Sage Chemical Cleaning Solutions and Decontamination offers the most efficient process available for HF alkylation unit decontamination. Meeting our customers’ needs is why we offer several options. Our experts are versed in all major methods concerning HF alky units. The methods include: Inhibited Hydrochloric Acid and Chelating Processes.
General Process Description
The HF Alkylation process decontaminates by removing iron fluoride/oxide scales, which cleans and prepares the equipment for a safer work environment. Typical application is engineered by circulation with Sage pumps/process pumps (if authorized by client). During the planning stage, Sage’s team evaluates your refinery’s shut down procedures to offer a multitude of cost-cutting suggestions.
Depending on the design, UOP or Phillips, vessels will be either: liquid filled, cascaded, or will require the use of tank cleaning nozzles. Sage’s team will work to minimize waste, decrease time and increase the maximum surface contact. Our team’s engineers and experienced staff work closely with the customer’s HF alky team to develop detailed procedures, marked-up P&IDs, mechanical spool lists and simplified drawings of the project. The process ensures all aspects of the system are neutralized. Our process of removing the iron fluoride scales from the unit requires significantly less blinding and temporary connections.
Our service does not stop after the chemical cleaning is completed. We are able to 100% remove the remaining fluorides from the chemical cleaning waste. Our portable API and DAF separators are specially designed for this process. They are able to process up to 60 gals per min under normal operations.
Finally, we are proud to offer a one of a kind KOH regeneration system.
Sulfuric Alkylation Unit Decontamination Process
At Sage Chemical Cleaning Solutions and Decontamination, we have developed our Entry Safe ™ chemistry to combat three major items in the sulfuric acid alky unit, including: residual sulfuric acid, corrosion and LEL. Generally, sulfuric acid units have been neutralized with sodium carbonate (soda ash) or sodium hydroxide. Both methods are effective, but have their challenges. Our Entry Safe™ ALKYCLEAR is designed to neutralize and protect your equipment during the neutralization process while removing LEL, all with one application.
General Procedure for Settler and Contactor equipment
Set-up– Entry Safe™ AlkyClear is a proprietary blend to neutralize, protect, and degas your sulfuric acid service equipment. When beginning the procedure, Entry Safe ™ AlkyClear would be transported to our job site and offloaded into a heater coil frac tank (if inclement weather is expected). The intention would be to rapidly fill in order to neutralize and degas the settlers/contactors. If acid carryover is to be expected, our team would extend the process into the surge drum.
Filling Equipment– All targeted equipment will have marked up P&ID to show connections and isolation needs. Further, the equipment would then be drained of product, then, before the equipment is returned to us, nitrogen purged for LEL. Once the equipment has been drained and all temporary spools are installed, as per our instructions, the procedure would then begin. The first step in our process would be to hydrostatically test our temporary equipment, repair any leaking or damaged hoses/connections, and repeat.
Venting– During the filling of the equipment, our team uses process safety valves/flaring systems for the venting process.
Testing– Our team always conducts pH testing during the filling process, which is located on the outlets of each acid contactor. This step in the process reveals if additional chemistry would be required.Draining– Once all testing indicates neutralization is completed, under customer direction, we would then drain at a predetermined rate. The predetermined rate would be agreed upon during the pre-engineering procedure writing stage, as to not overrun the WWTF.
Contact a Sage Chemical Cleaning Solutions and Decontamination expert today! To learn more, please call (833)SAGECLN (833)724-3256 or email us at info@sageccs.com.
