HOW TO GET THE BEST FROM YOUR PREHEAT TRAIN AN UK REFINERY BASED CASE STUDY Edward M.

. Ishiyama, IHS Downstream Energy Research, London, UK Simon J. Pugh, IHS Downstream Energy Research, London, UK Graham T. Polley, University of Guanajuato, Mexico James Kennedy, IHS, London UK D. Ian Wilson, University of Cambridge, UK Alison Ogden-Quin, Petroineos, Grangemouth, UK Graham Birch, Petroineos, Grangemouth, UK Abstract Crude refinery preheat trains (PHTs) are network of heat exchangers that recover heat from product and pump-around streams to raise the crude temperature before it enters an atmospheric distillation column for fractional separation. Fouling is a long known problem in the PHTs; the ability of a refinery to process different crude blends or to increase its production capacity strongly depends on the thermal and hydraulic performance of the PHT under fouling conditions. This work describes a data reconciliation approach that utilizes historical plant data, consisting of missing information and uncertainty, to generate a so called dynamic fouling model. Dynamic fouling models are used in a simulation methodology to predict plant performance under variable operating conditions. A discussion in the latest developments in modelling and simulation of PHTs subject to fouling is provided. A novel software tool, SmartPM, was successfully utilized to study heat recovery paths, cleaning schedules and furnace firing capacity on a UK based crude refinery PHT case study. Introduction Crude oil is a major source of global energy; its usage has increased during the past decades reaching a consumption of 73 MM bbl per day (Figure 1) 1. In prior to undergoing fractional separation, crude oil passes through a network of heat exchangers known as the preheat train (PHT). PHTs recover up to 70% of the heat required for fractional separation from process streams, that require cooling 2. Additional heat required to raise the crude to its distillation temperature is provided through a fired heater. Due to the high capacity of crude being processed, the effective performance of the PHT is vital to achieve desirable economic and environmental performance. Fouling is known to be responsible for reduced heat transfer and

reduced production, which itself results in problems of higher energy consumption and increased furnace emission, lost of throughput margin and maintenance and cleaning issues which could result in plant shutdowns (35).

75

World crude oil production (MM bbl per day)

70 65 60 55 50 45 40 1975

1980

1985

1990 Year

1995

2000

2005

2010

Figure 1:

World crude oil production1.

The composition of the crude being processed is complex and subject to frequent variation. Crude oil is prone to fouling and the fouling behaviour is directly linked to its operating condition 6. Mitigating the effects of fouling on PHT is a widely researched area both within academia and industry due to its economic and environmental relevance 710. A systematic approach to manage fouling in PHT was recommended in Ishiyama et al. (2013)7, consisting of 5 main steps: 1. Data reconciliation 2. Fouling analysis 3. Prediction of PHT performance under fouling condition and identification of exchangers responsible for reduced PHT performance 4. Identification of retrofit and revamp options 5. Systematic scheduling of cleaning

The recommended guideline requires the evaluation of the PHT performance at various operating scenarios. Formulation of a simple analytical model for PHTs is not practically achievable; hence the thermo-hydraulic PHT simulation software, SmartPM was used in this work. The SmartPM software is built upon the combination of advanced heat exchanger network simulation and cleaning scheduling methodology and industrially accepted shelland-tube heat exchanger design and rating technology. The network simulation code was developed at the University of Cambridge as part of the UK Government-fund CRude Oil Fouling (CROF) research program. The heat exchanger design technology was developed for the computer program EXPRESSplus and re-implemented in SmartPM. The techniques described in this manuscript, such as the key steps noted above, and other techniques are incorporated into SmartPM. Model description The thermal effect of fouling, the overall fouling resistance, Rf, is obtained through

(1)

Here, U is the overall heat transfer coefficient. Ucl is the overall heat transfer coefficient, which is calculated when the exchanger is clean and operated under the same temperature and mass flow conditions pertaining to the calculation of U. Heat exchangers in a PHT commonly consist of grouped shells (i.e. shells in series or shells in parallel arrangement). A recommended method in modelling shells in series is not as individual units but as independent shells. The main issue arising through this approach is that most intermediate temperature between shells are not measured due to inability to access the stream and the isolation valves are only available to isolate all shells but not individually. The importance arises of monitoring individual shells, as the build-up of fouling is unequal in each shell due to different temperature and flow fields. A methodology was introduced by Ishiyama et al. (2011, 2013)7,12 to determine the intermediate temperatures based on the distribution of fouling resistances between shells. For

a heat exchanger undergoing chemical reaction fouling, the rate of fouling, by Polley (2010)11 as

, was described

(2)

Here, a is a dimensional constant, hc, is the film transfer coefficient of the cold (crude) stream, R is the gas constant, is the film temperature and P, an attachment probability based on

surface shear stress. For a particular crude slate, a is constant. Assuming all shells are clean, the ratios of the initial fouling rates of the shells, 1 to n is given by (3)

The distribution of the fouling resistances between the shells at an operating instance could be allocated based on the ratios of initial fouling rates of the individual shells. (4)

