Water serves as a critical resource across diverse production landscapes, far beyond its typical consumption. It functions as a solvent, mechanical facilitator, heat transporter, and even as a key reactant in high-stakes industrial applications. This installment of the "Journey of Water" series delves into the innovative ways water drives production processes and the technologies that ensure its effectiveness and purity.
What you’ll learn:
- Water as a Universal Solvent and Mechanical Aid: How water’s physical properties are leveraged in industrial settings.
- Strategic Water Splitting Techniques: From electrolysis to thermo-chemical methods.
- Ensuring Purity in High-Precision Applications: The role of advanced monitoring in maintaining water integrity.
- The Importance of Tailored Analytical Approaches: Customizing methods to meet specific industrial needs.
Water’s Integral Role in Industrial Processes.
In production environments, water is indispensable. It is utilized as a solvent in pulp production, powers turbines to generate electricity, transfers heat in various industrial systems, and sterilizes equipment via autoclaves. Perhaps most critically, it acts as a primary feedstock in hydrogen generation, showcasing its versatility and utility.
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Advanced Water Splitting for Efficient Production.
Water-splitting techniques are vital for several high-precision and high-stakes industries:
- Electrolysis:
- Fuel production: By electrolyzing pure water we produce Hydrogen and Oxygen
- Chlorine production: Through the dissolution of brine, essential substances such as chlorine, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide and hydrogen are produced.
- Other potential uses: Reclaiming wastewater and aiding pulp chemical recovery, which helps reduce the need for water evaporation.
- Steam Methane Reforming: Utilizing heat sources to convert water into steam, which then reacts with methane to produce hydrogen and other gases.
- Thermo-Chemical Water Splitting: Employing catalysts like cerium oxide or copper chloride to split water, highlighting the innovative use of materials in enhancing water’s utility.
Purity is Critical.
Whether it’s for rinsing in semiconductor processes or as a solvent in pharmaceutical manufacturing, the purity of water is paramount. Impurities can severely impact product quality and process efficiency. This necessity underpins the rigorous monitoring practices in place to measure various water quality parameters such as dissolved gases, conductivity, turbidity, total organic carbon (TOC), and pH levels.
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Innovative Monitoring and Analytical Techniques.
Once water is used to produce other chemicals, techniques such as these can be used to characterize the reaction products:
- Gas Chromatography (GC): Crucial for identifying and quantifying various reaction products.
- Tunable Diode Laser (TDL): Used to analyze corrosive or complex gas mixtures.
- Raman: Surprising results for nitrogen, ortho-para spin isomers of hydrogen, and anything else that does not give an appreciable response by infrared.
- Thermal Conductivity Detection (TCD): Applicable for pseudo-binary gas mixtures.
- Speed of Sound: Applicable for pseudo-binary liquid mixtures.
Customizing Analytical Approaches for Specific Needs.
No single analytical method fits all scenarios in industrial water use. Tailoring these techniques to address specific industrial challenges is crucial. This may involve employing specific sensors that can withstand the operational conditions or configuring systems to provide real-time data that can pre-emptively address potential issues before they escalate.
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Conclusion.
The effective management and rigorous analysis of water in production settings are not just about maintaining efficiency; they’re about ensuring the integrity and safety of the processes that depend heavily on this vital resource. As we conclude this installment of “The Journey of Water,” the role of water in industrial applications remains clear: it is an indispensable ally in the quest for sustainability and precision in production. With the right tools and expertise, the potential of water as a key industrial resource can be fully realized, ensuring that industries meet their operational goals and contribute to a sustainable future.
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Written by Jim Kapron & Félix Lalande-Hendershot
Technical Sales Representatives
Write to Jim at: kapronj@novatech.ca
Write to Félix at: lalandehf@novatech.ca
