1.

0 INTRODUCTION

Hydrochloric

acid is

clear,

colorless,

highly pungent solution of hydrogen

chloride (HCl) in water. It is a highly corrosive, strongmineral acid with many industrial uses.
Hydrochloric

acid

is

found

naturally

in gastric

acid.It

was

historically

called acidumsalis, muriatic acid, and spirits of salt because it was produced from rock
salt and green vitriol (byBasiliusValentinus in the 15th century) and later from the chemically
similar substances common salt and sulfuric acid (by Johann Rudolph Glauber in the 17th
century). Free hydrochloric acid was first formally described in the 16th century by Libavius.
Later, it was used by chemists such as Glauber, Priestley, and Davy in their scientific
research.
During the Industrial Revolution in Europe, demand for alkaline substances increased.
A new industrial process by Nicolas Leblanc (Issoundun, France) enabled cheap large-scale
production of sodium carbonate (soda ash). In this Leblanc process, common salt is converted
to soda ash, using sulfuric acid, limestone, and coal, releasing hydrogen chloride as a byproduct. Until the British Alkali Act 1863 and similar legislation in other countries, the
excess HCl was vented to air. After the passage of the act, soda ash producers were obliged to
absorb the waste gas in water, producing hydrochloric acid on an industrial scale.
For the production, hydrochloric acid is prepared by dissolving hydrogen chloride in
water. Hydrogen chloride can be generated in many ways, and thus several precursors to
hydrochloric acid exist. The large-scale production of hydrochloric acid is almost always
integrated with the industrial scale production of other chemicals.
In industrial market, hydrochloric acid is produced in solutions up to 38% HCl
(concentrated grade). Higher concentrations up to just over 40% are chemically possible, but
the evaporation rate is then so high that storage and handling need extra precautions, such as
pressure and low temperature. Bulk industrial-grade is therefore 30% to 35%, optimized for
effective transport and limited product loss by HCl vapors. Higher concentrations require the
material to be pressurized and cooled to reduce evaporation losses. In the United Kingdom,
where it is sold as "Spirits of Salt" for domestic cleaning, the potency is the same as the US
industrial grade.
1

Besides, hydrochloric acid is used for a large number of small-scaleapplications, such

as

leather

processing,

purification

cleaning,andbuildingconstruction. Oil

of

common

production may

be

salt,

stimulated

household
by

injecting

hydrochloric acid into the rock formation of an oil well, dissolving a portion of the rock, and
creating a large-pore structure. Oil well acidizing is a common process in the North Sea
oil production industry.
Hydrochloric acid has been used for dissolving calcium carbonate, i.e. such things as
de-scaling kettles and for cleaning mortar off brickwork, but it is a hazardous liquid which
must be used with care. When used on brickwork the reaction with the mortar only continues
until the acid has all been converted, producing calcium chloride, carbon dioxide, and water:
2HCl + CaCO3 CaCl2 + CO2 + H2O
Many chemical reactions involving hydrochloric acid are applied in the production of
food,

food

ingredients,

include aspartame, fructose, citric

and food

additives.

acid, lysine, hydrolyzed

Typical

vegetable

products

protein as

food

enhancer, and in gelatin production. Food-grade (extra-pure) hydrochloric acid can be applied
when needed for the final product.

2.0 PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM

Figure 1: Process Flow Diagram for the manufacturing of Hydrochloric acid

3.0 PROCESS DESCRIPTION

MANUFACTURE
HCl is manufactured by various methods as follows
1. Synthesis from hydrogen and chlorine
2. From salt and sulfuric acid
3. As by-product from chemical processes
4. From incineration of waste organics
5. Hydrochloric acid solutions

We choose the method manufacturing of Hydrochloric Acid from salt and Sulphuric
Acid
Reaction
1. NaCl + HSONaHSO4 + HCl
2. NaCl + NaHSO NaSO+ HCl
4

