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The plant has a production capacity of 35 000 tons Phthalic Anhydride (PA) per year on a continuous seven days per week basis.
Raw material orthoxylene (o-Xylene, 1,2-dimethylbenzene) is mainly imported by ship to the tank storage at the jetty. Orthoxylene is pumped by pipeline to the site. The reaction is strongly exothermic and the reaction heat is recovered generating steam in an integrated WHB (Waste Heat Boiler). The tail gases from the processes are incinerated in a catalytic incinerator (Catox) where complete combustion takes place leaving only effluent CO2 and water.
The exothermic reaction develops substantial amounts of excess heat. Surplus heat is cooled off with a liquidized salt mix made up by potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate, which in turn is cooled with water and hence no thermal oils is present in the WHB. Reaction occurs in potentially explosive areas in all process steps.
The plant handles hydrocarbons at elevated temperatures and pressures and has the potential for pool fires, explosion and gas jet fires. There is however not sufficient quantity of light hydrocarbons to give rise to the inherent potential for a vapor cloud explosions. There is generally a good standard of remote isolation valves provided in the raw material supply as well as in process units.