GE Water & Process Technologies Technologies
Oil Valorization and Operational Excellence Questions 1.
Desalting 1.
Assessing rag layer thickness during desalting and control thereof is gaining attention oflate. Can refiners quantify the value (ball ark nu!ber" of such online !easure!ent of rag layer in a desalter in ter!s of cents er bbl. of crude rocessed#
2.
What are the e$eriences of refiners in !easuring % redicting conductivity of crude blend# Which !ethod for conductivity !easure!ent has high degree of reroducibility#
3.
tried sour 'ater is invariably used as 'ash 'ater in desalting rocess. any a ti!e to stri off )*+, refiners are forced to add )a-* in sour 'ater strier to'er, 'hich raises the
* of 'a 'ash sh 'a 'ater ter an and d in tu turn rn i! i!act act the de de!ul !ulsif sifier ier (E / E!u E!ulsi lsion on bre break aker" er" effectiveness. What li!it on alk or * of 'ash 'ater that refiners see no significant effectiveness. dro in desalting or dehydration efficiency# Also, does any refiner have lan or already have sodiu! re!oval fro! the 'ash 'ater before in0ection into desalter# 4.
5.
6.
What is the e$erience of refiners using 'etting agent# What is the level of re!oval of filterable solids in crude 'ith and 'ithout addition of 'etting agent# What is the industry e$erience on brine treat!ent syste! as a 'hole in ter!s of ercentage re!oval of oil and associated solids (do'n to 1!icron si2e" fro! desalter brine# brin e# Also, does any refiner conte!lat conte!late e use of !e!b !e!brane rane for des desalte alterr brin brine e treat!ent# 3f yes, 'hat are the key results (quality of er!eate" being targeted# What are the li!itations that refiners face in closing the chloride balance across C45 % 645 close to say 789:# What is the best location to in0ect )a-* to neutrali2e *Cl arising fro! hydrolysis of residual salts in desalted crude and current effectiveness of )a-* in0ection#
7.
GE is engaged in global bench!arking of desalting and de'atering erfor!ance. While this 'ill be available to GE served refineries, other refiners too could articiate and raise their erfor!ance bar. ;equesting suggestions fro! refining co!!unity 'rt the follo'ing< = &W in desalted crudeB . -il under carryB +. olids 1. Add to >?P3s@ other than< = . alt & &W re!ovalB D. Treat cost (inclusive of tank far! che!icals used if any" nor!ali2ed for crude quality and country currencyB 1. )o of usets secially leading to environ!ental concern in d%s WWTPB . : 'ater recycledB F. Caacity utili2ation er grid intensity. 2. Add to >est ractices@ other than< = . ;ound robin test recision 'ith indeendent
labs on des labs desalt alter er in inut ut %ou %outu tutt str strea! ea!sB sB . ta tate te of the art 3ns 3nstru tru!en !entat tation ion tha thatt facil fa cilit itat ates es Ea Earl rly y Ev Even entt 4e 4ete tect ctio ion n (E (EE4 E4"B "B +. o ode dell ba base sed d r roc oces ess s co cont ntro rolB lB D. Avoidance of caustic doing if ossible and location of caustic dosingB 1. ud 'ashing frequencyB . rine treat!ent ackageB F. ;ag layer !anage!ent. (de!ulsifier,, 3. Add to >-ther salient oints@ aart fro!< = . Ability to s'itch che!icals (de!ulsifier
reverse breaker, 'etting agent, etc." roactively for given crude !i$B . Percentage of desalting difficult (i.e. high risk % tight e!ulsion" crudes % !i$B +. CorrosionB D. Total cost.
2.
Crude oil demetallization 2.
61.
3.
*igh !etal bearing crudes as 'ell as calciu! nahthenates in fe' tyes of crude do i!act refining oerations. What are the !easurable e$ectations fro! service % solution roviders say on the follo'ing< = 1.
: Ca re!oval
2.
5er li!it of Ca in treated 'aste 'ater to facilitate rocessing in d%s ;- unit
3.
*y. !etals load on WWTP thru orhorins in oil under carry & disosal issues, if any
4.
>As@ li!it on 6G- fraction secially in dee cut oeration 'ith EP as high as 17deg C
5.
a$ treat cost in ter!s of cents er bbl. -f crude
What is the availability of *g and or high As bearing crudes in Asia Pacific region# 3f yes, request quantify the rocessability (P4" & list as 'ell ain areas to get !itigated.
Fouling 1.
Can refiners thro' !ore insight fro! the scale analysis on the initiation !echanis! of foulant / is it inorganic or organic#
2.
What is the current !echanical cleaning frequency (no of e$changers er !onth in C45" and cleaning cycle (life in !onths bet'een t'o cleaning of sa!e e$changer in hot section" of Crude reheat e$changers# Provide suorting data 'ith including the tyical dosage of anti=foulant che!ical in0ected in crude& 'ithout anti=foulant#
3.
