A problem was detected with the bottom reboiler during normal production
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It is a naphtha distillation tower; at the bottom of the tower, there is a reboiler that uses kerosene as a heat source to exchange heat with the naphtha. When the valve of the kerosene pipeline is opened, the temperature at the bottom of the tower should normally increase. However, in this case, while the temperature at the bottom of the tower does increase as expected, the liquid level there also rises suddenly. The valve for discharging the liquid from the bottom of the tower opens wider, resulting in an increased discharge volume. All the instrument readings are accurate. What could be the reason for this increase in the liquid level at the bottom of the tower?
A sudden increase in the liquid level at the bottom of the tower may affect the reading of the level gauge due to the position of the reboiler return to the tower. The increased bottom of column yield is only a temporary condition; the bottom liquid level will decrease over time.
Could it be that there is a leak in the reboiler, causing kerosene to mix into the naphtha at the bottom of the tower? Which medium has higher pressure? Has there been any change in the boiling range of the naphtha at the bottom of the distillation tower? Is there a material balance for the inflow and outflow of the tower?
Test the components at the bottom of the tower to see what’s there, to determine whether a leak in the reboiler can be ruled out. It’s also possible that issues with the tower’s equilibrium may arise as the temperature at the bottom of the tower increases