Why are crude oil pipelines generally not purged?
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Seeking help: I saw in the process manual for petrochemical plants that crude oil pipelines are generally not purged; if purification is necessary, light oil or hot water is used to push out the residue, and steam is employed for purification when needed. Why? Is it afraid of reacting with water? Furthermore, aviation kerosene is generally not purged during shutdowns; when purification is necessary, an inert gas is used. Is it also to avoid a reaction with water without using steam? If anyone knows, please let me know. Thank you!
It’s just my personal opinion, and it may not be correct: reacting in response to the situation, I don’t think that’s necessary； Steam, after all, still contains oxygen; once it enters, it can easily combine with the volatile hydrocarbons present there to form an explosive gas mixture, right?
Personally, I think it’s due to the sensitivity of the subsequent reaction stages to water; once water gets in, it’s not easy to remove. Moreover, the presence of water in these subsequent reactions could have an impact on the catalyst. Pure guesswork