DIABON

Systems HCl Syntheses

Process Technology

Broad Base. Best Solutions.

Carbon is Future.
SGL Group The Carbon Company.

Process Technology
The Business Unit Process Technology is a
premium technology provider for chemical and
related industry process systems, equipment and
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materials for demanding chemical applications.
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effiCienCy.
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Powered by our Broad Base of competencies, products and services, we offer Best Solutions to
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Best Solutions
E

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Contents
Synthesis Plants

Synthesis Unit Series 91

11

Synthesis Process

Advantageous Details

12

Reliability and Safety

Quality Management and After Sales Service

14

Design of Our Synthesis Units

Process Technology Our Products

15

Synthesis Unit Series 81

10

DIABON Synthesis Plants

the Combination of Know-How and Experience

Synthesis of hydrogen chloride by burning hydrogen and chlorine has proven to be an economical
and reliable operation. This is particularly true in
those processes where chlorine is produced as
a by-product or where hydrogen
chloride or hydrochloric acid is
required for on-site use. Typical
uses occur in chlor-alkali electrolysis, vinyl chloride manufacturing, pulp and paper production and various

metallurgical

processes.

Production of 80 t/d of HCl gas

and 40 t/d of 37% hydrochloric
acid in three pre-assembled units
mounted on skids

DIABON synthesis plants supplied by SGL Group

demonstrate their capability in operation through
their unquestioned advantages:
Production of hydrochloric acid in a concentration range of 1 to 38% HCl from chlorine and
hydrogen, using water or weak hydrochloric
acid as the absorbing liquid.
Hydrochloric acid or gas produced fulfils any
specification ranging from technical or
chemically pure quality to food grade quality
to electronic grade quality.
As an HCl recovery measure, HCl gas from
other plants can be fed into the synthesis unit and
absorbed together with the synthesized gas.
Chorine-containing residual gas or sniff gas
from other processes can be recycled to
produce HCl.
Weak hydrochloric acid can be fed into the
absorber and brought up to the required acid
concentration.
Production of 120 t/d of 100 % HCl with two synthesis plants,
type 91-800, supplied with chlorine from one of
the first large-membrane plants (in operation since 1980)

Oxygen-containing chlorine can be combusted

in our synthesis plants without affecting the

service life of the burner or the combustion
chamber.
Synthesis plants in DIABON graphite are also
used for the production of dry HCl gas.
Anhydrous HCl gas of 99.9 % purity can be
manufactured in our desorption units made of
DIABON graphite and LICUFLON steel/PTFE.

The combustion heat of hydrogen and chlorine

in HCl synthesis can be partially recovered in
the form of steam or hot water.
Synthesis plants in DIABON graphite
fully meet these criteria, proven by our
more than 450 supplied plants all over

the world.

Synthesis Process
a Straight-Through Process
The starting substances for the synthesis are hydrogen and chlorine. Hydrogen and chlorine are fed
into a burner at controlled rates. The burner
consists of two concentric tubes with chlorine flowing
through the inner tube and hydrogen through the
outer an- nulus. Above the burner, the gases are
ignited to produce hydrogen chloride gas. A
hydrogen flow of at least 5 % stoichiometric excess
is recommended to ensure that a complete synthesis
takes place.

Complete
combustion of
Cl2 and H2 in
synthesis burner
to produce HCl

The hydrogen chloride gas, at a temperature of

less than 1 ppm free chlorine. By adjusting the ab-

2000 to 2500C, flows from the combustion

sorption water (weak acid) supply rate, the desired

chamber into an integrated isothermal falling-film HCl concentration can be obtained. The product acid
absorber. The HCl gas is then absorbed by water

flows by gravity into a tank at atmospheric pressure.

or weak acid. The absorber is either co-current or

The considerable heat generated in the synthesis

counter-current depending on the type of synthesis

process must be removed, normally by cooling

unit.

water. The combustion heat is 0.7 kWh per kg

The hydrochloric acid is normally produced with

of HCl (100 %) and the heat of absorption in

water is 0.5 kWh per kg of HCl (100 %).

Flow sheet

Nearly one half of the generated

heat can be recovered as steam
or hot water.
The unabsorbed gas is fed into a
counter-current scrubbing section

where absorption water absorbs

the remaining HCl. Our synthesis
plants are designed to meet the
German Clean Air Act (TA Luft) or
tailored to meet the requirements
of local environmental regulations.

Flow sheet of a series 81 hydrogen chloride synthesis unit made of DIABON graphite

Reliability and Safety

at Low Operating Cost

Arrangement of the burner: easily accessible at ground level

Criteria that count

Dependable: operational reliability

Our extensive expertise and many years experi-

Regardless of the design, whether manually oper-

ence allow us to design a plant that will meet all of

ated or computerized and fully automatic, our syn-

your requirements.

thesis units offer a maximum of operational safety.

State-of-the-art design of the synthesis units and

Flame failure monitors which automatically

tailor-made engineering of instrumentation, piping

and steel structure for optimal performance.

shut off the hydrogen and chlorine supplies by

rapid-closure valves if the flame is extinguished.

