FCC Main Fractionator Debottlenecked By Online Waterside Cleaning

A Refinery FCC is critical to product blending, and an unplanned shutdown has large economic penalties. Water quality at a refinery can bring a unit down if heat isn’t adequately removed when needed. In the case study being presented, a reflux cooler had been fouled by the xxxxx of the water. FCC naphtha had been driven off spec by the warmer reflux. A coordinated effort between operations and utilities quickly recovered enough heat to enable the FCC to regain rate, saving millions of dollars in lost revenue. The methods used will be presented with PI graphs that show the speed by which results were achieved.