RECOVERY OF NAPHTHA VAPOR BY ADSORPTION ON CARBON.

The losses of solvent naphtha to the atmosphere, through direct discharges from processing systems in petroleum refineries and the exhaust from ventilating systems, amount to thousands of tons per year. In many cases, it is desirable to recover this material by adsorption on activated carbon. The calculation methods that are currently available are not always adequate for use in designing recovery units, especially if water is present in the gases being purified and in the activated carbon used as an adsorbent. In the reported experiments, the authors have investigated the adsorption of vapor from VR-1 naphtha on commercial activated carbons, grades AR-3 and SKT, in laboratory and test-stand evaluations. Since there is a variation in properties among different batches of the naphtha, they tested this particular batch of naphtha to determine the variation of vapor pressure P with temperature T in the interval 290-379 degree K. Experimental results are tabulated, plotted and utilized in designing a commercial unit for naphtha vapor recovery in petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants. 5 refs.