×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

VOC absorption

VOC absorption

VOC absorption

(OP)
Hi all,
I want to know the state of art on VOC absorption. Can someone give me detailed information on existing facilities where the VOCs are removed with an absorption tower (and the absorbent liquid is regenrated with a stripper)?

Thanks all!

RE: VOC absorption

It's called a lean oil plant.  The ultimate lean oil plant is patented by AET Process®Nitrogen Rejection Unit.

RE: VOC absorption

There are several suppliers and designs, mostly are small players, and have wisely limited themselves to specific industries or VOC types (such a acetates or ketones).  The largest player is probably Sulzer ChemTech.  Their headquarters is just outside Zurich, Switzerland.  They have a N American office in New Orleans or Houston.

Be very careful with the technology.  The absorbant liquids can hydrolyze or otherwise react very quickly in the wrong environment.  My experience was with 2 such systems about 15 years ago, and the 2 suppliers didn't know about the reactivity or limitations of the chemistry.  Sulzer had a pretty good feel for the issues.

RE: VOC absorption

(OP)
thanks all

RE: VOC absorption

What kind of VOC's are we talking about and in what way do you want state of the art? maybe the most important: to what concentration do you want to reduce?
 

RE: VOC absorption

(OP)
I am talking about hydrophobic VOC such as benzene.
For state of art I mean "used technology for VOC absorption".
I want to reduce to a concentration that complies with the law

RE: VOC absorption

Autch, Benzene...  thats a tricky one (is perfectly solluble in water by the way, but a scrubber only solves one problem by creating another). here in Holland we have a lot of clients (I work for an engineering company) who have to addapt to new legislation bij 2010. venting at max 1 mg benzene/Nm3... Thats almost impossible with only an adsorber. a 2 bed carbon adsorber and a polishing unit (choose between a burner or an RTO or a Katalytic oxidiser) is the most efficient way to go. Be aware that benzene has a high heat of adsorption and easily creates hotspots (see the tread i started "thread798-247206: Minimum flow over Carbonbed adsorber").    

RE: VOC absorption

(OP)
I am talking about absorption, not adsorption

RE: VOC absorption

oops sorry for that... Oke I know a little about those two. We looked at the possibility to replace an old carbonbed adsorber by a scrubber (absorber). These thing normally get you a 90% removal rate. If designed realy good and at a turndown of less than 1:3 you could get to 95%. Not enough for benzene (atleast not in Holland). So it realy depends what your cource of VOC's is...

RE: VOC absorption

What is the source of your VOC's? We are currently installing a Vapor Recovery Unit at a marine loading terminal to eliminate the VOC's that are released as a result of gasoline loading.

RE: VOC absorption

If the VOCs Vapor Press.is less than 0.5mmHg at30dC,and is soluble in water, That will be removed by absorbing system.

Otherwise, I recommend RTO (Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer)

RE: VOC absorption

I have used Petrogas Environmental Systems out of Texas for our Absorption VRU on our loading racks for chemicals and petroleum.  We really have no problem with the systems and meet all requirements.

We have been using Lean Oil Absorbers on recovering BTEX for years on our gas wells and also get 99% recovery rate on benzene.

RE: VOC absorption

(OP)
Thanks all for answer.
What is the absorber liquid used in Lean Oil Absorbers?

RE: VOC absorption

A hydrocarbon mixture with a molecular weight of 100 to 180, depending on the VOC's and efficency required.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources