Equipment HiGee

The amount of hazardous chemicals on-site can be reduced by methods other than altering the scale of production. For example, the amount of hazardous material stored on-site can often be significantly reduced, and if not, the hazardous materials can be stored in many small containers in separate facilities rather than in a single container. Therefore, if a container fails, the size and catastrophic potential of the release are much reduced. In addition, the amount of material needed in the production process can be reduced by using specially designed equipment (such as Higee columns, which replace conventional distillation columns). 

Reactive crystallization/precipitation can also be conducted in high-gravity (Higee) fields using rotating equipment. In China this technique has been used successfully for the production of nano-size particles of CaC03. Ultraline particles... 

Continuous changes in compositions of phases flowing in contact with each other are characteristic of packed towers, spray or wetted wall columns, and some novel equipment such as the HIGEE contactor (Fig. 13.14). The theory of mass transfer between phases and separation of mixtures under such conditions is based on a two-film theory. The concept is illustrated in Figure 13.15(a). 

It may be said that advances in separation technology during the past 20 years should enable this concern to be overcome - HiGee and the micro-distillation column of Velocys are two examples in support of this. In a positive vein the report suggests that by combining multi-phase metering and pumping capabilities with intensified separations and heat transfer equipment, subsea completions and transfer of products to shore may be feasible. 

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