Method to mitigate fouling in a hydrocarbon plant
AssigneeBl Technologies, Inc.
InventorSteven IMBERT
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Described herein are systems and methods of fouling mitigation in a hydrocarbon fractionation column. The methods correlate operating parameters of the fractionation column, specifically flow rate and temperature, with fouling. The methods can include measuring a temperature and a flow rate at a bottom stream of the hydrocarbon fractionation column; providing the measured temperature and flow rate to a processing device; determining, by the processing device, based on the measured temperature and flow rate of the bottom stream, an antifoulant treatment protocol for the hydrocarbon fractionation column; and treating the hydrocarbon fractionation column by controlling, by the processing device, a feed control unit in accordance with the determined antifoulant treatment protocol.
Claims20
A method of fouling mitigation in a hydrocarbon fractionation column comprising:
- a) measuring a temperature and a flow rate at a bottom stream of the hydrocarbon fractionation column;
- b) providing the measured temperature and flow rate to a processing device;
- c) determining, by the processing device, based on the measured temperature and flow rate of the bottom stream, an antifoulant treatment protocol for the hydrocarbon fractionation column;
- and
- d) treating the hydrocarbon fractionation column by controlling, by the processing device, a feed control unit in accordance with the determined antifoulant treatment protocol.
A system for fouling mitigation in a hydrocarbon fractionation column comprised of:
- a) a hydrocarbon fractionation column;
- b) one or more analyzers, wherein the one or more analyzers measure a temperature and a flow rate of a bottom stream in the hydrocarbon fractionation column;
- and
- c) a processing device in communication with the analyzer and a feed control unit, wherein the processing device:
- i) receives the measured temperature and flow rate from the one or more analyzers;
- ii) determines, based on the measured temperature and flow rate in the bottom stream, an antifoulant treatment protocol for the hydrocarbon fractionation column;
- and
- iii) treats the hydrocarbon fractionation column by controlling the feed control unit in accordance with the determined antifoulant treatment protocol.
A non-transitory computer program product comprising computer-executable control logic for executing by a processor, said computer-executable control logic causing the processor to:
- a) receive, from an analyzer, measured temperature and flow rate for a bottom stream of a hydrocarbon fractionation column;
- b) determine, based on the measured temperature and flow rate in the bottom stream, an antifoulant treatment protocol for the hydrocarbon fractionation column;
- and
- c) treat the hydrocarbon fractionation column by controlling a feed control unit in accordance with the determined antifoulant treatment protocol.
A computer-assisted method of fouling mitigation in a hydrocarbon fractionation column,
- the computer comprising at least one processing device and a non-transitory memory unit comprising a control logic that, when executed by the at least one processing device, causes the at least one processing device to perform the method, the method comprising:
- a) measuring, by at least one analyzer, a temperature and a flow rate in a bottom stream from the hydrocarbon fractionation column;
- and
- b) providing the measured temperature and a flow rate to the processing device, wherein based on the measured temperature and flow rate in the bottom stream, the processing device executes, by the control logic, an antifoulant treatment protocol for the hydrocarbon fractionation column comprising controlling a feed control unit in accordance with the determined antifoulant treatment protocol.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.