This information is helpful, during a cleaning operation. Usually, shells in series require being isolated together due to the location of the isolation valves. Still it is not necessary to clean all shells during isolation, if the shells with higher fouling could be identified. A UK based refinery PHT undergoing sever fouling was considered for methods to improve its operation. Case study network The case study PHT is part of the Petroineos refinery situated in Grangemouth, UK. The medium and hot section of the PHT is presented in Figure 2. The crude enters the desalter in an average of 110 C and its temperature raised to ~ 155 C via a set of heat exchangers. The crude temperature is further raised to ~ 205 C, before entering the furnace. The current average capacity of the PHT is 52,000 bbl day-1. Temperature variations for a 10 month

period at the coil inlet are plotted as solid circles in Figure 3(a). During this period a turnaround has occurred where all units present in Figure 2 underwent cleaning. The coil inlet temperature dropped to a minimum of 170 C. The throughput exhibits continuous fluctuation, with a gradually decreasing trend till the plant shutdown (solid circles in Figure 3(b)).

Figure 2:

Hot end of the case study preheat train. Label E denote heat exchangers.

(a)

B A

(b)

C D

Figure 3:

Variation in (a) coil inlet temperature and (b) throughput

Plant monitoring data for a period of 10 months was collected and data reconciliation performed for this period. The fouling resistance profile of unit E4 is given in Figure 4. A cleaning action was performed at the 7th month for all exchangers (this was a plant shutdown). The exchangers are returned online consisting of a minimum fouling resistance, which again increases with fouling. The observed minimum resistance is relatively high (0.001 m2K W-1 for E4), even after a cleaning action. This indicates that a higher degree of cleaning could be achieved through alternative cleaning methods (e.g. use of hydro drilling).

Figure 4:

Variation in fouling resistance profile for E4.

The slopes of the fouling resistance profiles, i.e. the fouling rate, are a strong function of operating temperatures and flow. The region of stable operation is separated for each exchanger within the SmartPM program, generating a matrix of operating periods. The corresponding fouling rates and operating data are used to evaluate parameters for fouling models such as that described in equation (2)). This allows the modelling of fouling performances in periods where particular crude blends are processed, hence allowing a database of crude slate specific fouling model parameters to be built that can be used in simulation and cleaning calculations. Fouling analysis showed that when equations (2)) was used to evaluate the fouling behaviour of the crude at the period where the data were corrected, a fouling parameter of a = 450 h-1 would best fit the reconciled data. During the data reconciliation period, the PHT was operated to achieve a target throughput. Due to the furnace reaching its maximum capacity, a gradual reduction in throughput has occurred. Taking the PHT operating parameters at the beginning of data reconciliation period as the starting point of simulation, the CIT and throughput profiles were simulated (solid line in Figure 3a,b). During the simulation the throughput was assumed ideally to be maintained at a target throughput of 85 kg s-1. The cleaning actions were not taken into account. There are three distinct sections in the simulated throughput graph Figure 3(b). Section AB is a region of constant throughput, where the furnace is able to accommodate constant throughput

with the reduction in CIT as the furnace has not reached its duty limit. Section BC presents a region where the reduction in throughput has occurred as a consequence of the furnace reaching its maximum duty with fouling. Section CD presents a region where the reduction in throughput is steeper compared to section BC. This is reflecting the boiling properties of the crude the furnace is required to accommodate additional duty where a majority of the energy requirement is dominated via latent heat. The fouling model together with the network simulation and furnace model was shown to reliably predict the historical plant behaviour. Future performance simulation studies are now performed to evaluate the best methodology to manage the PHT. An initial simulation study was performed to evaluate the scenario when the PHT is operated without any cleaning or modifications to the network. This was done by taking the data set after the turn-around as the starting point. A forward prediction for a period of 2.5 years was performed. At the beginning of the simulation, the furnace is operating at its maximum duty. Hence with the decrease in PHT thermal efficiency (solid line in Figure 5(a)), the furnace would not be able to provide the required heat duty to bring the crude to its desired outlet temperature under a constant throughput. A reduction in the throughput will occur with fouling to maintain the coil outlet temperature (solid line in Figure 5(b)). The cleaning scheduling was formulated based on a heuristic algorithm detailed by Ishiyama et al. (2009)9. The objective function is to minimize the total economic impact during the operating period: Total economic loss = Cost of energy + Cost of lost throughput margin + Cost of cleaning

(5)

With cleaning

(a)

Without cleaning

E3ab E3ab E3ab E3ab E3ab E3ab

(b)
With cleaning

Without cleaning

Figure 5:

Variation in (a) coil inlet temperature and (b) throughput; for simulation with

and without cleaning. The economic loss is reflected through the lost throughput margin when the furnace is operated at its maximum duty. The optimum cleaning schedule generated for this network indicates that exchanger E3ab requires frequent cleaning. In this paper the retrofit and revamp analysis are identified first to reduce the rate of fouling and second to enhance energy recovery (which will consequently increase the throughput under limited furnace duty). The following opportunities were identified:

Case study 1: Use of tube inserts for E3ab: E3ab is a main heat duty contributor in the PHT and also subject to sever fouling. The tube insert is identified as an option to increase the tube-side wall shear stress, which would reduce the rate of fouling. The choice of tube-insert, twisted tape, was made based on the allowable pressure drop and the ease for installation. Twisted tapes could be fabricated on-site. Case study 2: Use of tube inserts for E2abc: The hot stream outlet of E2abc is in the order of 190 C. This unit was identified to be able to enhance heat recovery through tube-inserts. Case study 3: Divert all crude flow rates to E3ab after the pre-flash: The exchanger, E4, appears to be one of the least energy contributors to the network. If there is sufficient cooling water duty available to cool Stream 4, the diversion of crudes to E3ab will further increase the wall shear stress to reduce fouling in a long term. The exchanger E4 could be utilized elsewhere in the system (e.g. in pre-desalter section to maintain desalter inlet temperature). The overall economics during the 2.5 year period of simulation was evaluated through comparison of the case studies by taking Figure 5 (without cleaning) as the base case. As the furnace is operating at its maximum duty, any difference in the economic performance is directly related to the throughput processed. (6)

Here, m is the throughput, Clo is the throughput margin, subscript j denotes case studies 1 to 4, and subscript reference denote case study 1 under no cleaning condition. tf denote the time duration where the scheduling study was performed. The economic comparison of the above three case studies are summarized in Table 1. With the current fouling rate, if no cleaning action were performed a throughput margin reduction amounting to over 10 MMUS$ would occur due to the furnace reaching its capacity. Installation of tube inserts in units E3ab and E2abc, shows long term benefit in terms of both reduced rate of fouling and enhance heat recovery. A network revamp option combined with cleaning activities gives the biggest economic benefit (case study 3).

Table 1:

Comparison of the economic benefit for the case studies 1 4 over a period of 2.5 years. Benefit (calculated from equation (6)) MM US$ Without cleaning With cleaning 11.30 12.95 13.66 15.24

Original network Case study 1 Case study 2 Case study 3

0.00 (base case) 2.39 3.51 4.25

Conclusions Data reconciliation and fouling analysis methodology discussed by Ishiyama et al. (2011)
12

was applied to a UK refinery through the use of a high definition thermo-hydraulic simulator, SmartPM. The fouling behaviour was successfully modelled by a dynamic fouling model, which enabled the identification of the reduction in production capacity due to the furnace reaching its firing capacity. A retrofit, revamp and cleaning scheduling analysis was combined to identify economic opportunities to recover 2 4 MMUS$ during a 2.5 year period through fouling mitigation. Nomenclature a Clo Ea h m P R Rf dimensional constant, s-1 throughput margin, US$ kg-1 activation energy, J mol-1 film transfer coefficient, W m-2 K-1 mass flow rate, kg s-1 attachment probability, gas constant, J K-1 mol-1 fouling resistance, m2K W-1 fouling rate, m2K J-1 T U temperature, K overall heat transfer coefficient, W m-2 K-1

Subscripts c cl f j crude stream clean condition film case study 1, 2 or 3 reference case References (1) Mundi World crude oil production by year, http://www.indexmundi.com/energy.aspx?product=oil&graph=production, visited on 19th, March 2013. (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) Panchal, C. B.; Huangfu, E.-P. Heat Transfer Engineering 2000, 21, 39. ESDU exchanger fouling in the pre-heat train of a crude oil distillation unit; IHS ESDU International plc., London, 2000. Ishiyama, E. M.; Paterson, W. R.; Wilson, D. I. Heat Transfer Engineering 2009, 30, 805 814. Ishiyama, E. M.; Paterson, W. R.; Wilson, D. I. Chemical Engineering Science 2008, 63, 34003410. Ebert, W. A.; Panchal, C. B. In Fouling Mitigation of Industrial Heat Exchange Equipment; Begell House: New York, 1997; pp. 451460. Ishiyama, E. M.; Pugh, S. J.; Paterson, B.; Polley, G. T.; Kennedy, J.; Wilson, D. I. Heat Transfer Engineering 2013, 34, 692701. Ishiyama, E. M.; Heins, A. V.; Paterson, W. R.; Spinelli, L.; Wilson, D. I. Applied Thermal Engineering 2010, 30, 18521862. Ishiyama, E. M.; Paterson, W. R.; Wilson, D. I. Energy and Fuels 2009, 23, 13231337. Engineering 2009, 29, 30733080. (11) Polley, G. T. Jersey City, 2010; pp. 1317. (12) Ishiyama, E. M.; Pugh, S. J.; Wilson, D. I.; Paterson, W. R.; Polley, G. T. In 11AIChE - 2011 AIChE Spring Meeting and 7th Global Congress on Process Safety, Conference Proceedings; 2011. (10) De Oliveira Filho, L. O.; Liporace, F. S.; Queiroz, E. M.; Costa, A. L. H. Applied Thermal

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