(93a) Decarbonization of Refining Processes By Real-Time Monitoring and Knowledge-Based System for Mitigation of Petroleum Fouling

Petroleum fouling is a major unsolved problem costing the industry in terms of productivity penalty, maintenance costs and higher energy usage. The recent trends in environmental concerns of green-house gas emissions, increased energy and maintenance costs, and impact on plant capacity and availability are governing motives for industrial interests in cost-effective and practical fouling mitigation in petroleum processing. The physical and chemical mechanisms associated with petroleum fouling are complex with interactive effects of precursors derived from blending of feed sources. The petroleum processing starts from crude distillation to down-stream processing to production of petrochemicals. Significant progress has been made; however, implementation of monitoring and root-cause analysis (RCA) based mitigation has been slow. However, with the initiative of decarbonization in the process industry effective mitigation of fouling is getting a renewed attention along with heat integration and utilization of waste heat. In this investigative assessment study, an overview of the past and recent case studies is evaluated with the focus on energy efficiency in petroleum processing and corresponding abatement of CO₂ emissions. An extensive Exxon Chemical 1979 study of Economic Penalties Associated with the Fouling of Refinery Heat Transfer Equipment provided a fundamental basis for further development of mitigation technologies. In a follow-up 2000 study by Argonne National Laboratory focused on the Effects of Mitigating Fouling on the Energy Efficiency of Crude Distillation Unit (CDU). Recently in 2020 AIChE Sprint meeting Monitoring-Based Fouling Mitigation in Crude Preheat Trains (PHT) Using Lab and Field Fouling Units focused integration of field fouling monitoring with simulation software of the system. Such as an integrated system provides a real-time knowledge-based monitoring for taking corrective actions to minimize energy and productivity penalties. Similar investigative studies have demonstrated that the effective mitigation of petroleum fouling would have a direct impact on energy efficiency and hence abatement of CO₂ emissions per unit petroleum products. In this assessment study a systematic roadmap is proposed to link the knowledge and real-time monitoring-based mitigation of petroleum fouling and energy consumption. It consists of three interlined knowledge-based system: a) real-time monitoring; b) information management and c) responses. This integrated knowledge-based system can be implemented to operating individual processing units (fired heaters and feed/effluent exchangers), subsystem (PHT) or process unit (CDU and hydrotreaters). It is crucial to accurately and quantitatively monitor the effectiveness of mitigation actions, including anti-foulant treatments. Such mitigation techniques might have shown the effectiveness in lab tests, but less effective in the process unit. Case studies have shown that the effectiveness of physical and chemical mitigation techniques is dependent on fluid dynamics that may not be simulated in lab tests. The knowledge-based system will overcome this limitation for qualifying cost-effective mitigation techniques. The resulting outcome the knowledge-based system has direct impact on the enhancing the energy efficiency in petroleum processing and hence abatement of CO₂ emissions that can justify the short-term as well as long-term corrective actions to be implemented.