Salt (NaCl) and sulfuric acid are charged to the furnace. It is desirable to keep one of
the components in the reaction mixture in a liquid form in both steps.
The first step is carried out at the lower temperature compare to second step. Even so,
for liquefaction of NaHSO4, which is required to carry out in second step, material is heated
up to 4000C.
Sodium sulfate in form of sludge is collected from the bottom of the furnace. The
product and unconverted sulfuric acid is sent to further processing in which recovery of
sulfuric acid and nitric acid in cooling tower and absorber respectively.
Hydrochloric acid gas is cooled absorbed in water or dilute HCl solution by passing
through cooler and absorber through the connecting pipe. The strength of acid produced is
generally 32-33 %. The heat of absorption of HCl in water is removed by spray of cold water
outside the absorber. The solution of HCl flows into a storage tank.
4.0 PIPING & INSTRUMENTATION DIAGRAM

Figure 1 : Process & Instrumentation Diagram of batch reactor

5.0 DESCRIPTION INSTRUMENT INVOLVED IN PROCESS

Based on the Process Flow Diagram that has been chosen,the equipments involved in
the production of HCl are reactor,cooler,absorber and scrubber.From all of the equipments,we
chose reactor for piping and instrumentation Diagram in our project.For the reactor we chose
batch reactor. The stirred tank batch reactor is still the most widely used reactor type both in
the laboratory and industry. A batch reactor is one in which a feed material is treated as a
whole for a fixed period of time. Batch reactors may be preferred for small-scale production
of high priced products, particularly if many sequential operations are employed to obtain
high product yields. Batch reactors also may be justified when multiple, low volume products
are produced in the same equipment or when continuous flow is difficult, as it is with highly
viscous or sticky solids-laden liquids. Because residence time can be more uniform in batch
reactors, better yields and higher selectivity may be obtained than with continuous reactors.
Instruments involve in the reactor as shown in Figure 2 are valves, pumps, flow meter,
thermocouple and bourdon tube.

Centrifugal Pump

Figure 3 : Pump
A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by
mechanical action. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method
they use to move the fluid: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps. Pumps operate by
some

mechanism

typically reciprocating or rotary,

and

consume energy to

perform mechanical work by moving the fluid. Pumps operate via many energy sources,
including manual operation, electricity, engines, or wind power. Mechanical pumps serve in a
wide range of applications such as pumping water from wells, aquarium filtering, pond
filtering and aeration, in the car industry for water-cooling and fuel injection, in the energy
industry for pumping oil and natural gas or for operating cooling towers.
Based on piping and instrumentation diagram of the batch reactor above, there are
three pump in this process. The first pump situated from the feed storage to the reactor
directly and the second pump situated at outflow of reactor which is between two control
valve. Generally there are two types of pump which is Centrifugal Pumps (or Roto-dynamic
pumps) and Positive Displacement Pumps.

Figure 4: Centrifugal pump

The centrifugal or roto-dynamic pump produce a head and a flow by increasing the
velocity of the liquid through the machine with the help of a rotating vane
impeller. Centrifugal pumps include radial, axial and mixed flow units.Centrifugal pumps can
further be classified as end suction pumps,in-line pumps,double suction pumps,vertical
multistage pumps,horizontal multistage pumps,submersible pumps,self-priming pumps,axialflow pumps,regenerative pumps. Second pump is Positive Displacement Pumps. The positive
displacement pump operates by alternating of filling a cavity and then displacing a given
volume of liquid. The positive displacement pump delivers a constant volume of liquid for
each cycle against varying discharge pressure or head.The positive displacement pump can be
classified as reciprocating pumps - piston, plunger and diaphragm, power pumps,steam
pumps, rotary pumps - gear, lobe, screw, vane, regenerative (peripheral) and progressive
cavity.
In this process the type of pump that suitable use is centrifugal pump. This is because
there is no drive seal so there is no leakage in pump, there are very less frictional losses.
There is also can be said have no noise, most efficiency and have minimum wear compare to
others. In the centrifugal pump, there is a gap between pump chamber and motor, so there is
no heat transfer between them. Then because of the gap between pump chamber and motor,
water cannot enter into motor so there is no heat transfer between them.
Temperature Measurement
Thermocouple

