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OVERVIEW

DESCRIPTION

OPERATING PRINCIPLE

AREAS OF APPLICATION

SIZING OF THE SPIRELF DEVICES

APPLICATIONS OF SPIRELF SYSTEM
TO OIL REFINERIES

INDUSTRIAL EXPERIENCE OF SPIRELF SYSTEM
Main Advantages

  • Increased heat transfer rate
    • - through higher flow turbulence (inner heat transfer coefficient X 1.8)
    • - reduction of fouling and coking in heat exchange tubes
    • - result: energy savings of up to US $500,000 per year, example: EEC installation - 23,800 barrels or 3400 tons of oil equivalent/year. Average cost/benefit ratio: 1:5

  • Reduction of maintenance work/cost
    • - decrease of exchanger cleaning through reduction of tube side fouling
    • - extended run time through increase of cleaning intervals
        example:
      • for unequipped exchangers = 6 month cleaning cycles
      • for equipped exchangers = 12-20 month cleaning cycles
    • - extended tube life / reduced leakage due to reduction of under-layer corrosion
    • - designed to avoid mechanical tube erosion

  • De-bottlenecking - improved throughput capacity
    • - improved operating conditions at main column through equipment of pumparound/reflux line exchangers
    • - in case of limited furnace capacity, increase of crude temperature possible by equipping exchangers directly before furnace (29 degree F temperature increase documented compared to unequipped train)
    • - improved throughput capacity due to reduced need for exchanger cleaning (runtimes doubled for equipped exchangers)
    • - better cooling of outgoing products for storage

  • Combination with antifoulant chemicals
    • - increased efficiency of additives through higher turbulence
    • - decrease of consumption/dosage of antifoulants by 50%+