Total operational safety to ensure safe

processing of chlorine and hydrogen.

Automatic shutdown of hydrogen and chlorine

in the event of pressure failure.

Our expertise allows us to supply cost- effective

plants.

Automatic purging of the system with nitrogen

before any startup and shutdown.

Reliable operation. Our units have uptimes

higher than 99.9 %.

Incorporation of a flame trap to prevent back

flashing into the pipeline.

Design of Our Synthesis Units

State of the Art

A special feature common to all synthesis furnaces

in DIABON graphite is the bottom-mounted burner
and upward-pointing flame.
Only this bottom burner design allows the production of high-purity acid because condensate
forming in the furnace and containing free
chlorine cannot mix with the product acid and
is evacuated separately.
The safety disc overpressure system is located
at the top of the furnace in the safest location.
The burner, all gas feed lines, control systems
and safety systems are located near the base
of the combustion chamber, making operation
and monitoring of the unit easiest and most
reliable.
Burner tubes can be flushed during operation
and impurities removed while avoiding shutDIABON graphite absorber block element

downs.

Versatile: the design series

Series 91

Synthesis plants in DIABON graphite are available in two different

designs which differ mainly in the design of the falling-film absorber:

HCl gas is absorbed co-currently in tubular passages surrounding the chimney. A separate vent
scrubber is used for gas cleaning. The weak acid
leaving the vent scrubber is fed to the primary
absorption section to produce the strong acid.

Series 81
The cylindrical block elements incorporate a
chimney-shaped aperture in the center connecting
the combustion chamber with the safety disc. The
HCl gas absorption is counter-current in tubular

Common to both series is a liquid distributor

passages surrounding the chimney. Integrated

ensuring proper feed of the liquid into the ab-

tunnel trays on top of the synthesis unit accomplish

final gas cleaning.

sorption blocks.

Simple and reliable control and monitoring on the first platform

Superior design combined with

high-performance materials
Our synthesis units owe their excellent design to
our continuous further development program and
many decades of experience.
Only high-performance materials such as
DIABON graphite are in contact with HCl gas
or acid.
All graphite parts are contained in a cooling

water-flooded steel shell.

The graphite section containing the burner and
auxiliaries is extra robust with thickened walls.

Flexible: a range extending from

equipment to complete systems
Synthesis units in DIABON graphite can be supplied as equipment only or as pre-assembled and
ready-mounted skids including:
Instrumentation
Automatic ignition system
Automatic process control
Piping and fittings

Steel structure
Skid-mounted units minimize erection and
pre-commissioning times.

Synthesis Unit
Series 81

Dimensions
Type

Output
t/d*

d [mm]

h 1 [mm]

h 2 [mm]

weight [kg** ]

81-160

2.0

273

7200

2700

800

81-250

4.0

355

8300

3000

1500

81-310

8.0

438

8800

3600

2200

81-410

12.0

542

9800

4300

3400

81-500

22.0

647

11500

4800

4800

81-660

36.0

826

12600

5700

7500

81-800

55.0

1000

13800

6700

12000

* Nominal output, based on 100 % HCl gas | **Operating weight; dimensions given in the table are not binding

Synthesis Unit
Series 91
V

Dimensions
Type

Output

Synthesis unit

Scrubber

t/d*

d [mm]

h 1 [mm]

weight**

h 2 [mm]

weight**

h 3 [mm]

a [mm]

h 4 [mm]

91-250

342

8000

1300

3300

80

3300

1050

11300

91-310

427

8100

2200

3300

130

3900

1200

12000

91-410

15

542

9100

2800

3450

190

4600

1200

13700

91-500

22

647

9500

3700

3500

250

5100

1350

14600

91-660

36

826

11800

6300

3600

400

5800

1350

16000

91-800

55

1000

12800

9600

4550

700

6700

1700

18000

91-970

75

1252

16100

17000

4640

1000

9500

1700

21000

91-1200

115

1480

17900

24000

4700

1350

10600

2000

23000

91-1440

155

1780

19700

36000

5200

1750

12600

2200

25000

* Nominal output, based on 100 % HCl gas | **Operating weight (in kg); dimensions given in the table are not binding

Advantageous Details
of a Flawless Design

Tailor-made solutions under any process conditions

Protection against overpressure: DIABON graphite safety

disc at the top of the hydrogen chloride synthesis unit, well
outside the control zone

Operation of the plant at ground level

chimney between combustion chamber and safety

The burner, and therefore all feed gas lines control

disc guarantees a controlled pressure release in case

and safety systems, are arranged at the bottom.

of excess pressure. Fumes are released at the very top

This allows easy and safe control, monitoring,

of the plant, far away from the operators working

operation and maintenance at ground level. The

area. Splashing acid is completely avoided.

design guarantees regular and reliable inspection

of the plant by the operation staff.