Figure 5: Thermocouple

In this process thermocouple is used to measure the temperature in the reactor . This is
to make sure the temperature is not over limit which is can cause the equipment to be
overheating. A thermocouple is a temperature-measuring device consisting of two dissimilar
conductors that contact each other at one or more spots, where a temperature differential is
experienced by the different conductors (or semiconductors). It produces a voltage when the
temperature of one of the spots differs from the reference temperature at other parts of the
circuit. Thermocouples are a widely used type of temperature sensor for measurement and
control, and

can

also

convert

temperature gradient into

electricity. Commercial

thermocouples are inexpensive, interchangeable, are supplied with standard connectors, and
can measure a wide range of temperatures. In contrast to most other methods of temperature
measurement, thermocouples are self powered and require no external form of excitation. The
main limitation with thermocouples is accuracy; system errors of less than one
degree Celsius (C) can be difficult to achieve.
Certain combinations of alloys have become popular as industry standards. Selection
of the combination is driven by cost, availability, convenience, melting point, chemical
properties, stability, and output. Different types are best suited for different applications. They
are usually selected on the basis of the temperature range and sensitivity needed.
Thermocouples with low sensitivities (B, R, and S types) have correspondingly lower
resolutions. Standard thermocouple types are types T, J ,K and E. In this process type K are
choose to be used. Type K (chromel alumel) is the most common general purpose
thermocouple with a sensitivity of approximately 41 V/C (chromel positive relative to
alumel when the junction temperature is higher than the reference temperature). Type K
thermocouples usually work in most applications as they are nickel based and exhibit good
corrosion resistance. It is the most common sensor calibration type providing the widest
operating temperature range. Due to its reliability and accuracy the Type K thermocouple is
used extensively at temperatures up to 2300F (1260C). This type of thermocouple should
be protected with a suitable metal or ceramic protection tube, especially in reducing
atmospheres. In oxidizing atmospheres, such as electric furnaces, tube protection is not
always necessary when other conditions are suitable; however, it is recommended for
cleanliness and general mechanical protection.

Flow measurement
9

Flow meter
A flow meter is a device used to measure the flow rate or quantity of a gas or liquid in
a pipe. Flow measurement applications are very diverse; consider these examples: water flow
through an open channel, hydraulic valve leakage, fuel measurement through a fuel injector,
or respiratory flow through a peak expiratory flow meter.Although there are many
technologies used to measure flow, the positive displacement flow meter is unique as it is the
only one to directly measure the actual volume. All other types infer the flow rate by making
some other type of measurement and equating it to the flow rate. Flow meters are referred to
by many names, such as flow gauge, flow indicator, liquid meter, etc. dependent on a
particular industry; however the function, to measure flow, remains the same.In our P&ID,the
flow meter situated before entering the fluid entering the reactor.We use two flow meters for
the reactor.
The flowmeter can be classified into 4 types which are volumetric, velocity,inferential
and mass.This reactor use volumetric type such as positive- displacement meter.It measures
volume directly.Positive displacement meters provide high accuracy, 0.1% of actual flow
rate in some cases and good repeatability as high as 0.05% of reading. Accuracy is not
affected by pulsating flow unless it entrains air or gas in the fluid. PD meters do not require a
power supply for their operation and do not require straight upstream and downstream pipe
runs for their installation. The process must be clean. Particles greater than 100 microns in
size must be removed by filtering. They are most widely used as household water meters. In
industrial and petrochemical applications, PD meters are commonly used in for batch
charging of both liquids and gases. Velocity is major effect on the accuracy and performance
flow meter.

