Q & A > Question Details
Next week , we will shutdown some of our units (in crude refinery) due to economic matters. This shutdown will last more than 3-5 months. We are now thinking about how to keep furnaces during this long period. Our furnaces have combined-fuel burners.
I would like to have some guidelines about this task.
 
Answers
07/04/2011 A: Karthik Ramesh, Indian Oil Corporation, karthikr@iocl.co.in
If the problems are with burners , check the burner assembly with the vendors drawings and rectify the assemblies.
If the problems are with convection section vendors like polar chem may help
17/03/2011 A: SUNDEEP GUPTA, PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRIES COMPANY, sundeep_gupta@pic.com.kw
Some specialist companies do a "wash" of convection section to clean it up. We tried it once, although results were mixed.
04/03/2011 A: Mike Watson, Tube Tech International Ltd, mike.watson@tubetech.com
CONVECTION SIDE / RADIANT SIDE Cleaning is historically either impossible or very difficult due to limited or even zero access panels!!
Limited access means poor attempts at water jetting, damages refractory lining caused by water jets and On-Line chemical cleaning cannot penetrate between the finned convection section tubes.
A new robotic method now allows access deep inside the finned convection areas OFFLINE via either existing small doorways or 1 or 2 equidistant doors cut into the side wall.
The TUBE SIDE can be cleaned simultaneously using bespoke pigs or extendable water "snake" jets.
TUBE TECH INTERNATIONAL have been able to mechanically clean a furnace ONLINE at 450 degrees Centigrade once before.