+86 137 3547 3998
News
Home / News / Industry news / What is Ethylene Oxide Scrubber?
What is Ethylene Oxide Scrubber?
2022-11-24
Ethylene Oxide scrubber are part of the ethylene oxide production process and are designed to remove rich ethylene oxide from the feedstock. They consist of a number of coils and collectors. Aside from removing the rich ethylene oxide, they also reduce argon vapors and other noxious substances.
The first step in ethylene oxide production is the creation of a solution containing ethylene oxide and water. This solution is then passed through a quench scrubber. This process involves the formation of a strong solution with low acid concentration. The final product is a mixture of ethylene glycol and acid. It is then diluted and passed through a reabsorber.
Alternatively, the process can be simplified by bypassing the EO stripper and using a specialized adsorption media. The final product is a more robust ethylene oxide absorbate solution. Typical adsorption medias can be disposed in non-hazardous landfills.
The inverse modeling of 24 h EtO concentrations yielded 594 lbs of yearly EtO emissions. This number is comparable to the facility operator's reported emission numbers. The inverse modeling of this number is the same as what was estimated by field studies, except for a much longer lifetime.
A pinch analysis was also performed to determine the most efficient way to use the energy generated by the ethylene oxide production process. This is done by comparing the actual cost of the process with the cost of its energy efficiency. This comparison revealed that energy optimization of the ethylene oxide production process saved 18.27 million dollars per year.
Cost structure of the ethylene oxide scrubber
jEO & Associates contracted with the Davis Corporation to perform a profitability study of a proposed ethylene oxide plant. The study was conducted using a mathematical approach to calculate a variety of parameters. The results indicated that a new ethylene oxide plant would operate for a total of about 2 years, yielding an estimated market demand of about 150,000 tons per year.
An energy efficient ethylene oxide production process was proposed. The proposed design includes four large reactors run in parallel. This design is superior to using one large reactor. It also allows for a smaller spare. The design incorporates a number of other technological improvements, including a stream splitting network, which increases the amount of gas that can be reused.
The process also includes a number of safety features, including a plug in the piping system, a viable transportation plan, and provisions for shutdown. Another major feature is an external coating, which prevents long-term stress corrosion.
The ethylene oxide production process has a composite curve. This diagram represents the way that the cold stream captures energy from the hot stream. The hot stream is the most expensive part of the process, but the smallest component.
A pinch analysis is also mentioned, but has not been used for a cost analysis of a ethylene oxide plant. This technique uses Aspen Plus software to generate a cost-benefit comparison.
Application of the ethylene oxide scrubber in aqueous solutions
Typically, the ethylene oxide (EO) solution is a one to thirty percent alkaline hydroxide solution. The ethylene oxide absorber is fed with a recirculated process water. The absorber is designed to absorb the maximum amount of formaldehyde and heavy aldehydic impurities. EO has a high vapor pressure in an aqueous solution.
The EO absorber produces a dilute (1 to 5 wt.%) EO-water solution. This solution is then passed through the reabsorber without the use of a stripper. The reabsorber is designed to provide sufficient time for absorption. Typically, a sulfuric acid catalyst is used to speed the hydrolysis of EO.
The aqueous reabsorbate bottoms contain reabsorbed ethylene oxide vapor, dissolved carbon dioxide, and acetaldehyde. These gases are then cooled in a heat exchanger. This cooled reabsorbate is then combined with bypassed rich absorbate.
The gaseous effluent can be reused as a feed to EO purification columns or integrated glycol units. It can also be pumped into the scrubber to be scrubbed. In an oxygen-based process, the yield is higher. This process is more attractive than the air-based process.
The reaction rate is a function of temperature and catalyst. The scrubber's operational parameters will be reported to DNREC. The plant's operation must be monitored for several days to ensure that the water circulation is working properly.

Industrial Ethylene Oxide Sterilizers
FIRSTEO Industrial Type of Ethylene Oxide Sterilizer is the fastest way to sterilize equipment that is heat-sensitive or susceptible to moisture. Sterilization can be performed for equipment in its original packaging and does not need extra packaging. Sterilizers using EtO cylinders which are available on the market(Our software can be set according to the concentration of ethylene oxide gas used) and allows loading of goods by pallets. A pair of pneumatic automatic sliding doors provides easy loading and unloading. We clean the chamber by forced air circulation after the post-operation. The inflatable silicone gasket eliminates the risks of gas leakage which occurs by air pressure. System testing for gas leakage under vacuum conditions per cycle provides full security.  Our Industrial Type of Ethylene Oxide Sterilizers can work under negative and positive pressures. Temperature, Time, Pressure, Humidity data recording, saving, and printing online.
Share news