Description:
NKCS Acetylene plants are indigenously manufactured and every part has been carefully designed by experienced engineers, which are made of the best materials. Every part has been accurately made and carefully inspected before assembly. Each unit is made in strict conformation to international quality norms and standards and the designs and drawings of the plants are pre-approved by the Chief Controller of Explosives. Our plants are developed under strict supervision of our experts and bear the ISI quality marking. Therefore you are assured of an efficient and dependable acetylene plant.
The design of the entire plant has been made with safety in mind. Flash Back Arrestors, High Pressure Reverse Flow check valves, safety valves and complete gauging help protect both equipment and personnel. Various auto controls, safety valves, auto vent valves, non-return valves and Flash Back Arrestors are also provided to make this plant absolutely safe to operate in all conditions.
Process Description:
1. Acetylene Gas Generator:
NKCS Acetylene plant is of an advanced design, with several features incorporated which is not ordinarily found in other plants. Our NKCS Acetylene plant is a fully automatic plant (and needs an operators’ attention for brief amount of time in every hour). All operations are performed by pneumatically controlled valves that are assisted by highly sensitive sensors, integral with the temperature control instruments.
These in turn open the water inlet valve or residues drain valve etc. Two hydraulic pumps help to open and close the supply of calcium carbide. This is fed into the generator by screw feed conveyors. The screw feed mechanism and the agitators are operated by flame-proof motors and fittings.
Perfect synchronization of the operation is being inducted to give maximum efficiency and simplicity in running. Any failure, whether it is of power supply, water, instruments air, is signaled visually and also audibly when an alarm bell rings to alert the operator.
Only flame proof lights and electrical fittings according to IS2148-68 (Group II) or BSS-229 may be used in an acetylene plant building. Acetylene cylinders must be of specification IS: 7312: 1974 or ICC:8.
2. Temperature Control:
The NKCS Acetylene generator can be set to operate at a given temperature, regardless of the size of carbide used or temperature of the cooling water. A sensitive sensor actuates a pneumatic control that adds water into the generator tank when the temperature exceeds the set limit, thus maintaining a given standard temperature. This helps in complete utilization of carbide, which is a very expensive raw material.
3. High Pressure Control:
If all the gas generated cannot be drawn in by the compressor and passed on the filling manifold, either due to low capacity of the compressor or fast generation, gas pressure will gradually build in the generator. When the gas pressure reaches a predetermined level (about 0.5 kg/cm2) carbide charging will be cut off automatically and further generation of gas is stopped. There is no bulky and expensive gas holder with the NKCS Acetylene generator. This item alone will reduce the investment on such a plant. Further, as the gas generated is always at a positive pressure, therefore the pumping cost is reduced. Since the generator is constantly at a positive pressure, (once the plant has been purged with Nitrogen) no air can enter the system, and it is this feature which makes the NKCS Acetylene plant very safe.
4. Water Level Control:
If excessive water enters the generator to cool it and the water level goes above the high level mark, the water-level control instrument will immediately discharge the excessive water thus maintaining the level between the acceptable high and low level marks.
5. No loss – Carbide Charge:
No gas is lost or wasted while charging the carbide because one section is completely sealed off from the generator by a high pressure hydraulically operated valve. All the above controls are automatic and require no attention from the above controls are automatic and require no attention from the operator.
6. Condenser:
The Acetylene gas leaving the generator is hot and carries with it some water vapor and other impurities. The condenser cools and purifies the gas thereby condensing the excessive moisture. Cooling water is circulated on the shell side from bottom to top. Condenser is designed to suit all local conditions provided sufficient water flow is maintained.
7. Low Pressure Drier:
This is a pressure vessel charged with solid anhydrous carbide which absorbs the moisture in the gas. In case a certain amount of moisture is necessary to enable the chemical purifier to function effectively, a by-pass is provided to allow part or whole of the gas to be directly admitted into the chemical purifier.
8. Purifier:
This is a large vessel provided with two sectors by wire mesh frame network.Each section by wire meshes frame work. Each sectors are charged with purifying mass which absorbs gases like hydrogen sulphide, phosgene etc.
9. Water Scrubber:
The equipment is installed between the chemical purifier and Acetylene compressor which helps to remove impurities from the gas if any.
10. Acetylene Compressor:
The acetylene compressor is a three stage machine which is immersed in water filled tank to avoid any pressurized gas to come in contact with air and also to make sure that all the components are continuously cooled. The compressor is drawn by flame proof motor from outside the tank.
11. High Pressure Drier:
The high pressure drier consists of three columns. The first column is filled with packing to avoid any void and for proper mixing and the second and third are filled with anhydrous calcium chloride.
12. Filling Manifold:
This consists of a battery of filling connections, which is used to connect to the gas cylinders. Also, non-return valves are used to adjoin various sections of the pipeline to the filling manifold.
Technical Specifications:
| Specifications | 45 M3/Hr. Acetylene Plant | 100 M3/Hr. Acetylene Plant |
|---|---|---|
| Efficiency | 98% | 98% |
| Capacity | Moe | 100 M3/Hr. of Acetylene |
| Cylinder filled per batch | 60 Cylinders | 120 Cylinders |
| Carbide size | 0 ~ 80 mm | 0 ~ 80 mm |
| Carbide requirement per batch | 1,200 kg (As per Carbide Quantity) | 2,700 kg (As per Carbide Quantity) |
| Power Requirement | 18 KW | 30 KW |
| Start-up time | 15 minutes approx | 15 minutes approx |
Significance & Applications:
The hottest and most efficient of all fuel gases, acetylene (C2H2) provides high levels of productivity thanks to good localised heating with a minimum of thermal waste. It also requires the least amount of oxygen to ensure complete combustion. This flammable, colourless gas is lighter than air so does not accumulate at low levels, where it could cause a potential hazard. It is generally supplied dissolved in acetone or DMF (dimethylformamide) in specially designed cylinders to prevent decomposition.
A low flame moisture content makes this fuel gas a good choice for many critical heating processes. Typical applications include flame heating, flame gouging, welding, flame hardening, flame cleaning, flame straightening, thermal spraying, spot-heating, brazing, texturing, profile-cutting, branding wooden pallets, wood-ageing and carbon coating.
Acetylene is the only fuel gas recommended for underground working conditions because it is lighter than air. It is also the only fuel gas, for instance, which can be used to weld steel.
In cutting, oxy-acetylene gives the fastest preheating and piercing times of any fuel gas combination.
Benefits include:
⦁ Improved cut quality
⦁ Higher cutting speeds
⦁ Faster cut initiation time
⦁ Reduced oxygen use.
Further uses:
In atomic absorption flame spectroscopy, acetylene is combined with high-purity synthetic air or nitrous oxide as a fuel for the flame.
Beyond its obvious value as a fuel gas, acetylene has many other less-well-known applications. It is used to produce certain plastics and chemicals for instance. It also plays a role in organic synthesis (laboratory work) and chemical synthesis. In plant cultivation, it improves the forming of new flowers. It is also used as a carbon source in molecular manufacturing, in calibration gases for the gas, oil and chemical industries and in lung testing gases.
Acetylene is manufactured commercially by reacting calcium carbide and water. It is also a by-product of ethylene production.