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Dual Process

The dual process document describes the production of sodium carbonate through carbonation of brine using ammonia and carbon dioxide. Key steps include: 1) Absorbing ammonia into a brine solution and dissolving salt to form an ammoniated liquor containing ammonium chloride. 2) Cooling and crystallizing the liquor to recover ammonium chloride as a co-product. 3) Passing carbon dioxide through the remaining liquor in carbonation towers to form sodium bicarbonate, which is then calcined to produce sodium carbonate. 4) Major engineering challenges are corrosion of equipment by the ammonium chloride solution and high refrigeration costs to crystallize the ammonium chloride.

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Siranjeevi Dayalan
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105 views

Dual Process

The dual process document describes the production of sodium carbonate through carbonation of brine using ammonia and carbon dioxide. Key steps include: 1) Absorbing ammonia into a brine solution and dissolving salt to form an ammoniated liquor containing ammonium chloride. 2) Cooling and crystallizing the liquor to recover ammonium chloride as a co-product. 3) Passing carbon dioxide through the remaining liquor in carbonation towers to form sodium bicarbonate, which is then calcined to produce sodium carbonate. 4) Major engineering challenges are corrosion of equipment by the ammonium chloride solution and high refrigeration costs to crystallize the ammonium chloride.

Uploaded by

Siranjeevi Dayalan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Dual Process

Raw materials
Basis: 1000kg Sodium carbonate
Crystalline Salt

= 1260kg

Ammonia

= 325kg

High pressure steam = 1350kg


Low pressure steam = 100kg
Cooling water

= 50000 - 80000kg

Electric power

= 450KWH

Co-product (NH4Cl) = 620kg


Sources of raw material
1) Common salt can be obtained from sea water, salt lake and sub soil water.
2) Ammonia can be synthesized by Haber Bosch or Modern process.
Process Description:
The liquor from carbonation tower, containing ammonium chloride, unreacted NaCl and traces
of sodium carbonate is. Ammonia is absorbed or ammoniated by fresh purified brine solution in
ammonia absorber. The ammoniated liquor is sent to a bed of washed salt in salt dissolver. The
resulting liquor is gradually cooled to 00C in refrigerating tank unit, resulting into crystallize out
ammonium chloride. The slurry containing ammonium chloride is thickened and NH 4Cl is
centrifuged and dried. In this process ammonium chloride is obtained as co-product. These is the
principal modification of dual process in which ammonium chloride is recovered as co-product
rather than liberation of the contained ammonia for recycle as in the Solvay process.
The liquor obtained after separation of NH4Cl is charged to the carbonation towers in which CO2
is passed from bottom in the counter current flow of liquor. The resulting sodium bicarbonate is
thickened into thickener and centrifuged. It is then calcined into sodium carbonate.

Major engineering problem


1) Corrosion
Ammonium chloride solution is quite corrosive to equipment involved in crystallization and
solids recovery. So, corrosion resistant material or rubber-lined units are preferred.
2) Refrigeration Cost:
Actual refrigeration cost is variable but to maintain the temperature around 0 0C, the electric
requirements are still double than Solvay's operation.

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