EGS by Camfil Airepure prevents chlorine releases

The Problem

Located in the mountains outside Melbourne, the Silvan Disinfection Plant was classified under state government legislation as a major hazard facility. According to plant project manager, Stephen Answerth; "Melbourne Water was required to reduce the risk of a chlorine release 'so far as practicable.'"

Plant representatives considered using wet scrubbers, which were less expensive but required more maintenance and could harm humans, wildlife, and the environment.

An EGS Provides The Solution

To prevent accidental chlorine (Cl2) releases, Silvan opted to use a Emergency Gas Scrubber (EGS) that measured 10 feet in diameter by 15 feet tall and held 25,000 pounds of CSO™ media. Local Camfil Airepure representative, James McIntosh facilitated their request.

In the event of an unintentional Cl2 emission, the EGS would follow these steps to eliminate the gas from the air:

1) Released Cl2 is drawn into the scrubber through a blower and contacts dry-scrubbing media.

2) Media react with Cl2 and permanently convert the gas to nontoxic solids.

3) Clean air is discharged to the outdoors with a Cl2 concentration of less than 5 parts per billion (ppb).

The EGS requires significantly less maintenance than a wet scrubber. It does not need heaters for outdoor applications, and it has just one moving part - a blower. Instead of using liquid caustic, the EGS neutralizes chlorine with dry-scrubbing media, which are highly porous, spherical pellets that permanently transform the gas into harmless solids. As long as media do not react with chlorine, they do not need to be replaced; They only require occasional testing to determine remaining life and to project change-out dates. Non-toxic and non-hazardous, media do not require special handling and can be disposed in landfills.

"The dry-scrubber was selected because it is a simpler system and does not involve having liquid caustic soda on-site," Answerth said. "The need for the scrubber was driven by legislative requirements to draw in the risk contour from a chlorine release."

About EGS's

For more than 15 years, Camfil Airepure has been the premier single-source provider of clean air to over 100 North American and European clients. Camfil Airepure manufactures a broad range of dry-scrubbing chemical media and scrubbers that remove odorous, toxic, and corrosive gases at water and wastewater applications.

Camfil Airepure's Emergency Gas Scrubber (EGS)removes the contents of a fully-loaded chlorine (Cl2) or sulfur dioxide (SO2) cylinder in a worst case release scenario and discharges less than 5 parts per billion. The EGS works in temperatures ranging from -40 degrees to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

In the event of a release, the EGS draws Cl2/SO2-laden air through a bed of dry-chemical media. The gases react irreversibly with the media's chemical make-up, and the products of this reaction are solid salts that can be disposed of in common landfills.