Hydrogenation: Reactor airtightness issue at startup
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When the high-pressure hydrogenation reactor reaches full pressure, there are requirements regarding the wall temperature. At the full pressure of our unit’s reactor, the wall temperature of the reactor is 93 degrees Celsius. At this point, the reactor flange needs to be made airtight; when soapy water is sprayed on it, it vaporizes. Spraying too much of it is not good for the flange. How can it be made airtight?
Airtightness is definitely a problem at slightly higher temperatures. Although bubbles formed by vaporization and those formed by leaks are different, it is difficult to tell the difference visually. I’m here to learn* as well, to see what good methods I can pick up
Find a wider type of kraft tape, and wrap it around the flange of the part of the reactor that needs to be airtight; if the tape isn’t wide enough, you can stick two strips of tape together first. Then make a small hole in the tape, and once nitrogen is sealed, spray soapy water onto that hole to observe the result. When hydrogen is airtight, leaks are difficult to detect due to their small volume; therefore, hydrogen detectors are generally used for leak detection.
Generally, high-pressure airtightness testing is done with hydrogen; aside from the method mentioned above, I think it’s also possible to conduct the hydrogen airtightness test at night with the lights turned off! The leaked hydrogen burns when exposed to high temperatures, and this can be seen with the naked eye!