Tru-TEc DIVISION “= Sample Scan Brochure + High Level on Chimney ‘Tray + Foaming + Verify Simulations + Tray Damage + Catalyst Level ‘= Solids Build-Up + Level Detection + Grid Scan Set-Up ‘* Maldistribution Want specific brochure Tru-Tec Holds All The information? It’s yours Gards-PLOTS 1300288.8970 Needed To Help Solve Your Process Diagnostics Tru-Scan Case Study Process Problems lumn Scanning for Predictive Maintenance For additional information or a copy of Tru-Tec’s Process Diagnostic and Case Study Brochures Please Contact: John Bowman - Vice President Sales & Marketing- 281-471-8970 SSS 11005 W. Fairmont Pkwy. « P.O. Box 1005 + LaPorte, Texas 77572 + 281-471-8970 + 1-800-268-8970 US & Canada Other Locations: * Concord, CAs Newark, DE + Baton Rouge, LA + Canton, Ml + Corpus Christi, TXIntroduction To Gamma Ray Scanning Ins Cal i i of ci in in columns: -Mechanical Problems: Damage to trays and packing Corrosion resulting in partial tray damage Missing or buckled trays Out-of-place liquid or vapor distributors Level control problems on chimney trays or in the bottom of the column -Rate Related Problems: Entrainment ‘Weeping Dry or flooded trays due to rates -Process Related Problems: Foaming Fouling or plugging Superheated or subcooled streams i in_scai i in upcomi ni ie =Tower entry can be eliminated if the integrity of the internals is verified. This is very helpful in processes that have little history of damage, corrosion or fouling. -Eliminate emergency tray or packing orders - at emergency rates. -Maintenance planners will no longer have to make provisions or allowances for potential problems inside a column. They know weeks or months in advance and can accurately schedule manpower and resources. This will enhance their ability to achieve the turnaround objectives. lumn scannin r -Identify the cause of start-up problems. -Develop baseline information for a column’s performance under optimum conditions. This data can be used as a comparative tool for tracking the stability or gradual deterioration in the performance of a column.Example Scan Interpretation ‘The scan is of an HS Stripper that was performed immediately after a turnaround in which a previous scan identified tray damage. ‘The scan to the right is an actual column that will be used for an example on how to interpret scans. ‘The ecan is of an HyS Stripper that was performed immediately after a turnaround in which a previous sean identified tray damage. The column hhad a total of twenty trays of which only four are seen in this sean, ‘The vertical scale on the sean rep- resents elevation of the tower. In this ease, the zero elevation corre- sponds to the top tangent line and the elevation increages as the scan- ning equipment is moved down the tower. Conversely a reference tower elevation can be used, if desired, to mirror the elevations on tower draw- ings. ‘The horizontal scale represents the gamma ray intensity received at the detector while scanning. When the intensity is plotted verses the elevation the resulting profile is equivalent to a density profile of the process inside the tower. All the effects of the vessel walls, ineulation and other media can be considered constant if they do not change in thickness, ‘The actual gamma ray intensity received is relative for every column scanned. The clear vapor intensity on this ecan was identified as 4000 counts and it represents the intensi- ty received when good vapor/liquid disengagement was achieved. The froth height intensity is cal- culated by taking the average between the clear vapor intensity and the normal tray absorption. In this case, 4000 counts for clear vapor ‘and 200 counts for the trays results ina froth height intensity of 2100 counts. The width of the tray absorption across the froth height intensity line is representative of the liquid on the tray. In practice, typi- cally 2 to 4 inches (depending on the type of tray) is subtracted from the froth height to allow for the metal of the tray. This method has been ‘experimentally verified via glass col- FROM HBGHT SCALES: 50- 10000 pened og weLg, | me | + ~ VAPOR/LIQUID : ‘ i ISEVERE | Pe DISENGAL NT i xt I i. | of over | i I ! ; ft Py [4 \ ehcp \ ! 1 1 t KS we 1 i a ] | Lanner fe hie (CSREES we fee pp | ‘ \ ig ¥ | 1 ig F ot i \ e : | we et Lees ‘mn Tests Ty 25% of the distance between the ‘We look for gently rounded vapor space peaks that have a sufficient intensity to indicate good vapor liq- uid disengagement. Reductions in ‘vapor space intensities may be indicative of process problems or mechanical damage inside the col- umn. An intensity that is reduced 2 clear vapor intensity and the froth hoight intensity is classified as a slight problem, a 50% reduction is a moderate problem and a 75% redue- tion is a severe problem. Anything to the left of the froth height intensi- ty is usually considered a damaged or a flooded tray.‘The example in the figure to the right is an example of what weeping can look like on a gamma scan. ‘The data is from the same HgS Stripper and has been modified to show the characteristics of weeping. Clear vapor is located at approxi- mately 4000 counts intensity and the froth intensity is 2100 counts, ‘This is verified by the intensity above the first tray which exhibits no weeping or entrainment. ‘Weeping generally will yield a flat jagged vapor space intensity when ‘compared to the gently rounded vapor space on a normal tray. This is due to the liquid falling down from the tray above and can be visualized as a rain storm. ‘The amount of rain is comparable to the reduction in vapor space intensity. ‘The firet tray located at four feet sean elevation is holding 6 to 8 inches of liquid if two inches is allowed for the metal of the tray. ‘The vapor space under the first tray has a flat jagged appearance and hhas a reduction in intensity of approximately 25% from the clear vapor bar and the froth intensity. ‘This is characteristie of slight weep- ing from the tray above or Tray 1. ‘The second tray appears to be holding 4 to 6 inches of liquid and also has a flat jagged vapor space underneath the tray. The jags are of greater magnitude than seen under Tray 1 and the reduction is approximately 50%. This is classi- fied as moderate weeping inside the tower. ‘The third tray shows a very reduced tray absorption and is char- acteristic of a dry or damaged tray. ‘The tray appears to be holding 2 inches or less of liquid and the flat jagged vapor space indicates weep- ing. The degree of weeping is con- sidered to be severe since the redue- tion in intensity is 75% of the dis- tance from the clear vapor bar to Example of Weeping ‘Weeping inside columns can be caused by the vapor rates being insufficient to hold the liquid on the trays, Sieve hole enlargement is a common cause of weeping in addition to missing or stuck valves, Weeping can also be caused by buckled tray panels or corroded trays. the froth intensity. This tray is probably damaged to some extent and the lack of liquid on the tray trays, Sieve hole enlargement is a common cause of weeping in addi- tion to missing or stuck valves. creates very poor mass transfer. Weeping can also be caused by Weeping inside columns canbe buckled tray panels or corroded caused by the vapor rates being trays. ingufficient to hold the liquid on the Sample Weeping Seater 50 70000 yey 108 1090 0 zt ae + { * | | ; ' 1 f G | —s de 1 By | ! Ha | £0 | ne MODERATE WEEDING ot | ' a \ ' \ i t i | gi 7 21 2)Example of Entrainment Entrainment can be caused by high vapor rates or high liquid rates. If the velocity of the vapor is too high, it blows some of the liquid up the tower. If the liquid rates are too high the liquid loading on the traye can be high enough to allow insufficient vapor /liquid disengagement space. ‘The plot on the right is an exam- ple of what entrainment can look like in a tower, The data is from the same HS Stripper and has been ‘modified to show what would be expected if entrainment was occur- rring inside the tower. Generally, entrainment will have a vapor space peak that comes toa single point before the next tray is encountered. This is due to liquid being blown up the column with gravity pulling the larger drops down onto the tray. Gravity helps create well defined spray zones with- in the froth on the tray and can be seen as a gentle slope upwards when ‘compared to the sharp snapback under the tray. The first tray located at four feet scan elevation is holding a normal 6 to8 inches of liquid. ‘The high inten- sity of the gamma rays above the trays are indicative of good vapor/lia- uid disengagement where the over- head line removes vapor from the column. ‘The second tray is holding 10 to 12 inches of liquid and has a vapor ‘space that comes to a single point before the next tray is encountered. The intensity of the vapor space peak is reduced by 25% from clear ‘vapor which classifies it as slight entrainment. Notice the inflection points in the slope of the froth; these are epray zones developing on the tray. ‘The third tray is holding 16 to 18 inches of liquid and also has a single point vapor space peak, The reduc- tion of the vapor space peak is 50% from the clear vapor bar which indi- cates that the entrainment is moder- ate, The development of spray zones is more aevere with only four to five inches left for vapor/liquid disen- ‘gagement, The fourth tray is on the verge of being jet flooded. ‘The tray is holding 20 to 22 inches of liquid and has sev- eral well developed spray zones. The entrainment is classified as severe since there is a 75% reduction in the ‘vapor space intensity when com: pared to clear vapor. Entrainment can be caused by high vapor rates or high liquid rates. If the velocity of the vapor is too high, it blows some of the Liquid up the tower. If the liquid rates are too Example Entrainment ‘Scales: 50- 10000, 300 high the liquid loading on the trays can be high enough to allow insuffi- cient vapor/liquid disengagement space, Other problems that can cause entrainment are hole reduction (on sieve trays due to fouling and valves stuck in the closed position.Example of Flooding In An Amine Contactor ‘Scanning, used as a predictive maintenance tool, can allow management to identify problems at ‘an early stage while several options are still available. ‘The example shown to the right ae is from a scan performed on an Bere Wanch Amine Contactor. Operations was experiencing probleme with periodic ‘Beales: 1000-25000 carry over and desired to find out why it was happening, The plant personnel wanted to have a scan performed while the tower was ‘operating properly then a second scan performed while the tower was experiencing the carry over prob- Jems Only a single sean was required to identify the problem. The scan, performed across the active tray area, indicated that Trays 13 thru 15 were flooded when plant person- nel believed the column to be oper- ating properly. Any increase in rates would cause the flood to move up the column and result in the carry over problems experienced. Flooding of this type is usually caused by a downcomer restriction. In this case, it was determined that the Tray 18 downcomer had a liquid restriction and caused the flooding inside the tower. It was later found that the diatomaceous earth filter had deteriorated and deposited inside the downcomers. This ia a good example of a sean identifying a problem where tower operations appeared to be normal. ‘The scanning equipment is more accurate than normal pressure drop data and can be used to identify encountered. Scanning, used as a predictive maintenance tool, can allow management to identify prob- Jems at an early stage while several options are still available.Example of a High Bottoms Level ‘One gas plant was experiencing problems with their Hydrocarbon Still after a turnaround and it ‘was bottlenecking their entire plant. Plant personnel thought that flooding was taking place in the column and desired to know the location and extent of the flooding. a SSS One gas plant was experiencing problems with their Hydrocarbon Still after a turnaround and it was bottlenecking their entire plant. Plant personnel thought that flood ing was taking place in the column and desired to know the location and extent of the flooding. ‘The initial scan of the tower indicated that the tower was flood- ed from the feed point down. No vapor/liquid disengagement was observed below the bottom tray which euggested that the problem was due to a high bottoms level. Operations was not able to increase the flow out of the bottoms suction line without setting off the low flow alarm to the furnace, ‘We set up our scanning equip- ment immediately below the bottom tray and operations increased the bottoms flow to a point that barely set off the low flow alarms. Only a few minutes were required to verify that a vapor space had developed below the bottom tray, and that liq- ‘uid was present in the bottom of the tower. We were also able to pull the scanning equipment up to the feed point and verify that the flood in the column was receding. Once operations knew that liquid was present in the bottom of the tower, they were more confident about the flow to the furnace. We continually monitored the bottoms level in the tower while operations worked with the flow alarms. The flow alarms began to diminish in frequency after approximately 20 minutes and stopped going off com- pletely 45 minutes later. ‘The problem with the tower was that the flooding had caused poor separation in the stripping section of the tower. ‘The high vapor pres- sure of the bottoms product was causing premature pump cavitation and resulting in the low flow alarms to the furnace. ‘This column was returned to normal operations without further problems being encountered. A sec- ‘ond scan was performed on the col- umn, shown as the blue dashed High Botta Level Hibemte at Sets: 100-1000 = - = we! 7 7 / ~ we trae 11 oe : tw 8! 405 Tey $i wi tee a! hme Tite a! SS ter BOTTOMS LEVEL = : 1 i 1 i ~ ‘ " i curve, from the feed point down to verify the tray integrity in the stripping section of the tower. A plant shutdown of the column ‘would have yielded no results as to the cause of the problem. ft aa (MEEExample of High Level on Chimney Tray ‘The plant personnel were having problems with periodic amine losses and ordered a gamma scan to help identify the problem. ‘The scan to the right was per- formed on a DEA Contactor in a gas plant, ‘The plant personnel were having problems with periodie amine losses and ordered a gamma scan to help identify the problem. ‘The column contained twenty trays and a total draw for the amine solution was located on a chimney tray, just above the gas serubbing section of the column. ‘The initial sean of the contactor. shown as the red solid curve, indi- cated that all the trays were in place and operating properly. An abnormally high liquid level, of 40 inches, was observed on the chim- ney tray, ‘The control room instru- mentation, and the site glass, indi- cated that the level on the tray was 18 inches at the time of the scan. We consulted additional drawings and found that the chimneys were 42 inches in height which suggest- ed that the amine could be periodi- cally over flowing the chimneys and lost in the scrubbing section of the column. ‘The control room increased the amine draw rate until the level controls indicated that the chimney tray was nearly dry. A seventeen foot section of the column was then rescanned to observe the changes in the column. ‘The second scan, shown as the blue dashed curve, indicated that approximately 24 inches of liquid was still present on the chimney tray. Operations removed the site glass and found a partial plug in ‘one end. Since the site glass level had been used to calibrate the level controls, both sets of data were giv- ing false readings. ‘The scanning equipment was then utilized to cal- ibrate the level control for the tray with no subsequent problems encountered. ses LEVEL on cwmumer TAT BEASONTACTOR SeALse: 190-2000 fry 2 wo He SISExample of Foam in an Amine Contactor Foaming has been successfull y identified in numerous applications including coker drums, amine contactors, and glycol contactors. ‘The scan of the Amine Contactor ‘was performed because poor CO2 and HS removal was being experi- enced at significantly reduced rate from capacity calculations. ‘The eol- ‘umn was being operated just above the dump point for the trays and a significant rate inerease was expect ed in the near future. ‘The initial sean of the column is, represented by the red solid curve ‘This scan indicated that a stable foam was present inside the column which allowed no vapor/liquid dis- engagement between the trays, Foam can be difficult to distinguish from severe entrainment but was confirmed in this case by monitor- ing the density above the bottoms level Once the foam was identified, operating personnel added approxi- mately five gallons of antifoam to the amine system and the column