【Alkylation】Problems encountered during the operation of the Rumus alkylation unit
Thread Content
This post was last edited by Xiao Gong 1985 on 2016-4-3 09:59. We use the Rumus process for the production of alkylated oils, and we have encountered the following problems during operation; we hope everyone can help us figure them out. 1. The sulfur content in the raw material is below 10 ppm, yet the sulfur content in the alkylated oil reaches 8 ppm. We’re not sure what causes this. When the sulfur content in the raw material is high, the sulfur content in the alkylated oil doesn’t change much. Could this be related to the operation of the isobutane removal tower? 2. The acid consumption was initially high, reaching 150 KG; under the current operating conditions it has dropped to 50–60 KG. 3. Should the oil removed from the waste acid sedimentation tank be sent back to the reactor? Does doing so affect the quality of the alkyl oil? I hope everyone can discuss this together
1. Alkylated oils have a high sulfur content; check the alkali washing system. 2. High acid consumption at the beginning of operation is normal. 3. The oil discharged from the waste agent dehydrogenation tank does not affect quality as long as proper operations are followed.
The Rums process does not have an alkali washing system; acid and oil separation is achieved through a coalescer
There’s nothing abnormal! 1. It has little to do with the operation of the isobutane removal tower; sulfides generally accumulate in the acid phase and do not accumulate in the product. Therefore, fluctuations in the sulfur content of the upstream raw materials have little impact on the quality of the alkylated oil ； 2. It is normal to have high acid consumption in the early stages of operation; even 50–60 kg is considered quite high. Dupont’s technology reaches this level only abroad, and it should be possible to achieve lower values ； At the beginning of operation, a large amount of acid-soluble oil is produced, resulting in high acid consumption; as the amount of acid-soluble oil gradually stabilizes, the acid consumption also becomes more stable.
So what is the sulfur content related to?
1. Poor control of the reaction unit leads to an increase in side reactions. 2. Acidification during operation. 3. The refining system is not effective, resulting in esters being carried into the distillation unit where they decompose. These are the main reasons for the increase in sulfur content. Of course, the performance of the pretreatment system also has an impact on the sulfur content.
If there are any shortcomings in my skills, I earnestly ask all the experts to kindly offer their guidance.
Is Rums’ alkylated gasoline catalyzed by solid acids or sulfuric acid? Which catalyst is used in your facility?
The sulfur content in the feed has no relation to the sulfur content of the product; the recovery of hydrocarbons using acid precipitation tanks does not affect product quality