Walter Tijmes - Daily Thermetrics
The FCC Unit poses perhaps the most significant challenges in terms of thermowell reliability in the modern refinery. Due to high temperatures and erosive conditions, operators commonly have to compromise on control of the unit due to “blind spots” that arise after thermowell/sensor failure which can affect the overall safety and profitability of the unit. There are a variety of high hardness materials and application methods that can be utilized to either delay or mitigate this failure mode.
Utilization of advanced temperature profiling systems have also provided enhanced visibility in coking prone locations such as the stripper section of the reactor and the washbed of the fractionator. Early, online detection of these issues allows process engineers and operators to diagnose issues quickly, protect assets, and minimize turnaround discovery work.
In addition to these applications, clients are now requiring more comprehensive profiling to include monitoring of the cyclone dip-leg temperatures. The use of these systems allows operators to monitor moisture content in these critical catalyst pathways during start-up.
This presentation will serve to expand the refiners’ knowledge of applications that they are already familiar with, while introducing some of the more progressive systems being implemented today.