was rescanned. The rescan is shown as the blue dashed curve and indicates that the foam in the col- ‘umn was eliminated and that all the trays were in place and operat- ing normally. A slight amount of ‘weeping was taking place and could easily be due to the reduced rates of the column. Foaming is a common problem on Amine Contactors and can be caused by sediment in the amine (usually iron sulfied) or liquid hydrocarbons. Foaming has been successfully identified in numerous applications including coker drums, amine contactors, and glycol contactors. Aron comer Same ot Pose cone venom 7 _ w . OT lane PAD TatExample of Foam on a Soluble Polymer Column ‘The scan is an example of foaming inside a column that was located in a specific section of ‘equilibrium conditions. ‘The sean shown to the right was performed on a soluble polymer col- ‘umn in a chemical plant. ‘The col- ‘umn was producing off spec. prod- ucts and the plant personnel were considering a shutdown to inspect the column for damage. ‘The scan is an example of foaming inside a eol- ‘umn that was located in a specific section of equilibrium conditions. ‘The scan data revealed that all the trays were in place but an abnormal froth density was present ‘on some of the trays, ‘Trays 29, 30, and 34 thru 35 exhibited bumps or stable froth densities over several inches of the liquid on the trays. ‘This type of phenomena can be caused by well developed spray zones on the trays but was not the case for this column, A layer of foam was determined to be riding on top of the froth which was the cause for the bumps or stable froth densities. ‘Tray 28 is a good example of a stable foam layer on a tray. The density of the foam corresponds to approximately 2200 counts and the depth of the layer increases in thickness on Trays 22 thru 27. Very little or no vapor/liquid disen- agement space was present. on. ‘Trays 24 thru 26. Below Tray 20, no indications of foam were found. ‘The foam in this example was located primarily between Trays 20 thru 28 and was found to be related to process conditions inside the tower. Steps wore taken by plant personnel to change the operating conditions inside the tower and thus returned the tower to normal operation without a shutdown. Ifa sean had not been performed then the tower might have been shut- down for inspection without the problem being found.Verify Simulations On A Crude Stabilizer ‘This information allowed operations to continue the planning of the expansion pro- Ject with greater confidence, The scans performed were relatively cheap compared to the millions of dollars budgeted for the expansion. ‘Two scans were performed on a Crude Stabilizer. The column con- tained four pass trays and opera- tions had performed extensive sim- ulations on the column. Future expansion plans for the unit were being planned and operations wanted to verify the results from their simulations. ‘The simulations indicated that the bottleneck for the tower would be the downeomers on Tray 5. Two scans were per- formed through the center down- comer to verify the simulations, ‘The initial scan of the column, the solid curve, was perfomed while the column was at normal rates. ‘The rates were then increased to the column and a second scan, the red dashed curve, was performed. ‘The differences in the two scans was then used to identify the changes inside the column. ‘The tray loadings throughout, the column remained the same except for Trays 4, 6, and 8. The ‘tray loadings increased four inches for Tray 4, eight inches for Tray 6, and ten inches for Tray 8. Clear liquid could also be observed back- ing up in the downcomers from Trays 4, 6, 8, and 10. Analysis of the scan data indi- cated that the primary bottleneck in the tower was the Tray 8 down- comer. This was the location of the greatest change in liquid froth height through out the column. It is possible that the Tray 7 down- comer was the primary bottleneck but scan data was not obtained for the downcomer on this tray. This information allowed opera- tions to continue the planning of the expansion project with greater confidence. ‘The scans performed were relatively cheap compared to the millions of dollars budgeted for the expansion,Example of Downcomer Backup On An H2S Stripper The problem with this column was fouling in the downcomers. When operations washed the col- umn they washed all the fouling into the bottom of the column. A longer wash cycle would have washed all the fouling out of the column instead of leaving it in the bottom downcomers. The flood initiation point was found to be the seal pan on a third scan at higher rates. EES ‘The scans shown in this example were performed on another HS Stripper that contained thirty sin- gle pass trays. The problem with the column was that operations could not get the column back up to rates after a wash was performed ‘on the column. Any increase in rates over what was in effect would ‘cause flooding in the tower and result in undesirable liquid carry- ‘The green solid sean was per- formed across the active area of the trays while the blue dotted sean was performed perpendicular to the downeomers. Normally downcomer scans are performed parallel to the downcomers but this column was three feet in diameter which made a perpendicular scan preferable. ‘The overlay for the top twenty trays was identical to Trays 9 thru 10 and therefore are not shown. ‘These trays appeared to have the same liquid levels in the downeom- ers as the active areas, The only difference between the two scans is the reduction in vapor space inten- sities on the downcomer sean, ‘This reduction is normal and is due to the extra metal of the downcomer