Caustic addition in DGA Unit

[PRCHE]

I'm currently working on DGA Regeneration Unit. Does anyone know if pH control is a concern for this unit? I know of an existing DGA unit that does not utilize caustic addition. I also worked on a project where MDEA was used and no caustic was necessary. But this new project calls for one...

So, I guess my question is, how does one know if caustic addition is needed? Is it dictated by the type of amine used?

Any input from anyone would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[dcasto]

you can't use caustics to control pH in amine units. They must be trying to control heat stable salts in the system. Does the DGA unit have a reclaimer, it should.

 

[PRCHE]

Thanks a lot for your input...

The unit does have a reclaimer. Does caustic injection only apply to Amine Regeneration Units with a Reclaimer?

So, is there a way one can determine how much heat stable salts are formed? which brings me to my next question... how would you know how much caustic to add to the system?

 

[maddocks]

Rely heavily on your chemical vendor. DGA is a proprietary amine from Huntsman and they are really good at looking at HSS formation, reclaimer design, and contaminants. Call you chem vendor and lean on them. They have reclaimer spreadsheets than can help you predict performance, HSS formation rates, and degradation rates.

regards,