Claims:1. A method for removing impurities accumulated inside a distillation column, said method comprising the following steps:
a) introducing a first fluid medium into said distillation column at a temperature in the range of 40°C to 80°C and allowing said first fluid medium to reside therein for 0.5 hour to 2 hours for removal of said first fluid medium and a first portion of impurities therefrom;
b) introducing a second fluid medium into said distillation column at a temperature in the range of 40°C to 80°C and allowing said second fluid medium to reside therein for 0.5 hour to 2 hours for removal of said second fluid medium and a second portion of impurities therefrom;
c) introducing an oxidizing mixture into said distillation column at a temperature in the range of 10°C to 60°C and allowing said oxidizing mixture to reside therein for 4 hours to 12 hours for oxidizing and converting a third portion of impurities to oxides; and
d) introducing a third fluid medium into said distillation column, and allowing said third fluid medium to reside therein for 1 hour to 3 hours for solubilizing the oxides and removing said solubilized oxides therefrom.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first fluid medium is at least one selected from the group consisting of heptane, p-xylene, anisole, sulfolane, dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), and chloroform.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said second fluid medium is water.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said oxidizing mixture is a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ferrous iron.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said third fluid medium is at least one ionic liquid.
6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least one ionic liquid is selected from the group consisting of betaine hydrochloride, betaine hydrobromide, propiobetaine hydrochloride, propiobetaine hydrobromide, butyrobetaine hydrochloride, and butyrobetaine hydrobromide.
7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said:
• first portion of removed impurities predominantly comprises organic impurities; and
• second portion of removed impurities predominantly comprises inorganic impurities.
8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the oxides removed in the method step (d) are inorganic oxides.
, Description:FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of chemical engineering.
BACKGROUND
Crude oil is distilled in a distillation column or a plurality of distillation columns to obtain valuable products such as petrol, diesel, kerosene, and the like. In the distillation column, the crude oil is continuously subjected to a lot of chemical interactions and this result in the formation and deposition of impurities comprising organic impurities and inorganic impurities on a plurality of trays of the distillation column. Distilling the crude oil in the distillation column with the impurities deposited therein reduces the efficiency of the distillation column. Therefore, there is a need to clean the distillation column by removing the impurities deposited on the plurality of trays of the distillation column.
Conventionally, the impurities are removed by shutting down the distillation and dismantling the distillation column. The time required for removing the impurities or cleaning the distillation column using the conventional method is more and the efficiency of producing the valuable products is affected.
There is, therefore, felt a need for an alternate method to remove the impurities deposited inside a distillation column. Further, there is felt a need for an alternate method that obviates the above mentioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows.
It is an object of the present disclosure to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful alternative.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide an alternate method to remove impurities deposited or accumulated inside a distillation column.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure provides a method for removing impurities accumulated inside a distillation column. The method comprises introducing a first fluid medium into the distillation column at a temperature in the range of 40°C to 80°C and it is allowed to reside therein for 0.5 hour to 2 hours for removal of the first fluid medium and a first portion of impurities therefrom. A second fluid medium is introduced into the distillation column at a temperature in the range of 40°C to 80°C and it is allowed to reside therein for 0.5 hour to 2 hours for removal of the second fluid medium and a second portion of impurities therefrom. An oxidizing mixture is then introduced into the distillation column at a temperature in the range of 10°C to 60°C and it is allowed to reside therein for 4 hours to 12 hours for oxidizing and converting a third portion of impurities to oxides. A third fluid medium is introduced into the distillation column and it is allowed to reside therein for 1 hour to 3 hours to solubilize the oxides and remove the solubilized oxides therefrom.
The oxides removed can be inorganic oxides.
The first fluid medium can be at least one selected from the group consisting of heptane, p-xylene, anisole, sulfolane, dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), and chloroform.
The second fluid medium can be water.
The oxidizing mixture can be a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ferrous iron.
The third fluid medium can be at least one ionic liquid.