and the liquid pouring into it. ‘The downcomer loadings begin to increase on Tray 7 whieh is holding approximately 4 inches more liquid than the active area. This phenom- ena continues to become more severe as we moved down the col- umn through the bottom trays, ‘Trays 3 thru 7 were also backing liquid up in the downcomers but there was sufficient room to pass the liquid without problems. The downcomer on Tray 2 appeared to be full of liquid but does not appear to be backing liquid up onto the tray. The Tray 1 downcomer or the seal pan also appears to be nearly full of liquid but the additional six wl. AREA SCAN OMER SCAN inches of spacing prevents liquid from backing up on the tray. ‘The problem with this column ‘was fouling in the downeomers. ‘When operations washed the col- umn they washed all the fouling into the bottom of the column, A aro Tonger wash eyele would havo washed all the fouling out of the column instoad of leaving it in the bottom downcomers. The flood ini- tiation point. was found to be the seal pan on a third scan at higher rates,Example of Downcomer Restriction ‘The two scans shown in the example below were performed on a Naphtha Splitter in a refinery. The column was scanned because undesirable liquid carry over was occurring under normal operating conditions. The two scans shown in the example below were performed on a Naphtha Splitter in a refinery. ‘The column was seanned because undesirable liquid carry over was ‘occurring under normal operating conditions, ‘The first scan or the green solid curve was performed at low rates hile the tower was not experiene- ing any liquid carry over. ‘The scan was performed across the active area and indicated normal liquid loadings on all the trays with a slight, amount of weeping on Trays 1,5, 6 and 8. ‘The rates were then inereased and the column rescanned in an identical fashion as the first sean, ‘The second scan can be seen as the red dashed curve and indicates that a downcomer restriction was present on Tray 2. Liquid was backing up into the head and caus- ing the unacceptable carry over into the condenser. ‘This is a typical example of a downcomer restriction causing pre- ‘mature flooding inside a tower. Situations such as this are usually caused by some type of foreign material present in the downcomer that restricts the liquid flow down the tower. ‘The next example on the follow- ing page shows one example of how scanning can be used to optimize operating conditions inside a tower. somes Tear 2 Teer OWNCONER RESTAIETECH te ~ sa00 2Example of Rate Optimization This is an example of how plant personnel utilized scanning technology to optimize the reflux rate on the Naphtha Splitter from the previous example. This is an example of how plant personnel utilized scanning tech- nology to optimize the reflux rate on the Naphtha Splitter from the previous example. Plant personnel desired to know what the maximum reflux rate the column could be operated at with- ut liquid backing up on the see- ond tray. The rates to the column were again reduced and the col- umn stabilized before the second test began, ‘We placed the source and detec- tor in a permanent. position below ‘Tray 1 and monitored the vapor space intensity verses time. Normal clear vapor was present at time zero and communications were maintained with personnel in the control room to document: the changes made on the operating conditions of the column. The con- trol room began to make adjust ments to the column while the vapor space intensity above Tray 2 was continuously monitored. ‘Two surges in the froth height of Tray 2 occurred at 20 and 33 minutes due to changes in operat- ing conditions in the control room, ‘The surges were of short duration @ to 8 minutes) before the column returned to equilibrium. Once the reflux rate was increased to 100 BPH, flooding was observed on the tray 8 minutes later. ‘This left operations confident that the col- umn could be successfully operated at 90 BPH without carryover occurring. Please notice the slight gradient or slope of the gamma ray intensi- ty throughout the test. The gradi- ent is due to entrainment on the tray which gradually became worse before the tray flooded. TIME (MINUTES? DDOMNCOMER RESTRICTION ATEOF LOGO STUD TRAY 12 ‘ALEK 100-5090 00 oo) REFLOXA S567 et ~ EFL, " Clad ww PrerLucar| aoe | wy we we 40" E ner.ux ar s0apH m | t z INCREAS /REBOILER TEM | | wots ENP AND WF wi eewuxathoo wPH i ra + FLOODING|BEGINS ON TRAY) : a mt ; i ! Hoe aExample of Subcooled Feed ‘The example shown below is of a Deethanizer Column that was experiencing problems with flooding. The scan revealed that ‘Trays 12 thru 24 were flooded. = OL tee mo Liter 2 Teer aa “Lie a © Liter OTe we Tew 28 OT tee 27 TL tre 28 auscooLen FEED 3000, The example shown above is of a Deethanizer Column that. was ‘experiencing problems with flood- ing. The scan revealed that ‘Trays 12 thru 24 were flooded. All the trays located above the feed tray exhibited good vapor/liquid disen- gagement similar to Tray 11. ‘The trays below Tray 24 exhibited char- acteristics of gradually decreasing entrainment as the sean procect down the column. Conditions where the column comes out of a flooded condition in gradual degrees of entrainment are usually indicative of a subcooled stream entering the tower. A sub- cooled stream will take heat out of a tower and thus condense a signif icant portion of the vapor. This 4 ‘condition can easily overload the downcomers with liquid and cause flooding inside the tower. Some -vapor/liquid disengagement. will begin to oceur once enough heat can be obtained from the condens- ing vapor to bring the liquid back up to its