2023 Spring Meeting and 19th Global Congress on Process Safety

(95a) Caustic Tower Design Fundamentals

Authors

Miguel Maldonado - Presenter, Technip Stone & Webster Process Technology
Min Wang, Technip Energies
The Caustic Tower in an Ethylene Unit removes the acid gases (H2S and CO2) generated during the cracking process. This is required to meet Polymer Grade Ethylene product specifications and to protect downstream systems.

This presentation will provide an overview of the Caustic Tower, the basic reactions, and other design fundamentals and concepts. Caustic Tower design features for fouling prevention will also be covered, including potential impact of recycles introduced into the cracked gas system.