Does the gas-liquid separation tank at the top of the coking contact cooling tower need insulation?
Thread Content
As the title says! This tank is directly connected to the flare condensate tank – is insulation necessary? Will insulation increase the liquid level in the condensate tank, thereby making daily operations more complicated?
All components including the pipelines are required; the operation of the vent tower is not optimal, and issues such as the bottom pump running dry occur from time to time. Therefore, thermal insulation serves functions such as preventing burns, as well as ensuring that heavy oil does not freeze. The simultaneous venting tower is also known as the accident tower; you should be aware of its purpose. If in the north, pay attention to heat tracing for the dehydration pack at the bottom of the tower
It seems that the pumping out of liquid from the bottom of the tank has nothing to do with the vapor-liquid separation tank. What I’m referring to is the insulation of the tank; during operations, we remove the dirty oil from within the tank after the cold coking process is complete. It is necessary to provide heating and insulation for the dehydration unit at the bottom of the tank, in order to prevent freezing. Shouldn’t the upper part of the dehydrating pack not be wrapped?
I have insulation here as well as heating coils, mainly to prevent freezing.
Insulation should be added to the gas-liquid separation tank at the top of the contact cooling tower. Firstly, the medium inside the tank contains water as well as heavy oil. Our facility once tried to install a valve for controlling the oil-water interface; however, due to the high density of the oil, it was not possible to use such a valve effectively. The oil in the discharge area is very viscous. I believe that the main purpose of adding insulation is to prevent condensation. Additionally, since the tank is equipped with ladders and other facilities, it may sometimes need to be accessed for maintenance. As you know (as the design varies from facility to facility), the temperature inside the gas-liquid separation tank can reach around 100 degrees, which can easily cause burns. In my opinion, insulation should indeed be added to this tank. Please feel free to share your thoughts!
Of course, it needs to be insulated. Because there is water in the medium
In the reflux tank at the top of the vent tower, under normal circumstances, hot steam and oil-gas condensate form from time to time within 24 hours; the temperature is usually around 50 degrees. There is no need for insulation on the upper part of the dehydration pack, while the dehydration pack at the bottom of the tank is equipped with heating coils to prevent freezing. However, heating still needs to be provided for its liquid level and interface level measurement
No insulation is required; a heat tracing coil is added to the dehydration pack section. Our vent tower’s oil and gas stream is equipped with a cooler; generally, the temperature of the fluid entering the oil-water separation tank is around 40-50 degrees. An air cooler is used additionally during coking, so there’s no need for it. Besides, we’re in the south, haha
Our coking plant has a capacity of 1 million tons per year. In Shandong, the oil and gas separation tank in the vent tower is not insulated, yet it has operated without any problems for over three years. Insulation is important depending on the geographical location; it may be necessary to insulate such tanks in the north.