;equest refiners to rank the variables that aid in fouling (in a scale of to 1, 'ith as >no or nil i!act@ and 1 as >!a$ influence@ on fouling" of Crude reheat e$changers a" )aB b" AshaltenesB c" HHT (Hluid Hil! Te!"B d" Hilterable solidsB e" TA)B f" *igher salt e$ desalted crudeB g" *igh C33 (fro! A;A"B h" Crude ρ & ?6B i" Ca salts & 0" -thers (secify"
4.
5.
*o' do the refiners evaluate erfor!ance i.e. dro in C3T er !onth or cleaning cycle i!rove!ent, etc.# Also, indicate the industry acceted s%' used for nor!ali2ing the e$changer data rior to such evaluation. ;efiners have their o'n best ractice in designing % installing che!ical in0ection syste! for effective distribution of additive. As any !aldistribution leads to under erfor!ance and or increased dosage, in turn e$cessive treat cost, request refiners to narrate such case studies.
6.
With dee cut oeration of 645, it is nor!al to e$ect h igher level of ashaltenes ingress into 6G- *Ts and *C5s and in turn leading to filter lugging & catalyst bed fouling. 4eter!ination of ashaltenes is ti!e consu!ing and !easure!ent in ! level could be error rone. As colour test is 0ust qualitative and CC; test can be !isleading, do industries envisage any other alternative and faster !ethod to !ini!i2e % avoid such ingress#
7.
What is the e$erience of anti=foulant che!icals in 6isbreaker heaters# Are there any secific considerations (!etals, che!istry, etc." in additives# 3nclude gains 'ith use of such che!icals in ushing the severity of the 6isbreaker 'ithin the li!its of fuel oil stability.
8.
9.
Iist hot sots of fouling in refinery (reboilers of stabili2er & rerun to'erB reactor effluent vs. feed e$changers in *TsB cracker botto!B etc." needing to raise run length to say 19yrs# Iist ressing *C rocess end fouling, if any, (e.g. 6ac -* condensers 'a$ deosits, 4i=olefins
oly!eri2ation, degradation of solvent, ashalt reciitation, etc." needing sound solution.
4.
Corrosion & Asset integrity a. Process units & Offsites 1.
ost refiners use aqueous a!!onia for C45 -* corrosion control along 'ith fil!ing a!ines. ;esearch has consistently roved that it is not the best 'ay to !itigate -* corrosion. 4eloy!ent of Ioalt a!ines (: 'ater soluble" can assist refiners in arresting eisodic * variations in the -* syste! and in turn eli!inate He related fouling in d%s GAC-) section and nahtha *Ts. ;equest refiners to list e$ectations along 'ith !easure!ent criteria to lift the turnaround cycle of -* section to Fyrs.
2.
;equest refiners to list their e$ectations in raising the bar of na acid crude rocessing (through che!ical rogra!!e" aart fro! increasing the TA) level of crude !i$ to say .1!g?-*%g!. Also, list the ain areas, if any, in the current rocessing level.
3.
A fe' J-il Hield Che!icalsK have reorted to cause desalter uset and in turn corrosion and also corrosion % fouling in crude fractionation sections of kerosene, I6G-, etc. ;equest refiners to share such case histories so as to facilitate suitable co!bating !echanis!.
4.
5.
6.
;efiners do 'itness chloride related corrosion % fouling in secondary units vi2. HCC, Coker, etc. 'hich do i!act botto! line either through shutdo'n or slo'do'n of lants. 3s there any e$erience 'ith refiners 'rt on=line cleaning 'ithout restricting unit intake and or oerating severity# 3f yes, request sharing. The concet of >Early event detection@ is icking u in oil industries to create ti!ely alert to -& tea! and to ensure 2ero incident. Though rocess corrosion is a slo' rocess, the consequences can be disastrous. ;equesting refiners to list to five rocess corrosion areas 'herein 'e could 'ork together to roactively set u !itigation lans. Io' oint drains, T sections, stagnant ies (bet'een staling", etc. have been the source of corrosion and ulti!ate *C leak. Would refiners be interested in develoing inferential redictions to get >ti!e to intervene@ fro! first rincile &CH4 !odeling for such 2ones#
7.
5nder sea Crude and roduct ielines (to & fro P and shore tanks of refinery % !arketing ter!inals" can lead to a otential fiasco fro! uncontrolled internal corrosion. GE is interested in develoing a !arine standard for such ielines fro! asset integrity design to installation and health !onitoring throughout life cycle 'ith global best ractice insection !easures. ;equest inuts fro! refiners ertaining to< = a" Current gas in !easure!ents to foretell on corrosion rate & location of significant corrosionB b" 3nsection frequency of dead ends in the subsea iingB c" )o har! rating criteria for the che!icals used to abate chloride & !icrobiological corrosionB d" Possibility of 'ater balanceB e" E$isting ractice of assessing >colonies@ in received % coll ected 'aterB etc.
8.
9.
