UNIVERSITI KUALA LUMPUR

MALAYSIAN INSTITUTE OF
CHEMICAL AND BIOENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

MINI PROJECT

TITLE: BALANCES IN THE PRODUCTION OF POLYVINYL CHLORIDE

ENERGY BALANCE
(CCB 21002)

GROUP:

NO. NAME I.D NUMBER

1 IBTISAM FARHANI BINTI SOLAHUDIN 55218118039
2 NURUL FARHAN NIZA BINTI ZAMRI 55220219014
3 NURUL NADIAH WAHIDAH BINTI AZHAR 55220118115
4 AHMAD IKHWAN HANIF BIN KHALID 55220118089
Table of Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3
Explanation of Vinyl Chloride .............................................................................................................. 3
Explanation of Vinyl Chloride Production ........................................................................................... 3
History ................................................................................................................................................. 4
Industrial Application .......................................................................................................................... 4
Stream Summary..................................................................................................................................... 6
Mass Balance ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Energy Balance .................................................................................................................................... 8
Reference .............................................................................................................................................. 13
Introduction
Vinyl chloride is a monomer to produce polyvinyl chloride (common plastic used for
fabrication) and more various things such as plastics and piping. Vinyl chloride does not
occur naturally in environment. Vinyl chloride is one of the organochloride type in chemicals
(Jeremy, 2003).

Explanation of Vinyl Chloride

Vinyl chloride or commonly known as chloroethylene has attribute of flammable, toxic and
colourless gas. Its density is higher than air and has low solubility. The vinyl chloride can
spread widely as it only spread on the ground as compressed liquid. Dry purified vinyl chloride
is highly stable and non-corrosive. The decomposition of vinyl chloride only occur at
temperature above 4500C and below 300C (with presence of NaOH or KOH) (Jeremy, 2003).

Explanation of Vinyl Chloride Production

The notion behind the production of vinyl chloride is the chlorinating the hydrocarbons. The
chlorinated hydrocarbons create a compound that is more resilient compared to the simple
hydrocarbons. It is due to the inherit strength between the chemical bonding of carbon and
chlorine. It is an essential monomer for the production of polyvinyl chloride, PVC. The
characteristics of PVC are light, long lasting, low maintenance and high resistance of flame
and extreme environments (Jeremy, 2003).

CH2CH2 + Cl2 → ClCH2CH2Cl

Vinyl chloride can be produced from ethylene in a single stage without undergo the chlorination
and oxychlorination process. The process requires a high temperature and a huge amount
excess of ethylene. This process minimizes the soot formation but the production lacks of
selectivity to vinyl chloride (Jeremy, 2003).
History
In 1872, a German chemist, Eugen Baumann is the first person create the polyvinyl chloride
but it was never be patented until 1913. Friedrich Klatte, a German, created a new method to
polymerize the PVC using the sunlight. During that time PVC was created not for useful
purposes as people assumed it was worthless. Thus, in 1926, Waldo Lonsbury Semon, a
researcher from United State invented plasticized PVC. He tried to dehydrohalogenate the
PVC in high boiling solvent to obtain an unsaturated polymer (Bellis, 2019).

Industrial Application

The versatile feature of vinyl makes it useful in daily life. For construction, vinyl is used to
reduce the greenhouse gas emission and conserve the resources and also the energy. In view
of the fact that the vinyl is resistant to moisture, it is a perfect item used for cladding to prevent
corrosion. In packaging industry, the durable vinyl helps to maintain the quality of the product
as it is isolating the item inside. Despite the vinyl can be harmful to human, it also has the
healthcare purposes. Vinyl can be treated to dispense the life saving material through tubes
or bags. Exempli gratia, the blood collection bags which are flexible and unbreakable. Vinyl
also used in the products of household as the boots, shower curtain and the raincoat
(ChemicalSafetyFacts, 2019).

Ethylene Dichloride or known as dichloroethane is the result of chlorination of ethylene. In this

