06 0505 00
06 0505 00
06 0505 00
SULPHUREX F
Continuous S03 sulphonation and sul-
phation plant for detergent alkylates,
fatty alcohols, ethoxylated alcohols, al-
pha-olefins, methylesters etc.
INTRODUCTION 3
PLANT LAY-OUT 5
AIR DRYING 8
S03 PRODUCTION 12
FILM SULPHONATION 16
NEUTRALIZATION 22
CONTROL SYSTEM 26
PLANT INSTALLATION 28
PLANT SKID-MOUNTING 28
BALLESTRA S.p.A.
Via P. Portaluppi, 17 - 20138 MILANO - Italy - Tel.: +39 02 50831 - Fax:+39 02 58013221/5083327 - Tx: 311519INGBA1 - E-Mail: [email protected]
INTRODUCTION
The technology of S03 converter gas sulphonation Today's concept of "product quality" is associated
was first introduced on the market by Mr. Mario with the precision and reliability of the control of
Ballestra in the late 50's. The original concept has the process. Ballestra has accordingly developed a
remained substantially unchanged up to the pre- computer process control system that ensures
sent day. The technology is based on the use of easy and reliable plant operation also for plant
gaseous S03 (the sulphonating agent), which is start-up, shut-down and product change-over.
produced from elemental sulphur, in a continuous
reaction, at a controlled mole ratio, with organic Ever since it was first introduced, the Sulphurex F
feedstock materials such as detergent alkylates, plant has represented the process plant of refer-
fatty alcohols, fatty ethoxylated alcohols, fatty ence for the production of Anionic Surfactants in
acids and their esters, alpha olefins, etc. line with the most demanding market requests;
more than 200 sulphonation units, based on the
The process was introduced to the surfactants Ballestra Multitube Film Reactor (in a range of
and detergent industry under the trade name production capacity from 50 to 10000 kg/h),
SULPHUREX. have been put successfully into operation.
The basic feature of the original Sulphurex plant The main features of the standard Sulphurex F
was the reaction section, which consisted of a cas- plant, its performances and the available options
cade of stirred tank reactors, where the gaseous for the plant configuration are described in this
reactant (S03 diluted in air) is fed in parallel to brochure.
each reactor at a pre-set rate and the organic feed
enters the first reactor and the liquid mass, under However, various other plant configurations, such
steady state running conditions, overflows by as the connection of the Film Reactor
gravity from one reactor to the next. Sulphonation Unit with existing S03 sources (ei-
ther from H2S04 or other sulphonation plants),
The Sulphurex plant is still today a reliable and can be developped according to Client's specific
economical plant for the sulphonation of deter- requirements.
gent raw materials and many plants of this type
are in operation, some from over 30 years. Ballestra services are performed in accordance
with the applicable International Standards/Regu-
In 1980 Ballestra introduced the SULPHUREX F, a lations.
sulphonation plant based on a new Multitube Film
Reactor which is capable of producing sulphonated
or sulphated products of the highest quality, even
those products which are the most difficult and
sensitive to process, such as products for the cos-
metic industry, where clear and bright product are
needed without additional bleaching.
GLYCOL SOLUTION
RECIRCULATINC PUMPS
REFRIGERATING EXCHANGERS
CONTAINER & GLYCOL TANK
REGENERATION EXCI
CONTAINER
REGENERATION
AIR COOLER
SOrSO, CONVERTER 1(
SULPHUR COMBUSTION 1STINTERCOOLER /
*я?л
FURNACE
SULPHUR
tLTING TANK
Raw material
SULPHONATION MULTITUBE Jl
FILM REACTOR
Active
matter
Sulphonic
acid
Effluents
to reprocessing
FILM SULPH(ON)ATION
Process Block Diagram
| | Final Products
Raw Materials
[ | Process unit
HEAT
RECOVERY
I
SULPHUR S02/S03
PRE-TREATMENT PRODUCTION
'
SULPHONATION
& •*! EXHAUST
GAS
SULPHATION TREATMENT
AGEING
&
STABILIZING
SSING J_
I
2ND STEP 1 caustic
•PING
NEUTRALIZATION! soda
I i
SLES LAB
DEAREATION sulphonic acid
Active Matter
Paste
Regeneration Ьхспапдег container
AIR GLYCOL
COOLER
к AIR WATER
* COOLER
GLYCOL SOLUTION
RECIRCULATING PUMPS
REFRIGERATING EXCHANGERS
CONTAINER & GLYCOL TANK
REGENERATION1
AIR COOLER
Hot;
from SO,
10
AIR DRYING
Chilling Group
12
S03 PRODUCTION
The dried air is conveyed to the sulphur combus- Conversion of S02 to S03 by the above de-
tion furnace where it meets the liquid sulphur in scribed converters is even higher than 99%.
counterflow, and converts it to S02, by burning it.
