Indicators for maintenance planning based on energy efficiency in heat exchanger networks

Abstract

Thanks to the asset management regulations, modern maintenance practices are rapidly getting a more managerial role, and is used to achieve savings and optimize energy use. Therefore, knowing at all times the status of the equipment allows for timely and necessary interventions that generate value to the company, and recover the initial conditions of them. Heat exchanger networks, rather than a productive asset, constitute an energy-saving strategy, to have lower fuel costs, emission control, rational use of energy, etc. in the atmospheric furnaces of the crude distillation units, and other units that perform similar processes. Thus, keeping them in their best conditions, most of the time is necessary. In this paper, we propose a methodology for the diagnosis of the equipment of the network, and the maintenance planning justified by the energy efficiency of them and the economic impact of the intervention. In addition, an indicator is presented to provide an economic justification for maintenance interventions, as well as for briefly showing the results of the application of maintenance mainly on efficiency and the use of the KPI J proposed for programming the maintenance schedule of some of the equipment (pilot test) of the heat exchanger network under study. The methodology developed uses real operation values, and its results provided savings up to USD 150,000.