Distillation column operation
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In the operation of distillation towers, certain special situations often arise, such as the shutdown of circulating water, steam supply, or power supply. How should such situations be handled? ?
It’s simple: first conduct the necessary risk analysis, and then based on the most significant risks identified, manually set up some interlocks in the DCS； For non-urgent emergency responses, solutions are determined on the spot based on the actual circumstances
To stop the circulating water, the steam must be shut off immediately to prevent overheating; appropriate venting at the top of the tower is necessary to maintain overpressure, and the material in the reflux tank is fed into the tower to lower its temperature. Steam has little impact; stop feeding to maintain reflux for cooling, and shut down the pump when the liquid level in the reflux tank is low. In the event of a power outage, steam must be stopped immediately to prevent overheating and overpressure. Be aware that a sudden drop in temperature in the atmospheric pressure tower can result in negative pressure, so it is not necessary to supply nitrogen. This is the standard way of handling things; different processes and material properties require different approaches, and a plan must be devised based on the actual situation.