At plant start-up, the S02 cooler is used to pre-
If sulphur is available as solid the plant is heat the process air so to bring the catalyst to
equipped with a melting tank which is provided the right conversion temperature in a very short
with a set of filters to retain impurities. time (two to three hours).
The sulphur burner does not need to be pre-
Sulphur dosing is carried out by special propor- heated for the start-up operation.
tioning pumps at controlled temperatures, so as
to maintain the viscosity at optimum and constant One great advantage of this plant section is
values. the absence of any diverting or by-pass valves
in the process line where corrosive gas at rela-
Sulphur combustion takes place in a refractory- tively high temperature is produced thus
lined, vertical furnace. After being ignited by eliminating the possibility of leakages and re-
means of a pilot lighter, the sulphur is uniformly lated problems.
distributed over a bundle of refractory balls, with
the combustion air counterflowing over it. This
simple system permits complete sulphur combus-
tion. The diluted sulphur dioxide leaves the sul-
phur combustion furnace at a temperature of
about 650°C, after which it is cooled to about
430°C by means of a S02 cooler.
MOLTEN SULPHUR
FILTER
MOLTEN SULPHUR
PROPORTIONING PUMPS
14
Dry air
from air dryer
Dry air to
sulpnonation
Hot air to
S02-S0, CONVERTER
1ST1NTERCOOLER
OFF-SPEC/RAW MATERIAL
STATIC MIXER
SULPHONAT10N MULTITUBE
FILM REACTOR
Raw
material
REACTOR INLET
GAS FILTER
OFF-SPEC/WATER
PROPOTIONING PUMP
Dry air
from
air dryer
Water to
neutralization
Oleum
to exhaust gas
treatment
Exhaust gas
to electrostatic
precipitator
RXGAS
EFFLUENTS CYCLONE
Sulphonic acid
to neutralization
SULPHONIC ACID
TRANSFER PUMP
AGEING VESSEL
О
Sulphonic acid
to storage
SULPHONIC ACID
SULPHUREX F COOLER
Film sulphonation
17
The Ballestra continuous S0 3 sulphonation and The self-adjustment (patented worldwide) has
sulphation plant for surfactant production (i.e.: been theoretically and industrially proven for reac-
detergent grade alkylates, fatty alcohols, ethoxy- tors having up to 10000 kg/h capacity to be consis-
lated fatty alcohols, alpha-olefins and fatty acid tently in the range of ± 0.005 of more ratio.
methylesters) is based on a Multitube Film
Reactor of proprietary design. The Mole Ratio Control System
This reactor consists of a vertical bundle of long, Sulph(on)ation process control via optimized
small-diameter tubes, the number of which depends mass balance:
on the plant production capacity. The S03-gas is fed
to the upper part of the reactor and equally distrib- The exact mole ratio between the S03 and the or-
uted to each reaction tube. The organic feedstock and ganic feed is essential for obtaining the maximum
S03-gas are fed co-currently. The liquid film which is degree of conversion and excellent colour with all
formed inside the tubes comes in contact with the types of feedstock.
gaseous reactant. The length and diameter of the
tubes have been optimized through a computer mod- The best theoretical sulphonation yield for a given
el to provide best product quality performance. organic feedstock is obtained by optimizing the
SOa/organic mole ratio and equally distributing
The special design of the Ballestra reactor ensures the reactants in the sulphonation reactor.
accurate dosing of the organic feedstock and S03
gas keeping the exact mole ratio between them. Any excess S03, especially in areas of the reactor
where the cooling is critical, will cause local char-
Each individual tube is machined with utmost me- ring, which will degrade both the product colour
chanical precision so to ensure identical perfor- and the degree of conversion.
mance in gas and liquid flow distribution. Mole Ratio Control System
Organic feed
Cooling
water
_к Cooling
water
\A/ator
In fact, optimum conversion of raw material to The sulphonic acid and exhaust gas leaving the re-
sulphonate is nearly a direct function of mole ra- actor are sent in a high efficiency gas liquid sepa-
tio, while at mole ratios even slightly higher than rator and cyclone.
optimum (usually in the range of 1.02-1.05 mole
S03 to 1 mole organic), the product darkens
rapidly and coloured by-products are generated. let Gas Filter and MFR Head
TYPE OF FEEDSTOCK
REACTION PARAMETER
C12-C14 C16-C18 C12-C1S C16-C18 C14-C16
LAB
FA FA 3EOFA ME АО
SOa/organic mole ratio (range approx) 1.01-1.03 1.01-1.02 1.01-1.02 1.01-1.02 1.5-1.20 1.05-1.07
Cooling water temperature (C°) 34-36 24-26 45-50 30-32 70-80 15-20
The gas is sent to the exhaust gas treatment unit cluding "specialties" such as cosmetic and den-
and then released to the atmosphere. tal-grade fatty-alcohol sulphates.
