Which approach is more reasonable for determining the disposal method for acidic water?
Thread Content
During normal operation, the gas phase in the quench tower carries a portion of the liquid water into the solvent system at the rear. There are generally two ways in which this water can be removed: 1. The quench tower is used to control the temperature at its top, so that as little water as possible is carried in the gas phase to the rear; in this way, the acidic water generated can be discharged in a controlled amount at the bottom of the tower. 2. If the quench tower is not adjusted, the liquid level at the back will rise gradually; the acidic water generated in this case is usually routed to the acidic water treatment unit through a process involving the reflux tank at the top of the regeneration tower. Between the two options, which do you think is more reasonable? Dear sea friends, please explain your reasoning or reasons!
1. Quench water is relatively dirty; in fact, quench water coolers tend to accumulate sulfur due to production fluctuations, which leads to a decrease in their cooling capacity. As a result, it is often difficult to lower the temperature at the outlet of the quench tower. Otherwise, wouldn’t your problem have been solved long ago using this approach? 2. Many companies use a process in which acidic water is discharged outside the regenerative slurry return pump, and this approach is also quite reliable.
Since the cooling water is relatively dirty, why not discharge more of it here, instead of letting it be carried to the back for disposal?
Dirty water does not mean dirty gas. Secondly, we often try to lower the temperature of the quench water, but it is not effective. There are also limits on the amount of cooling water used in the circulation system, as well as on the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet; it is not acceptable to increase the amount of circulating water excessively just to reduce the temperature by one or two degrees.
It is because the water is dirty that the gas becomes clean; thus, the condensate water that enters the rear section is also relatively clean, right? So wouldn’t it be better to discharge this water here! Of course, we also know the temperature at the top of the quench tower; it’s just kept within a certain range! I’m still very grateful for Engineer Yu’s detailed answers!
Actually, what I mentioned earlier is mainly based on practice, with not much theory involved. To say that the problem of the increasing amount of amine solution can be solved by adjusting the outlet temperature of the quench tower – is that really such a difficult issue? It’s just a simple process adjustment. It only really became a problem after adjusting the outlet temperature of the quench tower proved insufficient to solve the issue.
Theory comes from practice; some techniques that work very well in actual applications have been developed through long-term experience. As for the theoretical basis, it depends on whether people are good at summarizing! As a newcomer to sulfur work, I need experienced mentors like you to guide me – thank you for your help! :$