In the production of sulfuric acid, does the nicotinic acid tower need to be operating continuously?
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Our sulfuric acid plant produces nicotinic acid that is difficult to sell, so we want to get rid of the nicotinic acid production facility and stop using it. I want to know if it has an impact on the system’s operation and whether there are any negative effects
It depends on the capacity of your sulfuric acid absorption tower; if the original amount of nicotinic acid was high, it will be somewhat difficult to switch entirely to producing 98% acid. It can be roughly estimated based on experience.
It’s not difficult at all. During the production process, the nicotinic acid tower must remain in operation; otherwise, if it is empty, it will collapse very quickly. All the produced nicotinic acid can be fed into the 98-acid tank, thereby being fully converted for 98-acid production.
Reply to 3# szczl123456: Will the niacin tower collapse? Need a detailed explanation?
Reply to 4# QiuSuo790207: There is residual nicotinic acid inside the tower. If the acid circulation is stopped, and the flue gas valve cannot be kept completely closed, the temperature inside the tower will rise to 180–200 degrees, which is the temperature at the outlet of the economizer. At this temperature, the remaining acid will evaporate to a concentration of around 100–102%; acid at such a concentration is highly corrosive, and with the high temperature as well, what are the consequences?
One of the design principles is that once the nicotinic acid tower is no longer in use, the absorption tower alone is capable of absorbing all of the SO3; the flue gas valves at the inlet and outlet of the nicotinic acid tower can be closed completely. But in normal factory operations, the valves are turned down to produce a small amount of nicotinic acid, which is then sent to the 98% acid tank.