APPLICATION OF ALKANOLAMINES AS ANTIFOAMING AGENTS IN INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES.

摘要

The present invention refers to the application of the family of chemical compounds best known as alkanolamines as additives or foam-inhibiting agents, or antifoaming agents highly effective in industrial processes wherein the contact between currents to be purified in gas state and an absorbing solvent in liquid state is carried out in order to perform the selective transference of specific compounds between the first current and the solvent. The members of the alkanolamines family used in the present invention as additives or foam-inhibiting agents, or antifoaming agents are those compounds having an alkane hydrocarbon chemical structure, in linear, branched or cyclic form or a combination of the different molecular forms or structures, which regardless of the number of carbon and hydrogen atoms included in the structure or chemical formula thereof may have at least one amino ûNH2 functional group in its primary, secondary or tertiary amine form, and at least a hydroxyl ûOH functional group which is typical of alcohols. In a more specific manner, the members of the alkanolamines family which may be used as additives or foam-inhibiting agents or antifoaming agents in the present invention include the chemical compounds pertaining to the family of alkanolamines of the primary, secondary and tertiary type and those known as sterically limited regardless of their classification as primary, secondary or tertiary alkanolamines .