Document 2REwazJbqrYVnxzNVMGKorML

(conoco) Interoffice Communication To R. E. Lehmkuhl Houston From J. A. DeBernardi Date July 25, 1980 Subject Metal Contents - Muriatic Acid A brief description of our present status related to this problem as requested in your July 17 letter is as follows: Plant Work 1. Material Replacement The new permanite bottom section liquid distributor in the C-901B HC1 Absorbing Tower has been installed. The same equipment for the C-901 tower is presently being installed. The tempered glass packing support plates for the bottom section of these towers have been received at the plant. The support plate is being installed in the C-901 tower at the present time. We have also discovered that these towers contain another distributor system between the bottom two sections of packing constructed from Hastelloy "C." This apparently was an insurance policy designed into the tower in case acid absorbing problems were encountered. The system has not been used and will be removed from both towers. Presently it is being removed from the C-901 tower. 2. Reagent Carbon Bed System A deal has been made with Reagent Chemical to purchase their carbon-bed color removal system at 70% of new cost for installation at the VCM Plant. A process design has been issued related to installation at our plant that is presently in the review stages. We will then cost estimate the project and prepare an AFE to cover the purchase, transportation, and installation of the carbon-bed at our plant. I anticipate the AFE will be ready for approval about mid-August. 3. Incinerator Burner Metal Losses John Zink has indicated that the design of the wet vent burner ring has not allowed for good air circulation around the ring to cool it, and this is a major contributor to metal loss problems we are seeing on this burner. We expect a Zink engineer to be at the plant on July 28 to view the system on the #1 incinerator unit and recommend changes to be made on the burner while this unit is out of service. We anticipate these changes will be made before start-up of the incinerator which is presently down for repair. R. E. Lehmkuhl Page 2 July 25, 1980 R&D Work Ponca has prepared a program to evaluate metal loss in the burner and boiler areas through gas sampling and analysis. We have put this program on hold at the present time anticipating it will not be needed after the equipment modifi tions described above are completed. J. A. DeBernardi is Enc CC + enc: RDG-GLF CCR 000080088