MARTINEZ, Calif. — A tap of a hammer was all that was needed to spin off nuts by hand on a delayed coker unit (DCU) flange breakout in December. The process normally took four to seven hours to complete. It was a dreaded and dangerous challenge where operators used torches and nut splitters to remove galled nuts. Hardware replacement was an expected expense each and every time.
The refinery owner needed a safer, faster and better method to breakout its DCU flanges. In September, it chose to install Pop-Washer™ technology developed by BlackHawk™ Engineered Pro-ducts on one of its four units. The safety, speed and simplicity of the subsequent breakout amazed the maintenance supervisors, operators and on-site crafts who were there to witness the results.
The DCU flange cycles from 150 to 900 F every 18 hours. Despite these harsh operating conditions, each Pop-Washer was given a one-tenth turn, the nut was tapped with a hammer and it was removed by hand. The results were an 80-percent reduction in breakout time and all of the hardware was left in good condition. A refinery maintenance supervisor added, “The safety aspect alone [of not] having to use a torch is a huge saving to us.”
For more information, visit www.PopWasher.com, or contact Dan Peecher at (866) 259-9070 or email dpeecher@integratechnologies.com.
