The sponsor of this content may contact you with more information on this topic. Click here to opt-out from sharing your email address with this sponsor. (This link will not unsubscribe you from any other BIC email list).
The latest figures released by Tube Tech International Ltd. addressing the damaging effects of fouling, alongside contributing new evidence from centenarian fabrication company Manoir Industries and HZ Consulting on significant efficiency saving potential, present a strong case for making effective fouling removal a priority.
"A techno-economic overview of fouling in steam crackers and available solutions" is the newly released white paper by Tube Tech International Ltd. – read it here first.
The facts
What does this mean for plant managers, operators and turnaround professionals?
The detrimental effects of fouling affect refinery profit, environmental impact and operator safety, which in turn affect you, financial stakeholders, governing bodies, regulators and a plethora of people in between.
It’s a big problem, but often one that is expected to be resolved by contracting the same cleaning contractors who use age-old traditional cleaning methods, with limited success and accessibility.
Cost is invariably the key driver, but this reduces the opportunity for specialist contractors to establish the most efficient and cost-effective solution, often resulting in subsequent attempts at a further cost and interference to turnaround procedures.
Tube Tech International’s white paper, "A techno-economic overview of fouling in steam crackers and available solutions", examines numerous mechanical, chemical and hydroblasting fouling removal methods that fall short of the full cleaning potential that can be achieved. Examples include the inaccessibility of traditional water jetting and the implications of chemical cleaning, including the detrimental impact on the environment, inability to pass through blockages or remove hydrocarbon fouling and the risk of eroding metal surfaces.
Further to the financial drain of ineffective fouling removal, the paper also highlights the increasing pressures to tackle the oil and gas industry’s highly scrutinized contribution to global warming. With the Paris Agreement target to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels, along with carbon taxation, fines and loss of high-profile investors due to both economic and environmental performance, the responsibility lies with refinery operators to act now.
Key findings from the white paper
The white paper uses ethylene production via steam cracking as an example in studying the effects of fouling and the benefits of efficient fouling removal.
To put the significance of these figures into context, virtually every industry contributing to gross domestic product (GDP) growth relies on products derived from an ethylene-based chemical. It serves as a key feedstock for several high revenue chemicals. In identifying that these calculations are based on a conservative ethylene price, with prices per ton having risen to $1,500 in the USA within the last decade, the paper further validates the argument that “an ethylene plant’s output amounts to millions of dollars of product every day and it is of paramount importance to avoid erosion of margins due to process inefficiencies.”
Hindered by fouling processes such as chemical reactions, coke formation, biological processes, crystallization and corrosion, there are various assets within an ethylene plant that can become fouled, causing partial or complete blockages that result in millions of lost revenue.
Financial gain from effective fouling removal
In acknowledging that plant operators are restrained by budget, the paper calls for a top-down management strategy that enables operators to choose a plant cleaning method that ensures no additional plant slowdown, shutdown or loss of yield, attributable to fouling occurred. In shifting the strategy from a siloed approach constrained by maintenance budgets, there is opportunity to invest in overall plant economics for much greater financial performance.
Leading fabrication specialist Manoir Industries, in conjunction with HZ Consulting, contributed new research on heat loss due to fouling. The below identifies the significant cumulative savings following Tube Tech International’s robotic cleaning of a fouled convection bank.
Over a three-year period after the clean, based on the data model employed in this study, it is estimated that a saving of $5.44% million can be made.
Choosing the right heat exchanger cleaning contractor
In order to experience the significant performance, financial and environmental rewards of effective fouling removal, you need to find the right specialists with the right equipment.
Conducting a thorough assessment of the contractor and its staff as well as the quality and choice of equipment and technology is essential. Important questions include:
- Do their timescales fit in with your shutdown schedule?
- Do they understand how this particular activity will affect the rest of your plant?
- Have they taken the particular fouling characteristics into consideration?
- Are their techniques robust enough to breakdown formations such as tough hydrocarbon scale?
- Can they clean both the shell and tube side of the exchanger?
- Do they carry out any form of visual inspection, shell or tube side, before, during and after the clean?
- Can they provide evidence of their experience, and, more importantly, their results?
Jon Camp, Managing Director of Tube Tech International Ltd., explained the difference between a cleaning job and a cleaning service: “We have a history of releasing energy savings and lowering carbon emissions for our clients, and this is only achieved by providing fouling removal solutions as a service. We are engineers; we make decisions about what technology to use and make the necessary adaptations based on the requirements of each project. This is why we are the only company able to remove at least 90% of fouling every time.”
Tube Tech International prides itself on working in partnership with clients around the world to achieve unrivaled results. The company has established a reputation for overcoming challenges presented by even the most difficult to clean assets, extending asset lifespan, avoiding costly replacement and bringing performance back to near design levels.
In leading a step-change in the management of process fouling and its impact on performance and the environment, Tube Tech International recently introduced Tube Tech Research and Development Ltd. The new entity is dedicated to research and development to build innovative, safe and environmentally beneficial products and services, and build external partnerships to develop revolutionary solutions.
Marking its 30th year in business, 2018 was Tube Tech International’s busiest year to date. The company experienced unprecedented demand for its robotic fired heater cleaning technology, completing 30 projects in the last 18 months. 2018 also saw the launch of Tube Tech Inc.; a dedicated base of operations in Houston, Texas.
Investment in innovative process cleaning solutions
In an effort to radically reduce carbon emissions, the company’s robotic technology was granted government funding as part of Horizon 2020; the biggest European Union research and innovation programme to date. Later this year, Tube Tech International will deliver robotic Shell Side Jet™; a globally patented, next-generation, high level cleaning and inspection robot to dramatically extend run times, improve safety, increase fuel efficiency to substantially reduce CO2 emissions and water usage within industry.
Jon Camp continued, “It’s an incredible opportunity to be part of the Horizon 2020 project, particularly given the competitiveness of the programme’s funding allocation. We now have €5 million invested in our research and development portfolio, with another five products currently under development, and one very close to completion.”
Tube Tech International is dedicated to improving profitability and environmental sustainability by engineering solutions to remove process fouling. For more information, visit www.tubetech.com or call (832) 286-1322 to speak to one of our expert engineers.
