Reducing aluminosilicate scale in the Bayer process
AssigneeEcolab USA Inc.
InventorsEverett C. Phillips, Timothy La, Kailas B. Sawant
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Abstract
The invention provides a method of inhibiting the accumulation of DSP scale in the liquor circuit of Bayer process equipment. The method includes adding one or more particular silane based small molecules to the liquor fluid circuit. These scale inhibitors reduce DSP scale formation and thereby increase fluid throughput, increase the amount of time Bayer process equipment can be operational and reduce the need for expensive and dangerous acid washes of Bayer process equipment. As a result, the invention provides a significant reduction in the total cost of operating a Bayer process.
Claims15
A method of reducing aluminosilicate containing scale in a Bayer process comprising:
- adding to a Bayer process stream upstream from or at a heat exchanger a composition comprising a non-polymeric molecule comprising at least three components, wherein a first component of the at least three components is tetraethylene pentaamine (“TEPA”);
- a second component of the at least three components is 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethyloxysilane;
- and a third component of the at least three components is t-butyl glycidyl ether.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.