flash point.Example of Plugged Trays ‘The problem with the column was that a layer of fouling had covered the trays and closed off mast of the valves. ‘The example shown on the right is part of a scan performed on a Rerun Column in a Hydrocracker Unit. The sean was performed prior to an upcoming turn around to determine if vessel entry was warranted. ‘As a rule of thumb, we look for a ten to one absorption ratio between clear vapor and the aver- ‘age tray absorption. The trends in this tower showed a three to one absorption ratio which indicated a problem inside the tower. Absorptions were obtained for all the trays indicating that they were in place, but the absorption ratio indicated a problem was present inside the tower. Close examina- tion of the froth height on the trays indicated that well developed spray zones were present on many of the trays, The column was entraining a moderate to severe amount of liquid throughout this ‘on the trays, and the inconsistent development of the spray zones, indicated that extremely high ‘vapor rates were present on some of the trays. ‘The problem with the column was that a layer of fouling had cov- ered the trays and closed off most of the valves. ‘The limited area for vapor traffic had been greatly reduced and subsequently increased the velocity of the vapor. The high vapor responsible for the entrainment inside the tower. This tower required a good wash during the turn around, Operations entered the vessel to verify that all the fouling had been removed prior to bringing the col- ‘umn back up into operationExample of Tray Damage ‘The scan shown below was performed on a Crude Fractionator where problems were being experienced with a dark gas oil draw. a ‘The scan shown below was per- formed on a Crude Fractionator where problems were being experi- enced with a dark gas oil draw. A shutdown for inspection was not an option due to the extremely cold weather at the location. A scan of the column was performed to better evaluate the options available to management. ‘The partial scan shown indicates that a slight to moderate amount of ‘weeping was taking place on Trays 12, 18, and 16. A significant amount of interference was present from an internal pipe on ‘Tray 14 and stiffoning rings on Trays 15 and 16. ‘Trays 18 thru 20 were weeping severely and was the cause for the dark gas oil draw. The tray absorp- tions found indicated that Trays 18 thru 20 were likely displaced and damaged. Operations increased the temper- atures in the tower and moved the draw location up the tower. With this method, they were able to obtain a gas oil cut on the tower and avoided a shutdown,Example Of Tray Damage On An Ammonia Stripper This column scan was performed on an Ammonia Stripper in which damage was found present in the top of the column. This column sean was performed ‘on an Ammonia Stripper in which damage was found present in the top of the eolumn. ‘The following inspection report was made when the column was inspected several days after the column was scanned. ‘The top five trays wore stainloss steel whereas, all tho other trays were carbon steel Tray 25; A twenty five inch hole was found in this tray immedi- ately below the missing distribu- tor. The distributor was found laying on the tray ‘Tray 24; The tray was found bowed up 3/4” at the center. ‘Trays 23 & 22; These trays were bowed up 1/4” at the center. ‘Tray 21; This tray was found bowed up 1/2" at the center ‘Trays 20 & 19; Trays found missing except for the area under the downeomer. ‘Tray 18; Tray completely gone, ‘Trays 17 & 16; Trays found missing except for area under the downcomer. ‘Trays 15 & 14; Only the center part of the trays were found missing ‘Tray 18;'Tray found intact; some clips loose; thinned to half of the original thiekness. ‘Tray 12; Tray found intaet: and ‘was half of the original thiek- oss. Corrosion created thin trays in the lower part of the column but they were not creating a separation problem. In the upper section of the column, the carbon steel trays ‘were mostly corroded away and the stainless steel trays were found to be bowed. ‘The bow in the top five trays allowed all the liquid to weep off the tray giving them the appear- ‘ance of being dry. Scans do not have a great enough resolution to actually seo a tray that is bowed up 1/4" but the effeet it has on the nor- ‘mal liquid loading can be easily observed. ha try Ben Trey ew ie aw ue 8 Tew tp pep ew To i wk sey ap aw i 1b tray of RING » i BS ee th at } Bs te ay wet ; Wh rey 1b wt j $ a btwn ATExample Of Tray Damage On An Atmospheric Tower ‘The scan shown below was obtained on an Atmospheric Tower and only shows the top 11 trays. ‘The scan is an example of damaged trays that are buckled and/or not holding normal amounts of liquid. a ‘The scan shown to the right. ‘was obtained on an Atmospheric ‘Tower and only shows the top 11 trays. The scan is an example of damaged trays that are buckled and/or not holding normal amounts of liquid. ‘The initial scan of the to shown as the green solid curve and was performed on the west- em active area of the two pass trays, The red dashed overlay was performed on the eastern active area of the trays shortly afier the first scan to fully evalu- ate the damage inside the column. When damage is encountered inside a column that contains multipass trays, it is advisable to sean each active area to fully evaluate the damage inside the column. ‘There have been casos ‘when damage was encountered on ‘The only normal tray absorp- tion found on this section of the column can be found on the green curve for Tray 1. ‘The active area of this tray appeared to be intact and holding a normal