NEUTRALIZATION SULPHUREXF
("NEUTREX")
Neutralization
H20/NaOH
When the sulphonated PROPORTIONING PUMP
product leaves the reactor,
CAUSTIC SODA TANK
it is degassed, and it is ei-
ther pre-treated or immedi-
ately sent to the neutraliza-
tion unit, according to the
type of processed feed-
stock. Active
matter
Oleum from
S03 production
Effluents
to reprocessing'
S02 SCRUBBER
RECIRCULATING PUMP
The exhaust gas, containing small amounts of non- The potential difference established between the
converted S02, unreacted S03 and some entrained electrodes and the walls of the tubes electrically
organic acid, has to be cleaned before emission to charges the impurities located in the gas stream.
ambient atmosphere. These forces cause the particulates to migrate to-
The organic aerosol and fine S03/ H2S04 droplets ward the positive anode (the tube wall) where
are first separated from the exhaust gas flow in they coalesce on the surface and drain off under
an electrostatic precipitator (ESP) and re- the influence of gravity.
processed in the plant.
The ESP consists of a bundle of tubes mounted The gaseous stream containing the residual un-
vertically with each tube containing an axially- converted S02 is then treated in a packed scrub-
mounted electrode. ber column, where water and caustic soda solu-
25
tion are continuously added and recycled. The S02 continuously recirculated to the column and is
reacts with the caustic soda to give sodium sul- overflowed to the downstream oxidation unit.
phite, which is discharged as aqueous solution.
The feeding of the caustic soda solution is done Part of the NaHS03 which is oxidized to NazS04 by the
automatically and is controlled so as to maintain excess of air contained in the exhaust gas, is then dis-
the scrubber liquor at the required pH. charged from the scrubbing column at about 10%
concentration and constant pH (about 8.5).
This reaction is performed by means of a specially The amount discharged is directly proportional to
designed packed column where intimate contact the amount of non converted S02. The clean, water-
between the gas and liquid phases is obtained saturated gas is then discharged to the atmosphere.
countercurrently.
The liquid enters the top of the column and flows The maximum content is 5 ppm vol. of S02,15
downward through the column, which is filled with ppm vol. of S03, 25 mg /m3 of organic aerosol
plastic rings to ensure sufficient surface contact and absence of visible plume. Enhanced effi-
and avoid the formation of preferential pathways ciency, for a max value of 5 ppm of total SOx
of the liquid through the bed. (S02 + S03 + RS03H) can be achieved with ad-
The liquid leaving the bottom of the column is ditional high efficiency gas demisters.
Exhaust Gas Treatment Unit
26
CONTROL SYSTEM
The Plant standard Computer Control System All commands can be given by means of trackball
contains the following main components: or keyboard to manage the following functions:
The software performs the following functions: The control system does also perform automatic
(batch) sequences such as the dryer regeneration
- plant control by means of interlocks
cycles and all emergency / interlock procedures
- P1D control loops and automatic sequences
for operation and safety protection.
(such as of silica gel regeneration) and emer-
gency sequence
The plant design and relevant process control sys-
- screen lay-outs, which allow the remote control
tem ensures in case of emergency plant shut-
and survey of the plant during start-up, normal
down redundant and intrinsical safety without
operation and shut-down conditions and allow
need of back up/power generators.
dealing with alarm situations
The operator's interface has a sufficient number The computer system is nevertheless complete
of screen graphic layouts in colour which repre- with UPS which allows additional monitoring and
sent the process P&I. data logging in case of power failure.
27
When the control and supervision system is in The system can supply reports relevant to alarms,
operation, all variables are visible in the screen performed production, raw materials consump-
lay-outs in real time in numeric form; the alarm tion etc.
condition of the plant components and the devia- The operator can set the plant's main control pa-
tion of the pre-set values of the same variables is rameters (instruments full scale, limits and
shown by means of the colour change of graphic alarms qualification, etc.) by means of password
symbols and numerical indications. protected procedures.
Plant Capacity
300-500 800-1000 1600-2000 3000 3800 5000-6000 8000-10000
kg/h
Plant performances
Sulphites oxidation
Alpha-olefins hydrolysis
Heat recovery
S03 absorption
Sulphur melting and pre-treatment
Sles paste deaeration
Sles paste degassing / stripping
Ю Vacuum neutralization
Organic feed
Cooling
water
.л Cooling
T' water
\A/ator
BALLESTRA S.p.A.
