Is the chlorine buffer tank a pressure vessel in the production of sodium hypochlorite?
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Hello everyone. My company produces sodium hypochlorite in-house. Since obtaining a license for the use of hazardous substances is required, information related to pressure vessels must be provided. When chlorine is released, the pressure is very low, usually below 0.02 MPa. In some special situations, the chlorine gas may cause blockages in the pipelines that carry it into the liquid alkali, leading to an increase in pressure. My pressure relief valve is designed to handle pressures of up to 0.3 MPa. Does this constitute a pressure vessel? (The normal operating pressure is below 0.02 MPa.)
It depends on the regulations regarding pressure vessels; you can search online. If you can’t find an answer, I’ll help you.
Whether you are a chlor-alkali company producing sodium hypochlorite using elemental chlorine or liquefied tail chlorine, or producing it by vaporizing liquid chlorine, it should and must be a pressure vessel. Why? 1. According to the regulations: A vessel is considered a pressure vessel depending on its operating pressure; if it is ≥0.10 MPa (gauge), it is a pressure vessel ； It is determined for several types of pressure vessels by the product of the design pressure and volume. The poster said that under normal conditions it is 0.02 MPa. Perhaps your production capacity of sodium hypochlorite is not high, or you use a tower-based production method rather than a batch-based one. In the batch process, the chlorine pressure is higher due to the liquid level, and the pressure in this process increases over time, eventually exceeding the specified value of 0.1 MPa ； 2. Generally, for processes involving chlorine at high operating pressures, the value recommended by the process engineering team is often above 0.1 MPa, as suggested by the equipment engineering team ； 3. If your installation has reliable measures to ensure that the maximum operating pressure of the chlorine buffer tank is ≤0.1 (for example, an explosion-proof membrane or a positive liquid seal), it can be considered not to be a pressure vessel. I don’t think it’s necessary; after all, chlorine is a **chemical agent**.
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