How to deal with overheating during steam purging of container equipment?
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When chemical plant units are shut down, it is necessary to purge the containers with steam; even low-pressure steam has a temperature of around 150 degrees. Moreover, the design temperature of some of our containers is only in the low tens of degrees. How should we view this situation, and are there any standards that can be used as a reference?
It is recommended to check the material of the container as well as the temperature tolerance of the pipes and valves connected to it; if they are made of metal, there should be no problems. Do not hold back pressure, nor blow for long periods. The container temperature will not rise much in a short period of time. If prolonged purging is required, the thermal expansion resulting from the design pressure and temperature should be verified.
If the design temperature of your containers is only in the low tens of degrees, it’s not necessary to use steam for cleaning; washing with hot water followed by drying with compressed air will suffice.
Generally, nitrogen is used for purging. I don’t know what kind of container the original poster is referring to
In systems like atmospheric pressure towers, steam purging is also a hassle; it’s not supposed to be used in such cases, yet the purging pressure is two to three kilograms, with a temperature of over 100 degrees. Could this lead to the container being classified as belonging to a different category? Moreover, when using nitrogen for displacement, the pressure is five to six kilograms – this factor certainly needs to be taken into consideration as well