Eliminate convection section fouling by encapsulating refractory

Problem: Over time refractory ceramic fiber becomes friable. This friable dust is entrained in the post combustion flue gases and gets carried downstream, fouling convection section tubes and catalyst banks. Fig 1 shows new ceramic fiber under SEM. Fibers are continuous and intact. After heat exposure, long strands break down into smaller pieces, which are carried downstream and comprise the majority of convection section fouling (Fig 2). Solution: Cetek Ceramic coatings effectively ...

Eliminate fouling of radiant tubes

Problem: An increase in Bridgewall temperature can be a symptom of excessive fouling of the fired heater’s radiant tubes. These tubes tend to oxidize under operating conditions. Solution: Our patented Hot Tube Descaling service removes radiant section process tube fireside soot, scale, and fouling during furnace operation.

Eliminate heat exchanger fouling with Watlow’s HELIMAX technology

Fluctuations within the heat exchanger to either the operating temperature or the mass flow rate are common causes of coking, which can lead to system failures and expensive downtime. Some heat exchanger design methods, like segmental baffles, have known dead zones where hot spots can occur, accelerating the coking process. Watlow’s HELIMAX ultra-efficient heat exchanger was designed to eliminate temperature-related failures. Leveraging our proven, patent-pending continuous ...

HexEval™ Performance Monitoring Program

Heat exchanger efficiency is critical to the success of any industrial operation, yet many plants rely on inadequate data to assess the health of their heat exchanger networks. Solenis developed its HexEval™ performance monitoring program to address this issue. Using advanced monitoring and predictive modeling capabilities, this innovative technology enables decision-makers to identify, with confidence, which heat exchangers pose the greatest threat to reliable operation due ...

Innovative solutions and measurable results from Solenis

For more than 100 years, Solenis has been dedicated to helping refineries operate more efficiently and profitably. Achieving these goals requires innovative chemistries, advanced monitoring and control systems, and expert support.  

ITW Online Cleaning

Will revolutionize turnaround operations and operational excellence by optimizing: productivity, operability, safety health and environment, reliability, product quality, energy efficiency, CO2 SOX NOX VOC emissions, maintenance and repair and operational requirements. An entire Unit can be ITW Online Cleaned in as low as 24 hours on an oil-to-oil basis, including all the equipment and not only the relevant one, without the need of opening it. ITW Online Cleaning a Unit in ...

Maximize reliability in grassroots crude units

Crude unit operators are far too familiar with a long list of crude unit reliability problems including fouling in heat exchangers and fired heaters, poor desalting, corrosion of piping and equipment, and coking in the vacuum column wash zone. Many millions of dollars have been spent fighting these problems, yet they continue to force unplanned shutdowns with depressing regularity. Revamps must address reliability issues, but project scope is hindered by the limitations of existing ...

NAPFINING™ Naphthenic acid removal

NAPFINING™ technologies were first licensed in 1977 and to date Merichem has granted 78 unit operating licenses world-wide. The non-dispersive FIBER FILM® Contactor achieves reduced capital expenditure and less plant space requirements compared to most treating alternatives, making NAPFINING™ and NAPFINING™ HiTAN the technologies-of-choice. In addition, onstream factor between routine turnarounds is 100% whereas electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) are much ...

Nasty stuff

Heavy crudes are here to stay. As longs as oil prices remain high, Canadian, Venezuelan, Deep Water Gulf of Mexico, Mexican and other low API gravity crude oils will play an ever more important role in supplying world refineries. And prices promise to remain high because gainsayers notwithstanding, Hubbert was right. A big question is how to handle best these nasty crudes? Do you revamp existing units or invest in new capacity? With refineries now running flat out, the balance ...

Oil sands crude — profits and problems?

Canadian bitumen production currently runs about 1 MMbpd, with some being sold as Synbit and Dilbit. Over the next 10-12 years output is expected to increase to 3.5 MMbpd and more refiners will begin investing to process it and come to depend on the Synbit and Dilbit for a significant part of their supply. Few today, however, have ever processed these feeds at high blend ratios, and are unaware that conventional process and equipment designs are not up to the job. Canadian oil ...

Operating a fouled process unit? What is it costing you?

ITW Online Cleaning Technology, applied proactively during a run, restores unit performance to near start of run conditions in as low as 24 hours oil-to-oil without the need for opening equipment. By utilizing ITW’s patented asphaltene stabilization and/or polymer modification technologies, even the most severe fouling problems can be effectively handled. ITW Online Cleaning has an immediate return on investment (ROI). All the benefits are immediately monetized in terms ...

Opportunity knocks

A group of interesting articles* deals with opportunity crudes, a mixed breed that includes very heavy, sour and high total acid number types as well as those with unexceptional naphthenic acid content but which do have significant concentrations of aliphatic acids or possess the ability to generate them during processing. They all sell at substantial discounts that give refiners who can process them the opportunity to reap higher profits. Hence their name. Note that phrase ...

Opportunity or Annoyance?

Price differentials between conventional and opportunity crudes compel refiners to process increasing percentages of lower valued opportunity crude. However, as many refiners have learned the hard way, opportunity crudes are tied to unique processing challenges. Furthermore, existing crude unit configurations may limit high profit opportunity crude to a disappointingly small proportion of the total unit blend. Processing a changing slate of opportunity crudes of varying compositions ...