The wash of solar salt is a very easy, energy efficient and
economical alternative to the thermal salt refinery.
The GEA Messo
PT Salt Wash consists of unit operations selected according to the necessities
to separate the solid and soluble impurities from the sodium chloride crystals
by simple and separate physical means.
For this reason the entering
salt is broken down to a particle size distribution which is appropriate
for the washing process. The process is taking advantage from this crushing
because inclusions of impurities are separated from the salt
particles.
After the crushing the soluble and solid impurities are
subsequently separated by means of dissolution and hydromechanical
classification steps. By addition of water the soluble impurities are washed
out and purged with a liquid effluent stream, which may be taken to feed a
solar pond to improve the total process yield.
By taking advantage
of different particle sizes of sodium chloride crystals and solid impurities
the process contains steps with hydromechanical classification. The Gypsum
crystals and other solid particles, like sand and clay, can be separated from
the sodium chloride crystals. The separated solid impurities are
concentrated and discharged.