VIA P. PORTALUPPI, 17 - 30138 M1LANO - ITALY - TEL.: +39 02 50831
FAX:+39 02 58013221/5083327 - TX: 311519INGBAI - E-Mail: [email protected]
May 1999
S0 3 FILM SULPHONATION PLANTS
SULPHUREX F
Continuous SCb sulphonation and sulphation 1600 A N H U I IMPORT CORP. CHINA
plant of detergent alkylates, fatty alcohols, 1600 * PORT SAID DET. & CHEM. EGYPT
1600 THE EGYPTIAN STARCH EGYPT
ethoxylated alcohols, alpha-olefins etc., based 3000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION E N G L A N D
on Ballestra Multitube Film Reactor. 3500 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION E N G L A N D
2000 CHIMCOMPLECT BULGARIA
2000 CHIMCOMPLECT BULGARIA
2000 PING HE ELECTRONIC CO. CHINA
Kg/h 50 COLGATE PALMOLIVE ITALY
4000 ITALSILVA ITALY
250 SAPONERIE F. LAZZERI ITALY 800 ITALSILVA ITALY
800 PANIGAL ITALY 300 COLEMUL COLOMBIA
500 SAPONERIE F. LAZZERI ITALY 2000 BEHDASH IRAN
500 BASER KIMYA TURKEY 5000 U N G E R FABRIKKER A.S. NORWAY
3000 MINTAX TURKEY 3500 HENKEL GERMANY
1500 U N I L E V E R ITALY 3500 H E N K E L GERMANY
50 INTERQUIMICA D O M I N I C A N REP. 100 HENKEL GERMANY
2000 LA CORONA MEXICO 1000 * MANYAR KIMINDO INDONESIA
300 U N I L E V E R THAILAND 3000 CONFIDENTIAL I N F O R M A T I O N GERMANY
1500 HULS GERMANY 1500 LUCKY KOREA
300 DA! ICHI KARKARIA INDIA 1500 LUCKY KOREA
2500 SHELL AEKYUNG KOREA 2000 SHELL ENGLAND
1500 LUCKY KOREA 2000 SHELL HOLLAND
1500 LUCKY KOREA PILOT ESSO FRANCE
1200 PANIGAL ITALY 1600 REWO GERMANY
300 COLGATE PALMOLIVE U.S.A. 3500 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION FRANCE
2000 TENSIA BELGIUM 3500 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION FRANCE
500 ANTILLES CHEM.MAN.CO. TRINIDAD 2000 FURAT IRAQ
1000 H E N K E L CHIMICA ITALY 1000 SERVO DELDEN HOLLAND
800 CHIMCOMPLECT BULGARIA 1000 GLOBAL SOAP & DETERGENT NIGERIA
100 * U N I C H E M PHILIPPINES 3000 AEKYUNG AND SHELL CO. KOREA
2000 H E N K E L TURKEY (*)TOYO MENKA KAISHA JAPAN
2000 TECHMASHIMPORT U.S.S.R. 3000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION ITALY
150 ALKI TUNISIA 3000 WITCO CHEMICAL FRANCE
500 ITALSILVA ITALY 4000 D.A.C. ITALY
1600 * ROBERT CHEMICALS NEW ZEALAND 300 D.A.C. ITALY
500 MINTAX TURKEY 3000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION AUSTRALIA
2500 COLGATE PALMOLIVE MEXICO 2000 HENKEL BRAZIL
2500 COLGATE PALMOLIVE MEXICO 500 HENKEL BRAZIL
1000 HUBEI IMPORT CO. CHINA 1600 HULS GERMANY
1000 SHANDONG I N T E R N A T I O N A L CHINA 3000 MANYAR K I M I N D O INDONESIA
1500 SHANXI I N T E R N A T I O N A L CHINA HSHANXI I N T E R N A T I O N A L CHINA
1000 SNIC ALGERIA 500 HOECHST BRAZIL
1000 SNIC ALGERIA 500 MASSOY CAROL SPAIN
1000 SNIC ALGERIA 1500 S.E.V.O. IRAQ
1500 ALEXOIL EGYPT 2000 YU KUO CHEMICAL R.O.C.
1000 EGYPTIAN I N D . FOR (*)CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION PHILIPPINES
SYNT. DET. EGYPT 1600(*)CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION PHILIPPINES
1000 JORDAN SULPHO-CHEM. JORDAN 1000 ELTAYASAL GUATEMALA
3000 * COLGATE PALMOLIVE PHILIPPINES 2000 * GULF CHEMICAL U.A.E.
