Applied Cognitive Cleaning Technology to Increase Average Heat Transfer Coefficient of Heat Exchangers

Abstract

Industrial processing such as crude oil refining, petrochemical production, power generation and other may involve the transport of hot and cold utilities (fluids or gases) through heat transfer equipment such as heat exchangers. Over time and under various conditions, this transport of such utilities may result in fouling and scale deposits forming within the preheat trains or heat exchangers. Fouling and scale deposits reduce the performance of the equipment, leading to heat energy losses which has a negative productivity impact as well as overall negative economic and environmental impact on the industrial process. Due to the lack of existing technologies oil refineries clean their key heat transfer equipment during major overhauls or roughly once in 2-4 years. Between these stops heat exchangers work below 50% of their heat transfer efficiency. Cognitive Cleaning systems and methods integrates chemical innovation, process innovation and business model innovation into a single solution aimed to maximize technical, economic and environmental performance of the industrial processes through reducing energy intensity of the processes via cleanliness of heat exchangers. Cognitive Cleaning is applicable for wide range of equipment geometry: shell and tube, plate, spiral heat exchangers. According to laboratory tests and on-site implementation's it is safe for equipment and has no harmful residues after cleaning. Cognitive Cleaning technology was successfully commercialized on operating bitumen units, CDU, VDU, acid alkylation unit; on spiral, plate, shell-and-tube heat exchangers of several refineries of Gazpromneft, LUKOIL, TANECO demonstrated boost in equipment efficiency. Companies were able to extract real value out of previously done investments into digital infrastructure. Applied cognitive cleaning can keep cleanliness of equipment increasing heat transfer efficiency up to 70%-80%, reduce CO2 emission and return around $2.4B to oil refineries of GCC countries.