(31c) Bflp Gasoline Fractionator – Stone & Webster Ripple Tray® Installation

In the 4th quarter 2001, BASF and Total started up one of the world's largest naphtha based olefins facilities in Pt. Arthur, TX. After the unit start up, the pressure drop of the Gasoline Fractionator's packed sections started to increase rapidly and the tower's performance started to degrade. Eventually after 1.5 years of operation, the two packed bed sections of the 35 ft. diameter tower were damaged. The tower remained in operation with reduced separation capability, while a project was initiated to replace the packed bed sections with Stone & Webster Ripple Trays®. To minimize downtime during the scheduled outage in the 2nd quarter of 2006, the top half of the GasFrac with the damaged packed beds was cut off and replaced with a new top section with the Ripple Trays® already installed, using a Modular Lifting Tower technique.

This paper will discuss the original tower design, the damage to the internals, the new Ripple Tray® design, the construction of the new shell section, the Modular Lifting Tower technique, the execution of the top section replacement, and the performance of the tower after the 2006 outage. The packed bed and the Ripple Tray® design will be compared. The construction of the new shell section just outside the plant and the installation of the Ripple Trays® will be documented. The transport of the new section to site, the Modular Lifting Technique, used to lift the new section over a piperack and to replace the old section, and the outage schedule challenges will be illustrated. Finally, the performance of the Gasoline Fractionator with the Ripple Trays® after the outage will be reviewed.