4 simple ways to convert turnarounds into profitable tower upgrade opportunities

With planned outages commonly occurring at intervals of 2-5 years, a refinery turnaround is a prime opportunity to replace column and separator internals with the newest available technology. Planning for an outage with a “replacement-in-kind” strategy will address lost performance from refinery equipment due to normal wear and tear. However, most column internals can be upgraded for higher capacity, more flexibility, or greater efficiency at close to the same cost ...

All about excellence in the energy and chemical industry

KBC exists to help you achieve and sustain excellent operational performance, through the actions of our people, fused with the application of our digitalization technology and best practices, powered by the Cloud.Better decisions - faster, Flawless execution - every time and  Superior results - sustained. Deliver value: Performance assurance Organizations that perform at their best are able to adjust to changing dynamics without compromising competitiveness. KBC ...

Avoid unnecessary costs by understanding process problems before taking action

When a piece of process equipment starts experiencing problems and producing off-spec product, every engineer’s reaction is to make a change to “fix” the problem and get it back on-spec. yet, many plants lack adequate instrumentation to completely diagnose the cause of the poor performance. Without a more complete understanding of the root cause of the problem, “corrective action” could have little effect or make the problem worse. Gathering supplemental ...

Blasch Ferrules

Thermal Management System (TMS) – a pre-fired tubesheet protection system that allows for the extensive use of fiber insulation in conjunction with the Blasch Ferrules and provides much greater insulating value than castable alone, in a greatly compressed area, saving space, and refractory. Improved performance – Large expanses of castable refractory undergo tremendous thermal and mechanical stresses as they heat up and cool down and that generates cracking in the ...

BLASCH HexWall™

For sulfur recovery, sulfuric acid plant sulfur burners and spent recovery furnaces. BLASCH HexWall™ is a versatile, mechanically stable system consisting of a series of stackable six-sided blocks incorporating alternating tabs and slots on each side that are designed to ensure the blocks are positively locked together at installation. BLASCH HexWall™ is offered in a highly creep resistant mullite bonded composition designed to resist deformation under load.  

BLASCH precision ceramics

BlaschVECTORWALL™ Mixing System - OPTIMIZE YOUR PROCESS USING OUR ADVANCED MIXING SYSTEM – This system utilizes the same blocks as the proven checkerwall system, but incorporates a series of add-on flow vectoring shapes designed to direct gas flow at the exit of the checkerwall into any of a series of flow patterns to include single, double, and multiple vortices, preferential flow directions, or converging or diverging flows. Computational fluid dynamics support is ...

BLASCH VectorWall™

Mixing systems for sulfur recovery, sulfur burning, or sulfuric acid plant reaction furnaces. BLASCH VectorWall™ Reaction Furnace Mixing System is a versatile, mechanically stable system consisting of a series of stackable six-sided blocks incorporating alternating tabs and slots on each side that are designed to ensure the blocks are positively locked together at installation. BLASCH VectorWall™is offered in a highly creep resistant mullite bonded composition designed to ...

CeraLine elbows, pipe & spool linings

Specifically designed for the harsh environments within mining, power generation and other heavy industrial processing industries, Blasch’s new CeraLine family of products exhibits exceptional wear and abrasion resistance which results in unparalleled life. Elbow diameters ranging from ½” up to several feet can be lined with Blasch pre-cast tight tolerance shapes available with engineered joints and smooth bore that eliminates premature wear and interrupted flow. Available ...

Flue Gas Reformer Tunnel System: StaBlox™

The Blasch StaBlox flue gas reformer tunnel system is a versatile, mechanically stable system consisting of a series of stackable, customizable, interlocking blocks and highly engineered, mortar-free expansion joints. The StaBlox system allows for an extremely fast, easy installation as compared to conventional brick and mortar designs, with a much higher level of reliability. Lightweight, structurally stable roof assemblies are much more resistant to the effects of high temperature ...

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 ...

Lance Scope™ Hot inspection service

Avoid Furnace Shut Down with Online Fired Heater Inspection. Is there an issue with your high temperature fixed equipment, but you can’t see the cause, or the exact site? We designed and developed Cetek’s Lancescope™ fired heater inspection tool for just this situation. It allows to undertake a high temperature furnace inspection to determine the scope of the problem, often avoiding an expensive shut down of the heater. Cetek’s Lancescope™ system provides real-time, ...

