Companies in Speciality Chemical Industry face a lot of challenges pertaining to rising cost of raw materials and products. They compete at the global level for higher quality products with lower cost margins.
Moreover, there is a need to constantly change the manufacturing process to comply to regulatory agencies including OSHA, FDA, HCS, DHS & CFATS to name a few
Distillation application is one the most common and one of the most critical applications in a speciality chemical industry since it would ultimately decide the quality of yield and which will in turn lead to the saleability of the chemical produced in the Global Market.
Application: Distillation Di Butyl Ether
Application Background
Di Butyl Ether is a Chemical Compound belonging to the Ether Family. It is a colourless, Volatile and Flammable liquid which is lighter than water but with a high boiling point of 141 degree Celsius.
Since liquids boil at lower temperatures under vacuum, vacuum distillation is used to distill high-boiling liquids that would decompose at their normal Boiling Points.
The Customer in this particular case was using OTL Vacuum Pumps (Once thru Lubricated) to Perform the Distillation of Di Butyl Ether under Vacuum. The OTL Pumps are Single Stage or Double Stage Vacuum Pumps which use sliding Vanes to generate the required Vacuum in the System.
In OTL Pumps, a small amount of fresh oil is continuously injected in the internals for lubrication and Sealing by an Independent Force Feed Oil Pump. The feed Oil is discharged from the exhaust of the pump along with process vapours /non condensable
Concerns of the Customer
- Constant Pump Choking Issue
- Long Batch Time (80 Hours for 1 Batch)
- Excessive Consumption of Oil and Higher Operating Cost
- Frequent Breakdown and Replacement of Vanes
- Additional Cost of Treating the contaminated oil
- No Solvent Recovery increasing the overall operational cost
Our Solution
Based on the Application, the Team at HIS Pumps and Systems offered Vertical Dry Vacuum Pump which doesn’t utilise Oil or Water to Create Vacuum in the Distillation Process
Comparison of Dry Vacuum Pumps vs OTL (Oil Thru Lubrication) Vacuum Pumps
|
Sr No. |
Parameters |
Vertical Dry Vacuum Pump |
OTL Pumps |
|
1. |
Connected Load |
15 HP |
17.5 HP |
|
2. |
Batch Time |
68 Hours |
80 Hours |
|
3. |
Vacuum in Process |
1 mmHg |
5 mmHg |
|
4. |
Sealing |
Sealing by PTFE Seal |
Sealing by Oil Seal |
|
5. |
Oil Consumption |
Nil (Since it is a Dry Vacuum Pump) |
400-450ml/hr |
|
6. |
Noise Level |
78 dB |
85 dB |
|
7. |
Recovery @ Discharge of Pump |
12 Litres of Solvent recovered per batch |
Not Possible in OTL Pumps |
|
8. |
Auto Flushing |
Possible with N2/Solvent after each batch |
Not Possible |
|
9. |
Choking During the Process |
No |
Yes |
Value Created for the Customer
- Reduction in Batch by 12 Hours leading to higher production capacity
- Saving of 34 Litres of Oil per Batch amounting to INR 30500 per batch
- Recovery of Solvent amounting to INR 43000 per batch
- Zero Environment Impact with absolutely Zero Pollution and No additional cost of treating contaminated oil
- Purity of Product Enhanced with Clean and Continuous Vacuum and hence no continuous sampling of the product require
Result
The customer placed an order for 1 Pump initially and within the past 2 years has replaced all the existing OTL pump installation at the facility. Moreover, HIS Pumps and Systems is now their preferred solution provider for all the Vacuum related applications in their company across the country.
About HIS Pumps and Systems
HIS Pumps and Systems Private Limited is engaged in providing quality fluid handling solutions for various industries. With a Proven Track Record of Installing more than 5000 Pumps across various technologies, HIS Pumps and Systems has helped Customers solve their most challenging fluid handling needs. We can provide you solutions for a wide variety of Fluids and for almost all the applications in the Industry.
At HIS Pumps and Systems, We strongly believe our Customers can Save More, Produce More and Produce Fast.
