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.
Claims21
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.
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 formed of a polymeric material and a plurality of bristles partially encapsulated by the polymeric material, wherein the plurality of bristles contact the internal surface of the process equipment;
- and
- a fluid source which provides 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.
A method for cleaning a coke deposit from an internal surface of a process equipment, comprising:
- aromatizing hydrocarbons in an aromatization reactor system to produce an aromatization product, wherein the aromatization reactor system comprises a furnace having a plurality of tubes disposed therein, wherein the internal surface of each of the plurality of tubes has a metal protective layer comprising stannide disposed thereon, and wherein coke deposits are formed on the metal protective layer of the internal surface of one or more of the plurality of furnace tubes;
- halting the aromatizing and servicing the aromatization reactor system by removing at least a portion of the coke deposit from the internal surface using a flexible pig comprising a plurality of bristles, without damaging the metal protective layer of the internal surface of the furnace tubes;
- optionally inspecting one or more of the plurality of furnace tubes via video inspection or ultrasonic gauging;
- and
- resuming aromatization of hydrocarbons in the aromatization reactor system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.