i) Function of water utilities to the plant operation

Petroleum refining and chemical processing requires a significant amount of water throughout
their production facilities. Hence, it become one of the most important and most widely used
utilities in petrochemical plant and industries.

Water is classified into several form based on their type and amount of impurities present in it.
Some common type of water utilities used by petrochemical plant are raw water, potable water,
process water, cooling water, boiler feed water, and demineralized water.

Raw Water

In PDH Plant, raw water is used as a flushing medium for pumps in caustic service, as a service
water at utility stations, and to cool the blowdown stream from the steam generation system. It is
also used for fire protection. The water requirements during a fire will be large, but the average
requirements for fire protection during a year will be negligible. Some refineries use separate fire
protection systems, whereas others use water from the cooling or other water systems of the
refinery to fight fires.

Potable Water

Potable water is used for the safety shower and eyewash stations, and to all buildings for sanitary
or washing facilities. Potable water also used for consumption by operating personnel.

Process water

Process water is water that will be directly used in the process. It have to be purified to remove
any impurities which possibly can contaminate the process or cause fouling. Quality tolerances for
process water vary widely with the purpose for which it is used. In general, process waters should
be clear, colorless, and free from iron, manganese, hydrogen sulfide, and organic growths.

Boiler Feed Water

Boiler feed water (BFW) is used to produce steam. Untreated water is generally not satisfactory to
produce low and high pressure steam. Same with the process water, BFW have to be treated before
being use in order to remove any impurities such as dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide to
prevent excessive corrosion, scale formation and embrittlement. BFW is treated by using
mechanical de-aeration and subsequent chemical treatment.

In PDH Plant, BFW is used as a make-up water from steam generator convection section. At this
section, HP Steam is generated using the waste heat from the Oleflex Reactor. BFW is then used
to de-superheating the MP and LP Steam.

Clean condensate recovered from the surface condensers is heated up and stripped in direct contact
with VLP Steam. The non-condensable gases is vented from the top of the head section and the
de-aerated hot water collects in the storage vessel.

In the event of an upset condition in the condensate make-up system or the steam generator, there
is a high level of water in the de-aerator storage section. If this condition happen, de-aerated water
is discharged to the drain through a control valve.

Cooling Water

Cooling water is used to cool or to condense streams. It is usually circulated between heat
exchangers or a cooling tower, by using convective heat transfer mechanism. Mostly, temperature
of the stream is reduced by evaporation of the cooling water and heat transfer to the surrounding
air.

Cooling water should be of sufficiently good quality to keep corrosion, scale formation, organic
slimes, and deposits of sediment to a minimum. Generally, water will be used once in areas where
it is plentiful and cheap. On the other hand, where water is in short supply and its cost is high,
makeup water requirements are kept to a minimum by reusing the cooling water many times.

Demineralised Water

In demineralized water, minerals have been removed by ion exchange to prevent salt deposition,
corrosion, and formation of foam. If the ions are not removed, it may contaminate the process.

In PDH Plant, the water is held in the Demineralised Water Storage Tank, an atmospheric storage
tank. Demineralised water is required continuously as make-up water to the CCR Vent Scrubber
and the Regeneration Gas Scrubber. The water is required to dilute caustic solution, before it is
used to replenish the caustic solution in the Regeneration Gas Scrubber. Other requirements are as
make-up water to the Boiler Feed Water Chemical Treatment Packages, to the De-aerator during
plant start-up, and as flushing water.

Demineralised water is also used to prepare a solution of soda ash and sodium nitrate in the
Neutralisation Tank. This requirement is for every plant turnaround when the Oleflex Reactor
section is opened up for maintenance.

ii) Importance of water utilities to the plant operation

Water plays a critical role in supporting the operation of the facility. Because of this, water utilities
have become one of the important factors that must be considered in selecting sites for
petrochemical plant are the availability of utilities and their cost.

A process plant cannot function without water-based utility systems. The quantity and the quality
of water required by the plant are varied by the type of the process. Study has shown that the
major use of water in petrochemical industries is for cooling. Only a small quantities of water are
used for boiler feed, processing, sanitary services, fire protection, and miscellaneous purposes
(Otts, 1993).

iii) Impacts of water utilities to the plant operation

Increased water requirements have accompanied the growth of the petrochemical plant and
industry. As the number, size, and complexity of plant increased, the total water requirements of
the industry increased. If the water requirements in the plant is not properly managed, it will lead
to the increment of cost. A knowledge of the water requirements of industry is needed for planning
the most effective use of the water resources.
Reference
Otts, L. E. (1993). Water Requirements of The Petroleum Refining Industries.