Specialty chemicals company LANXESS will be unveiling the new condensate polishing module for its LewaPlus integrated design software to the expert audience at this year’s Power Plant Process Water Treatment Conference, organized by U.S. research institute EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute). The conference is taking place in St. Petersburg, Florida, on February 17-18, 2016, in the United States.

“This new module will enable us to design condensate polishing more reliably and precisely, especially in power plants,” explains Hans-Jürgen Wedemeyer, Technical Marketing Manager in LANXESS’ LPT business unit. The LewaPlus software can be downloaded free of charge at https://lpt.lanxess.com/en/home/.

Recording complex correlations

The software module can be used to model H/OH cycles in the presence of various alkalization reagents. This involves taking account of both the individual dissociation characteristics of ammonia, ethanolamine and morpholine and – uniquely – also their specific influences on the capacity of the cation exchange resins used. As a result, the pH value, the concentration of the alkalization agent, and the capacities of the mixed-bed and upstream low-bed cation exchangers can be optimally coordinated – at the push of a button or even the click of a mouse. This provides an extremely high level of corrosion protection for the plant with maximum cost-effectiveness. “We determined and verified the parameters needed for these calculations ourselves in extensive laboratory tests, so we have access to an extremely reliable practical database,” explains Wedemeyer.

Integrated expertise in ion exchange and reverse osmosis

LANXESS offers its customers a broad product portfolio and extensive experience in both ion exchange (IX) and reverse osmosis (RO). Ion exchange resins from the extensive Lewatit line have been synonymous with high performance and quality for over 75 years. The Lewabrane range of membrane elements rounds off this product portfolio.

LewaPlus pools the knowledge and experience of LANXESS in both technologies and enables the design of both separate IX and RO plants and combined RO/IX systems. The software currently offers five other components in addition to the condensate polishing module. There is one each for modeling demineralization using ion exchange or reverse osmosis. Combining this with the mixed bed module enables the design of a system for treating feed water for water-steam cycles, for example.

The demi check module enables the user to check existing make-up water treatment systems for their cost-effectiveness based on various input parameters such as measured concentrations, specific plant characteristics and regenerative behavior. If necessary, the module can also be used to optimize the systems. “Demi check enables us to analyze and quantify what plant operators often only feel instinctively – unsatisfactory flow rates, low dwell times or insufficient selectivity,” says Wedemeyer, describing the significant findings to be gained through this procedure.

Finally, LewaPlus has a module for modeling softening and decarbonization processes. These are particularly important for applications in the home, for treating drinking water and in the food industry. Power plants with low-pressure cycles also require these kinds of process steps.

Detailed information about products from the LANXESS LPT business unit can be obtained online at https://lpt.lanxess.com/en/home/. Brochures can also be downloaded from this website free of charge.