Neutralizing Strong Acid with LabDELTA™

Strong acid, concentrated acid, superacids such as Oleum or Chlorosulfonic Acid, require a special neutralization strategy. With these chemicals, operator or technician safety is a primary concern. Automating the neutralization process with Wastech's LabDELTA™ systems takes the operator out of harm's way.

In addition to the highly corrosive liquid and vapors, heat is a constant issue. When neutralizing concentrated acids with 50% caustic, an exothermic reaction will generate heat. Heat can cause boiling and even explosions in unvented areas.

Normally the water volume itself can act as a heat sink to dissipate the heat. In extreme cases, a heat exchanger made of PVDF or PP will be installed in the reaction tank using factory supplied chilled water. High temperature materials (CPVC, PP or Teflon) for piping, metering pumps and tanks may be required. Stainless steel mixer shafts may need to be coated in Teflon.
  

PP heat exchanger at bottom of reaction tank

In less severe cases, the reaction will be slowed to allow heat to dissipate by slowly adding the waste to the reaction tank or diluting the chemicals by adding the waste slowly to a large water volume. Regardless, the temperature will be automatically monitored with an alarm and a shutoff of the chemicals in the alarm mode.

Larger tank volumes, double containment, equalization or holding tanks, longer reaction times and responsive controls are all considered in the engineering of a LabDELTA™ solution.

For Assistance with Strong Acid Neutralization

Call us at 818-998-3500 for a telephone consultation, engineering assistance, and a quotation. Using WebEX online teleconferencing, we can define the requirments, show examples of the hardware and other installations, and customize a LabDELTA™ strong acid neutralization solution.

• Ben Naylor – Application Engineer (ext 227)
• Harold Sipe – Senior Application Engineer (ext 224)