Sealless pump design tackles HF alkylation

Magnetic drive sealless pumps featuring new applied sciences, particularly designed to be used in Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) Alkylation, have been developed in response to the challenges of handling HF acid.
The new HMD Kontro sealless pump ensures conformity with all environmental well being and security requirements by way of full fluid containment. – Image: HMD Kontro

Hydrofluoric acid alkylation is a chemical/hydrocarbon processing application which poses specific challenges to process operators, together with the dangers associated with the handling of a deadly, extremely corrosive fluid which poses a possible hazard to plant tools, the individuals who work on site and the wider setting should leaks occur.
The process

HF Alkylation combines olefins (primarily a combination of propylene and butylene) with isobutene in the presence of a hydrofluoric acid catalyst to produce alkylate. A high-octane additive, alkylate is a important safety part that offsets the high vapour strain of the ethanol mandated in today’s low-sulphur unleaded petrol and gasoline provides. The continual tightening of fresh fuels’ laws has increased the demand for alkylate, which is also answerable for the anti-knocking property of unleaded petrol/gasoline in trendy automobiles.
Potential risks

The HF alkylation course of poses numerous severe environmental and well being and safety risks if poorly managed, with the potential for acid runaway, accelerated tools corrosion and related HF launch. HF acid by its nature seeks out and attacks imperfections in solid metal components that may ultimately reduce the lifetime of pumps, valves and different equipment and worse nonetheless, result in product leakage. Failure-prone mechanical seals can leak harmful process fluids. เครื่องมือวัดpressure and damaging nature of HF acid locations great significance on the selection of fabric of forged parts, notably in terms of the pump casing and impeller.
Designed for resistance against highly corrosive fluids similar to HF acids, magnetic drive sealless pumps supply complete containment with built-in reliability. Magnetic drive sealless pumps featuring new technologies have been particularly designed to be used in hydrofluoric acid alkylation units and have been developed in response to the challenges of dealing with HF acid.
Magnetic drive sealless pumps that includes new technologies have been specifically designed to be used in hydrofluoric acid alkylation units and were developed in response to the challenges of handling HF acid. – Image: HMD Kontro

HMD Kontro HF pump

The result of shut collaboration between UOP Honeywell, the main licensor of HF alkylation expertise and HMD Kontro, and using an revolutionary improvement process, the HMD Kontro HF pump contains a excessive integrity pump casing manufactured from Alloy C22 (ASTM A194 Gr. CX2MW) which has been tested using new strategies of Non-Destructive Examination (NDE).
Specialist design options

Built into the design of those next era pumps are features which meet operator-specific needs for the HF alkylation course of. They embody a pump casing in Alloy C22 materials, which has been proven to offer the necessary resistance to corrosion and also meets NDE requirements for HF acid. In addition, the pump’s secondary containment system is rated to forty bar (580 psi), eliminating the potential for leakage into the environment, and reducing operational risks and the associated prices to fulfill stringent environmental and health and safety goals. Finally, there is continuous monitoring to ensure a dependable sealless pump performance which includes leak detection instrumentation and protection against dry pump working (power management monitor).
With no seals to leak, no seal buffer techniques to help and maintain and no supporting methods, the latest magnetic drive sealless pump technology offers vital security, price and operational advantages. Lower end-user installation costs and simplified upkeep necessities, make it an efficient whole-life proposition compared to typical mechanically sealed pumps.
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