February, 2024
One of the main challenges of the sulfuric acid industry is the development of solutions that promote the safe performance of maintenance tasks.
The drip eliminators or demister in drying towers are usually installed in a horizontal position and compression tight to the walls of the tower, to prevent gas leakage before being treated. Keeping this equipment in good condition is key to the process and, sometimes, it is necessary to enter the interior of the tower for inspection or maintenance activities. These actions carry a high risk and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.
Furthermore, in the case of removing the drip eliminator due to the end of its useful life, extreme caution must be taken when removing the sections since acid may fall into the surrounding areas.
In line with that premise, our represented BEGG COUSLAND ENVIROTEC LTD. in collaboration with Outotec GmbH, it developed a design of vertical panels that eliminates the previous problems derived from the traditional horizontal design.
In this novel design, the drip eliminators are placed in a vertical arrangement, each with a top access door in the conical section of the top of the tower, defining a polygonal structure.
Extraction can be performed independently for each element, safely while reducing the resources and labor required for this activity, compared to a horizontal drip eliminator.
This optimization is available for both new installations and modification of existing towers.