How to deal with cooling water contaminated by heat exchange medium leakage
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Hot water generated by the waste heat boiler in the power plant is used to heat various heat exchangers in the crude oil processing area. It often happens that leaks of crude oil from certain heat exchangers contaminate the circulating water used for heat exchange, resulting in system contamination and shutdown. Is there any simple, effective method to address this issue?
This post was last edited by LQ198619 on 2017-3-19 at 11:48. You should first figure out what causes the heat exchanger to become clogged frequently; there is no issue with the design of the hot water heating system. Additionally, the hot water circulation should be a closed-loop system – when the water volume is insufficient, some hot water is added, so in case of contamination, it’s only necessary to replace the water rather than shutting down the system! ! !
If the circulating water analysis shows satisfactory results, it is likely an issue with the material of the heat exchanger
Let’s set up a buffer pool to detect issues promptly and replace the hot water in a timely manner.
The medium being heat-exchanged is water-containing crude oil with a very high degree of mineralization. The load on the waste heat boiler includes not only water required for production but also for domestic use. The circulating hot water is desalinated and deoxygenated water; once it becomes contaminated, simply adding more water to dilute it is not sufficient, as this can cause damage to the entire system, forcing shutdown for repairs. The cause of corrosion in the tubes of the heat exchanger has now been identified, and there are plans to replace the existing 20# steel with 316 steel or to apply zinc-aluminum coating to them. However, such measures are costly, and it is difficult to detect leaks in numerous heat exchangers in a timely manner. Are there any better methods for prevention, monitoring, and resolution of these issues during operation?
Is there a method called the furfural method that we could try?
Could you explain in detail the principle and applications of the furfural method? Thank you