Technological breakthroughs

To meet increased caustic soda production requirements, Viet Tri Chemicals Joint Stock Company has overhauled its ion exchange system for secondary brine treatment on the electrolysis line. Led by Mr. Văn Đình Hoan, together with engineers Chu Văn Lựu, Nguyễn Xuân Thảo, Đào Hoài Thanh, Nguyễn Hồng Quân, Đỗ Ngọc Thắng, Đinh Phương Duy, and Đặng Thái Sơn, the project began in early 2025 and has enabled the system to meet secondary brine treatment needs for a production line capacity of around 45,000 tonnes of 100% NaOH per year.

Addressing Bottlenecks in Secondary Brine Treatment

Secondary brine is the feedstock for the electrolysis process. Before electrolysis, the brine must be treated to remove impurities, particularly calcium and magnesium ions, to meet technological requirements, protect the ion exchange membranes, and maintain line stability.

With the need to increase caustic soda output, the existing ion exchange system’s treatment capacity had to be raised accordingly. Completely replacing the system would have incurred additional costs and longer implementation times. Therefore, the team opted to survey, recalculate, and upgrade the current system.

The objective was to increase secondary brine treatment capacity while making maximum use of existing equipment, minimising new investment, and meeting the technical requirements of electrolysis.

Upgrading Existing Equipment to Enhance Treatment Capacity

From early 2025, the team led by Mr. Văn Đình Hoan surveyed the system, recalculated hydraulic parameters, flow rates, and the system’s treatment capacity. Based on this, they developed an upgrade plan to make more effective use of current equipment, thus meeting the needs of the electrolysis line.

The solutions focused on adjusting the piping system, flow distribution, and auxiliary equipment to match operational requirements. At the same time, parameters such as brine flow through the tower, regeneration cycles, and technical indicators were closely monitored to maintain system performance.

Upgrading on the basis of existing equipment helped the company limit new investment, reduce the number of additional devices required, and minimise downtime for implementation. The solution was tailored to the equipment’s condition and actual operational requirements at Viet Tri Chemicals.

Upon completion, the upgraded ion exchange system met secondary brine treatment requirements for the electrolysis line, enabling the company to raise caustic soda output to around 45,000 tonnes of 100% NaOH per year.

Maximising Equipment Effectiveness and Technical Capability

Upgrading the ion exchange system has produced benefits both technically and in terms of investment. The existing system is now exploited more effectively, meeting higher capacity brine treatment demands with less need for full equipment replacement.

Researching and implementing the initiative from practical production needs has also helped Viet Tri Chemicals’ engineers become more proactive in addressing operational requirements and improving their equipment and technological innovation capacity.

This solution helps satisfy the need to increase caustic soda output while maximising the effectiveness of the company’s existing equipment.