Sealless pump design tackles HF alkylation

Magnetic drive sealless pumps featuring new technologies, specifically designed for use 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 health and security requirements by way of full fluid containment. – Image: HMD Kontro

Hydrofluoric acid alkylation is a chemical/hydrocarbon processing software which poses explicit challenges to process operators, including the risks associated with the dealing with of a deadly, extremely corrosive fluid which poses a possible hazard to plant gear, the people who work on website and the broader setting ought to leaks occur.
The process

HF Alkylation combines olefins (primarily a mix of propylene and butylene) with isobutene within the presence of a hydrofluoric acid catalyst to supply alkylate. A high-octane additive, alkylate is a crucial safety component that offsets the high vapour strain of the ethanol mandated in today’s low-sulphur unleaded petrol and gasoline provides. The continual tightening of unpolluted fuels’ legislation has increased the demand for alkylate, which can be liable for the anti-knocking property of unleaded petrol/gasoline in trendy automobiles.
Potential dangers

The HF alkylation process poses a variety of critical environmental and well being and safety risks if poorly managed, with the potential for acid runaway, accelerated equipment corrosion and related HF release. HF acid by its nature seeks out and attacks imperfections in solid metal components that can finally scale back the lifetime of pumps, valves and other tools and worse nonetheless, lead to product leakage. Failure-prone mechanical seals can leak harmful process fluids. The aggressive and damaging nature of HF acid places nice significance on the choice of material of solid elements, notably by means of the pump casing and impeller.
Designed for resistance against highly corrosive fluids corresponding to HF acids, magnetic drive sealless pumps supply complete containment with built-in reliability. Magnetic drive sealless pumps that includes new technologies have been particularly designed to be used in hydrofluoric acid alkylation units and have been developed in response to the challenges of handling HF acid.
Magnetic drive sealless pumps that includes new technologies have been specifically designed to be used in hydrofluoric acid alkylation units and had been developed in response to the challenges of handling HF acid. – Image: HMD Kontro

HMD Kontro HF pump

The results of close collaboration between UOP Honeywell, the leading licensor of HF alkylation expertise and HMD Kontro, and utilizing an revolutionary growth process, the HMD Kontro HF pump includes a excessive integrity pump casing manufactured from Alloy C22 (ASTM A194 Gr. CX2MW) which has been examined using new strategies of Non-Destructive Examination (NDE).
pressure gauge

Built into the design of these subsequent technology pumps are features which meet operator-specific wants for the HF alkylation process. They embody a pump casing in Alloy C22 materials, which has been proven to offer the required resistance to corrosion and likewise meets NDE necessities for HF acid. In addition, the pump’s secondary containment system is rated to 40 bar (580 psi), eliminating the potential for leakage into the environment, and reducing operational dangers and the associated costs to fulfill stringent environmental and well being and safety objectives. Finally, there is continuous monitoring to make sure a reliable sealless pump efficiency which incorporates leak detection instrumentation and safety towards dry pump working (power management monitor).
With pressure gauge octa to leak, no seal buffer methods to help and keep and no supporting systems, the most recent magnetic drive sealless pump know-how provides significant safety, price and operational benefits. Lower end-user set up prices and simplified upkeep requirements, make it an efficient whole-life proposition compared to conventional mechanically sealed pumps.
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