situation, direct chlorination process in the reactor is fulfilled by using pure chlorine and
ethylene in liquid phase with the presence of ferric chloride as catalyst. The reaction can be
carried out at low temperature (200C to 700C) or high temperature (1000C – 1500C) but high
temperature can produce high yield (ICIS, 2010).
A fired heat evaporator is used to increase the temperature. In the pyrolysis furnace, the
mixture undergo 2 times decomposition process. First decomposition is to release the HCl
which then react with metal oxide in the form of dust. Meanwhile in the second decomposition
step, the volatile hydrocarbon is used.
In the production of vinyl chloride, the spray quench tank will receive the mixture after the
pyrolysis process. In quench tank, the mixture is rapidly cooled to prevent further
decomposition of desirable vinyl chloride and the impurities removed. The temperature in
quench tank is maintained by the continuous circulation of refrigerant.
After cooling, the product is directed to the distillation columns for separation process. the
pressure in distillation are set up in order to condense the HCl and cool the ethylene dichloride.
The separation of HCl and vinyl chloride operates at certain temperature and pressure. in the
first distillation column the HCl is removed from the mixture. The ethylene dichloride and also
the vinyl chloride monomer will be directed to the next distillation process. At the next
distillation process, the crude will form as undesired product. The vinyl chloride monomer is
separated at the top of the column and the crude is sent to the cooler and recycle (Belval,
2016).
 Stream Summary

Mass Balance

Stream 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Component
Flows (kmol/h)
725.9
Ethylene 469 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
725.2
Chlorine 65 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
718.6874 479.1249 1197.81 1197.81 1197.81
Dichloroethane 0 75 83 2 2 2 479.125 479.125 479.125 0 479.125 0 479.125
Vinyl chloride 0 0 0 0 0 0 718.687 718.687 718.687 0 718.687 718.687 0
Hydrogen 718.687
chloride 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 718.687475 718.687 718.687 0 0 0
Total
Component 71791 71121.31 118535. 118535. 118535. 118541.
Flows (kg/h) .38 25 47414.21 52 52 52 27 118541.27 118541.27 26210.53 92330.74 44916.53 47414.21
Total
Component 1451. 718.6874 479.1249 1197.81 1197.81 1197.81 1916.50
Flows (kmol/h) 212 75 83 2 2 2 0 1916.500 1916.500 718.687 1197.812 718.687475 479.125
Energy Balance

Equipment Reactor Mixing Point

T (o C) 90 90

P (atm) 1.5 1.5

Component /
ṅin Hin ṅout Hout ṅin Hin ṅout Hout
Substance

Ethylene (g) 725.947 -128.939

Chlorine (g) 725.265 2.231
Dichloroethane
(g)

Dichloroethane (l) 718.687 3958.552 1197.812 0 1197.812 0

Vinyl chloride (g)

Vinyl chloride (l)
Hydrogen
chloride (g)
Hydrogen
chloride (l)
Total 1451.212 -126.708 718.687 3958.552 1197.812 0 1197.812 0
 Pump Evaporator Pyrolysis Furnace

90 242 500

26 26 26

ṅin Hin ṅout Hout ṅin Hin ṅout Hout ṅin Hin ṅout Hout

1197.812 9137.075 1197.812 12104.107 479.125 34870.748

1197.812 0 1197.812 0.196 1197.812 0

718.687 62.821

718.687 -78.230

1197.812 0 1197.812 0.196 1197.812 0 1197.812 9137.075 1197.812 12104.107 1916.500 34855.339
 Spray Quench Tank Condenser First Distillation Column

170 6 -85

26 12 1

ṅin Hin ṅout Hout ṅin Hin ṅout Hout ṅin Hin ṅout Hout

479.125 0 479.125 -27565.827 479.125 0

-
479.125 479.125 0 479.125 883.5519
9176.8559
718.687 0 718.687 -17.721 718.687 0
718.687 -29.761 718.687 0 718.687 -5.455

718.687 0 718.687 -9.787 718.687 0 718.687 2.181

718.687 -9.838 718.687 0

1916.500 0 1916.500 -27593.335 1916.500 0 1916.500 -9216.454 1916.500 0 1916.500 880.2775

 Second Distillation Column Cooler

-13.4 90

1 1 .5

ṅin Hin ṅout Hout ṅin Hin ṅout Hout

479.125 0 479.125 -1336.409 479.125 0 479.125 5291.636

718.687 25.253
718.687 0

1197.812 0 1197.812 -1311.156 479.125 0 479.125 5291.636

Discussion
Reference

Bellis, M. (2019, February 20). Explore the History and Evolution of Vinyl. Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-vinyl-1992458.

Capstone Design Project : Production Of Vinyl Chloride. (2003). Oklahoma, United State.

ChemicalSafetyFacts. (2019, September 17). Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC): Uses, Benefits, and
Safety Facts. Retrieved from https://www.chemicalsafetyfacts.org/polyvinyl-chloride/.

ICIS. (2010, April 27). Ethylene Dichloride (EDC) Production and Manufacturing Process.
Retrieved from https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/news/2007/11/02/9075707/ethylene-
dichloride-edc-production-and-manufacturing-process/.

Belval, T. K. (2016). Chemical Process Synthesis : Vinyl Chloride Production.