Minnovex Fixed Gap Sparger With Automatic Shutoff OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE MANUAL

MAY 2003

MFG-MANUAL

TABLE OF CONTENTS
OPERATION DESCRIPTION ..................................................................................................................................2 GENERAL....................................................................................................................................................................2 SPARGER OPERATING PRESSURE AND GAS FLOW .....................................................................................2 MAIN DESIGN PARAMETERS ...............................................................................................................................3 AIR FLOW ...................................................................................................................................................................3 AIR PRESSURE ............................................................................................................................................................3 WATER .......................................................................................................................................................................3 SPARGER LOCATION ...................................................................................................................................................3 SPARGER INSERTION.............................................................................................................................................4 MAINTENANCE.........................................................................................................................................................5 SPARGER REMOVAL ...................................................................................................................................................5 SPARGER INSPECTION .................................................................................................................................................5 RECOMMENDED SPARE PARTS ..........................................................................................................................6 SPARE PARTS LIST..................................................................................................................................................6

OPERATION DESCRIPTION

General The "Minnovex Fixed Gap Sparger", developed by Minnovex Technologies Inc., Toronto, Canada, generates a spray jet of gas directed from the edge of a tank wall towards the middle of the column. The pressure at the sparger determines the exit velocity of gas. Water addition to the gas stream is not required. The sparger is equipped with an automatic shutoff that prevents any slurry from entering the sparger on compressor failure or a normal operations shutdown. The sparger fits through a 25.4 mm nipple fitted with a 25.4 mm manual full port ball valve and a grommet seal (compression fitting), so the sparger can be inserted and removed from the tank while the tank is full of slurry. Insertion and removal are simple and safe tasks Each sparger is supplied with the components shown on the attached general arrangement drawing and parts listing. The sparger is manufactured from 316 SS and the orifice in the sparger head is a tungsten carbide matrix to provide long wear life. External fittings are brass or stainless steel depending on the application.

Sparger Operating Pressure and Gas Flow The main header must be equipped with a pressure regulator large enough to handle the expected gas flows. The main header pressure is usually set to 5 kgf/cm2, higher pressure is normally not required but the pressure can be increased to 6.3 kgf/cm2 if necessary. Normal operating range at the sparger is 3.0-5.6 kgf/cm2. Each sparger comes equipped with a pressure gauge for the convenience of reading the pressure anywhere around the tank (the pressure drop is the same on all the spargers). The pressure seen at the sparger minus the static head pressure determines the gas flow. The gas rate is easily automated and the overall flowrate can be controlled through one control valve on the main header; in fact, almost all of Minnovex users have automatic air control systems, although this is not a prerequisite for using the sparger. As the control valve opens or closes this will change the pressure seen at the sparger resulting in a change in the gas flow. All spargers have the same orifice size for a given application and so the flow through each sparger is always evenly distributed no matter if the total flowrate is increased or decreased. When the overall flowrate is changed, the pressure drop on the spargers is changed slightly which in turn changes the bubble size slightly.

The bubble size range that can be created with this sparger is determined by the presence and dosage of surfactants, as well as gas flow rate and pressure drop of the sparger. At high pressures and a small orifice (<5 mm) the bubble size can be as small as 0.5 mm, and at low pressure the bubbles can be as large as 3 mm

Main Design Parameters

Air Flow Each sparger has the capability of operating at up to 60 m3/hr at 7 kgf/cm2. However, we generally recommended that the spargers be operated at approximately 30 to 50 m3/hr each. The main reason for this is that too few spargers may not give the best gas distribution. Air Pressure The air compressor for the spargers should be generally capable of delivering a minimum of 60 m3/hr per sparger with a delivery pressure of 5.6 kgf/cm2 of air at the sparger. In some applications 3.5 kgf/cm2 is enough but the user should always check with Minnovex to confirm air requirements prior to sizing the compressor. Water A fixed water line is not required for these spargers as water is not used in normal operation. Sparger Location Vertical Orientation The spargers should be installed at the bottom of the tank approximately 1 m below the elevation of the agitator. They are designed to extend into the tank to a radial point approximately equal to the outside edge of the impeller blades. With this arrangement, the gas bubbles are injected into the area below the impeller, and the impeller distributes the bubbles throughout the bottom of the tank. The main advantage of Minnovexs approach is that the impeller does not have to create the shear required for production of small gas bubbles; the impeller only has to distribute bubbles after they have been created by the sparger.

