The Chlorine Industry Interactive
Plant Diagram is Released

Chlor-alkali refers to the production of Chlorine (Cl₂), sodium hydroxide/caustic soda (NaOH), and hydrogen gas (H₂) from the electrolysis of saltwater. Both chlorine and hydrogen gases are used for a multitude of different operations in the chemical industry. Sodium hydroxide is ubiquitous in the chemical and oil/gas industries, with applications ranging from sulfur removal from low grade crude oil, to the production of food and soap.

The Cl₂ produced from the Chlor-alkali process is often used in the creation of polymers, the most common of which is PVC. Producing sales quality PVC from raw materials involves several steps. Initially, ethylene dichloride (EDC) must be produced from the feed stocks of ethylene and chlorine. The EDC is then thermally cracked to produce vinyl chloride (VCM), which is the chemical precursor to the PVC polymer. The VCM must be purified and dosed with a polymerization inhibitor to prevent spontaneous polymerization. Below, we will examine each stage of the process and the analysis requirements.

Applied Analytics has released a chlorine industry webpage which clearly depicts our capabilities and analytical solutions within the chlor-alkali and VCM production processes. This new content includes a flow diagram of both the chlor-alkali and VCM unit operations and shows the measurement points of interest with descriptions and pictures of our equipment.

For more information, please visit the chlorine industry interactive plant diagram.