Making the invisible visible

In FCC Units (Fluidised Catalyst Cracking Units) the atmospheric residue from the distillation is cracked to LPG, naptha and other components. This sometimes leads to “invisible” deposits inside the Riser. This article features Tracerco’s ThruVision™ scans to illustrate how the technology helped the refinery to identify these deposits at an early stage. Bayernoil operates two FCC Units to convert heavy hydrocarbons. In the FCC Unit the feed is injected ...

Measurement instruments and servicing

Our Measurement Instruments business designs and manufactures a range of bespoke, low maintenance, high reliability instruments providing operators with real time measurements and in-situ visualisation. Our experienced team technically supports an extensive range of nucleonic measurement instruments for phase, density, bulk level and interface measurement and pipe slugging characterisation. All of our nucleonic instruments are custom designed to the needs of the specific application, ...

Moving gamma scanning forward — quantitative analysis of tray capacity

Improving process operating margins can include maximising production of higher value products and/or minimising production costs. Process plants depend heavily on fractionation towers to produce products meeting customer specifications. Tower gamma scanning is well established in the process industries as a qualitative tool to help troubleshoot fractionation towers. Using new measurement detector technology and innovative analysis of gamma scanning data Tracerco is now able to ...

On-line heater and boiler chemical cleaning technology

GTC’s fired heater cleaning solves common process feed heater problems. With rising pressure to reduce energy costs, GTC’s advanced fired heater/boiler chemical cleaning technology is an effective way to improve heater efficiency without shutting down plant operations. Our technology is designed to quickly remove deposits such as slag and other fouling materials that build up over time on tube fire side surfaces. Fouling in the convection section caused by condensed ...

PackView™ - quantitative analysis of packing mal-distribution

The last issue of Tracerco Insight (Vol 6 Ed 1) featured our patent pending FrothView™ technology illustrating how using Tracerco’s new measurement detector technology and analysis of gamma scan data provides quantitative information about the useful capacity of trayed towers. In this article you will learn how applying this technology to packed towers can determine the % liquid fraction providing a measure of the maximum useful capacity of the packing. Enhanced ...

Proper design of mass transfer internals in the FCC flue gas scrubber can help reduce PM emissions

The EPA’s New Source Performance Standards (40 C.F.R. §60.100-1-0, subpart Ja) regulates refinery particulate emissions, including the discharge of catalyst fines from the FCCU flue gas scrubber stack. Because refiners have traditionally correlated particulate matter (PM) emissions with FCCU cokeburn, high flue gas stack PM can result in reducing severity or throughput in the FCCU at a potentially huge economic cost. The proper selection of mass transfer internals in ...

Tower field service, maintenance, revamps and installation

Worldwide maintenance and installation services. Since 1971, Tower Field Service (TFS) has been a tower specialist performing tray and packing installation, tower maintenance, and plant turnaround projects. Years of successful tower and vessel experience assures our customers of a partner who is safe, cost effective and technically experienced. The challenge to complete multiple tower revamps and retrofits safely and on time is what Tower Field Service most prides itself in. ...

Tracerco Diagnostics™

Providing real time measurement technologies to assist with critical decision making. Tracerco Scanning Services TRU-SCAN® Application. Do you have problems with the operation of your stripper/absorber or fractionation tower? Is this limiting production? Do you want to reduce your operating costs? Do you want to reduce your shutdown time? Tracerco’s Tru-Scan™ technology, utilizing FrothView™, is used to evaluate the mechanical integrity and hydraulic performance ...

Tracerco Diagnostics™ FCCU Study

The Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU) is the economic heart of a modern refinery. Even small increases in its yield can bring about significant overall gains in productivity and revenue. Tracerco is a world leading industrial technology company providing unique and specialized detection, diagnostic and measurement solutions. A Tracerco Diagnostics™ FCCU Study will provide you with the information you need to optimize or troubleshoot your specific process: - All ...

Wet gas sulfuric acid - profitable sulfur management

The WSA technology is an excellent alternative to the Claus technology for sulfur management within oil refining, coal gasification, gas sweetening etc. High steam production, feed flexibility, ease of operation, and low CAPEX & OPEX are some key benefits for the operator when selecting the WSA technology. Today we have +130 references world wide.