Hydrocarbon Engineering

March

2017

HYDROCARBON

ENGINEERING

outcome to these changes in advance while the plant is

still operating. Johnson Matthey’s TRACERCO

online

diagnostics can evaluate these issues using non-intrusive

diagnostic techniques. The services help give insight to

the current operating regimes within process vessels and

associated piping. The technology used is based on the

application of gamma-ray scanning and radioisotope

tracing technology, which enables the instantaneous

online measurement of process conditions.

An example of this is the use of online diagnostics

techniques on boiler feed water (BFW) systems and high

temperature shift (HTS) vessels. In a BFW system, a leak of

water into the process stream can contaminate catalyst,

rapidly lowering the system efficiency. The use of a

radioisotope leak test can pinpoint or confirm the exact

exchanger causing the process issues. This enables the

operation team to prepare for maintenance and repair

during the next scheduled major turnaround, improving

the efficiency of the turnaround itself as well as returning

the operations system efficiency.

Hydroprocessing steam purification

Variability in crude oil quality is impacting the level and

types of hydroprocessing stream impurities, the biggest

impurity area being chloride removal. Chlorides have

plagued refiners, particularly in catalytic reforming

processes, and without proper purification and monitoring,

chlorides progress in the hydroprocessing streams to

downstream hydrogen users and result in costly corrosion

and salting issues. This will lead to additional major

turnaround maintenance requirements and can create

unscheduled turnarounds. The biggest challenge operators

face in this area is related to monitoring, as typical testing

kits do not allow for the measurement of organic chloride.

The company has developed and implemented a chloride

test kit that refiners can use themselves (Figure 8). The

chloride test kits measure both inorganic and organic

chlorides down to <0.1 ppmv, fully revealing the level of

chloride impurities in these streams to the operator.

Tailored PURASPEC

purification solutions can then be

applied to maximise run length and reduce side reactions.

Coupling this unique at line analysis with the purification

solutions for chloride impurities enables operators to

address these concerns, while reducing asset management

activities during major turnarounds and improving

turnaround efficiency.

Conclusion

The catalyst alone is not enough to achieve flexibility and

reliability within the dynamic operation between major

turnarounds. In the FCC unit, catalytic additives help

refiners achieve flexibility of operation to meet changing

market conditions by maximising gasoline or distillate, or

achieving chemical process feeds with light olefins.

Operators need to perform more process monitoring to

manage and minimise operational impacts to their unit

catalytic technologies. New technologies in hydrogen

SMR monitoring are enabling operators to be more

responsive to operational changes that impact unit

performance. Unique at line chloride analytical

techniques are revealing chloride levels and types so that

operators can minimise maintenance related issues. No

matter the unit in the plant, radioisotope online

diagnostic technologies can help with planning and

troubleshooting abnormal operation and better

understand operational and mechanical issues.

Notes

1. CatTracker

is a registered trademark of Daily Instruments

Corporation DBA Daily Thermetrics Corporation.

2. INTERCAT, TRACERCO and PURASPEC are trademarks of the

Johnson Matthey group of companies.

Figure 8.

Chloride test kit.

Figure 6.

CatTracker for reformers.

Figure 7.

CatTracker response sensitivity to sulfur

poisoning.