During the shutdown line cleaning process, crude oil lines generally do not require steam cleaning.

The crude oil line should be purged with steam; that’s what we do in our factory all the time. Under the principle of shutting down lines for cleaning, steam is generally not used to clean gasoline lines; instead, fresh water is usually used first to flush the line.

Gasoline, diesel, liquefied gas, etc. are first thoroughly washed with water and then purged with steam. Water is generally not used for crude oil, as its high viscosity makes it prone to solidifying on the pipe walls; I think steam is the best option.

In the case of buried pipelines that have an anti-corrosion coating, steam purging can cause the coating to peel off.

During shutdown, first replace the pipelines with diesel or a lighter oil, and then purge them with steam; the second floor said to use water to displace the oil! Generally, light oils are pushed out with water, and after that, they are purged with steam. Is there a water line along the crude oil pipeline? Just the steam line. If I’m wrong about anything, please don’t mind it!

It must be cleaned with steam for over 48 hours

I think it should be rinsed with light oil first.

Does the crude oil line mentioned by the poster refer to the feed oil line in the production facility? For example, the feed oil line of our hydrorefining unit indeed cannot be purged with steam, as this is done primarily to prevent water from entering the reactor and causing the catalyst to absorb moisture, which would affect its strength. Therefore, during shutdowns for cleaning, only hydrogen or nitrogen can be used for purging, not steam, in order to protect the catalyst.

We use steam for purging crude oil in our equipment; we’ve never heard of using any other medium.

Let me mention a common practice: 1. For light oils (gasoline, coal oil, diesel, LPG), water washing is used as a treatment method; water should be allowed to flow through for about 15 minutes until it reaches the bottom. If heating is required, steam purging is necessary for 48 hours, or at least 24 hours (the combustible gas content is tested; if it does not meet the standards, further purging is needed). 2. All heavy oil products (waxes, sludges, crude oil, various types of base oils) must be purged with steam for at least 24 hours. If hot work is required, the combustible gas level must be tested first; if it does not meet the standards, further purging is necessary. Such pipes generally come equipped with steam or electric heating systems. When buried, they are usually coated with an anti-corrosion layer, most often an asphalt-based one; they can withstand the temperature generated by steam, so there’s no need to worry. :lol :handshake :victory:

Our factories use steam for cleaning; it’s difficult to clean them with water pressure.

Washing – nitrogen purging – low-pressure steam purging – nitrogen displacement: that’s the process!

The key is not to blow steam too forcefully – control the pressure and volume!

I disagree with you. Don’t you have raw material buffer tanks there? The purpose of those tanks is to provide buffering for dehydration; we just use steam for purging, and that should be enough to enhance dehydration. However, in winter, gasoline pipelines are not purged with steam; instead, we use purified air or nitrogen for purging, mainly to prevent freezing and condensation. Besides, don’t you have automatic backwash filters for hydrogenation? Isn’t the cleaning medium steam? Anyway, since production is halted, there must be some kind of buffer tank for returning the oil, and then water can be switched in at that time. This post was last edited by jidi on 2008-9-5 17:29]