Acid accounts for the highest cost of operating the alkylation unit, amounting to 50% of the overall operating expenses.
Since the acid feed control loop controls the hydroflouric acid being fed to the reactor, it is important that it is reliable and consistently operational to provide conversion from olefins to alkylate in the reactor. An upset in the control valve could cause a leakage of hydroflouric acid, leading to a major environmental and health risk.