300 * COLGATE PALMOLIVE PHILIPPINES 3000 SHELL GERMANY
300 PHILIPPINE R E F I N I N G CO. PHILIPPINES 2000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION PHILIPPINES
3000 PHILIPPINE R E F I N I N G CO. PHILIPPINES 2000 PROCTER 8 GAMBLE ITALY
2000 * HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS I N D . NIGERIA 5000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION INDONESIA
1000 CHINA HUNAN PROV.IMP.CORP. CHINA 1600 S.E.V.O. (RASHID) IRAQ
1000 CHINA HUNAN PROV.IMP.CORP. CHINA 3000 S.E.V.O. (MAMOUN) IRAQ
500 GODREJ SOAPS INDIA 2000 GODREJ INDIA
500 COLGATE PALMOLIVE MALAYSIA 1600 COLDEQUIM COLOMBIA
2000 CHINA NAT.TECH.IMP.CORP. CHINA 150 U N I T E D COCONUT CHEMICALS PHILIPPINES
1000 C H I N A NAT. MACHINERY CHINA 3000 ALBRIGHT & WILSON ENGLAND
3000 * COLGATE PALMOLIVE AUSTRALIA (*)HENKEL GERMANY
1500 SICHUAN PROV. I M P . CHINA 2000 PAKNAM IRAN
2000 * YEMEN COMPANY Y.A.R. 3000 CHEMSAL GERMANY
1000 XIAN INT. ECONOMIC TECH. CHINA 9000 CONFIDENTIAL I N F O R M A T I O N BRAZIL
1000 LA FAVORITA EL SALVADOR 1500 CONFIDENTIAL I N F O R M A T I O N U.S.S.R.
1600 C H I N A O R I E N T LEASING CO. CHINA (*)CHEIL FOODS & CHEMICAL Co. KOREA
150 * H E N K E L AUSTRIA 1000 C O N F I D E N T I A L I N F O R M A T I O N PAKISTAN
3000 SINOPEC I N T E R N A T I O N A L CHINA 1400 ROYAL I N D . DEV. Co. PHILIPPINES
3000 SAYAP MAS UTAMA INDONESIA 3000(*)PAXAN IRAN
S0 3 FILM SULPHONATION PLANTS
SULPHUREX F
2000 PARS INTERNATIONAL IRAN 500 TUDAB ENG. CO. NIGERIA
750 О COLGATE PALMOLIVE MEXICO 5000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION INDONESIA
1000 BEHDASH CHEMICAL Co. IRAN 6000(^CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION U.S.A.
2000 ECO CONSULT ENGINEERING CSFR 12000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION EUROPE
4500 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION BRAZIL Pilot CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION EUROPE
1000 HENKEL INDONESIA 1600 OZHAN KYMIA TURKEY
(*)CIABASA ARGENTINA 5000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION SPAIN
3000 * CONSOLIDATED SUIJPHOCHEMICALIND. JORDAN 2000 CONDEA CHIMICA D.A.C. ITALY
150 HENKEL GERMANY Pilot CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION ENGLAND
2000 CHEVRON CHEMICAL FRANCE 5000(*)!FRACHEM S.A. FRANCE
3800 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION ITALY SAUDI ARABIA
2000 ARABIAN SULFONATES CY LTD.
2000 * SICCO SYRIA VIETNAM
1600 DUGGIANG CHEMICAL CO.
1300 N A N J I N G SURFACTANTS CHINA
1400 DAABOUL COMPANY SYRIA
5000 AEKYUNG & SHELL Co. KOREA
12000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION EUROPE
1000(*)UNION QUIMICA MEXICO 1
2000 SOCIETE CHERIFIENNE MOROCCO
1000 HENKEL THAILAND
2000 MANRO BELGIUM
2000 CHINA NAT. MACHINERY CHINA
2000 SARUHAN TURKEY
Pilot CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION ENGLAND
1600 WEIFANG SYNTH. DET. CHINA 2000 AL RIYAD JORDAN
5000(*)CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION BRAZIL
3500(*)HOLS GERMANY
3000 FCFC R.O.C. 18000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION U.S.A.
Pilot * CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION ENGLAND
2000(*)HOECHST BRAZIL
5000 PT SAYAP MAS UTAMA INDONESIA
3800 BOMBRIL BRAZIL
3000 HENKEL CHIMICA ITALY
1500 STANDARD SURFACTANTS INDIA
Pilot * HENKEL GERMANY
2000 SANCHEZ Y MARTIN MEXICO
5000 COLGATE PALMOLIVE U.S.A.
6000OCONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION U.S.A.
2000 COLGATE PALMOLIVE MEXICO
1000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION SYRIA
1600 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION VIETNAM
3000 HENKEL TURKEY
SOz/SOi production
Pilot CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION U.S.A.
12000(*)CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION MEXICO
5000 P.T. UNGGUL INDAH CO. CONFIDENTIAL
6000(*)CONFIDENT1AL INFORMATION U.S.A.
2000(*)HICKSON MANRO BELGIUM
6000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION THAILAND
5000 HENKEL CHINA
Pilot CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION U.S.A.
