What is the most effective way to remove corrosion products from the inner wall of propylene towers in the petrochemical industry?
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What is the most effective way to remove corrosion products from the inner wall of propylene towers in the petrochemical industry? The propylene column in the heavy oil catalytic unit is used to produce propylene products. After the equipment had been in operation for half a year, the yield of propylene gradually decreased, eventually reaching around 90%; the efficiency of the equipment was very low, resulting in significant losses on a daily basis. During maintenance, when the equipment was opened, it was found that the metal surface on the inner wall of the tower was severely corroded; this was evident from the presence of corrosion products on the tower’s surface, with a thickness of 2–4 millimeters. Corrosion products were also present on the tray surfaces, the tray crossbeams, and the floating valves. There are numerous pitted corrosion pits beneath the corrosion products. Furthermore, most of the floating valves have been seized by corrosion products and are unable to move; as a result, they do not function during production, leading to a decrease in the propylene yield. Using manual methods for rust removal is inefficient, as most of the rust deposits cannot be removed in this way. Furthermore, the working space inside the tower is extremely narrow, making it impossible to carry out cleaning; as a result, the quality and efficiency of the work cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, the rust removal of this tower is facing difficulties, which will directly affect the schedule for maintenance work. Let’s take a look at what better methods can be used to achieve high efficiency and good results in rust removal
Or use a high-pressure water gun, a sand-water jet, or create a tank of slurry or mortar and spray it using a slurry pump or mortar pump.
In other words, a suspension is created, and the rust is worn away by using pressure head along with the suspended particles
The basic specifications of this tower are as follows: its dimensions are Ф2000×58820×18, it has 100 trays, and the material used is carbon steel. The tray type is floating valve (approximately 40,000 in total). Due to the limited space and complex structure inside the tower, sandblasting and high-pressure water jet techniques are not suitable, posing safety risks during construction.
Then manual labor is the only option. I’m not sure if these pickling agents are effective or not.
I know that sandblasting generates electric sparks, which can easily ignite the gases remaining in the tower. Is high-pressure water used because of static electricity? If the flow rate is controlled properly, it’s not sure whether flushing with mud will work; these are the only methods that come to mind. There’s another approach: distribute toothpicks to everyone so they can remove the debris bit by bit. . .
Pickling is the best method; that’s what we have done before.
Indeed, using pickling is a good approach. Because the desulfurization tower contains complex structures such as trays and internal components, it is not suitable for manual cleaning or high-pressure water jets; acid washing is the only effective method. It is essential to pay attention to proper handling of the liquid after pickling, with an emphasis on environmental protection.