Do distillation towers operated under vacuum require safety valves?
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As the title says. According to fire safety regulations, it seems unnecessary to install one, but there is a reboiler at the bottom of the tower. In the event of condensation at the top of the tower or an interruption in the reflux flow, or in case of a fire, could pressure build up? Overpressure protection should be installed, right? What do everyone do? I checked, and it seems that some have it while others don’t. Security is very strict these days; will there be problems if it’s not set up?
For the abnormal situations you mentioned, it is safer to install a safety valve.
It is not necessary to include it, but from a technical perspective, it is better to have it.
It should be installed if there is a possibility of overpressure occurring during the production process and if that overpressure could cause damage; otherwise, it is not necessary to install it.
I think a safety valve should be installed; the reboiler that provides the heat source is itself a pressure vessel； Secondly, during operation, there may be interruptions in the cooling water supply or failures of the vacuum pump; such situations can cause a sharp rise in pressure. Since distillation towers are usually designed with low pressures, this can easily lead to safety accidents.
Safety considerations focus not only on normal operating conditions but also, to a greater extent, on abnormal operating conditions. If it exists, then it needs to be set up
This statement is absolutely correct! !
If it needs to be set, is the leakage rate calculated based on cooling water failures? In other words: is the discharge volume the maximum amount of steam that enters the condenser under normal operating conditions?
It can be considered to be located at the highest point of the gas pipeline; sometimes, leakage inside the condenser is taken into account, as well as the excessive pressure resulting from the sudden vaporization of the cold medium. A burst disc will suffice; the possibility of overpressure is not high either. I don’t think overpressure is likely in other cases, as long as the gas pipes are all straight.