Figure 6: Orifice Plate

10

The flow measurement device that we choose orifice plate.Two common types of
fluid meters are the orifice and venturi meters. They are both differential pressure flow
meters. It means that a pressure difference is measured some two points in the pipe. This
difference in measure can be related to the velocity of the fluid in the pipe using the Bernoulli
equation. These two meters both induce minimum flow area in fluid flow in the pipe. For
orifice meter, the minimum cross sectional area is called the vena contracta. For venturi
meters, it is called the venturi throat.
An orifice meter is simple apparatus consists of a flat plate with a drilled hole inserted
into the pipe. This flat plate or commonly known as orifice plate causes restriction in the fluid
flow and will create pressure difference before and after the orifice plate. Because of the
restriction, the fluid flow will take the form of the restriction and will have a change in cross
sectional area depending upon the area of the hole in the restriction. From a half or twice the
diameter of the pipe to the orifice plate a minimum cross section of the flow is expected and
this is called the vena contracta. Pressure difference is then measured from an arbitrary point
before the orifice plate (usually a length equal to the diameter of the pipe) and the vena
contracta. This pressure difference can then be related to the velocity of the fluid flow.
The orifice plate is very inexpensive for it is just a flat plate and a thin orifice plate. It
is also very easy to install in the pipeline. But one disadvantage of this meter is it maximizes
form friction. And it is very serious that by using this kind of meter a large percentage of
pressure drop is unrecovered. The fluidvelocity is increased at the opening of the orifice plate
and not much energy is lost but as it flows through and starts slowing down, much of the
excess energy is lost.Unlike the orifice meter, form friction is minimized in the venturi meter.
The meter is streamlined shape and almost eliminates boundary-layer separation and thus
form drag is assumed negligible. It has a converging and a diverging part. The converging
cone must be 25o to 30o. The diverging cone must not exceed 7o. The pressure difference is
measured between the upstream side of the cone and the venturi throat. And again, as for all
pressure differential flow meters, this pressure difference can be related to the velocity of the
fluid flow. A disadvantage of this flow meter is that it is large, difficult and expensive to
manufacture. Also, because of its large area, it is difficult to install in our pipeline.

11

Level measurement
Sight Glasses

Figure 6: Sight Glasses

The level of measurement refers to the relationship among the values that are assigned to the
attributes for a variable.The level measurement device that we choose to add is sight glass.It
is visual measurement, transparent tube of glass and level inside the vessel shown in the level
sight glass. The tube has a scale- indicator for direct reading.Simple sight glasses may be just
a plastic or glass tube connected to the bottom of the tank at one end and the top of the tank at
the other. The level of liquid in the sight glass will be the same as the level of liquid in the
tank.It also can adapt to open and closed tank and use for both low and high pressure process.
We chose high pressure sight glass instead of low pressure glass, because it contains liquid
under high pressure- reflex sight.It also tolerates higher temperature and pressure.It is
installed in protective high pressure housing with I inch thick.

Valves

12

Figure 8: Ball valve

Figure 9: Butterfly Valve

Valves are any devices for halting or controlling the flow of a liquid, gas, or other
material through a passage, pipe, inlet, outlet, etc.We use two types of valves which are
butterfly valve and ball valve.The butterfly valve are situated at the entering of the reactor
while one ball valve use after the fluid flows out from reactor.
A butterfly valve is a flat valve that is either 1 piece or 2 pieces. The name comes
from the 2 piece that operates like butterfly wings, when opened they fold inward to allow
flow and look like a set of wings touching each other. When closed they are flat. A single
piece is a flat disk that rotate about the shaft of the valve. It is still called butterfly as that is
what it was made from.
A ball valve is just that, a valve that utilizes a ball to control flow. Inside the ball has
been bored through to allow flow to pass through it. The hole bored into the ball is equal to
the ID of the pipe connecting to it, therefore the valve is much larger than the pipe. Ball
valves are the typical norm on most installations, the variety of valves that you can obtain
allow for use on multiple services and pressures.
Butterfly valves are used when you have limited space for a valve and you are not
concerned about flow losses due to the disk being in the flow path. They are also used as
control valves to limit flow and induce pressure drops. Butterfly valves typically pick up
where ball valves stop, which is size dependent. Ball valves can be used in all sizes, but
typically stop at 6"-8" which after that butterfly or gate valves are used as it is more
economical.
Pressure Measurement

