DEVELOPMENT OF GENERALIZED THRESHOLD FOULING MODEL FOR CRUDE OILS

• Main Author: SHETTY, NITIN
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/21426/1/2015-CHEMICAL-DEVELOPMENT%20OF%20GENERALIZED%20THRESHOLD%20FOULING%20MODEL%20FOR%20CRUDE%20OILS-NITIN%20SHETTY.pdf; http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/21426/

Crude oil fouling in preheat trains is currently a major research topic. The existing threshold fouling models based on the Ebert-Panchal model are widely employed due to its simple concept. These models predict an increase in initial fouling rates with an increase in film temperature. It has been observed by a few researchers that the initial fouling rates decrease for an increase in the film temperature due to an increase in bulk temperature. The existing threshold fouling models fail to predict this phenomenon. The limitation of the existing threshold fouling models makes them inappropriate when the bulk temperature changes as in the crude preheat train of a refinery. Therefore, the present study aims at bridging the gap with the development of a generalized threshold fouling model that explicitly captures the effects of bulk and surface temperatures.