amount of liquid. ‘The double absorption on the red curve for Tray 1 is nor- mally associated with a buckled and hanging tray. ‘Trays 2 thru 6 appeared to be hanging in place as can be seen by the significant absorptions under the tray. ‘The shallow absorptions for the trays are due to a lack of process liquid being held up by the tray and the absorptions under the trays are likely due to tray parts hanging down from the support rings. ‘Trays 8 thru 11 appeared to be in place but were not holding nor- ‘mal amounts of liquid. ‘The dam- age on these trays appears to take the form of buckled or corroded tray panels which allowed the liq: uid to weep through the trays. Missing tray manways will also create this type of tray absorp- tion. HM Tea wowrcuc rowen » o } erLunlorstaeuToR WL tay at 7 uw ' Biol peru MH EHH HEHE pti tees i ww 7 3 ww F Gin, sed tar a! : i = Trey 8 ~ ter of 7 =e. NeeExample of Catalyst Level SS ‘The sean shown to the right was performed on a = Catalytic Reformer to identify the catalyst level een tno inside the reactor. A higher than normal pressure drop was being experienced on the next reformer in the series and it was suspected that catalyst was lost in this reactor. ‘The scan proceeded down the center line of the reformer. ‘The flange of the feed pipe can bo seen at approximately 1 foot elevation and then the cat- alyst hold down plate at approximately 3 - 1/2 feet elevation. ‘The absorption from 3 1/2 feet to 6 1/2 feet elevation is from the eenter pipe and a grad ual transition into the eatalyst was found from 6 1/2 feet to 7 ft., 4 in, due to a layer of inert spheres placed on top of the catalyst. ‘The actual catalyst level was found at 7 feet, 4 inches. ‘The reformer was determined to be missing approximately 36 to 38 inches of catalyst. The reformer was subsequently entered and the amount of missing catalyst confirmed. Operations ‘was able to utilize the sean to determine if they had enough catalyst on hand for replacement and knew that the catalyst should be dumped to look for a possible hole in the center pipe that ereated. the catalyst loss. Example of Solids Bui ‘The scan shown to the right was obtained on a Knock Out Pot in a chemical plant. It was believed _—— that the level indicators were giving false readings » | a since pump cavitation resulted whenever operations tried to draw down the level ‘3.x 3 grid scan was performed on the vessel to identify the cause of the problem, All the scan cords | fencountered an absorption at approximately nine fect elevation. ‘Two of the six cords showed an increasing intensity under the tangential feed noz- |» alo. Only the purple dashed scan cord exhibited the : normal results for this type of vessel i 3 Te was determined that solids had deposited in. | >> | the bottom of the vessel and resulted in the false wf of level detection, ‘The cavitation in the pump was due : to no liquid being prosent in the bottom of the ves- | sel. Operations was able to manually operate the | se { bottoms level until the vessel could be shutdown and) cloaned out. wT + +Example of Maldistribution ‘The data shoun in the figure on this page was obtained from a packed vacuum tower. a ‘The data shown in the figure on this page was obtained from a packed vacuum tower. ‘The data shows only the large diameter sec- tion of the tower which contains the gas oil and wash oil sections. ‘The sean was performed to provide data prior to an upeoming turnaround. ‘The information was utilized to holp determine equipment and manpower requirements during the shutdown, ‘The data indicated that severe maldistribution was present in the wash oil grid located from 25 to 31 feot scan elevation. ‘The maldistrib- ution was present throughout the tower but was most severe in the wash oil section. Since the distribu- tion changed very little in the wash oil grid section, a similar pattern (although not as severe) was pre- sent in the gas oil section, it was suspected that the maldistribution was due to vapor biasing in the wash oil grid. It appeared likely that, coking had developed on the wash oil grid and was the cause for the maldistribution ‘The subsequent shutdown of the column revealed that coking was present on the center of the wash oil grid and thero was not a signifi- cant amount of buildup around the outside of the grid. Tt is thought, that since the feed entored the col- umn from two parallel nozzles on one side of the vessel that the cok- ing created a vapor bias that the chimney trays were unable to remove. This was a large diameter vvossel (42 ft.) and once vapor mald- istribution starts, it is difficult to stop. ‘The personnel were prepared to clean the wash oil grid and return it to the vessel on the turnaround. ‘The data allowed them to anticipate tho requirements needed and to rapidly turn around the column. Please observe the data from the heavy vacuum gas oil draw located from 15 to 22 feet scan elevation, All the scans registered the liquid on the chimney tray but, as we pro- ceeded under the tray, two of the four cords passed through the draw while two of the scans passed paral- Tel and outside the draw. This technique can be used to monitor a draw for liquid while the draw rate is inereased. If pump cavitation is found while the draw is still full of liquid then a line restriction or a pump problem exists. It is also sometimes possible to find leaks on chimney trays by observing the gamma ray intensity on the cords under the chimney tray that do not pass through the draw. Leaks will appear as weep ing similar to a trayed column. aceest @uriOn PACKED vacuulTOWER somes: 10-5000 -2t-Example Of Plug In Packing ‘The grid scan shown to the