causes of foaming in amine absorber

[Nasir Hussain]

Dear all, what are the possible causes of foaming in Amine Scrubber at Diesel Hydrotreating unit? What are the actions taken to handle the emergency?

[Nasir Hussain]

1. One of the principle causes of amine foaming is the introduction of
hydrocarbon liquids into the amine contactor. When hydrocarbon
liquids enter the contactor, they are highly soluble into the amine
solution and reduce the surface tension of the aqueous solution.
The reduced surface tension then aids in creating bubbles of gas in
the amine solution, resulting in foaming.
Please see very good article;
https://www.emerson.com/documents/automation/application-note-avoiding-amine-foaming-issues-utilizing-a-gas-chromatograph-rosemount-en-72720.pdf

[Nasir Hussain]

Causes of foaming in amine scrubber;
1. Condensation of Hydrocarbons in Amine, due to the low temperature of amine than gas.DT should always be positive. The low temperature of Amine and high temperature of the gas creates negative DT which results in condensation of Hydrocarbons in the Amine.
2. Corrosion particles in the Amine or dirty amine also cause foaming.

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