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ABSTRACT The paper is designed to outline the benefits of using an online continuous corrosion monitoring system to drive revenue through process optimisation. Emerson's Plantweb Insight applications for corrosion excellently compliment operators needs to address current industry challenges, such as tighter CAPEX budgets, reduced experienced operators, and the ever-changing demands of the modern process industry. The software is henceforth referred to as "plant software". The corrosion applications for this software platform are designed for continuous analysis and corrosion monitoring trends for installed wireless corrosion sensors. The application delivers insight to instrument health and includes advanced analytics to determine metal loss rates and corrosivity. Reliable corrosion data is critical to understanding the impact of ever-changing conditions in the plant. Operators integrating reliable corrosion data into their process historians can optimize their assets, expertly navigating the tightrope to increased revenue and operational certainty. Operators can see both corrosion risk and corrosion impact on plant health, through an easy to use visualisation and analytics platform. Lower grade feedstocks and faster flowrates can be utilised with increased visibility of the health of the assets. Crude oils that are not typically used as feedstocks due to their high sulfur content, acidity, or other impurities, also known as opportunity crudes, can increase revenue by millions of dollars per year for an average sized refinery. With the corrosion applications delivering regular data to desk, operators no longer work blindly, relying instead on accurate high-quality data to make informed decisions. INTRODUCTION Over the past decades cost pressure in oil refining has increased, especially in Europe where the consumption of oil products is decreasing over time. Refineries are investigating ways to increase margin and, given that they account for around 80% of total refinery expenditure, reduction of crude oil cost is a key factor. One way of doing this is to purchase cheaper and generally less desirable crude from global markets. These crudes often have elevated sulphur content or acidity. These crudes are less desirable due to the increased risk of corrosion through fouling and coking.
- Europe (0.88)
- Asia > Middle East (0.47)
- North America > United States > Texas (0.28)
Abstract Online Continuous Non-Intrusive Corrosion Monitoring is fast becoming industry best-practice in the Refining Industry globally. This technique involves wireless battery-powered sensors placed in the process units which deliver high-quality data directly to the desk of the corrosion engineer. This paper will present a case study and learnings from various refineries from the deployment of non-intrusive ultrasonic wall thickness monitoring systems in HF alkylation units. Online non-intrusive automated corrosion monitoring of HF alkylation units is valuable due to the safety risks associated with inspection inside these units, as well as the high probability of corrosion events and grave consequences of leakages. The technology discussed in this paper was developed using information from around 300 thickness monitoring sensors installed across 12 HF alkylation units globally. Traditional expectation is that iron fluoride scale layers that build up will not affect ultrasonic thickness results. However, through monitoring using permanently installed ultrasonic sensors, it was observed that the scale layer did negatively affect the ultrasonic signal. Our field experience has led to the development of an advanced signal processing algorithm, designed to be less affected by the effects of ultrasonic distortion due to the scale build-up. Data examples will be presented to explain this effect and comparisons between traditional signal processing methods and the advanced methods developed for this application. We close with a case study from a refinery who, via online monitoring of their HF alkylation unit, were able to detect elevated corrosion rates and take action to bring the corrosion under control, before any danger. Introduction In oil refineries, one corrosion issue occurs each week worldwide that leads to a severe incident such as sudden leakages, e.g., resulting from pipe ruptures. These facts emphasize the need for corrosion control in refineries. Corrosion monitoring is one important approach to utilize and can maximize equipment integrity and productivity. Other than traditional monitoring techniques (e.g., intrusive probes or manual ultrasonic wall thickness inspection), new wireless sensors were developed in recent years. They monitor pipe or vessel wall thickness and, thus, corrosion online by ultrasonic testing (UT).
- Europe > United Kingdom (0.29)
- North America > United States (0.28)
- Well Completion > Well Integrity > Subsurface corrosion (tubing, casing, completion equipment, conductor) (1.00)
- Production and Well Operations > Production Chemistry, Metallurgy and Biology > Corrosion inhibition and management (including H2S and CO2) (1.00)
- Facilities Design, Construction and Operation > Pipelines, Flowlines and Risers > Materials and corrosion (1.00)
- Data Science & Engineering Analytics > Information Management and Systems (1.00)
Abstract Online continuous non-intrusive corrosion monitoring is fast becoming industry best-practice in the refining industry globally. This technique involves compact, robust battery-powered sensors placed strategically in the process units, coupled with wireless data delivery to enable continuous, high-quality data to be delivered directly to the desk of the corrosion engineer. This paper presents a collection of case studies from European refineries from the deployment of non-intrusive ultrasonic wall thickness monitoring systems. Beyond the initial goals of each project, the realised value gained from corrosion monitoring is also described, supported by the data and analysis measured by the monitoring system. This is then followed in each case study by the return on investment from the corrosion monitoring system at each refinery. These estimates of returns are based on the benefits realized by the operators, which include avoiding unscheduled shutdowns, diagnosing issues related to corrosion inhibition and extending turnarounds. Introduction In the past years, the pressures on cost and profitability have been increasing gradually on refiners. The cost of crude oil is one of the major direct costs to oil production, and therefore is a key influence on profitability. Refiners can opt to blend in cheaper, so called, opportunity crudes in their process, which allow for substantial cost reductions. Such opportunity crudes are cheaper as they are typically more corrosive, can contain various contaminants, such as organic chlorides, overall making them more difficult to process. The challenge associated with opportunity crudes therefore is how to mitigate the increased corrosion risk they introduce. In recent years, wireless online corrosion monitoring devices have been developed with similar challenges in mind. This technique relies on the same principles as manual inspection. The purpose of this paper is not to review the technique itself, which has been in use for 10+ years, and descriptions of which are available. It has seen rapid uptake of equipment and the realization that continuous monitoring is higher value than periodic data. Although the technology is now available, the knowledge about how to bridge the gap between the experts in monitoring technology and process chemistry, has not yet spread widely or bedded into best practices. This paper describes three case studies from European refineries, which are real examples of how corrosion monitoring can be used to increase profitability, lower costs, increase safety. These applications are very common across all refineries and so can be readily applied globally.
