HF Alkylation combines olefins (primarily a mixture of propylene and butylene) with isobutene in the presence of a hydrofluoric acid catalyst to produce alkylate. A high-octane additive, alkylate is a critical safety component that offsets the high vapor pressure of the ethanol mandate in today’s low-sulfur unleaded petrol and gasoline supplies. The continual tightening of clean fuels legislation has increased the demand for alkylate, which is also responsible for the anti-knocking property of unleaded petrol/gasoline in modern vehicles.
The HF alkylation process is also a serious Environmental, Health, and Safety risk, if poorly managed, with the potential for acid runaway, accelerated equipment corrosion, and associated HF release.
HF acid by its nature seeks out and attacks imperfections in cast components that will ultimately reduce the life of pumps and other equipment and worse still, product leakage.
Failure-prone mechanical seals can leak harmful process fluids. Designed for resistance against highly corrosive fluids such as HF acids, magnetic drive sealless pumps offer total containment with built-in reliability.
The damaging nature of HF acids also places great importance on the choice of cast components, particularly with regard to the pump casing and impeller.
A new magnetic drive sealless pump, specifically designed for use in hydrofluoric acid alkylation, has been developed in response to the challenges of handling HF acid. The result of close collaboration between UOP Honeywell, the leading licensor of HF alkylation technology, and HMD Kontro, using a unique development process, the HMD Kontro HF pump features a high integrity pump casing manufactured from C22/C276 alloy which has been tested using new methods of Non-Destructive Examination (NDE).
Built into the design of these next-generation pumps are features that meet operator-specific needs for the HF alkylation process:
- Pump casing in alloy C22/C276 materials – proven over many years to offer the necessary resistance to corrosion and also meets NDE requirements for HF acid.
- Secondary containment rated to 40 bar, eliminating the possibility of leakage into the environment, plus reducing operational risks and the associated costs to meet stringent EH&S goals.
- Continuous monitoring to ensure reliable sealless pump performance including leak detection instrumentation and protection against dry pump running (power control monitor also recommended).
With no seals to leak, no buffer systems to support and maintain, and no supporting systems for cooling water, venting, or vapor recovery, the latest magnetic drive sealless pump technology offers significant cost and operational benefits. Lower end-user installation costs and simplified maintenance requirements, make it an effective whole-life proposition compared to conventional mechanical pumps.
To learn more about the latest pump solutions for HF alkylation applications, download the literature on the dedicated page of the HMD Kontro website.
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