Introduction of Chlorine Drying-

The most common process of drying of chlorine gas is the absorption of residual water vapour into
concentrated sulphuric acid with minimum of 98% concentration. Such acid is readily available in most of
the places and has a very low water vapour pressure. By the absorption of water vapour, the acid is
diluted to about 75 to 80% H2SO4. At this concentration the spent sulphuric acid after removal of the
small amount of dissolved chlorine can still be used for many other applications or re- concentrated in a
sulphuric acid plant.

The absorption of the residual water vapour is connected with the generation of substantial amount of heat
which corresponds about the heat of condensation of the water vapour plus the heat of dilution of
sulphuric acid. For maintaining the low operating temperature, this heat must be removed with the drying
system.

Any sulphuric acid mist entrained with the dried chlorine gas is usually separated in an other gas filter,
unless the dried chlorine gas feed to sulphuric acid ring compressors where it anyway is again contact
with concentrated sulphuric acid.

Drying Tower (KREBS SWISS process) –

In this equipment the water vapour content of the chlorine gas is removed by the use of 98% and 78%
concentration of sulphuric acid. Drying tower mainly consist of these sub-equipments.

1. Circulation tank and circulation pump(78% H2SO4)

2. Metering tank and metering pump (98% H2SO4)
3. Plate type heat exchanger
4. Chlorine gas filter.

Chlorine gas enters in the drying tower at a temperature of 150C after leaving the secondary cooler. The
water moisture content in the Cl2 gas is quite high when it comes from IEM plant and we have to make it
under 50 ppm.

It first goes to wash tower unit where the impurities (brine mist, carbonates etc) comes along with
chlorine gas is removed by scrubbing through water, so the moisture content of the chlorine gas is
increased but the temperature is reduced to 320C from 80-840C. Chlorine wash tower has packing of
seddle interlocks to increase the surface available of gas liquid scrubbing and the flow of gas and liquid is
counter current. The gas comes out from top of the tower and then enters into Secondary Cooler which is
mainly a Shell and Tube type Heat Exchanger made from Titanium because of the corrosive properties of
the Wet Cl2 gas. Heat transfer takes place in the equipment, temperature of the chlorine gas is reduced
between 13 to 150C by using chilled water coming from screw chiller. If the temperature goes below 130C
then Chlorine Hydrates formation takes place in the pipe that can choke the pipe so the process stops and
also Ti can catch fire below 130C.
This Heat transfer process is used to decrease the amount of moisture carried by the gas so that our
consumption of concentrated sulphuric acid decreases .The gas enters from the top of the cooler and
leaves from the bottom. The Heat transfer process is counter current to increase the effective area of the
equipment. Then the gas enter into the Drying tower from the bottom