Chemical Cleaning of Crude Oil Fouling Deposits; Applying the Coke Spectrum

Abstract

Fouling of heat exchangers and refining equipment by crude oil deposits is a chronic operating problem. In general, many such deposits are narrowly defined as coke fouling, for which the prescribed cleaning has traditionally been high-pressure water blasting. The results for this type of cleaning are mixed at best. Heat exchangers are often returned to service at conditions less than 85% clean performance, driving the need for more efficient cleaning regimens. A detailed characterization of 62 field-based crude oil fouling deposits from hydrocarbon process units was presented by the authors in 2019. This paper demonstrated that such deposits are exceptionally complex, resulting in the introduction of the Coke Spectrum. Here, these deposits are revisited, and chemical cleaning methods are applied. Chemical cleaning encompasses a variety of applications. Circulation, ultrasonic immersion, and clean-in-place techniques were reviewed on laboratory-scale samples to determine what chemical cleaning agents are most effective toward the various categories of foulant making up the Coke Spectrum. Combination techniques which employ both chemical and mechanical applications simultaneously or in sequence are considered in depth. The correlation between chemical composition and the effectiveness of the cleaning method is explored with considerations for scaling from laboratory to industrial application.