Catalytic fractionation tower
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I would like to ask what the effects would be if cooling reflux is used in the catalytic fractionation tower. Could the crude gasoline vaporize immediately, resulting in an increase in tower pressure? (Our plant does not use cooling reflux, but there is a line connected to the top circulation inlet; it is generally not used.)
When the temperature at the top of the fractionation tower is excessively high and there are no means to adjust it, it is possible to slightly reduce the cooling reflux in order to control the tower top temperature and prevent overpressure, which could result in the crude gasoline not meeting quality standards. After the cold reflux, the pressure at the top of the distillation column increases, the pressure drop from the top of the column to the inlet of the compressor rises, and the load on the overhead condenser increases, all of which lead to higher energy consumption ； The process of feeding crude gasoline to the inlet of the top circulation pump is known as crude gasoline top-up circulation; it involves using crude gasoline to supplement the flow at the top circulation pump’s inlet when the pump is under vacuum, thereby preventing further vacuum conditions in the pump.
We have dedicated cold reflux pumps and a feed process that are operating continuously; this does indeed affect the air-cooling load as well as the reaction pressure, so the flow rate cannot be too high.