Hydrogenation: Leak in the low boiling point reboiler of the naphtha stabilizer
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The light reboiler of the naphtha stabilizer is heated by diesel from the bottom of the distillation tower. What phenomena will occur inside this heat exchanger? The flash point of the diesel in my system has suddenly dropped, while the operating temperature, pressure, and flow rate remain unchanged. Could it be that there is a leak in this heat exchanger?
It is easy to determine this by analyzing samples taken from the inlet and outlet vents of the reboiler
As mentioned above, take a sample, conduct tests, and the results will be clear at a glance.
The tube side should use diesel, while the shell side should use naphtha. By determining which side has a higher pressure, it is possible to estimate the likelihood of leakage, followed by further analysis
Sampling analysis is the most direct and intuitive method.
To determine whether heavy diesel has leaked into gasoline or gasoline has seeped into heavy oil, one first checks which side has higher pressure; the liquid will flow from the area of higher pressure to that of lower pressure. By taking samples for analysis, it becomes clear what’s happening. If heavy oil gets into gasoline, the dryness level will definitely be extremely high. If gasoline enters heavy oil, then the flash point and initial boiling point should be considered. However, if the leakage is not significant, then it’s necessary to check whether a flare is being used; if so, the valve position should also be monitored