Cleaning coke deposits from process equipment
AssigneeChevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
InventorVincent dePaul Mcgahee
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Abstract
A method for cleaning a coke deposit from an internal surface of a process equipment, comprising removing at least a portion of the coke deposit from the internal surface using a flexible pig comprising a plurality of bristles, without damaging a metal protective layer of the internal surface of the process equipment. A flexible pig for cleaning a coke deposit from an internal surface of a process equipment without damaging a metal protective layer of the internal surface, comprising a flexible body formed of a polymeric material, and a plurality of bristles partially encapsulated by the polymeric material of the flexible body.
Claims20
A flexible pig for cleaning a coke deposit from an internal surface of a process equipment, the flexible pig comprising:
- a flexible body comprising a molded polymeric body, wherein the molded polymeric body comprises a polymeric material, wherein the molded polymeric body further comprises an axial portion and a plurality of radial portions formed in spaced intervals along the axial portion, wherein a diameter of the axial portion is less than a diameter of each of the plurality of radial portions;
- and
- a plurality of bristles, wherein at least a portion of each of the plurality of bristles extends into and is anchored by the polymeric material.
A system comprising:
- a process equipment having a coke deposit formed on an internal surface comprising a metal protective layer;
- a flexible pig placed in the process equipment, wherein the flexible pig comprises:
- a flexible body comprising a molded polymeric body, wherein the molded polymeric body comprises a polymeric material, wherein the molded polymeric body further comprises an axial portion and a plurality of radial portions formed in spaced intervals along the axial portion, wherein a diameter of the axial portion is less than a diameter of each of the plurality of radial portions;
- and
- a plurality of bristles, wherein at least a portion of each of the plurality of bristles extends into and is anchored by the polymeric material;
- and
- a fluid source configured to provide a fluid force of less than about 60 psig to an end of the flexible pig causing at least one of the plurality of bristles of the flexible pig to contact the coke deposit without damaging the metal protective layer of the internal surface of the process equipment.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.