Sodium salt scaling in black liquor evaporators and the effects of the addition of tall oil brine
Source abstract
Abstract
Abstract Sodium salt scaling, i. e. the formation of doubles salts comprised of sodium, carbonate and sulphate on the heat transfer surfaces, is a common problem that occurs during black liquor evaporation. In this study, experimental results are presented that provide new insights into the formation and composition of such scales and how they are influenced by the addition of tall oil brine. It was found that increased content of sodium carbonate and sodium sulphate in the black liquor increased scaling, while the ratio between carbonate and sulphate had a lesser influence than reported in other studies. Black liquor created loose clay-like scales comprised of aggregated crystals and black liquor, whereas salt solutions created hard mineral-like scales. The scales formed by both the black liquor and the salt solution showed a tendency to fall off during formation after primary nucleation. It was also found that both tall oil soap and alkalized tall oil brine could inhibit the formation of scales. The inhibition effect is stronger if adding the soap or brine just before scaling starts, but also depends on the amount added, the sodium carbonate and sodium sulphate content in the liquor as well as other factors.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Crystallization and Solubility Studies · Innovative Microfluidic and Catalytic Techniques Innovation · Fluid Dynamics and Thin Films
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
211731 Chalmers University of Technology , Gothenburg , Sweden
Now RISE Innventia AB , Stockholm , Sweden
Funding
Energimyndigheten · Stora Enso
References (41)
Show source-provided references
1. Aro, T., Fatehi, P. (2017) Tall oil production from black liquor: Challenges and opportunities. Sep. Purif. Technol. 175:469–480.10.1016/j.seppur.2016.10.027 ↗
2. Bialik, M.A., Theliander, H., Sedin, P., Verrill, C.L., DeMartini, N. (2008) Solubility and solid-phase composition in Na 2 CO 3 - Na 2 SO 4 {\mathrm{Na}2}{\mathrm{CO}3}\text{-}{\mathrm{Na}2}{\mathrm{SO}4} solutions at boiling temperature: A modeling approach. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 47:3233–3238.10.1021/ie071436r ↗
3. DeMartini, N., Frederick, W.J. (2008) Review of sodium salt scaling in the liquid streams of the chemical recovery cycle of kraft pulp mills. In: TAPPI Engineering, Pulping and Environmental Conference. TAPPI Press, Portland, USA. pp. 1824–1833.
4. DeMartini, N., Verrill, C.L. (2007) Minimizing soluble scales in black liquor evaporators: Application of metastable and solubility limit data for the Na-CO3-SO4 system. In: International Chemical Recovery Conference, Quebec City, Canada. pp. 479–483.
5. Dogaris, I., Henriksson, G., Lindström, M. (2019) Tall oil solubility in industrial liquors, Energiforsk, Report 2019:582.
6. Euhus, D.D., Rousseau, R.W., Frederick, W.J., Schmidl, W., Lien, S.J., Thorn, P.A., Smith, P.K. (2003) Eliminating sodium salt fouling in black liquor concentrators: Crystallization behavior and fouling in pilot evaporation trials. In: TAPPI Fall Technical Conference, Chicago, USA. pp. 1043–1057.
7. Euhus, D.D., Shi, B., Frederick, W.J. (2002) Control of soluble scale in black liquor evaporators and concentrators: Part 1. Pilot plant studies. In: TAPPI Fall Technical Conference and Trade Fair, San Diego, USA, September 2002.
8. Frederick, J.W., DeMartini, N. Black Liquor Evaporation. TAPPI Press, 2019.
9. Frederick, W.J., Grace, T.M. A study of evaporator scaling: Calcium carbonate scales, Project 3234, Progress Report III. Institute of Paper Chemistry, Appleton, USA, 1977.
10. Frederick, W.J., Shi, B., Euhus, D.D., Rousseau, R.W. (2004) Crystallization and control of sodium salt scales in black liquor concentrators. Tappi J. 3:7–13.
11. Gourdon, M. Sodium Salt Scaling in Black Liquor Evaporators. Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden, 2009.
12. Gourdon, M., Vamling, L., Andersson, U., Olausson, L. (2010a) Crystallization in a pilot evaporator: Aqueous solutions of Na 2 CO 3 {\mathrm{Na}2}{\mathrm{CO}3} and Na 2 SO 4 {\mathrm{Na}2}{\mathrm{SO}4}. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 49:2401–2409.10.1021/ie901390c ↗
13. Gourdon, M., Vamling, L., Andersson, U., Olausson, L. (2010b) Sodium salt scaling in black liquor evaporators - Pilot plant results and industrial significance. J. Pulp Pap. Sci. 36:98–106.
14. Gourdon, M., Vamling, L., Olausson, L. (2007) Fouling layer growth in black liquor falling film evaporation. In: International Chemical Recovery Conference, Quebec City, Canada, May 29–June 1. TAPPI. pp. 473–477.
15. Gourdon, M., Vamling, L., Strömblad, D., Olausson, L. (2008) Scale formation and growth when evaporating black liquor with high carbonate to sulphate ratio. Nord. Pulp Pap. Res. J. 23:231–239.10.3183/npprj-2008-23-02-p231-239 ↗
16. Grace, T.M. (1976) Solubility limits in black liquors. AIChE Symp. Ser. 72:73–82.
17. Grace, T.M. A survey of evaporator scaling in the alkaline pulp industry, IPST Project Reports. Institute of Paper Chemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA, 1975.
