2008 Furnace Maintenance Survey

The Ethylene Producer's Committee sponsored a worldwide furnace maintenance survey among ethylene producers in the winter of 2008. The survey focuses on the reliability and maintenance aspects of specific furnace components including radiant coils, burners, quench exchangers, and refractory among others.

The survey was conducted by the Maintenance and Reliability Subcommittee. Data from the survey was reviewed and interpreted by a team consisting of a metallurgist, a reliability engineer, and furnace specialists. Each of these team members has many years of experience with ethylene production.

This paper is a review of the results from the survey along with correlations and trends identified by the survey team. Data from the 2008 survey will also be compared to data from a similar survey conducted in the mid 1990s.