Quantifying and Monitoring Fouling

of Refinery Heat Exchangers

Application to refinery pre-heat trains
Robert Pes Pierre Sr Peyrigain

INEOS - Lavra - France

AspenTech User Conference, Berlin, April 2008

Abstract
It is well known that refineries contain a large number of
heat exchangers designed in complex arrangements.
Unfortunately, it is also known that fouling occurs in these
heat exchangers providing an obstruction to heat transfer
and fluid flow resulting in increased operating costs (less
capacity, more cleanups).
For the last three years, models based on Aspen
HYSYS and Aspen TASC have been developed to monitor
heat exchanger fouling for various refining units. These
applications have been successfully installed and are still in
use to assist the manufacturing engineers in scheduling of
heat exchanger rinsing and cleaning. Optimizing these
operations has been leading to significant savings.

Outline

Background
Objectives
Fouling Monitoring
Cleaning / Rinsing Simulations
Areas for Improvements
Conclusions

Lavera Site

Lavera Production Scheme

Brine

Gas
LPG
(C3 C4)

E
L
E
C
T
R
O
L
Y
S
I
S

Chloromethanes
Chlorine

Iron Chloride
Vinyle Chloride
monomer

Ethylene Oxide

Huntsman
Ethoxylates
thylene glycols
Ethanolamines

LDF
(Naphta)

Crude
Oil

R
E
F
I
N
E
R
Y

LPG
Gasoline
Kerosene
Diesel
Lubricant
Heating Oil
Bunker Fuels
Bitumens

INEOS
Arkema

S
T
E
A
M
C
R
A
C
K
E
R

Glycols ethers

C2
Ethylene

Acetates
Polyethylene
Polypropylene

C3
Propylene

Oxo Alcohols

C4

Butadiene
Raffinate 1

C5+
Gasoline

Oxochimie
Naphtachimie/Appryl/Gexaro

Gexaro - Benzene

Butanol
Ethyl hexanols
Butadiene
Polyisobutene
Pygas
Benzene
Gasoline

Raffinate2

Background
In oil refining, it is well known that heat exchangers are prone to fouling
and the increase in operating costs can be huge. Optimisation of rinsing
and cleaning refinery heat exchangers is key.
Three years ago, it was decided to develop a tool that would allow
manufacturing people to optimise rinsing and cleaning operations. At
that time, the situation was as follows:
It was difficult to calculate accurately and rigorously the fouling of
each heat exchanger of an entire heat exchanger train
Heat exchanger rinsing operation was carried out on a time basis,
not according to the real fouling
Rinsing and maintenance operations (cleaning) were not optimized,
both in frequency and way to operate
There were no means to estimate the temperature increases at the
outlet of the heat exchangers train after a rinsing and / or a cleaning
operation

Objectives
Develop a user friendly Excel Program, to be used by
manufacturing engineers, where all the heat exchanger
fouling calculations would be automatic
This program should be able to simulate the effect of a
complete rinsing or the rinsing / cleaning of one (or more)
heat exchanger(s)
Calculate and then provide the operation engineers with a
single calculated parameter that indicates the fouling state
of the entire heat exchanger train

General Framework

Operating
conditions

Excel File
Process Engineering

Aspen HYSYS
V2004.1

Lab
analysis

Source of value
Visual and quick identification
of fouled heat exchangers

Fouling Monitoring
Calculation Philosophy (1/2)
For a defined period of time, automatic import into Excel of the following
data (one set of data per shift):
Plant data [Flowrate & Temperature] % PI-datalink
Lab analysis [density, viscosity and TBP] % QIMS Sample Manager
VBA routines developed to analyse / correct the imported data and send
this checked data to Aspen HYSYS 2004.1
HX calculation carried out in Aspen HYSYS 2004.1 HTFS TASC 5.10
Calculations carried out one heat exchanger at a time for the entire
time period (one HYSYS file per heat exchanger created with the
detailed geometry)
VBA routines developed to retrieve results from HYSYS 2004.1 into Excel,
like the clean overall heat transfer coefficient, U(clean), outlet temperature
and pressure drop

Fouling Monitoring
Calculation Philosophy (2/2)

Dirty overall heat transfer coefficient, U(dirty), calculated

within Excel, from the current operating conditions
(Udirty=Qactual / A / LMTDactual)

U dirty / U clean

Graphs U(dirty) / U(clean) built in Excel as a function of

time

Example Aspen HYSYS Case

Example Heat Exchanger

Setting Plan
Views on arrow A

356.2992 Overall

T1
63

39.7638

28.7008
S2

63

T1

217.7165

T2

64

63

63

S2

S1
T2

2.9528
65.6693

144.0157

S1

2.9528

184

22
88.3

88.3

22

Pulling Length

End Length at Front Head = 14.6

End Length at Rear Head = 34.2

5.9055
Ref
S1
S2
T1
T2

OD
6.625"
6.625"
4.5"
3.5"