Gas traps

At the highest point of every available design of

Plant without rotating parts
synthesis units, unburned hydrogen and inerts can
SGL Group plants do not need acid recycle and accumulate. Only SGL Group designs its synthesis
product pumps due to their design and the elevated units so that this hydrogen is continuously vented
acid product outlet. Therefore, the added capital through the scrubber to avoid hazardous situations.
and maintenance costs of additional equipment
such as tanks and pumps are obsolete.
Nitrogen flushing
Purging with nitrogen is carried out from the bottom
Safety disc

to the top of the synthesis unit. Unburned feed gas

HCl synthesis units require an excess pressure safety

mixtures are removed automatically and completely

device. Therefore, a DIABON safety disc is located

at the top of the synthesis unit. A specifically
designed

after shutdown, ignition failure or planned shutdown. This guarantees a safe restart of the unit.

Safety interlock system

Burner flushing

The safety interlock system will safely shut down the

The arrangement of the burner at the bottom also

plant in case of any failure, e.g. feed gas pressures,

allows the installation of a flushing system. The bur-

flame failure, cooling water flow, absorption wa-

ner can be flushed in operation (without stoppage)

ter flow and safety disc monitoring.

to remove salt incrustations which are drained separately.

Automatic ignition and control

The automatic ignition system, together with the auto-

High- quality hydrochloric acid product

matic control of the H2 /Cl2 / absorption water

Condensate is formed in every cooled combustion

ratio guarantees trouble-free operation under any

chamber, independently of up- or downward firing.

ope- rating conditions.

The unique SGL Group design allows this condensate to be drained off separately from the acid

Flame arrestor

product, thus improving product quality.

Flame arrestors for vertical installation in the hydrogen feed gas line prevents the flame from flashing

Highest payback due to heat recovery

back into the main pipeline and the pipeline to the

The combustion of H2 and Cl2 to give HCl is a

pilot burner. SGL Group supplies a specifically

strong- ly exothermic process that releases 0.7 kWh

developed flame arrestor suitable for HCl synthesis

for each kg of hydrogen chloride produced. This

units. Only this kind of flame arrestor is in accor-

energy can be partially recovered in the form of

dance with the European Directive 94/9/EC and

steam (all pres- sure levels achievable) or hot water.

the European Standards EN 1127-1 and EN

Depending on plant size and energy a payback

12784.

time of only 1- 3 years can be achieved for the heat

recovery system.

High-performance burner
SGL Carbons proprietary burner
is capable of burning the chlorine

Flow sheet

with only 5 % excess of hydrogen.

However, depending on the onsite conditions, e.g. the perfor-

mance of the instrumentation, it

might be necessary to increase
the excess to 10 %.

Flow sheet of a series 91 hydrogen chloride synthesis unit with steam generation system

Quality Management
and After Sales Service

After Sales Services

Anytime and Everywhere
We take care of our products during the entire
operational lifetime. We aim to provide the best
customer service anytime and everywhere.
Quality Management
E

Continuous quality assurance

is an integral part of the SGL
Group corporate philosophy.
Our quality management system
is certified in accordance with
ISO 9001:2008. In order to
guarantee consistently high
quality to our customers, we work
according to a key performance
indicator orientated quality
management system.

Depending on specifications we
are able to meet specific
requirements like the Pressure
Equipment Directive 97/23/EC
Annex III, Module H/H1, AD
2000 Merkblatt N2 as well as
ASME U Stamp, Section VIII,
Part UIG.

E
E
E

Maintenance genuine spare parts supply,

failure analysis, repair, field service
Fast emergency support
Start-up assistance
Consulting for continuous improvement

Our service specialists as well as our service

centers work in a global network to support you
best.

Process Technology
Our Products

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Maintenance
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E

Regional Sales & Service Center

Central and East Europe

Asia, Oceania

SGL CARBON GmbH

Werner-von-Siemens-Strasse 18
86405 Meitingen/Germany
Phone +49 8271 83-1564
Fax
+49 8271 83-2101
pt-europe@sglgroup.com

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Shanghai
1208, Shanghai Oriental Plaza
31 Wujiang Road/China
Phone +86 21 5211 0333
Fax
+86 21 5211 0085
pt-asia@sglgroup.com

South Europe, Middle East,

Africa

India

SGL CARBON Technic S.A.S.

18, Avenue Marcel Cachin
38407 Saint Martin dHeres/France
Phone +33 4 7625 9600
Fax
+33 4 7625 6277
pt-europe@sglgroup.com

SGL CARBON India Pvt. Ltd.

Plot No. E-100, MIDC Ranjangaon
Village: Karegaon, Taluka: Shirur
Dist. Pune - 412 220/India
Phone +91 21 386 122-14
pt-india@sglgroup.com

Americas
SGL CARBON Technic, LLC
21945 Drake Road
44149 Strongsville, Ohio/USA
Phone +1 440 572-3600
Fax
+1 440 572-9570
pt-americas@sglgroup.com

registered trademarks of SGL CARBON SE

11 2014/0 4N Printed in Germany

The data contained herein represent the current state of our product knowledge and are intended to provide general information on our products
and their application spectra. In view of the variety and large number of application possibilities, these data should be regarded merely as general
information that gives no guarantee of any specific properties and/or suitability of those products for any particular application. Consequently,
when ordering a product, please contact us for specific information on the properties required for the application concerned. On request, our
technical service will supply a profile of characteristics for your specific application requirements without delay.

Process Technology
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