P.K.Rao:
Thank you very much for the reference to the website www.refiningonline.com. This website contains some very informative amine processing information valuable to operators. I am attaching a copy of the download, “Amine Basic Practices Guidelines” offered by them and, I believe, referred by you. Unfortunately, the full chapter on foaming that you mention is merely 20 lines long. But this is to be expected, in my experience. All the volumes written on amine foaming phenomena through the last 50 years amounts to relatively the same amount and quality of comments: not much is still known about foaming in amine units, what causes it, and how to cure it.
I would hope that all members reading this thread note the paradoxical statements made in the attached document:
- Technically, only surfactant hydrocarbon components cause foaming;
- Anti-foam compounds are, in themselves, surfactants.
Consequently, it is stated that excessive (?) antifoam usage can actually promote foaming. How much is “excessive” is not defined.
Perhaps this confirms my experiences: I never had foaming in amine solutions, never used any additives, and always operated as pure and clean a solution system as I could – ensuring that anything entering the system –especially the feed gas – had no contributing contaminants. Strict adherence to plant and operating cleanliness always paid off for me when I operated and managed plant operations. That was one of the first principles taught to me by my great mentor, Alf Newton. He always emphasized keeping a process simple and clean and he taught me that as plant manager my first duty was to be the first person in my plant complex early in the morning and walk through all the plant bath rooms. The cleanliness and upkeep of the bath rooms reflected the cleanliness and upkeep of the plant itself. He was absolutely right! I followed this guideline through my career in operations and it paid off in dividends. I always made it a point to inspect the units and their bath rooms first when I visited or operated plants. A dirty or filthy bath room always related to a dirty or badly operating plant or unit. It just makes for common sense. By demanding cleanliness in my equipment, facilities, and in the process operation itself, we avoided contaminants and recurring process upsets and operating problems. If you maintain your amine solutions clean and devoid of additives that were not considered in the original design, you have a greater chance of avoiding any side reactions or process problems.
I would relish the opportunity to meet with an engineering contractor and have him/her explain in clear, rational terms why an amine system designed by him/her requires an additive in order to avoid foaming. And if so, then what are the consequences of that addition to the life, efficiency, and stability of the operation. And this conversation should take place with the supplier of the amine present. I could be wrong in this, but I don't believe any engineering contractor, amine supplier, or antifoaming agent supplier will ensure, guarantee, or warrant the results of adding antifoam to an amine solution. If we do it, we do it at our risk.
Amine Basic Practices Guidelines.pdf 298.59KB
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