Wall
0.28"
0.28"
0.337"
0.3"

Nozz le Data
Standard
150 A NSI Slip on
150 A NSI Slip on
150 A NSI Slip on
150 A NSI Slip on

Notes

Design Data
Design Pressure
Design Temperature
Full V acuum
Corrosion Allow ance
Test Pressure
Number of Pass es
Radiography
PWHT
Internal Volume

Empty
113760 lb

Units
psig
F
in
psig

ft

2 Bolts
Shell
Fixed

5.9055

217.56
644.

Channel
174.04
788.

0.125

0.125

1
None

14
None

1013.511

437.5786

Weight Summar y
Flooded
194375 lb

Customer
P.O. Number
Projec t Reference
Projec t Location
Item Number
Fabric ation Number

2 Bolts
Sliding

Tasc+
Version
Setting Plan
BEM 100 - 240

Design Codes
ASME Section V III Div. 1
TEMA R

Drawing Number

Customer Specifications
Bundle
70972 lb

Revis ion

Date
11/13/2006

Dw g.

Chk.

App.

Fouling prediction
NFIT Calculations (1/2)
A file representing the entire heat exchanger train is created in HYSYS
2004.1
End point option is used for the calculation of all the heat exchangers
VBA routines developed to export from Excel into HYSYS, constant
operating data and the overall dirty heat transfer coefficient (Udirty)
Heat exchanger train outlet temperature is calculated at these conditions
and imported back from HYSYS into Excel
NFIT is the Furnace Inlet Temperature calculated with standard
conditions (temperature, flowrate & pressure) but with the current heat
exchanger fouling

Fouling prediction
NFIT Calculations (2/2)

Temperature
@ the NFIT
conditions

Heat exchangers
train cleanings

Cleaning / Rinsing Simulation

Outlet Temperature Calculations

Select the exchangers that have to be cleaned / rinsed or the

entire train to be cleaned / rinsed
Calculate the heat exchanger train outlet T, using the last set
of operating conditions with an estimated dirty overall heat
transfer coefficients (Udirty) in the HYSYS global heat
exchanger train simulation (end point option)
For a cleaned heat exchanger : U dirty = U clean
For a rinsed heat exchanger : U dirty = X% * U dirty

Source of value
Maximise the heat exchanger train outlet temperature
+3C -1% on Vacuum Residue flowrate 7.5 k$/day

Cleaning / Rinsing Simulation

Benefits and Profits

Since 2005, three applications, based on the aforementioned

principles, were developed: one for the CDU and one for
each VDU
It has been demonstrated (based on the graphs Udirty/Uclean)
that increasing the rinsing frequency while decreasing the
rinsing length, allows us to maximise the outlet
temperature, all through the year
This optimised rinsing procedure allows us to double the
length of operation between two physical heat exchanger
cleanings

Source of value
For one VDU unit, the profit has been
estimated between 1.5 and 2 M$/year

Areas for Improvements

The main difficulties encountered during these projects
were linked to some limitations of TASC 5.10
When using HTFS-TASC, as calculation engine for detailed shell &
tube exchanger simulation in HYSYS 2004.1, only a few data items
can be linked with Excel via VBA routines
In TASC 5.10, if the number of tube side passes generates a
temperature crossing, HYSYS does not converge and eventually
crashes

As next step, it is planned to replace all TASC 5.10

calculations by Aspen Tasc+.
Preliminary tests have shown that all the convergence failures due
to TASC 5.10 have been fixed thanks to Aspen Tasc+

Conclusions
The possibility to link Aspen HYSYS (and TASC) with Excel, using VBA
codes, is a very powerful method, which allows us to provide user friendly
and simple tools, based on rigorous and accurate calculations
It is then possible to develop tools that allow manufacturing people to
optimise rinsing and cleaning operations of refinery pre-heat trains
The first application, based on the aforementioned principles, was
developed for a VDU in 2006 and is still in use. Since that time, two other
applications were developed and are used on a daily basis. The profits
already identified are quite significant
In terms of improvements, the next step is to replace TASC 5.10 by
Aspen Tasc+, in the applications already developed
And finally, the long term objective would be to couple the simulation of
the heat exchanger trains with the simulation of the associated distillation
towers. It should allow us to perform a global optimisation of the crude
distillation and vacuum distillation units. Very challenging but exciting!