Solvent Extraction, Mineral Processing and Alumina Processing
MAX HT® Bayer Sodalite Scale Inhibitor: A Green Solution to Energy Consumption
Without MAX HT, the method used to manage the sodalite Cytec performed plant trials to research energy savings. See
scale problem is to clean out the system whenever the heat Figures 4 & 5. For detail on the results of the trials please go
exchanger performance drops below a certain level, typically to www.cytec.com. The results of the trials show potential
about half the original heat transfer rate. This cleaning is energy and waste savings which was the basis for the
generally accomplished with the use of a 5-10% sulfuric awarding Cytec the 2012 U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection
acid solution to dissolve the scale. The used acid constitutes Agency) Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for
a waste stream requiring disposal. In addition to the acid MAX HT.
cleaning, much of the inter-stage piping is cleaned using
mechanical means, such as jackhammers, to remove the scale.
Without Antiscalant With Antiscalant
The use of MAX HT is one way to make the Bayer process
greener in terms of energy use and waste generation. MAX
HT is commercial at twenty different plants across the globe,
and under evaluation at a number of other plants. Many of
these are double stream plants where the scale inhibitor can
be used on both evaporator and digester heaters, but there
are a number of single stream plants that find benefits from
just treating the evaporator heaters.
Dirty and clean heat exchangers from operating
without and with MAX HT antiscalant after 160 hrs.
of continuous operation, corresponding to the
heat transfer curves in Figs. 4 and 5, respectively.
2700
2500
y = -8.325x + 1981.8
2300
2100
1900
1700
1500
1300
1100
900 FIGURE 4:
700 Typical heat transfer decay
500 during 160 hrs. without MAX HT
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160
Hours
31
IN PROCESS SEPARATION