18. Green, G., Hough, R.P. Chemical Recovery in the Alkaline Pulping Processes. TAPPI Press, Atlanta, USA, 1992.
19. Guimaraes, M., Tran, H., Cardoso, M. (2014) A novel method for determining the internal recycled dust load in kraft recovery boilers. Tappi J. 13:27–34.10.32964/TJ13.8.27 ↗
20. Gullichsen, J., Fogelholm, C.-J. Chemical Pulping. Fapet Oy, Helsinki, Finland, 1999.
21. Haag, J., Stigson, S. (2003) Lutlagring och lutföringens inverkan på inkrustering i indunstningsapparater och cisterner. Värmeforsk, Stockholm, Sweden.
22. Johansson, M. Heat Transfer and Hydrodynamics in Falling Film Evaporation of Black Liquor. Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden, 2008.
23. Johansson, M., Vamling, L., Olausson, L. An implementation-oriented heat transfer model for black liquor evaporation. In: Proceedings of the International Chemical Recovery Conference 2007, Quebec City, Canada, May 29–June 1, 2007, 2007. pp. 155–158.
24. Karlsson, E. The Formation and Dissolution of Sodium Salt Scales in Black Liquor Evaporators. Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden, 2017.10.3183/npprj-2017-32-02-p299-308 ↗
25. Karlsson, E. (2020) Evaluation of sodium salt scaling in black liquor evaporators using existing process data. Nord. Pulp Pap. Res. J., accepted for publication.10.1515/npprj-2020-0038 ↗
26. Karlsson, E., Gourdon, M., Olausson, L., Vamling, L. (2013) Crystallization fouling of sodium salts in black liquor falling film evaporators – development of experimental method and first results. Nord. Pulp Pap. Res. J. 28:506.10.3183/npprj-2013-28-04-p506-513 ↗
27. Karlsson, E., Gourdon, M., Vamling, L. (2017) The effect of bulk crystals on sodium salt scaling in black liquor evaporators. Nord. Pulp Pap. Res. J. 32:299.10.3183/npprj-2017-32-02-p299-308 ↗
28. Lagerberg-Nilsson, E. Study of Black Liquor Evaporator Fouling at Södra Cell Värö. Chalmers University of Technology, Göteborg, 2012.
29. Lamy, E.J. (1979) Concentrator fouling. In: CPPA Technical Section Pacific Coast and Western Branch Spring Conference, Harrison, USA, pp. 72–79.
30. Lindgren, K., Kulander, I., Torngren, P., Bialik, M. (2018) Soap separation – A new option for removal of NPEs. In: Pulping Engineering and Environmental Recycling Sustainability Conference, PEERS 2018: Technical Solutions for Today and Beyond. Portland, USA. pp. 272–277.
31. Mersmann, A. Crystallization Technology Handbook. Dekker, Inc., New York, USA, 2001.10.1201/9780203908280 ↗
32. Numrich, R., Müller, J. (2010) Filmwise condensation of pure vapors. In: VDI-GVC (ed.), VDI Heat Atlas. Springer, Berlin.10.1007/978-3-540-77877-6_58 ↗
33. Schmidl, W., Frederick, W.J. Current trends in evaporator fouling. In: International Chemical Recovery Conference, Tampa, USA. TAPPI Press, 1998. pp. 367–377.
34. Shi, B., Frederick, W.J., Rousseau, R.W. (2003) Effects of calcium and other ionic impurities on the primary nucleation of burkeite. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 42:2861–2869.10.1021/ie020845e ↗
35. Smith, J.B. Sodium Salt Scaling in Falling Film Black Liquor Evaporators. Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA, 2000.
36. Söderhjelm, L., Virkola, N.-E., Fagerström, P. Evaluation of black liquor fouling tendency by a laboratory method. In: International Chemical Recovery Conference. TAPPI Press, New Orleans, USA, 1985.
37. Uloth, V.C., Wong, A. (1986) The effect of black liquor soap content on evaporator capacity: Part 1 – Na2CO3–Na2SO4 scaling. Pulp Pap. Can. 87:T267–T273.
38. Verrill, C.L., Frederick, W.J. (2006) Evaporator fouling 101 - Sodium salt crystallization and soluble-scale fouling. In: TAPPI Engineering, Pulping, Environmental Conference, Philadelphia, USA.
39. Verrill, C.L., Giehl, F.T., Ratnieks, E. Manipulation of crystallization to resolve severe concentrator scaling. In: International Chemical Recovery Conference, Charleston, USA, 6–10 June. TAPPI Press, 2004.
40. Wikander, K., Kjellin, P., Holmberg, K. (2006) The effect of lignin on calcium carbonate scaling. Nord. Pulp Pap. Res. J. 21:286–289.10.3183/npprj-2006-21-03-p286-289 ↗
41. Åkesjö, A. Hydrodynamics and Heat Transfer in Vertical Falling Films with Smooth and Modified Heat-Transfer Surfaces – An Experimental and Numerical Investigation. Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden, 2018.