Preliminary techno‐economic analysis of a multi‐bed series reactor as a simultaneous CF₄ abatement and utilization process

Abstract

Abstract A preliminary techno‐economic analysis combining process simulation and economic analysis has been carried out to assess the feasibility of employing a new CF 4 abatement and utilization process without HF effluent, where CaO was employed to convert produced HF into CaF 2 , a useful chemical. Moreover, the effect of employing multi‐bed series reactors compared with a single‐bed reactor on CaF 2 production was analyzed using Aspen HYSYS ® based on material and energy balances from process flow diagrams for three systems, a single‐bed reactor (S‐1), a two‐bed series reactor (S‐2), and a three‐bed series reactor (S‐3). From economic analysis to estimate annual operating cost savings for three systems, it was found that multi‐bed series reactors (S‐2 and S‐3) performed better than a single‐bed reactor (S‐1) due to equilibrium shift by Le Chatelier's principle leading to reduced operating temperatures to produce the same amount of CaF 2 as S‐1. Consequently, annual cost savings of about 7 to 13% were obtained in S‐2 and S‐3 compared to S‐1 and this can serve as a useful guideline for the efficient system design. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.