Putting All Together—A Practical Example of Fouling Mitigation

9 PUTTING ALL TOGETHER—A PRACTICAL EXAMPLE OF FOULING MITIGATION 

FIGURE 7.6. A complete methodology for fouling analysis and mitigation. 

Out of the furnace, the crude is fed to a distillation column where valuable products, such as gases, kerosene, gasoline, and diesel are distilled and collected. After the process unit is operated for less than six months, severe fouling occurs in the heat exchangers and leads to a decline in furnace inlet temperature by as much as 65 °F, which results in burning of a significant amount of extra fuel in the furnace to make up for the temperature necessary for effective distillation. 

The rating assessment was conducted for heat exchangers in the preheat train and the assessment results indicated that fouling occurred, to a varying degree, to most of the 

Root cause analysis was conducted, which revealed the following issues  

---