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Predicting Dewpoints of Acid Gases

Article · February 1981

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Prediction of Water Vapor and Acid Dew Points of Gases

Dr. Yen-Hsiung Kiang, PE
yenhk168@yahoo.com

Abstract

The dew points of water vapor and acid gases of gases are the
temperature, at a given pressure, at which water vapor and any
gaseous acid in the combustion product gases start to condense
into liquid state (water or acid solutions).

This paper presents water vapor and acid gases dew point
prediction equations.

Key Words: dew points, water vapor dew points, acid gas dew
points, hydrogen chloride, nitrogen oxides, nitrogen monoxide,
nitrogen dioxide, hydrofluoric acid, hydrobromic acid, sulfuric acid,
sulfurous acid, sulfur dioxide, sulfur trioxide, fuming acid

Introduction

The dew points of water vapor and acid gases of gases are the
temperature, at a given pressure, at which water vapor and any
gaseous acid in the gases start to condense into liquid state
(water or acid solutions).[Huijbregts, et.al., 2004][ Lewandowski,
2000][Niessen, 2002]

The dew point or acid dew points of a gas, at a given pressure,

are often referred to as the point at which the gas is "saturated"
with water vapor or combined water vapor and gaseous acids.
That is, the gas cannot hold any more water vapor or the
combined water vapor and gaseous acids.

It is very important that the gas temperatures, either the overall

gas temperatures or the temperatures where the gases are in
contact with outside surfaces, are above the dew points of water
vapor or the combination of acid gases and water vapor. Because
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the resulting water and acids condensed from the gas may cause
serious corrosion problems for the ducting and equipment used in
transferring, heat recovery, cooling and discharging the gases.

1 Chemistry and Mechanism of Dew Points

Even with only water vapor presence in the gases, when the
vapor pressure of water vapor in the gases is in equilibrium with
the saturation vapor pressure of water at that temperature, water
vapor will condense. This is the dew point of water vapor.

With the presence of acids in the gases, when the combined

vapor pressures of gas phase acids and water vapor in the gases
are in equilibrium with the combined equilibrium pressures of
water vapor and acid vapors at that temperature, the acids will
condense to acid solutions. This is the acid gas dew points.

Sometimes, the acid dew point of the gases may be much higher
than the dew point of water vapor alone without acid gases. For
example, a gas with 10 volume % water vapor and containing no
acid gases has a water vapor dew point of about 45.6 °C. The
same gas with only 0.3 volume % sulfur trioxide will have a
sulfuric acid dew point of about 150 °C. In this case, the acid gas
is condensed to form fuming acid.

2 Prediction of Water Vapor and Acid Dew Points of Products of

Combustion Gases [Kiang, 2018]

The following equation can be used to predict the water vapor

dew point in gases:

Dew Point of Water Vapor

5038.13
T= (1)
20.1424 – ln(pH2O)

Where

T = oK
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pH2O = mmHg

The following equations are commonly used to predict the acid dew
points of the acids that most commonly occur in gases:

Dew Point of Sulfuric acid (H2SO4): [Verhoff, et.al., 1974][Pierce,

1977]

1000 1.7842 + 0.0269 log(pH2O) – 0.1029 log(pSO3)

= (2)
T + 0.0329 log(pH2O)log(pSO3)

Or

1000 2.276 + 0.02943 ln(pH2O) – 0.0858 ln(pSO3)

= (3)
T + 0.0062 ln(pH2O)ln(pSO3)

Dew Point of Sulfurous acid (H2SO3):[Kiang, 1981]

1000 3.9526 – 0.1863 ln(pH2O) – 0.000867 ln(pSO2)

= (4)
T + 0.000913 ln(pH2O)ln(pSO2)

Dew Point of Hydrochloric acid (HCl):[Kiang, 1981]

1000 3.7368 – 0.1591 ln(pH2O) – 0.0326 ln(pHCl)

= (5)
T + 0.00269 ln(pH2O)ln(pHCl)

Dew Point of Hydrofluoric acid (HF):[Kiang, 1981]

1000 {3.8503 - 0.1728 ln(PH2O) - 0.02398ln(PHF)

= (6)
T + 0.001135ln(PH2O)ln(PHF)}

Dew Point of Hydrobromic acid (HBr):[Kiang, 1981]

1000 3.5639 - 0.135 ln(PH2O) - 0.0398ln(PHBr)

= (7)
T + 0.00235ln(PH2O)ln(PHBr)

Dew Point of Nitric acid (HNO3):[Kiang, 1981]

1000 = 3.6614 – 0.1446 ln(pH2O) – 0.0827 ln(pHNO3) (8)

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T + 0.00756 ln(pH2O)ln(pHNO3)

Where:

log = the base 10 logarithm

ln = natural logarithm
T = acid dew point temperature (oK)
P = partial pressure, atm for equation (2)
and mmHg for equations (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), and (8)

Compared with measured data published in open literature, the

acid dew points predicted with equations (4), (5), (6), (7), and (8)
are within 6 oK, and within 9 oK for equations (2) and (3) .[McKetta,
1997]

REFERENCES

Huijbregts, W. and Leferink, R., "Latest Advances in the

Understanding of Acid Dewpoint Corrosion: Corrosion and Stress
Corrosion Cracking in Combustion Gas Condensates",
Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials 51 (3): 173 - 188, 2004
Kiang, Yen-Hsiung, "Predicting Dewpoints of Gases", Chemical
Engineering, 88 (3): 127, 1981
Kiang, Yen-Hsiung, “Fuel Property Estimation and Combustion
Process Characterization: Conventional Fuels, Biomass, Biocarbon,
Waste Fuels, Refuse Derived Fuels, and Other Alternative Fuels”,
to be published by ELSEVIER INC., Cambridge, MA, 2018
Lewandowski, D., "Design of Thermal Oxidation Systems for
Volatile Organic Compounds", 1st Edition. CRC Press. ISBN
1-56670-410-3, 2000
McKetta, J. (Editor). "Encyclopedia of Chemical Processing and
Design", Volume 61, 1st Edition. CRC Press. ISBN 0-8247-2612-X,
1997
Niessen, "Combustion and Incineration Processes", 3rd Edition.
CRC Press. ISBN 0-8247-0629-3, 2002
Pierce, R.R., "Estimating Acid Dewpoints in Stack Gases",
Chemical Engineering, 84 (8): 125 – 128, 1977
Verhoff, F.H. and Banchero, J.T., "Predicting Dew Points of Gases",
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Chemical Engineering Progress, 78 (8): 71 – 72, 1974

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