5th Installation of Wet Scrubbers at PTA Plants
Additionally, the process applications require that all scrubbers are designed as pressure vessels, conforming to Section VIII, Division I of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code.
The manufacturer contacted Branch Environmental Corp. since this was the fifth installation of wet scrubbers they have supplied for this process. The process conditions varied as follows:
- Inlet gas and vapor quantities from 980.0 kg/h (577 CFM) up to 121,000 kg/h (71,220 CFM).
- Temperatures from 130ú C (266ú F) to 210ú C (410ú F).
- Design pressure of 2.1 kg/cm2 g (30 psi).
Three basic wet scrubber designs were required to meet the different process conditions:
- HE, or High Efficiency scrubbers remove very fine dust, fumes or mist, where process operating conditions vary significantly. A variable venturi throat maintains a constant pressure drop and efficiency as process operating conditions change. Designs were provided for manual and automatic adjustment of the venturi throat, on three (3) of the applications.
- Jet Venturi scrubbers allow the use of high liquid rates, which were necessary on two (2) of the applications. Energy from the scrubbing liquid, which is sprayed under pressure, is used to allow variable gas rates without loss of performance.
- Open spray towers provide turbulent mixing of liquid and gas, with low energy loss. Gas flowing vertically upward encounters a series of multiple sprays which direct the liquid downward, mixing with the gas. This turbulent mixing provides good condensing of vapors and absorption of gases. Three (3) applications required this design.
Branch Environmental Corp. is a worldwide leader in supplying environmental compliance systems for the removal or destruction of air and water contaminants. Typical applications include contaminated ground water, acid or chlorine fumes, boiler flue gases (ash, SOx, NOx), odor control, municipal incineration, VOC's and various chemical processes.