2000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION PHILIPPINES
2000 ORBIT CHEMICAL IND. KENYA
5000 P.T. WINGS SURYA INDONESIA
5000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION THAILAND
5000(*)CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION PHILIPPINES
1000 AL INTAJ SULPHO CHEM.IND.CO.OMAN
1000 SOCIETE' CHERIFIENNE MOROCCO
3000 JINTUNG PETROCHEMICAL CHINA
5000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION INDONESIA
1000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION CROATIA
2000 GALAXY INDIA
6000(*)CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION U.S.A.
1000 NATIONAL DETERGENT OMAN
3000 XIAN CHINA
1600(*)GECODA SYRIA
2000 SAN MIGUEL INDUSTRIAL PERU
1600 CHINA HUAYANG TECHNOLOGY CHINA
2000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION SAUDI ARABIA Note:
300(*)CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION U.S.A. * Plants skid mounted Partial supply
2000(*)BENCKISER CHINA
3000 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION (•)S0 3 Film Sulphonation plant supplied by Mazzoni de-
2000 (*) LUCKY KOREA tergent division, purchased by Ballestra in 1991, based
2000 COLGATE PALMOLIVE VENEZUELA on reactor M.
4500 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
5000 LA CORONA MEXICO Ballestra is in a position to service these plants having
available all relevant khow how
SULPHUREX M (•)
400 THIE-LONG CONG-TY TRACH NHIEM VIETNAM 1000 STE DE PROD. CHIM. DET. TUNISIA
500 DERIVADOS TENSIOACTIVOS SPAIN 2300 LEVER BROTHERS MALAYSIA
500(*)FABRICA DE JABON LA LUZ GUATEMALA 1600 CNTIC (BENX1) CHINA
300 FABR1CA DE JABON LA LUZ GUATEMALA 1600 CHINA LIGHT IND.CO.(GUANZHOU) CHINA
1000 FABRICA DE JABON LA LUZ GUATEMALA 1000 GUANGSHAO DEV.CO.(GHAOGUAN) CHINA
2000 MAN. OF CHEM. DETERGENTS SYRIA 1500 POLIMEX FOR ORGANIKA ROKITA POLAND
500 SUPERIOR SYNDETS INDIA 500 POLIMEX FOR POLLENA GDANSK POLAND
1000 INS-HER ARGENTINA 1600 GZTC (GUANXI) CHINA
1500 ALBRIGHT & WILSON "MARCHON" ENGLAND 1000 PULCRA SPAIN
2000 IBLA ITALY 1000 PULCRA SPAIN
4500 (*) MARCHON ITALIANA ITALY 150 PULCRA SPAIN
3000 (*) MARCHON ITALIANA ITALY 1700(*)HOECHST IBERICA SPAIN
2000 MARCHON ITALIANA ITALY 2000(*)B.P. DETERGENTS LIMITED ENGLAND
150 MARCHON ITALIANA ITALY 3500 PETROQU1M1CA ESPANOLA SPAIN
2000 BOMBRIL BRAZIL 150 PETROQUIM1CA ESPANOLA SPAIN
300 HYNS BABY PRODUCTS EGYPT 2000 SIDOBRE-SINNOVA FRANCE
500 JABONERIA NACIONAL ECUADOR 3500 GRUPO ULTRA BRAZIL
500 IREX COSTA RICA 150 GRUPO ULTRA BRAZIL
500 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION 2500 TATA VASHISTI DETERGENTS INDIA
150 "U.G.S." FRANCE 4000 ZSCHIMMER & SCHWARTZ ITALY
1500 THE EGYPTIAN SALT & SODA EGYPT 2000(*)ALBRIGHT & WILSON FRANCE
500 SOCIEDADE DE COMERCIO E
INDUSTRIA DE DETERGENTES PORTUGAL
CONSUMPTION (kg)
100% ACTIVE MATTER SOURCE Organic
Feedstock Sulphur NaOH 100%(*)
Linear DDB
mwZ45 718 98 130
Branched DDB
mwZ45 723 98 131
Lauryl alcohol +3 EO
mw339 787 79 106
AIpha-olefinsCl4-C18
mw237 700 103 137
MethylesterC16-C18
mw262 755 112 153
PRODUCTS CHARACTERISTICS
Linear DDB:
- acid 97.5-98 0.8-1.2 0.8-1.2 10-25
- paste 30-75 0.8-1.2 0.8-1.2 15-20
Branched DDB:
- acid 97-97.5 1.0-1.5 1.0-1.2 50-100
- paste 30-60 1.0-1.5 1.0-1.2 50-100
BALLESTRA S.p.A.
