BOPETH-009 Page 1 of 2

Distillation Tray Degreasing

ABB Lummus Global Best Operating Practices
INTRODUCTION
Tower trays, internals, and heat
exchanger tubes are normally coated with
oil or grease to prevent rust and assist
manufacture. If the oil is still present on
start-up, then it may cause problems.
In non-cryogenic service, the main
issue is contamination of process streams
with oil. In cryogenic towers the oil will
become very viscous or freeze, and has low
solubility in the process fluids. Resulting
problems include:
Liquid/vapor capacity may be restricted
and downstream equipment may
become fouled.
Foaming is also possible in some
services.
If oil is present in a reboiler or
condenser, either from tower start-up or
tube coating, then heat transfer
coefficients or thermosiphon flows can
be restricted.
MITIGATION
Equipment manufacturers must be
contacted to obtain the physical properties
of the oil, particularly the relationship
between viscosity and temperature.
If it is determined that equipment
performance could be impaired, then the oil
must be removed before start-up. It is
preferred that this be done with a solvent
such as toluene and wiped clean before the
trays are installed in the tower. If the trays
are already installed, then the oil must be
removed in situ.
There are several possibilities to consider:
Solvent wash
Steaming
Detergents/Additives
Solvent Wash
Either toluene or iso-hexane is typically used.
There is a need to consider how to ensure
good contact between solvent and oil, and
how to dispose of contaminated solvent.
Solvent wash must be done before dry out, as
both solvents are saturated with water. The
typical approach would be to part fill the
tower, then circulate from bottom to reflux
line. Process pumps may be used depending
on suitability for this service compared to
normal service. The pump manufacturer
would have to be contacted. Toluene freezes
at 95
o
C, so it would have to be fully
removed before start-up if used in the
demethanizer. In this case iso-hexane would
be recommended as it has a freezing point of
154
o
C.
Note: The freezing point of -154
o
C given for
iso-hexane is the freezing point of pure 2-
Methylpentane. Many commercial iso-hexane
products are a mixture of:
2-Methylpentane FP = -154
o
C
3-Methylpentane FP = -118
o
C
2,2-Dimethylbutane FP = -100
o
C
2,3-Dimethylbutane FP = -128
o
C
Steaming
There is a need to consider the
mechanical design of tower and suitability
for high temperature compared to design.
When steam is used the oil viscosity reduces
significantly and falls to the bottom with any
BOPETH-009 Page 2 of 2
steam condensate. The tower internals
must be reviewed for low points and liquid
traps. The oil/condensate mixture would
then have to be disposed of through the
sour water system a route to this system
would have to be provided. A steaming
period of 12-36 hours to atmosphere is
recommended. Keep the tower under
nitrogen when steaming is complete to
avoid air entering the equipment leading to
rusting.
Detergents/Additives
Biodegradable detergents or other
additives can also be used. The detergent is
sprayed on in situ. However in the case of
tray designs that have low accessibility
once installed, this may not be possible.
Hot water is then circulated for 12-24
hours, however pump suitability must first
be investigated. Disposal of the
water/detergent/oil mix must be considered.
Use of the sour water stripper may be
possible but there is a risk of foaming.
Additives, such as those offered by
Ondeo Nalco, can be either water or
hydrocarbon soluble. The water soluble
additives could be disposed of through the
sour water system depending on downstream
impact, although there is potential for
foaming. The hydrocarbon-based additives
would need to be investigated for potential
downstream process or product quality
impact. These additives have been typically
used for removal of fouling deposits for
tower internal access and cleaning during a
turnaround. About 12 hours circulation is
recommended, check process pumps for
suitability.