Implementation Of Online Heat Exchanger Efficiency Calculation And Fouling Monitoring At Crude Unit

Abstract The heat exchangers on crude distillation units need to deliver high heat transfer efficiency and operational reliability. Most of heat exchangers used in crude distillation units are Cross-flow two-stream. The two streams flow at right angles to each other. This flow configuration is intermediate in effectiveness between parallel-flow and counter flow exchangers but it is often simpler to construct owing to the relative simpler to construct owing to the relative simplicity of the inlet and outlet flow ducts. Use of the Smart Online Efficiency online calculation to monitor the heat exchangers performance and efficiency at Crude units in Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery MAA yielded early results when the tool highlighted a fouling event shortly after it occurred. Fouling formation in any heat exchanger will reduce the online-calculated heat exchanger efficiency result and that can noted from the trend of histories efficiency data and from the fouling indicator. This paper looks at the efficiency calculation and fouling monitoring using DCS software application and the result from the case study.