Impacts of Excessively High or Low Water Seal Height of Water Seal Tank

Impacts of Excessively High or Low Water Seal Height of Water Seal Tank

Both excessively high and low water seal heights of the water seal tank will directly affect the safety protection effect and system operation stability, with specific impacts as follows:

Impacts of excessively low water seal height

Loss of flashback blocking capability: This is the most critical safety hazard. An overly low water layer cannot form an effective physical barrier. In the event of flashback in the downstream combustion system, the flame can easily break through the water layer and backfire into the upstream non-condensable gas pipeline or pyrolysis reactor, igniting the combustible gas inside and causing deflagration and explosion accidents.

Premature triggering of overpressure relief: The water seal height corresponds to the safety pressure threshold of the system. Insufficient height will result in a low threshold. The gas pressure under normal working conditions may push open the water layer, causing unnecessary leakage of non-condensable gas, which not only wastes fuel resources but also increases on-site safety risks.

Deterioration of gas-liquid separation effect: The gas passes through the water layer in a short time, leaving insufficient time for the entrained oil mist, dust and other impurities to be fully adsorbed by water. These impurities will directly enter the subsequent pipelines, causing valve blockage and burner wear, and affecting the service life of the equipment.

Impacts of excessively high water seal height

Increase in gas transportation resistance: An overly high water layer requires non-condensable gas to overcome greater water pressure to pass through, which will directly increase the pressure load of the transportation system. In mild cases, it will lead to poor gas circulation and affect the fuel supply of the heating system; in severe cases, it will cause overpressure in the pyrolysis reactor or transportation pipeline, triggering the safety valve to lift and even leading to equipment damage.

Failure of overpressure relief: An excessively high water seal height will make the corresponding pressure threshold far exceed the upper limit of the system design. When the pressure inside the system rises abnormally, the high-pressure gas cannot push open the water layer in a timely manner to achieve relief, which may cause serious failures such as pipeline rupture and tank deformation.

Increase in energy consumption: To push the gas through the high water layer, conveying equipment such as fans need to operate at increased power, resulting in unnecessary energy consumption and higher project operation costs.