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DCU Process Control: Protecting Critical Investments & Optimizing Process Control with Advanced Temperature Measurement Systems

Presented By

Walter Tijmes - Daily Thermetrics

Conference:

Most petroleum refiners around the world experience the same issue in their DCU: premature failure of heater tube skin thermocouples (tube metal temperature measurements). Without these critical instruments, refiners are vulnerable and exposed to undesirable safety risks. Throughput of the DCU is also adversely affected when owners operate below optimum rates due to reliance on inadequate or inaccurate temperature readings. This presentation will discuss the criticality of maximizing the service life of high accuracy temperature measurement on fired heater tubes. Additionally, it will address the importance of reliable coke drum skin temperature monitoring, which allows for diagnosis of the thermal effects of cycling on the drum wall. It will consider profitability and safety implications to the refiner, and share feedback from leading refinery operators regarding the reasons for premature failure of these critical devices. A novel approach to addressing these shortcomings will be introduced, and case studies will be showcased in order to share real-world applications of this.

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