VIA P. PORTALUPPI. 17 - 20138 MILANO - ITALY - TEL.: +39 2 50831
FAX:+39 2 58013221/5083327 - TX: 311519INGBA1 - E-Mail: [email protected]
SULPHITES OXIDATION
When the sulphite solution cannot be reprocessed The sulphite oxidation cycle is carried out in 7-8
or discharged as such to sewage or water hours.
treatment, a sulphites oxidation unit is necessary.
The oxidation yield checked by laboratory analysis
The oxidation of the sulphites to sulphates is is up to 90%; a Redox value of less than 50 ppm
performed in a packed column, operating sulphite can be achieved by a final adjustment
batchwise, by recycling the solution in the column with NaCIO or HzOz.
where ambient air is fed countercurrently.
The effluent from the sulphite oxidation unit is a
Despite the simple design all the process solution of NazSCUthat can be used as dilution
equipment constituting this unit is selected to water in the synthetic detergent powder
assure the best operating conditions and the production or can be disposed of.
easiest control on the critical parameters, like pH,
recycling rate and air throughput, which mainly In this latter case the impact on the sewage load is
affect the oxidation yield. very limited, being approximately 70 Kg/h the
quantity of NazSCb solution (at 10%
concentration in НЮ) generated by burning 100
Kg/h of Sulphur.
Sulphite Oxidation Column (in green colour)
During the sulphonation step, alpha olefins give a product from the neutralization section is fed to
mixture of various sulphonates h a v i n g linear, the hydrolysis unit at a pressure of approximately
branched and cyclic C-chain structure. The cyclic 10 kg/cm2 g.
sulphonates (sultones) need a particular chemical
and thermal treatment (hydrolysis) to be converted The fluid flows countercurrently with the already
in linear sulphonates. hydrolyzed product into a heat recovery exchanger
and its temperature rises up to 105-110°C.
More in p a r t i c u l a r , the reaction mass, after
neutralization, requires a thermic ageing treatment The product passes through a steam heater to
(approximately 30' at Т == 165-170°C) to convert i n c r e a s e its t e m p e r a t u r e to the h y d r o l y s i s
( the sultones into Active Matter. temperature (approximately 170°C) and finally it is
To this aim, an additional unit can be supplied for fed into the hydrolyzer, sized to allow an average
c o u p l i n g to the standard s u l p h o n a t i o n / residence time of 30 minutes.
neutralization plant (whose refrigerating group The hydrolyzed product passes through the heat
capacity in the air drying section must be increased recovery exchanger, where it transfers its heat to
for the production of chilled water for reactor the f l u i d to be hydrolyzed, d r o p p i n g its own
cooling). temperature to about 120°C, and then it is cooled
This unit is based on a hydrolysis column, heating down to 70-80°C by cold water in another
and cooling exchanger to be installed downstream exchanger.
the neutralization section.
The hydrolysis of the neutralized AOS paste is
performed as follows: the stream of a l k a l i n e
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HEAT RECOVERY
The hot air stream out coming the heat limits, while the still hot air exiting the battery
exchangers fitted in the SOz/SCh conversion tower can be sent to atmosphere or conveyed to the
is used for silica gel drying and could also be used silica gel regeneration section.
for the production of saturated steam.
The accurate design and construction features of
The heat recovery system is designed to recover
the heat exchanger allows to obtain
the sensible heat of the hot air stream from the
approximately 2 Kg of saturated steam (at P = 7
SOz/ЗОз coolers and it is based on the use of a
bar) for each Kg of sulphur burnt.
'tinned-coils battery where part of the hot air
stream from S02 coolers is indirectly contacted
This is usually more than sufficient to assure safe
with a proportioned amount of demineralized
and steady operation with no risk of steam-
water.
shortage to the process.
The steam so generated is sent to a separation Optional systems of heat recovery are available
drum where the entrained amount of water is for specific cases, such as the use of the hot air
separated; the steam is then sent to battery stream to feed (adiacent) spray dryers.
SEPARATION DRUM
5\Saturated steam
>^ battery limits
Hot air
from So3 coolers
WATER
RECIRCULATING PUMP!
WATER
EED1NO PUMP
s
V ! Softened
NrJ
water
BALLESTRA S.p.A.
VIA P. PORTALUPPI, 17 - 20138 MILANO - ITALY - TEL.: +39 2 50831
FAX:+39 2 58013221/5083327 - TX: 3115191NGBAI - E-Mail: [email protected]
50з ABSORPTION (IN HzS04 COLUMN)
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SULPHUR MELTING AND
PRE-TREATMENT
When the solid sulphur quality is very poor, to transfer the treated sulphur to filtration and to
improve it, the addition of a separate melting and the standard sulphur melter.
filtering day tank is foreseen.
