Tuesday, 3. September 2019

DSM Human Nutrition & Health has recently successfully commissioned a brand-new anhydrous hydrogen chloride gas generation unit

Anhydrous hydrogen chloride gas generation unit

DSM Human Nutrition & Health has recently successfully commissioned a brand-new anhydrous hydrogen chloride gas generation unit at its Genzach-Wyhlen site in Germany. This new unit replaces an unreliable borosilicate glass unit that use to cause extremely high maintenance costs every year due to recurrent leakages. Much lower maintenance costs are expected with the new unit. It offers a higher flexibility in terms of turn down ratio, a higher design pressure, and grants a much higher operational safety.

The use of anhydrous hydrochloric acid is key to DSM Human Nutrition & Health's proprietary process in order to avoid hydrolysis side reactions which would result in a much lower yield.

The new unit has been custom designed by GAB Neumann to precisely meet DSM Human Nutrition & Health's specific requirements. It produces anhydrous hydrogen chloride with substantially less than 50 ppm of moisture from 30 to 35% hydrochloric acid at 25°C. The byproduct of the unit is azeotropic hydrochloric acid (20.5% +/- 0.5%) at less than 30°C. The unit includes a bottom annular groove Robert reboiler, a desorption column, an annular groove primary reflux condenser, an annular groove secondary reflux condenser, an annular groove liquid cooler for the outcoming azeotropic hydrochloric acid, and finally an annular groove gas cooler for the hydrogen chloride. All major pieces of equipment are made of GAB GPX1, a phenolic resin impregnated homogeneous graphite. In order to limit the size of the unit and also to reduce the number of pipes, flanges, gaskets, and therefore the number of opportunities for leaks, the bottom reboiler and the primary reflux condenser have been positioned immediately below and above the desorption column in such a way that they form together a single element of construction.

GAB Neumann GmbH

Alemannenstrasse 29

79689 Maulburg

Germany

Tel: +49 (7622) 6751 0

Fax: +49 (7622) 6751 20

info@gab-neumann.de

GAB Neumann GmbH | Alemannenstrasse 29 | D-79689 Maulburg | Phone +49 (7622) 6751 0 | Fax +49 (7622) 6751 20 | E-Mail info@gab-neumann.de | www.gab-neumann.com