DESIGN OF MALEIC ANHYDRIDE PRODUCTION PLANT

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PLANT DESIGN IV

BY
N. MKHIZE 21001597
P. KIKINE 21202818
DATE: 30 SEPTEMBER 2016

PRESENTATION LAYOUT

INTRODUCTION
C2H2(CO)2O
Versatile chemical intermediate
Oxidation of n-Butane or Benzene

AIM: To design a grass roots facility that would be

capable of producing 40 million pounds (18.144 million
kg) of maleic anhydride per year from n-butane.

LITERATURE REVIEW

MALEIC ANHYDRIDE (MAN)

White, colourless solid
Bitter, pungent smell
Acid anhydride of
Maleic Acid
(dehydrated)
Processed as liquid or
gas

Table 1: Physical and Chemical Properties of

Maleic Anhydride
Molecular Weight
98.06 g
Melting Point

52.85 oC

Boiling Point

202 oC

Heat of Formation

789.1 kJ/kmol

Heat of Combustion

-1389.5 kJ/kmol

Heat Capacity at 25 oC

0.1199 (solid) kJ/kmol

0.164 (liquid) kJ/kmol

Heat of Sublimation

71.5 kJ/kmol

Heat of Vaporisation

54.8 kJ/kmol

Heat of Fusion

13.55 kJ/kmol

Heat of Hydrolysis

-34.9 kJ/kmol

PROCESSING CONSIDERATIONS
Can be produced by oxidation with Saturated Aliphatic
Hydrocarbons with 4 to 10 C-atoms (vanadium
phosphate catalyst)
Aromatic compounds mainly Benzene with a vanadium
pentoxide catalyst
Benzene Carcinogenic, can lead to leukemia
Effects on bone marrow leading to anemia and
excessive
bleeding
N-Butane Readily available from petroleum refinery
streams
Available in good quality and low price
Flammability limit [1.86; 8.4]

 Adopted a partial combustion process

Full combustion is twice as exothermic
Partial combustion produces side reactions i.e:
C4H10 + 5.5 O2 2 CO + 2 CO2 + 5 H2O
C4H10 + 3.5 O2 C3H4O2 + CO2 + 3 H2O
C4H10 + 6 O2 CH2O2 + 3 CO2 + 4 H2O

PROCESS DESCRIPTION

MASS BALANCE

Basis: 100 kmol/hr

345 production days per annum

2.3% flammability limit, 36% excess air (or oxygen) (compressor)

All of MAN converted to maleic acid (absorber)

C4H4O4

Unreacted butane will be flashed (flash drum)

Must produce 99wt% MAN product (distillation column)

1% MAN will come out the top,

60% AA leaves via the top

50% FA leaves via the top

C2H2C2O3 + H2O

MATERIAL BALANCE
100 kmol/hr of n-butane produced 105 million pounds of
MAN
To produce ~40 million pounds of MAN, nC4 was scaled
down by 2.6 to 39.5 kmol/hr
Nitrogen (inert) in the first reactor releases the highest
amount of energy

MATERIAL BALANCE RESULTS

STREAMS
1
2
3

TEMPERTURE
20
20
147
PRESSURE
275
101
275
VAPOUR FRACTION
0
1
1
COMPONENTS

BUTANE
39.5
OXYGEN
352.357 352.3572
NITROGEN
1325.53 1325.534
WATER
10.6228 10.62279
CARBON
MONOXIDE
CARBON DIOXIDE
MALEIC ANHYRIDE
MALEIC ACID
ACRYLIC ACID
FORMIC ACID

TOTAL MOLR FLOW 1688.514 1688.514

39.5
TOTAL MASS FLOW 48608.28 48608.28 2295.74

4
5
6
7

121
410
95
45
275
275
200
170
1
1
1
0

39.5
7.031
7.031
352.3572 224.1571 224.1571
1325.534 1325.534 1325.534
10.62279 140.4649 140.4649 465.8659

1728.014
50904.02

6.432857 6.432857
19.434
22.752
3.250286
3.250286

1752.307
50904.56

19.434
22.752
3.250286
3.250286

1752.307 465.8659
50904.56 8393.039

Temperture
Pressure
Vapour
Fraction

10

11

12

13

14

15

60
170

60
170

40
170

120
101

120
101

160
101

97
101

162
101

0.7

224.15710
25
1325.5341
3

7.031

7.031

7.031

Components
Butane
Oxygen
Nitrogen

583.57879 583.578797 577.74300 5.8357879 28.360267 28.155 0.204477

71
1
91
71
97
79
53

Water

Carbon
Monoxide
Carbon
Dioxide
Maleic
Anhyride
Maleic Acid

6.4328571
43

19.434

Acrylic Acid
Formic Acid

Total Molr

0.2134
22
22.752
22.752
0.22752
22.52448
3.2502857 3.25028571 3.2340342 0.0162514 0.0162514 0.0097
14
4
86
29
29
51
3.2502857 3.25028571 3.2177828 0.0325028 0.0325028 0.0162
14
4
57
57
57
51

1575.5580 619.86236 619.862368 591.45334 28.409022 50.933502 28.395

-

22.52448

22.31105
82
0.006500
57
0.016251
43

22.53828

ENERGY BALANCE
Heat capacities calculated using the Antoine correlation.
Heat capacities assumed constant for: Maleic Acid 135.6
J/mol.K
Calculations based on the adjusted butane flow of 39.5
kmol/hr
Source of error when calculating using properties evaluated at
the wrong reference temperatures.

ENERGY BALANCE RESULTS

UNIT

TEMPERATUER
IN

TEMPERATUER
OUT

Compressor
101
Reactor 101

20

147

121

410

Cooler 1

410

95

Absorber

95

cooler 2

60

40

flash

40

120

Distillation
condenser
reboiler

120

Q (KW)
1148.9928
2
20028.76
2726.1163
371.35006
1623.6497
469.58098
9
2284.95
2731.06

CONCLUSIONS &
RECOMMENDATIONS
The proposed design meets the objective on a basis of 39.5
kmol/hr butane feed.
Working production rate of 2192.72 kg/hr
The MAN produced is 99wt% pure
The regions atmospheric humidity must be taken into account
Demister pads on air compressor to prolong its working life, and
minimize energy usage
Heat developed in R-101 should be used more efficiently, e.g. to
heat up the distillation columns bottom stream.