Vinyl Chloride Production Process Analysis

Modern manufacturing of VCM (the precursor to PVC) requires intensive monitoring to ensure conversion efficiency at various stages and detect yield impurities. Read more

Measurement Summary

Analysis Point:

Analyte Typical Range Accuracy
FeCl3 0-300 ppm inquire
Cl2 0-3,000 ppm inquire

Instrumentation:

1x
OMA Process Analyzer
FeCl3 + Cl2
Analyte Typical Range Accuracy
C2H4 0-30% inquire
O2 0-15% inquire

Instrumentation:

1x
MicroSpec MCP-200 NDIR Analyzer
CO2 + H2O
1x
Integrated Oxygen Sensor
O2
Analyte Typical Range Accuracy
CO 0-10% inquire
CO2 0-50% inquire
C2H4 0-30% inquire
O2 0-15% inquire

Instrumentation:

3x
MicroSpec MCP-200 NDIR Analyzer
CO + CO2 + C2H4
1x
Integrated Oxygen Sensor
O2
Analyte Typical Range Accuracy
H2O 0-200 ppm inquire

Instrumentation:

1x
MicroSpec MCP-200 NDIR Analyzer
H2O
Analyte Typical Range Accuracy
H2O 0-200 ppm inquire

Instrumentation:

1x
MicroSpec MCP-200 NDIR Analyzer
H2O

Application Overview

PVC is a ubiquitous plastic favored in construction, piping, and many other industries due to the properties of the polymer, including light weight, chemical resistance, and versatility. PVC is produced by polymerizing vinyl chloride (VCM), a highly toxic/explosive chemical intermediate which is manufactured strictly for this purpose.

The process of producing VCM from raw materials is sensitive and requires careful monitoring to avoid contaminated products and equipment failure. Typically, VCM is made by thermal cracking of ethylene dichloride (EDC, formally 1,2-dichloroethane), which is produced on site from feed stocks of ethylene and chlorine.

The modern VCM production process sacrifices some efficiency in order to recycle bypoducts and operate at less expense. Maintaining yield purity and conversion efficiency throughout the various stages therefore requires continuous online monitoring of the production stream composition.

Applied Analytics provides a complete, field-proven set of solutions for EDC/VCM production process analysis. Our online chemical concentration monitors provide the real-time readings needed for optimization of the process at various critical analysis points. The OMA Process Analyzer monitors chlorine compounds, with integrated MicroSpec modules for additional measurements, providing a totally solid state, automated solution set.