The chemical industry
Körting provides customised solutions, ranging from 0.05 mbar suction pressure and 0.05 kg/h suction flow, for chemical plants’ complex processing demands.
Körting’s support, services and engineering play a key role in plants operating safely and reliably.
Vacuum-generation components
Vacuum generation is an important factor in the chemical industry. Stable and safe production is impossible without consistent and fail-safe maintenance of the vacuum. Which is why plant operators place stringent demands on vacuum-generation components’ performance. And Körting Hannover GmbH delivers the vacuum engineering required to chemical plants worldwide.
To create a pumping action, jet ejectors use motive flow as the energy source. They can dispense with any mechanical drives or moving parts. Their simple design makes them perfect for substances with a high contamination potential. In the chemical industry, vast suction flows of 2 to 3 million m3/h at suction pressure of below 50 mbar are common. No other type of vacuum pump can generate them so dependably. To achieve such low suction pressure, multi-stage pumps are a must. Several stages, each consisting of a jet ejector with a post condenser, are used. The condensable portions of the mixed flow in the upstream jet ejector are condensed in the condenser. The next jet ejector stage only has to compress the parts that cannot be condensed. As a result, suction pressure of up to 0.1 mbar is possible in a pump with 5 stages.
Körting jet ejectors are custom designed for each application to provide very low motive steam pressure (e.g. from exhaust steam) and very high compression ratios. Their simple designs mean very little maintenance. In addition to their reliability, they offer first-class availability, even after extended downtime. As jet ejectors cannot ignite, the EU ATEX explosion protection directive doesn’t apply to them.
Depending on the process, jet ejectors can be unheated, partially heated or fully heated. Lots of processes in the chemical industry are conducted at high temperatures. They require steam for heating and for steam distillation. Therefore, the plants have enough motive steam to operate jet ejectors.
In the chemical industry, surface condensers are normally used for condensation between each of the jet ejector stages. In this case, cooling water and the process medium are strictly segregated from one another. This prevents contamination of the cooling water. Körting surface condensers can use the shell or tube space for condensation. They can be designed and supplied with fixed tube sheets or tube bundles that can be pulled (floating head or u-tube types).
More flexible and effective mixing condensers can also be used in exceptional cases where the process steam comes into direct contact with the cooling water.
In hybrid systems, a liquid ring vacuum pump is used as the last stage of vacuum generation. In contrast to jet ejectors, liquid ring vacuum pumps use electricity for generating vacuums, so are more efficient in terms of energy consumption. But it’s also important to bear some disadvantages in mind, such as:
- A greater likelihood of contamination by process media
- A sharp increase in maintenance
- More spare parts required
- Much higher investment costs
Due to problems with contamination, mechanical vacuum pumps are of limited use, particularly in the chemical sector.
Liquid ring vacuum pumps are core products in our range. Whatever vacuum pump is required, vacuum specialist Körting Hannover GmbH is ideal. Körting Hannover GmbH has decades of vacuum-generation experience in the chemical and petrochemical industries, as well as other sectors. It can supply extensive solutions for any requirements.
Chemical processes place tough demands on the materials the relevant components are made of. The material chosen is governed by the intended purpose and the corrosiveness of the process media. This is where another huge advantage of jet ejector technology comes to the fore. Virtually all materials can be used to construct jet ejectors.
Some of the materials possible are as follows:
- Unalloyed steel (carbon steel) possibly suitable for HIC service and wet H2S service
- Stainless steel (austenitic and ferritic steel)
- Duplex steel
- High-alloy nickel steel
- Titanium
- Special materials (e.g. copper, nickel, Hastelloy)
Körting means minimal steam consumption
Energy costs play a big role in the running of a chemical park. Which means chemical parks often need to decide which vacuum system to use. Jet ejectors require motive steam to work, mechanical vacuum pumps electricity. The motive steam for jet ejectors in energy network systems is often available as cost-efficient, low-pressure steam. Which makes jet ejector technology extra affordable.
Nevertheless, it’s crucial that plant operators take the energy consumption of a vacuum system overall into account. Thanks to consistent improvements in our own, on-site development department, Körting Hannover GmbH is an energy-consumption frontrunner. Körting’s engineers improve jet ejectors’ steam consumption on various test rigs. As a result, we can design and make energy-enhanced vacuum systems to customers’ specifications. Sometimes, our products consume way less steam that those of many global competitors.
Learn more about relevant products for the chemical industry
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