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Improving cost efficiency through the modification of heating furnace hoses By the end of 2023, the No. 4 Workshop of Yulin Refinery completed the conversion of the metal hoses used in the burners of its 2 million tons per year diesel hydrogenation unit into fixed connections, which resolved the problem of frequent leaks in those metal hoses and enhanced the intrinsic safety level of the equipment in the critical areas of the heating furnace. It is reported that originally, metal hoses were used to transport the fuel required for heating furnace combustion; due to changes in the properties of the fuel and variations in the stress distribution within the hoses, these hoses would often leak during the operation of the heating furnace. Operators need to regularly check the condition of the hoses in the heating furnace area. At the same time, in order to effectively address the issue of metal hoses leaking and catching fire, the metal hoses in the heating furnaces of various production units at Yulin Refinery need to be replaced from time to time. To fundamentally resolve the problem of leaks in the hoses of the heating furnaces, the various workshops at Yulin Refinery, based on their experience in operating these furnaces and by drawing on best practices from other industries, have developed innovative methods for modifying the metal hose connections. They have also prepared documents detailing the equipment changes, as well as assessing the risks associated with these changes and the measures to address them. Following a series of thorough preparatory steps, Workshop 4 has now carried out the conversion of metal hoses to rigid connections on a pilot basis; the system is operating stably, leakage problems have been resolved, and the results are very satisfactory. It is understood that the average service life of metal hoses is 3 months. Each heating furnace uses dozens to hundreds of such hoses. At a cost of 300 yuan per hose, Workshop 4 alone can save approximately 250,000 yuan in expenses related to the purchase of metal hoses in one year.