After intimate mixing, the molten sulphur and the
Addition of chemicals and/or filtering earths may earths are recycled through the filter (to form a
be required for the sulphur purification. pre-coat on the filtering surface) and then the
I mass is passed through the filter and transferred
The solid sulphur to be purified is loaded to the to the standard melter from where the purified
melter and addition of chemicals and earths is sulphur is dosed to the process.
subsequently done.
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SLES PASTE DEAERATION
SULPHUREX F
Sles paste deaeration
Sles Paste Deaeration Unit
Active matter
from Neutrex
Active
matter
BALLESTRA S.p.A.
EXTRACTION PUMP
VIA P. PORTALUPPI. 17 - 20138 MILANO - ITALY - TEL.: +39 2 50831
FAX:+39 2 58013221/5083327 - TX: 311519INGBAI - E-Mail: [email protected]
SLES PASTE DEGASSING/STRIPPING
The refining of Ethoxysulphated Alcohols is often chemical characteristics of the SLES product, thus
required to meet the most stringent quality resulting in a consistent improvement of the
specification and in particular for the content of product quality.
1.4-Dioxane.
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VACUUM NEUTRALIZATION
The scope of the unit is the neutralization of the acids The amount of caustic soda is controlled by a pH-
coming from the sulphonation/sulphation of alkylates, meter, installed on the out coming product, which
alcohols, ethoxylated alcohols, etc. to obtain operates on the set point of the flow rate controller.
neutralized products at high Active Matter (A.M.) The equipment is maintained under vacuum by a
concentration. vacuum pump and a condenser, while the control
The advantage of this system, compared to the of the vacuum level is self-adjusting.
traditional ones ("loop type") is in the low The neutralized product is extracted from the
residence time and hold-up of product which bottom of the reactor by a volumetric pump and
permits an accurate pH control and a high transferred to the battery limits.
( flexibility during the start-up, shut-down and
production. More than 80% of Dioxane can be The neutralization reaction is exothermic and the
removed in this way. heat is removed by the evaporation of part of the
mixing water.
The system consists of a wiped film type neutralizer,
on the top of which the reagents are fed at controlled The product temperature is controlled with the
rates. Acid, water and caustic soda are mixed by the vacuum level in the neutralizer and by the external
special rotor blades in the top of the reactor. coolingjacket.
The automatic control of the different process
Wiped Film Neutralizer - Bottom view parameters, i.e. flow rate of reagents, vacuum
degree, temperature of thermostatic water, allows
to accurate control and mantain of the product
concentration.
The drying of Anionic Surfactants is aimed to from the neutralization unit is pre-heated up to a
increase the concentration of Active Matter and to temperature of 80-85°C and fed to the top of the
make easier their handling and incorporation into downstream wiped film evaporator, designed for
formulated detergents. operation at atmospheric pressure or controlled
vacuum.
The drying system shown in the scheme is based The evaporator is equipped with multi-step
on a specially designed wiped film evaporator heating jacket and connected with a condenser; a
I characterized by: controlled vacuum is provided by a blower, mainly
to convey the vapour to the condenser;
- high process flexibility and mechanical reliability
downstream the evaporator the dried product
- m i n i m u m and narrowly distributed residence ( u s u a l l y in form of l u m p s ) is cooled and
time of the product in the evaporator mechanically treated, before reaching the storage
- close correlation between operating parameter silos or the feeding hopper of the product to the
and product specs agglomeration process.
- optmized energy consumption The multi-step jacketing and the accurate control
of the steam pressure allow to establish and to
- negligible emissions
maintain the best temperature profile along the
- fast start-up/shut-down operations evaporator walls; these parameters can be
The system operates as follows: The paste-like selected and varied according to the nature and
surfactants, coming from storage tank or directly characteristics of the infed product, thus resulting
DRYING J
SOLID/LIQUID
ADDITIVES 1 (CONDITIONING
DRY BRY
SURFACTANT SURFACTANT
POWDER NEEDLES
SULPHUREX F
Active matter drying unit "Dryex'
WIPED
FILM EVAPORATOR
Steam
Active matter
paste
EJECTOR
Conditioned Sr
air
BALLESTRA S.p.A.
VIA P. PORTALUPPI. 17 - 20138 MILANO - ITALY - TEL.: +39 02 S0831
FAX:+39 02 58013221/5083327 - TX: 311519INGBA1 - E-Mail: [email protected]
in the possibility to dry the whole range of anionic
surfactant in paste form as well as slurries and
т
solutions of specialties and thermosensitive
organic products.
The water evaporation takes place downwards
the evaporator in a substantial laminar flow.
Being the whole phenomena driven by the heat
transfer rate, in order to preserve the quality of
the end product, it is crucial to avoid any build-up
t>
Atmosphere
PNEUMATIC
TRANSPORT FAN
PNEUMATIC TRANSPORT
FILTER