What are the reasons for severe water hammer in the effluent from the ammonia purification tower when ammonia is extracted via a single-tower pressurized stripping side stream?
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What is the reason for the severe water hammer in the effluent from the ammonia purification tower, following single-tower pressurized stripping with ammonia extraction and three-stage fractional condensation cooling?
We are not entirely clear about your specific manufacturing process, but water hammer phenomena usually occur due to uneven heating of the vapor-liquid mixture! If conditions permit, you can turn on a bypass for the condenser to see the effect!
In the current single-tower ammonia extraction process, the liquid from the ammonia purification tower is generally discharged directly into the sulfur-containing wastewater tank after passing through a level control valve. Pressure reduction occurs after the valve, and the liquid discharged is high-concentration ammonia water, close to liquid ammonia. Upon pressure reduction, the ammonia liquid vaporizes; when this gaseous ammonia enters the sulfur-containing wastewater tank, a water hammer effect occurs. During operation, it is important to control the amount of liquid added to and removed from the rectification tower in a small, continuous, and steady manner, avoiding large fluctuations; if necessary, manual valves can be used to appropriately limit the discharge volume.
The drain line is relatively thin, while the sewage pipeline is thicker; in actual operation, when the drainage flow rate is high, the water hammer effect is actually reduced； There is also a drain line that leads into a smaller sewage pipeline, and water hammer is quite severe. Are there any experiences in dealing with this?
Consider adding a mixer, or having the return line lead directly to the inlet of the sulfur-containing wastewater tank.
It’s probably the packing inside the tower; low operating temperature may have caused the packing or trays in the tower to get clogged
It’s not due to the tower; it’s water hammer in the drain line.