We all use various chemicals in our daily lives. From the paint that we use in our home, the absorbent material in diapers, fertilizer for our gardens, or a small pill to help relieve a headache, we rely on chemical companies for our supply.
The chemical industry involves numerous production processes to provide these products for us, including oil refining, synthetic reactions, distillation, and drying.
In some chemical plants for instance, steam is the most effective way to bring a reactor up to its required temperature. Specific temperatures are required for each chemical reaction to take place. Therefore, precise control of the steam pressure is required in the steam distribution system and at its point of use, as variations in temperature and pressure can greatly influence reaction rates and product quality.
Distillation is a common way of separating different components of a mixture, including fraction separation and the separation between gas and liquid phases, much the same way as is used in the manufacture of alcoholic spirits. Heat is used to create vapor, which is then sent to a condenser, and finally cooled into a pure product.
The process of drying can be accomplished in a number of ways, all using heat from steam to vaporize or evaporate water. Including air drying, adsorption drying and spray drying.
Another common usage of steam is to heat up the reactants through a heat exchanger, before it is transferred to a reactor or the heating jacket, thus supplying the necessary amount of heat.
Petroleum refining, or turning crude oil into a wide range of petroleum products, requires a large amount of steam energy to heat, distil and separate various products from crude oil. Other uses include catalytic reactions such as cracking and hydrogenation.
Clayton Steam Generators have long been the boiler of choice for many of the world’s leading chemical companies. With our steady supply of quality steam, provided at a stable pressure and temperature, Clayton Industries is standing by to provide a customized solution for your next project.