right was performed on a three foot diameter column in a chemical plant. Operations was experiencing problems with a fluctuating pressure drop and an off spec. product ‘The grid sean shown to the right on the overhead vapor line. was performed on a three foot PLUGGED PACKING diameter column in a chemical STRUCTURED PACKING plant. Operations was experiene- SCALES 50-20000 ing problems with a fluctuating pressure drop and an off spec. produet on the overhead vapor line. The structured packing exhibit ed a very dense section at the top of the upper bed verses the normal bed absorption found between 29 and 34 feet scan elevation. The dense section was created by a plug that formed from 9 to 27 feet scan elevation. The plug was restricting liquid and backing it up to the top of the bed. ‘The plug was the cause of the fluctuating pressure drop and the variable density of the plug indicated that solids deposition was a possible cause. ‘Upon entering the column, approximately 4000 pounds of solid material was found to be deposited in the top of the upper bed. ‘The plug was so dense in nature that the top twenty five feet of the col- umn had to be replaced since the packing could not. be removed from the column, This column is routinely moni- tored for evidence of plugging. ‘Subsequent. scans have revealed the plug in the early stages of for- mation and allowed easier removal. ‘The plant personnel are still trying to identify the eause for the forma- tion of solids in the column, 00 1009 NOLLVI0} 912, eo oa ed ad 22.Example Of Flooding InA Packed Column ‘The example shown on this page is of another column with structured packing in a chemical plant. Operations was having problems with a fluctuating pressure drop and an off spec. overhead product. ‘The example shown ‘Packed Column Flooding - Fouling Induced on this page is of : " another column with Seales: 200 - 10000 structured packing in a chemical plant. Operations was having problems with a fluetu- “ ating pressure drop and an off spee. over- w head product. ‘The column exhibit- ed good distribution in a ‘the bottom bed which a ‘was not nearly as os dense as the top bed. 3 38 REFLUX ‘Tho density increase in the top bed corresponds to flooding in the bed. Aflood can usually be diagnosed from a plug by the uniform absorp- uw tions on all four scans. ‘The column appeared . to have a liquid restric- = tion at the bottom of the bed which backed x up approximately seven fect of liquid. Upon entering the column, plant person- nel found that a layer 8 of polymerized material had formed on the a packing support plate. ‘The polymerized mate- rial was responsible for a creating the liquid restriction and the sub- 2 sequent flooding in the column, a”Example Of Collapsed Beds This example of collapsed beds was obtained from a vacuum tower in a refinery. Operations was finding packing in the bottoms draw line and they suspected that the bottom bed had collapsed. This example of col- lapsed beds was COLLARGED EDS obtained from a vacuum, LUBE OL VACA TOMER towor in a refinery. Operations was finding packing in the bottoms draw line and they sus- pected that the bottom bed had collapsed, ‘The scan revealed that the bottom three beds had collapsed and allowed packing into the bottom of the column. The high intensity of the third bed is characteris- tie of clear vapor and indicates that a void is present where the pack- ing should be located. ‘Two different wall thick- ness changes occur above beds 1 and 2 and are responsible for the shifts in intensity from clear vapor at these points in the column, ‘The top of the packing from the eollapsed beds can be seen at approxi- mately 113 feet eleva- tion. ‘The scan enabled plant personnel to enter the column with enough material on hand to replace alll three beds, If the sean had not been performed then they would have probably ‘ordered only enough packing for the bottom bod and experienced extended down time for repairs, { i : earnrererirenininyExample Of Displaced Packing ‘This scan was performed on a large diameter vacuum tower immediately after start up from a turn around. The scan data covers only the large diameter section of the column where the gas oil and wash oil sections were located. Plant person- nel were experienceing a dark gas oil draw from the chimney tray located at 50 feet elevation. ‘The drawing indicated that the bottom bed should have been only six feet tall. The scan indicated that the bed extended up to the bottom of the chimney tray and additional six feet from the drawings. In this case, the packing was dis- placed and blown up the column, Poor vapor/iiq- uid contact was responsible for the dark gas oil draw. When the column was entered, it was found that a large hole had been blown in the wash oil bed and that packing was laying around the out- side edges of the column. This is usually caused by water flashing in the column when it comes in with the feed. Example Of A ‘This scan is an example of a column with a damaged collector tray. Relatively poor distribu- tion was found in the top bed and a severe liquid bias was found in the bottom bed. ‘The data on the blue dashed curve from 16 to 18 feet elevation indicated that severe weeping was present on one side of the collector tray and allowing liquid to flow off the collector tray onto the bottom bed. ‘The bottom bed contained dumped packing and was not able to redistribute the liquid effectively. Itis likely that. the vapor biasing in the top bed on blue dashed and the green dotted curves was also caused by damage on the collector, A displaced chimney on the collector tray would be expected to exhibit these characteristics 25