13

Bourden Tubes

Figure 4:Bourden tubes

Pressure must be considered when designing many chemical processes. Pressure is
defined as force per unit area. There are three types of pressure measurements which is first
absolute pressure - atomospheric pressure plus gauge pressure. Second, gauge pressure absolute pressure minus atmospheric pressure and lastly differential pressure - pressure
difference between two locations. In order for a pressure controlled system to function
properly and cost-effectively, it is important that the pressure sensor used be able to give
accurate and precise readings as needed for a long period of time without need for
maintenance or replacement while enduring the conditions of the system. Several factors
influence the suitability of a particular pressure sensor for a given process: the characteristics
of the substances being used or formed during the process, the environmental conditions of
the system, the pressure range of the process, and the level of precision and sensitivity
required in measurements made.
Bourdon tube are choose to measure the pressure inside reactor because of it is the
most common type in many areas and are used to measure medium to high pressures. They
cover measuring spans from 600 mbar to 4,000 bar. The measuring element is a curved tube
with a circular, spiral or coiled shape, commonly called a bourdon tube. This tube moves
outward when the pressure inside the tube is higher than the external pressure, and inward
when the internal pressure is lower. This motion is proportional to the pressure to be
measured, and it is coupled to the pointer mechanism.
The types of bourdon tubes are varies in specific use and space accommodations for
better linearity and larger sensitivity. In this case, the most suitable is c-type. C -type bourdon
tube pressure gauge is works on the principle of Elasticity. It is made of phosphorous
14

bronze,glass baralium or copper. For repeatability, the c-types bourdon tubes materials must
have good elastic or spring characteristics. The surrounding in which the process is carried
out is also important as corrosive atmosphere or fluid would require a material which is
corrosion proof.

6.0 CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION

In conclusions, instrumentation plays an integral part in industry. It enables processes

to be done in the right conditions such as temperature, pressure and volume. For example, the
acid removal column require instruments to measure temperature in and out and measure the
pressure. The process of hydrochloric reactions involves instruments such as Acid Removal
Column, HCl Removal Column and Water Removal Column. In short, the process of
recovery of hydrochloric acid uses acid removal column to condense hydrochloric acid and
the acid goes to acid-organic separator and HCl absorber. The absorbed HCl then flow to HCl
removal column where the water removed flow from the bottom feed of HCl removal column
to Water Removal Column.

15

It is suggested that manufacturer use a more environmental friendly process to recover

HCl because this process produce considerable amount of stack emissions containing HCl,
particles and chlorine that can cause hazard to environment.

7.0 REFERENCES

1. Robert H. Perry, Perrys chemical engineers handbook,McGraw-Hill 7th edition.

2. Carlos A. Smith, Ph.D., P.E.; Armando B. Corripio, Ph.D., P.E., Principles and
Practice of Automatic Process Control, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2nded.
3. Pawan K. Tech B. (2013) Instrument & Control Engineering. National Institute of
Technology. Jalandhar
4. William. D, Fundamental of Industrial Instrumentation and Process Control, McGraw
Hill Professional, April 21, 2005
16

5. John, W. (2014, October 18). Bourdon Tube. Retrieved May 9, 2015, from
http://www.instrumentationtoday.com/about-us/
6. Marangoni, R. (2013, October 12). Pressure Measurement. Retrieved May 6, 2015,
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pressure_measurement

17