system is isolated, add steam for steaming.
There’s no particularly good method; just use steam purging for parking – it’s conventional but effective.
There isn’t a particularly good solution; just do as the two people above suggested. Another approach is to take measures to prevent wax formation from the very beginning, starting with the synthesis of crude alcohol from methanol.
The fact that your methanol has formed wax in this manner indicates that your management is inadequate. There isn’t much that can be done about it. If you don’t want to shut down the plant, then reduce the load appropriately and increase the temperature of the atmospheric distillation column’s bottom section, but be careful not to cause overpressure
Wax formation? ? ? Then the wax formation during synthesis must be even more severe, right?
1. Use steam for parking to perform a steam thermal wash on the distillation system; remember, it’s the entire distillation system. 2. Management of the synthesis process must be strengthened, with strict control to ensure that the inlet temperature does not exceed 195 degrees. 3. The start-up and shutdown processes must be carried out strictly in accordance with the operating procedures; one should not sacrifice long-term benefits for short-term gains. 4. Use nitrogen to raise the temperature above 195 degrees before introducing the feed gas; do not use the feed gas itself to raise the temperature. 5. The system must undergo a full cooling cycle to bring the temperature below 150 degrees when parking.
In this case, steam purging for parking is the only option; it’s best to install a larger methanol filter in the synthesis section.
Let the crude alcohol first enter the storage tank, maintaining a certain liquid level in it; then use a pump to transfer the crude alcohol into the pre-tower, and the wax will remain in the storage tank.
Park the vehicle and drain all the methanol; then perform a thermal wash of both the pressure tower and the atmospheric pressure tower. During the thermal wash, care must be taken to ensure that the temperature of the atmospheric pressure tower does not become too high, as this could affect the quality of the product. Generally not exceeding 110 degrees
Increase the temperature; use a pump to feed crude alcohol into the tank at the bottom
Blow with steam: 1. Stop the machine. For areas where the blockage is severe, connect a temporary pipe, disconnect the outlet pipe at the bottom of the tower, and then blow! ! 2. Increase the system’s temperature without stopping operation, especially in the recovery tower – no problem