Handling of heat source interruption in the stabilizer tower
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How should a disruption in the heat source for the stabilizer tower be handled?
When the heat source for the stabilizer tower is interrupted, it is necessary to immediately check and confirm whether there is a fault in the heat source system, such as problems with the boiler, heater, or heat exchanger. At the same time, notify the maintenance technicians to conduct an emergency inspection and repair. Before repairing the heat source, a backup heat source can be temporarily used to keep the system running, thereby preventing the material inside the tower from solidifying due to cooling or a decrease in separation efficiency. If there is no backup heat source, the processing capacity of the tower should be appropriately reduced to prevent impacts on product quality or safe operation. .
A disruption in the heat supply to the stabilizer results in the deethanized gasoline entering the stabilizer being unable to evaporate its light components, which leads to a high level of these light components in the stabilized gasoline. In the event of a short-term disruption, it is necessary to identify the cause and restore normal operation promptly； If normal operation cannot be restored after a prolonged interruption, cut off the feed to the reactor.
Generally, there should be a backup heat source.
None of the several systems I’m aware of have a backup heat source
If the interruption is short-lived, adjustment and recovery are possible; however, if it lasts for a long time, it becomes difficult to maintain the level of liquid in the stabilizer, so crude gasoline is diverted out of the stabilizer.