Claims
- 1. A process for minimizing evaporator scaling and for recovering water and salts from an aqueous effluent containing ammonium chloride that is formed during the partial oxidation gasification of a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock to produce a synthesis gas, comprising:
- (a) scrubbing the synthesis gas with water at a pH of at least about 6.0, wherein said pH is maintained with ammonia;
- (b) separating the synthesis gas from the scrubbing water;
- (c) separating a portion of the scrubbing water to form an aqueous effluent which is introduced to an evaporation system;
- (d) evaporating the aqueous effluent to produce water vapor and a brine having an ammonium chloride concentration of about 10 to about 60 weight percent;
- (e) separating the water vapor from the brine;
- (f) condensing the water vapor to form a distillate water;
- (g) recycling the distillate water to the partial oxidation gasification;
- (h) recovering the ammonium chloride from the brine; and
- (i) operating the evaporator at conditions that minimize evaporator scaling.
- 2. The process of claim 1 wherein the hydrocarbonaceous feedstock is selected from the group consisting of petroleum coke, coal, plastic wastes, sewage and mixtures thereof.
- 3. The process of claim 1 wherein the concentration factor during evaporation of the aqueous effluent is about 2 to 1000.
- 4. The process of claim 3, wherein the concentration factor varies from about 2 to about 20.
- 5. The process of claim 3, wherein the concentration factor varies from about 20 to about 150.
- 6. The process of claim 1 wherein the concentration of ammonium chloride in the aqueous effluent is at least about 0.1 weight % to about 15 weight %.
- 7. The process of claim 1 wherein the evaporator is selected from the group consisting of a falling film evaporator, a forced circulation evaporator, and a combination thereof.
- 8. The process of claim 7, wherein the ammonium chloride is recovered from the brine by crystallizing means.
- 9. The process of claim 8, wherein the crystallizing means is at least one selected from the group consisting of a spray dryer, a drum dryer, and a flash cooling crystallizer.
- 10. The process of claim 7, wherein the volume of brine discharged from the evaporator is controlled by on line volume measurement using level detectors.
- 11. The process of claim 10, wherein the level detector is a float level sensor.
- 12. The process of claim 10, wherein the level detector is an ultrasonic sensor.
- 13. The process of claim 1, wherein the evaporating system is a falling film evaporator discharging to a forced circulation evaporator.
- 14. The process of claim 13, wherein the falling film evaporator operates at the following conditions:
- i) a concentration factor of about 2 to about 100;
- ii) a steam to brine temperature difference of about 1.degree. F. to about 20.degree. F.;
- iii) an evaporation per pass of about 0.1% to about 2.4%;
- iv) a sump residence time of about 0.4 minutes to about 4 minutes.
- 15. The process of claim 14, wherein the steam to brine temperature difference varies from about 6.degree. F. to about 10.degree. F. and the evaporation per pass varies from about 0.6% to about 1.2%.
- 16. The process of claim 13, wherein the forced circulation evaporator operates at the following conditions:
- i) a concentration factor of about 2 to about 100;
- ii) a steam to brine temperature difference of about 1.degree. F. to about 36.degree. F.;
- iii) a brine temperature rise in tubes of about 1.degree. F. to about 18.degree. F.;
- iv) a brine velocity in tubes of about 9 feet/second to about 14 feet/second;
- v) a sump residence time of about 0.25 minute to about 3.5 minutes.
- 17. The process of claim 16, wherein the steam to brine temperature difference varies from about 12.degree. F. to about 24.degree. F.; the brine temperature rise in the tubes varies from about 12.degree. F. to about 18.degree. F.; and the brine velocity in the tubes varies from about 10 feet/second to about 13 feet/second.
- 18. The process of claim 1, wherein the evaporating system is a forced circulation evaporator.
- 19. The process of claim 18, wherein the forced circulation evaporator operates at the following conditions:
- i) a concentration factor of about 2 to about 100;
- ii) a steam to brine temperature difference of about 1.degree. F. to about 36.degree. F.;
- iii) a brine temperature rise in tubes of about 1.degree. F. to about 18.degree. F.;
- iv) a brine velocity in tubes of about 9 feet/second to about 14 feet/second;
- v) a sump residence time of about 0.25 minute to about 3.5 minutes.
- 20. The process of claim 1, wherein the evaporating system is a forced circulation evaporator discharging to a crystallizing means.
- 21. The process of claim 20, wherein the forced circulation evaporator operates at the following conditions:
- i) a concentration factor of about 2 to about 100;
- ii) a steam to brine temperature difference of about 12.degree. F. to about 25.degree. F.;
- iii) a brine temperature rise in the tubes of about 6.degree. F. to about 18.degree. F.;
- iv) a brine velocity in tubes of about 10 feet/second to about 13 feet/second;
- v) a sump residence time of about 0.5 minutes to about 1.5 minutes.
- 22. The process of claim 1, wherein a portion of the brine from step (a) is recycled to the partial oxidation gasification reaction.
Parent Case Info
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/016,882, filed Jul. 17, 1996, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/021,892, filed Jul. 17, 1996.
US Referenced Citations (9)