Radial Orientation Spargers should be distributed at equal radial points around the column. For example, if four spargers are used, they should be located at positions 90 from each other. Protection From Compressor Failure using the Automatic Shutoff The Minnovex Fixed Gap Sparger is equipped with an internal shutoff mechanism on the event of an air compressor failure. As the pressure begins to fall the internal spring mechanism built into the adjusting valve (on the outside of the tank) will shut off the sparger at the tip, preventing any flow of slurry back into the sparger. The sparger will open automatically again once the line pressure reaches approximately 1.4 to 2.0 kgf/cm2. It is also recommend that the air line to the air header is brought down from the top of the tank. In this way you can ensure that no matter what happens, slurry or water will never find its way into the compressor. SPARGER INSERTION The sparger is inserted into the tank through an assembly on the side of the tank that includes a nipple, a 25 mm ball valve and a compression fitting (which prevents slurry from exiting that tank during insertion/removal of the sparger). The insertion procedure assumes the column is full of slurry. 1. The air line is connected to the sparger. 2. The sparger head is closed by the internal shutoff mechanism, this prevents slurry from entering the sparger. 3. The 25 mm ball valve is closed to prevent slurry from escaping. 4. The tip of the sparger is inserted into the ball valve until it stops at the ball itself. 5. The compression fitting is tightened; hand tight only - do not tighten too much at this stage because the sparger is not yet all the way into the tank. 6. The ball valve is opened completely. 7. The sparger is pushed all the way in through the valve until the compression fitting is backed against the sparger block. If you can't push the sparger through then it means the compression fitting is over tightened and must be loosened slightly. 8. Once the sparger is pushed all the way in then the compression fitting is tightened. Note: the compression fitting usually does not need to be over tightened. 9. Air to the main column air header should be turned on. 10. The manual air ball valve on each sparger should be opened completely. When the pressure exceeds 1.4 kgf/cm2 the sparger spring will compress, withdrawing the shutoff rod from the orifice and allowing gas to flow. 11. Adjust the pressure regulator and control valve to give the appropriate gas rate and pressure reading for the application.

MAINTENANCE

Sparger Removal If a sparger has to be removed for inspection or maintenance, the following procedure should be followed. 1. Close the manual air ball valve on the sparger assembly and this will immediately shut off the gas flow through the sparger. 2. Loosen the sparger compression fitting in the ball valve but do not completely unscrew it. 3. Retract the sparger from the ball valve but not all the way. The spargers are marked with two grooves. The first groove acts as a warning and the second groove is the indication that the sparger has cleared the ball valve and the ball valve can now be shut. 4. Close the ball valve. 5. Completely unscrew the compression fitting and remove the sparger from the remainder of the ball valve. The compression fitting should remain on the sparger as the sparger is removed. Sparger Inspection The spargers are very rugged units and need very little maintenance. If the sparger is handled with care and only inspected at appropriate intervals then there should be no spare parts costs due to excessive or rough handling. Most parts on the sparger are not considered wear items and should not need replacing for years if handled properly. Periodically the sparger should be inspected for wear on the head. The orifice is an extremely hard material and any wear will be very slow. The sparger can be quickly disassembled by the following steps: 1. Remove the head. 2. Remove the sparger handle using a Hex key. The Hex screw is found in the end of the handle. 3. Withdraw the rod and sealing unit from the sparger, withdrawing from the discharge end. The double O-rings should be cleaned and re-greased. The sparger can then be reassembled and tested by attaching the air line and opening the ball valve. The sparger spring should open at approximately 1.4 kgf/cm2, allowing full gas flow.

If, when in the tank, the sparger fails to open with the sparger pressure above 1.4 kgf/cm2, the handle on the end of the sparger should be pulled and this will immediately open the sparger and allow gas flow. The sparger will remain open and function normally. The sparger should be removed from the column when time permits and disassembled. The reason for the failure to open is that the O-rings may need to be cleaned and re-coated with silicon grease. RECOMMENDED SPARE PARTS Recommended spare parts for one year of operation: Sparger Heads Compression Fittings Complete Sparger Assembly Spare Parts List Part Description Sparger Head Main Block Pipe Chamber Adjusting Rod (inside of pipe chamber) Adjusting Handle & Valve Valve Sealing Unit Copper "O" Ring Compression Coupling Male Connector to Sparger 12.5 mm Ball Valve Sparger Repair Kit Shot off Spring Part Number MFG-H MFG-B MFG-P MFG-R MFG-V MFG-SU & O MFG-O MFG-G MFG-MC MFG-BV MFG-KIT includes
MFG-H, MFG-SP, MFG-R, SU & O

1 per 5 spargers 1 per sparger 1 for every 10 spargers

MFG-S