The ionic liquid can be at least one selected from the group consisting of betaine hydrochloride, betaine hydrodobromide, propiobetaine hydrochloride, propiobetaine hydrobromide, butyrobetaine hydrochloride, butyrobetaine hydrobromide.
The first portion of removed impurities predominantly comprises organic impurities.
The second portion of removed impurities predominantly comprises inorganic impurities.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As described herein above, the efficiency of a distillation column reduces by distilling crude oil in the distillation column with impurities deposited on a plurality of trays of the distillation column. Therefore, the present disclosure envisages a method for removing impurities accumulated inside a distillation column. Particularly, the present disclosure envisages a method for removing impurities accumulated inside a distillation column without dismantling the distillation column.
Typically, the impurities are deposited in the distillation column during distillation of the crude oil in the distillation column.
The impurities can be at least one selected from the group consisting of organic impurities, inorganic impurities, and solid black particles.
The method is carried in the steps described herein below.
In the first step, a first fluid medium is introduced into the distillation column at a temperature in the range of 40°C to 80°C and it is allowed to reside therein for 0.5 hour to 2 hours for removal of the first fluid medium and a first portion of impurities therefrom.
In accordance with the present disclosure, the first portion of removed impurities predominantly comprises organic impurities.
The first fluid medium can be at least one selected from the group consisting of heptane, p-xylene, anisole, sulfolane, dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), and chloroform.
In the second step, a second fluid medium is introduced into the distillation column at a temperature in the range of 40°C to 80°C and it is allowed to reside therein for 0.5 hour to 2 hours for removal of the second fluid medium and a second portion of impurities therefrom.
In accordance with the present disclosure, the second portion of removed impurities predominantly comprises inorganic impurities.
The second fluid medium can be water.
In the third step, an oxidizing mixture is introduced into the distillation column at a temperature in the range of 10°C to 60°C and it is allowed to reside therein for 4 hours to 12 hours and oxidize and convert a third portion of organic impurities to oxides. In accordance with the present disclosure, organic compound residues remaining in the distillation column are oxidized.
The oxidizing mixture can be a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ferrous iron, which is Fenton’s reagent. The reaction of hydrogen peroxide and ferrous iron produces hydroxyl radicals (OH.). Hydroxyl radicals (OH.) are strong oxidizing agents which oxidize impurities in the form of organic compounds in the third step.
In the fourth step, a third fluid medium is introduced into the distillation column and it is allowed to reside therein for 1 hour to 3 hours and this is used to solubilize inorganic oxides and remove the solubilized inorganic oxides from the distillation column.
The third fluid medium can be at least one ionic liquid.
The ionic liquid can be at least one selected from the group consisting of betaine hydrochloride, betaine hydrobromide, propiobetaine hydrochloride, propiobetaine hydrobromide, butyrobetaine hydrochloride, butyrobetaine hydrobromide.
The amount of the first fluid medium; second fluid medium; oxidizing mixture; and third fluid medium required for cleaning the distillation column is dependent on the dimension of the distillation column, i.e., with change in a particular dimension of the distillation column the amount of the first fluid medium; second fluid medium; oxidizing mixture; and third fluid medium required for cleaning the distillation column may change.
Moreover, the amount of the first fluid medium; second fluid medium; oxidizing mixture; and third fluid medium required for cleaning the distillation column is also dependent on the amount and types of impurities accumulated or deposited in the distillation column.
The efficiency of cleaning the distillation column can be increased by increasing the residence time of the first fluid medium; second fluid medium; oxidizing mixture; and third fluid medium.
The efficiency of the method of the present disclosure can be greater than 60%.
TECHNICAL ADVANCES AND ECONOMICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of a method:
• for cleaning the distillation column(s) efficiently; and
• that requires comparatively less time for cleaning the distillation column(s).
The disclosure has been described with reference to the accompanying embodiments which do not limit the scope and ambit of the disclosure. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully revealed the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.