Reasons and Countermeasures for the Deterioration of Sulfolane

Sulfolane is a commonly used solvent in extraction equipment. It will deteriorate during operation, producing sulfonic acids and a small amount of carboxylic acid, which can cause serious corrosion or even damage to extraction equipment and pipelines. The causes of the degradation of sulfolane used in extraction equipment during operation, the mechanism and factors affecting the corrosion of equipment and pipelines, and the countermeasures are proposed, such as to control the oxygen content of sulfolane during operation, to increase the system pH, to add solvent purification facilities such as stripping distillation or anion exchange resin, to improve solvent quality, to upgrade equipment materials, etc. These measures can reduce the corrosion of extraction equipment and pipelines, and ensure the long-term operation of extraction equipment.