Why is the acetylene content at the outlet of the front-end converter higher than that of hydrogen chloride?
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This post was last edited by edc1233 on 2011-2-14 at 19:18. Recently, several front-end converters in our facility have experienced catalyst failure; their reaction efficiency is poor, and the level of unreacted acetylene has increased to 30-50%. Moreover, this level is higher than that of hydrogen chloride (note: acetylene is analyzed using chromatography, while hydrogen chloride is analyzed through titration after absorption). However, the levels of other substances measured in both front-end and back-end analyses are not excessive. I’m not sure what the cause could be; I hope someone experienced can provide some guidance.
Tell me about your process flow – how do you determine if the converter catalyst has failed?
This post was last edited by edc1233 on 2011-2-14 at 13:32. In the conventional calcium carbide process, the reaction does not proceed well; a high acetylene content indicates that the catalyst has failed.
The gases are already well mixed before entering each converter, and the normal operation of the other converters indicates that the molar ratio of the two gases is appropriate, with hydrogen chloride present in an excess of 5%–10%.
If the analysis is correct, then it must be a leak in the converter!
There is no leakage in the converter; an error in the analysis is suspected