3s there secification on )ACE corrosion test in finished roducts (gasoline, diesel" being sold in 3ndian !arket# 3s this test likely to be inducted in 3# Can refiners % oil co!anies carry out certification of service rovider facilities for il sec rating of corrosion inhibitors#
10. There are over Dlus degradation !echanis! seen in oil industries. Which of these refiners
feel (list to 1" need for effective redictive control to eli!inate unto'ard incidents#
our !ater stripper and amine treating
2. 1.
*o' critical is the C) corrosion being faced by refiners in the to section of sour 'ater striers# ;efiners !ay like to share % Iist the controls in lace.
2.
There are cases of corrosion % fouling in reboilers of sour 'ater syste!. Hurther, the addition of )a-* in strier botto! section to reduce )*+ in stried sour 'ater adds to desalting concerns. ;efiners !ay like to share use of inhibitors % anti=foulants in sour 'ater units.
3.
4o refiners articiate in a!ine syste! bench!arking# 3f yes, share the details l. Coating & material cience
3. 1.
There are develo!ents in the surface rearation even at high te!erature alications of over 8deg C to revent coking % corrosion. ;efiners !ay indicate the ro!ising areas for such develo!ent 'ork.
2.
The a!ount of *ydrogen in fuel gas in a refinery tyically varies fro! as lo' as : vol to as high as +:. As hydrogen is the single largest contributor to utility cost, advance!ents in !aterial science (-H, e!branes, Protonic electronic conducting !aterials, etc." could soon be introduced for recovery of hydrogen fro! 'aste strea!s. ;equest refiners@ vie's.
5.
"aste !ater management & olids #andling 1.
4o any refiners carry out seciation of recalcitrant C-4 in 'aste 'ater influent# 3f yes, 'hat is the !a$i!u! cost that refiners 'illing to allo' to get do'n to ! C-4 in treated 'ater in ter!s of cents er cu! of 'ater#
2.
4o any refinery conte!lating re!oval of heavy !etals in the final treated effluent discharge to roactively i!rove the discharge 'ater quality# 3f yes, details lease.
3.
A!ount of 'aste 'ater being treated in a refinery tyically varies fro! . to .+cu! of 'ater %cu! of crude oil rocessed. What is the target the refiners envisage this to be by ne$t decade# Also list the ?P3s (cost of treat!ent, treated 'ater quality, allo'able sludge generation, etc." along 'ith alicable influent quality variations that refiners 'ish to attain.
4.
;efiners 'ith Coker in their configuration could be sending significant a!ount of 'ater in
the coke yard to !ini!i2e coke dust issues. GE has considerable co!etencies in nearly eli!inating dust !enace. ;equest refiners to rovide< = a" 4ust level as !easured in P and or P .1B b" A!ount of 'ater srayed er tonne of coke handledB c" Cost of !aintenance on hy equi!ent used in !aterial handlingB d" 3!rove!ent e$ectation 6.
7.
Cooling !ater system 1.
;equest lacing erfor!ance ?P3s that service rovider needs to co!ly vi2. a" Cycle of concentrationB b" Pitting rateB c" General corrosionB d" Ioss of 5 d 'ith ti!eB e" Treat cost.
2.
What is the e$erience of refining industries 'rt total auto!ated che!ical treat!ent rogra!!e (enco!assing quality !easuring instru!ents, rocess controls, blo' do'n and sli strea! flo' !anage!ent, live corrosion udates, heat rate su!!ary across critical e$changers, flo', r. & te!erature rofile, etc." in cooling 'ater syste!#
mart $ soft sensors and %nsig#t & remote monitoring 1.
;efiners do !easure several quality ara!eters of different batch of crude oils on arrival as 'ell as before being fed to crude unit. 3t is likely that due to aucity of ti!e either so!e
ara!eter is not done or old data could be used 'hile rearing crude blend. Which are the
critical ara!eters that refiners 'ould like to have either A;T or -HT sensors 'hich can foretell otential issues in a" desaltingB b" reheat e$changers foulingB c" higher locali2ed corrosionB and d" ETP % ;- usets fro! higher ingress of recalcitrant C-4 & or Ca reciitation % fouling. 2.
3.
J;efinery of the futureK % JA;T !anufacturingK is so!e of the recent thrust in the e!erging digiti2ed 'orld. What are the ush % enabling factors as 'ell as li!iting concerns# GE has been investing substantially on non=invasive !easure!ents. -ne such is to enhance the oerating enveloe of desalter. Can refiners list to ten areas for such on=line !easure!ents so as to raise the reefing !argins# Also, lease rovide accetance criteria.
4.
5.
6.
;efiners do have soft sensors based !odel. Iike in 3T syste!, is there any standard rotocol, that refiners 'ould like develoers to ensure so as to !ini!i2e !odel !is!atch and enhance robustness. *o' good refiners could correlate the C45 -* de' oint * % salting oint location(s" 'ith actual corrosion observed# *o' good refiners are using the alar! sequencing as occurred in facilitating 2ero incident (of any tye vi2. roduct quality, equi!ent !alfunctioning, environ!ental let u, etc."
