Why is the liquid discharged by the compressor acidic?
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Our facility uses hyposodium as a cleaning agent; the cooling towers utilize waste hyposodium as a coolant, which then enters the compressor. However, the liquid discharged after water replacement in the compressor is acidic, with a pH of around 2. What reactions take place inside the compressor, or what could turn the compressed liquid into a strong acid?
The compressor only serves to increase pressure; no reaction should occur, so it probably has nothing to do with the compressor
It definitely isn’t related to the compressor; defective sodium has entered the compressor chamber. Check the return pipeline of your water ring compressor to see if the water drained from it is also acidic.
From your question, it seems you are referring to an acetylene water ring compressor. Acetylene usually contains phosphorus, sulfur, and other elements, which produce acidic substances when in contact with water. We added a buffer tank before the acetylene enters the compressor; alkali is placed in this tank, and a pH meter is installed for regular inspections.
The waste sodium content in the coolant is high, causing reactions to occur in the cooling tower; the gas contains acid!