- Well Completion > Well Integrity > Subsurface corrosion (tubing, casing, completion equipment, conductor) (1.00)
- Production and Well Operations > Production Chemistry, Metallurgy and Biology > Corrosion inhibition and management (including H2S and CO2) (1.00)
- Management > Professionalism, Training, and Education > Communities of practice (1.00)
- (2 more...)
Abstract Wireless technology for monitoring fixed asset corrosion/erosion conditions has enabled corrosion engineers and others the ability to monitor wall thickness data on demand via an internet connection and a web browser. Information is immediately accessible when working at the facility office or remotely. Utilizing the long-range characteristics of LoRaWAN in conjunction with IoT technology provides users the ability to place sensors in key strategic areas of a facility with minimal wireless network hardware and IT infrastructure. Multi-user access of IoT data enables people from different departments to utilize ultrasonic wall thickness data in their specific roles and responsibilities, thus multiplying the value of the information. The thickness data, trending, alerts, and other tools provide critical information needed to make key decisions on fixed asset conditions, effects of past processes, and overall asset life predictions. Introduction How often have you lied awake at night wondering if everything is alright at work? It happens to many of us quite often. Imagine being able to put your mind at rest by simply picking up your phone or laptop, clicking a few links, and seeing the systems are running and there are no warnings or alarm conditions with the assets you are responsible for maintaining. This future is now realized with the use of wireless sensor technology and cloud data systems. The task of monitoring and tracking asset fitness for service in a Petrochemical or other processing facility is a job that requires attention to detail of many facility variables. The monitoring of corrosion/erosion of systems historically has been a manual process of inspection and managing the data from the manual inspection. The incorporation of computers for the management of data has improved the process, unfortunately, the manual data collection process and time to transfer data into the system relies on the data to be transferred. The data itself is only as good as the day/time it was collected.
- Government > Regional Government > North America Government > United States Government (0.47)
- Materials > Chemicals > Commodity Chemicals > Petrochemicals (0.34)
- Energy > Oil & Gas > Downstream (0.34)
- Well Completion > Well Integrity > Subsurface corrosion (tubing, casing, completion equipment, conductor) (1.00)
- Facilities Design, Construction and Operation > Pipelines, Flowlines and Risers > Materials and corrosion (1.00)
- Data Science & Engineering Analytics > Information Management and Systems (1.00)
Abstract Installed UT sensors can provide better visibility around how, when, and why corrosion is happening in assets and allows people to track and monitor with extremely high precision (.001"). Owner operators can then overlay corrosion rate data with process data to analyze Integrity Operating Windows (IOWs) and help them better understand how to most efficiently and safely operate their assets and either remediate or extend their useful life, thus moving from a time-based maintenance interval to that of a predictive based interval. This paper will cover a real-life example of how an owner operator has used permanent or temporarily installed wireless UT sensors to monitor problematic areas, track remediation tactics, and verify the ramification of operational changes. Introduction Many asset owners struggle to identify the root cause of fluctuating corrosion rates due to unreliable inspection data. Facilities worldwide are tasked with monitoring thousands of Condition Monitoring Locations (CMLs) with established NDE techniques such as manual ultrasonic testing and radiography. While these techniques can provide valuable "snapshots" of the condition of particular locations, limitations and inherent errors can compound leading to ill-advised decision making. Manually taken thickness data can vary greatly and result in unwarranted complacency or excessive and costly inspections. Utilizing long range wireless continuous monitoring systems have drastically improved operators understanding of how process changes influence corrosion rates. Installed UT sensors provide near real-time data with a 0.001" accuracy. This influx of data provides a trend line whereas with manually taken data, sometimes only taken a few times a year, only provides a few points on a graph. Asset owners have realized they can use this wealth of new information to validate and discover the effects of operational changes on corrosion rates. Remote systems supplement piping inspection programs by providing accurate, repeatable data. After locating areas of interest with other established inspection techniques such as manual UT or AUT, remote systems can be used to confirm corrosion rates and help make well informed decisions about the remaining life of stationary equipment. When these systems confirm the absence of corrosion activity at a particular CML, inspection resources can be reallocated to higher risk locations. By helping locate areas of higher and lower likelihoods of corrosion, inspection resources can be optimized while simultaneously decreasing the overall risk of unexpected equipment failure within a unit.