Tracerco Insight Vol8 Ed2

Posted by Margaret Bletsch

Feb 28, 2019 9:09:35 PM

Tracerco Insight Vol. 8 Ed. 2 newsletter is now available.

The Tracerco Insight newsletter featuring some of our latest case studies illustrating how Tracerco was able to provide our customers the necessary data that allowed the operations staff to make informed decisions for troubleshooting and optimising their process. Read more to see what's inside the latest issue.

This issue contains the following articles:
  • Optimizing Desalter Performance Is Just One of Tracerco's Specialties We Proudly Provide. 
  • Crude Vacuum Tower Wash Bed Optimization.
  • Application Note - ThruVision™
  • Manage and Control Your Turnaround Costs to Avoid Possible Surprises.
  • New Product Announcement: PED-ER and PED-ER+

Read more on how to download the latest issue.

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Topics: nucleonic instrumentation, Tru-Scan, process diagnostics technologies, gamma scan, monitor wash bed coking, tracer technology, Tracer Study, catalyst bed wash, desalter optimization, wash bed optimization, manage turnaround costs, Depropanizer scan tray damage, desalter, Tracerco Profiler, crude vacuum tower, turnaround critical path project, pre-turnaround scans

Save The Date to Attend The "Measuring the Difficult to Measure Symposium"

Posted by Margaret Bletsch

Feb 25, 2019 2:44:06 PM

 "Measure the Difficult to Measure"
2019 Innovative Process Diagnostics Symposium
May 21, 2019 in Deer Park, Texas, USA - 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
May 23, 2019 in Gonzales, Louisiana, USA - 8:00 am - 3:30 pm
Reserve your space today.
 
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Tracerco is happy to announce that we have rescheduled our symposium "Measuring the Difficult to Measure" to be held in Deer Park, Texas and Gonzales, LouisianaThese new dates allow both our refining and petrochemical customers the ability to schedule their time to attend the symposium. Read more to learn about the topics of discussion.
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Topics: solids buildup, exchangers, gamma scanning distillation columns, pipeline blockage, flare gas meter, Flow Study, fccu studies, flare flow measurement, fugitive flare flow, verify flow meters, flare flowrate data, flow rate calculations, Process Diagnostics Technology, tray fouling, gamma scan, fcc services, level detection devices, packing mal-distribution, liquid distribution, quantitative analysis pack beds, PackView Analysis, packed bed towers, packed bed scan, monitor wash bed coking, tomography scan, off spec product, online leak detection, chemical leak test, feed/effluent heat exchangers, exchanger bundle leak testing, Tracer Study, packed bed performance analytics, Damage to vessel internals, trayed tower, mass transfer diagnostics

Crude Vacuum Tower Wash Bed Optimization

Posted by Margaret Bletsch

Jun 6, 2017 5:58:02 PM

The crude unit of today’s modern refinery is where it all starts.  Good, clean fractionation from the crude atmospheric and crude vacuum towers greatly impacts the operation of downstream units.

The wash bed in the Crude vacuum tower is one of those so-called evil necessities.  When it operates well, it does not seem to garner much attention but, when things go wrong challenges can occur.  The wash bed of the Crude vacuum tower is prone to coking/fouling due to the low liquid rates along with high vapour rates and high temperatures.  Generally, the wetting rate at the top of the wash bed is minimised to prevent high-value product loss, but lower wetting rates lead directly to coke formation in the bed.  The operating condition or the rate and severity of coking in the Crude vacuum tower wash bed is also one of the key variables determining the cycle time or run length between turnarounds.  So, the typical refiner works to balance the economics of product Heavy Vacuum Gas Oil (HVGO) recovery versus unscheduled or premature downtime to replace a coked bed. 

Marathon Petroleum Company LP’s (MPC) approach for operation of the vacuum tower wash bed is based on a novel approach.  MPC regards the packing in the wash bed as a consumable item.  The goal – fully consume the useful life of the packing by the end of the operating cycle to maximise operating profit, by maximising HVGO yield.  MPC uses Tracerco’s ThruVision™ technology to routinely monitor the wash bed density to help manage the wash bed useful life during the operating cycle.  The ThruVision™ technology provides a detailed density map at a specific vertical elevation that can pinpoint specific areas of liquid maldistribution or solids/liquid build-up. 

This case study shows the learning process over short operating cycles and an example of the operating stratagem to manage the operating life of the vacuum column wash bed over a multi-year operating cycle.

 CLICK HERE To download the full article that was published in the April 2017 issue of Hydrocarbon Engineering.

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Topics: Gamma Scanning, Tru-Grid Scan, ThruVision scan, gamma scan, liquid distribution, quantitative analysis pack beds, PackView Analysis, monitor wash bed coking, tomography scan

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