Use of caustic treating to remove acids, hydrogen sulfide and/or mercaptans from hydrocarbon intermediate and final product streams generates spent caustic waste. This  high pH wastewater is toxic and highly odorous, and can carry over into the product resulting in off-specifications due to haze or elevated sodium concentration. The spent caustic forms a stable emulsion that s difficult to remove using knock-out drums, sand beds, electrostatic precipitators (ESPs), water washes  or salt towers. Pall offers a leading edge prefilter and liquid/liquid coalescer solution for refinery caustic treatment systems to achieve production quotas, meet product quality specifications, and extend the run life of downstream catalytic process units.

For prefiltration prior to the liquid/liquid coalescer, Nylon Profile® filters or Ultipleat® High Flow filters deliver efficient removal of solids.

Nylon Profile® filters are constructed from Nylon. In some cored configurations, the Nylon core may also contain glass fibers for reinforcement.  Different configurations such as Profile coreless or Profile II elements are available to suit your flow requirements.  The elements contain an absolute-rated downstream section, and a continuously graded pore size upstream section, which increases service life. Since the fibers in Profile  filters are continuous and are “bonded” by intertwining during the manufacturing process, the filters show no media migration and have fixed pore construction that provides consistent downstream fluid quality.

The Ultipleat® High Flow filter is a large diameter, coreless, single open ended, pleated cartridge with an inside-to-outside flow pattern. The filter's unique crescent-shaped pleat geometry, combined with its large 152.4 mm (6 inch) diameter and proprietary range of available Pall filter media, allows the use of significantly fewer filters and smaller housings for high flow rate applications.

High efficiency PhaseSep liquid/liquid coalescers reliably remove spcnt caustic / high pH water to meet ‘clear and bright’ product specification and sodium levels downstream. These coalescers remove caustic carryover from hydrocarbon product to assure the highest quality and prevent downstream unit downtime from caustic contamination of catalytic processes.

Pall's spent caustic filter and coalescer systems reliably treat high pH finsl products and intermediates to help meet daily production quotas and downstream process protection needs. For more information, click here to see purchase information or talk to a Pall expert.