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Specialist Mechanical Decoking and Tube Inspection Technology www.cokebusters.com
Specialist Mechanical Decoking and Tube Inspection Technology
www.cokebusters.com
COSTS OF AN INEFFICIENT FIRED HEATER
• Increased use of fuel gas for heat transfer leading to increased
costs & emissions
• Reduced process throughput
• Higher tube skin temperatures leading to reduced tube life and
shorter process periods
• A coked tube encourages more coke to accumulate
• Need for decoking forces unprofitable downtime, often with
unpredictable duration
DECOKING METHODS - OPTIONS
ON-LINE SPALLING:
• Primarily for delayed coker heaters and not considered to be a full decoke
• Will extend run length but will not remove inorganics
• Has little effect in convection areas
STEAM AIR DECOKE:
• Traditional & widely used method which is effective, although highly skill sensitive
• Performed correctly, a furnace can be thoroughly cleaned of coke contamination
• Will not remove inorganics
• Has little effect in convection areas
OTHER DRAWBACKS INCLUDE:
• Hot work - high temperature shock firing
• Extended shut-down duration adding to downtime costs
• Other simultaneous maintenance works prevented
• Likelihood of abrasive trenching damage to U-bends
• Environmental upset: emissions & coke dispersal
DECOKING METHODS – OPTIONS
THE PROVEN CHOICE: Mechanical decoking of fired heater tubes using Cokebusters proprietary scraper pigs.
SERVICES & EQUIPMENT
MACHINERY
COKEBUSTERS SCRAPER PIG
COKEBUSTERS DECOKING
MERLIN INSPECTION
TECHNOLOGY
HYDROCARBON & METALLURGIC
ANALYSIS
CLIENTS
SERVICES & EQUIPMENT
• FIRED HEATER CLEANING Mechanical decoking of fired heater tubes with Cokebusters pigs
• PIPELINE PRE-COMMISSIONING & CLEANING
• NDT INSPECTION OF FIRED HEATER TUBES
Ultrasonic test with Intelligent Pig using the same equipment as installed for decoking
SERVICES & EQUIPMENT
Competent and reliable site service demands ownership of these three key elements:
• SERIES 21 DOUBLE PUMPING UNIT Modern machinery – power and reliability
• SCRAPER PIGS – DURABLE & FLEXIBLE
• SKILLED AND EXPERIENCED PERSONNEL
Directly employed and trained – no agencies
SERVICES & EQUIPMENT
TRAINING, SAFETY AND QUALITY • Cokebusters invests in crew training
• All staff maintain safety awareness certification of a variety of types
• Administration, manufacturing, management, training, planning & site
operations are controlled under internationally recognised ISO 9001.
SERVICES & EQUIPMENT
MACHINERY
COKEBUSTERS SCRAPER PIG
COKEBUSTERS DECOKING
MERLIN INSPECTION
TECHNOLOGY
HYDROCARBON & METALLURGIC
ANALYSIS
CLIENTS
MACHINERY
SPECIALIST MACHINERY IS DESIGNED &
BUILT IN-HOUSE MAKING FULL USE OF
KNOWLEDGE GAINED THROUGH YEARS
OF EXPERIENCE IN DECOKING.
TWO DIESEL ENGINES
TWO WATER PUMPS
FULLY RESOURCED
• 200 metres of hard & flexi tube
• 10 sets of launchers – mixed sizes
• Insulated Dual Control Room
• On board coke collection tanks
• Extensive storage – tools & pigs
• Lightweight geodetic design
• Quality build using stainless steel
• Computerised monitoring display
THE COKEBUSTERS FLEET INCLUDES 7
CONTAINERISED MACHINES FOR
EASIER MORE COST EFFECTIVE
SHIPPING
MACHINERY
ERGONOMIC CONTROL PANEL
• Live on-screen monitored display of
complete decoking progress
• Accurate measurement and analysis of
pressure & flow
• Automatic indication of pig location,
direction & speed
• Unique single combination controls for
power & direction
EACH MACHINE IS DESIGNED TO
DECOKE TWO PASSES
SIMULTANEOUSLY FOR MAXIMUM
TIME EFFICIENCY
SERVICES & EQUIPMENT
MACHINERY
COKEBUSTERS SCRAPER PIG
COKEBUSTERS DECOKING
MERLIN INSPECTION
TECHNOLOGY
HYDROCARBON & METALLURGIC
ANALYSIS
CLIENTS
COKEBUSTERS PIGS
• Proven ability to thoroughly clean tubes
• No other pig can match time efficiency
• Cokebusters pigs can reduce downtime
by at least 30%
• No on-site preparation or modification
• Genuine 360° internal tube wall
coverage leaves a clean bore
• Ability to navigate U-bends and box
headers without mechanical
adjustment
COKEBUSTERS PIGS
NOT “SOFT CORE”, NOR “SOLID BODY”
• Cokebusters pigs have a complex laminated
construction using high performance polymers
mixed during casting with gas filled thermoplastics.
• Combination of strength & flexibility. All pigs are
tested to ensure conformity with designed
compressibility requirements.
• Cokebusters scraper pigs are manufactured
under ISO 9001:2008 quality control procedures.
• Cokebusters pigs are designed to remove internal
residue without causing damage to tube walls.
SERVICES & EQUIPMENT
MACHINERY
COKEBUSTERS SCRAPER PIG
COKEBUSTERS DECOKING
MERLIN INSPECTION
TECHNOLOGY
HYDROCARBON & METALLURGIC
ANALYSIS
CLIENTS
COKEBUSTERS DECOKING
THE SET-UP PROCESS
Cokebusters Series 21 Pumping Machines all stock the following:
• Launcher-receivers
• Temporary hoses
• Cokebusters scraper pigs
This equipment is all owned in-house so
the decoking service is provided without
dependency on external suppliers.
COKEBUSTERS DECOKING
THE SET-UP PROCESS
• With commercial matters settled, specialist Cokebusters
equipment arrives on site at the time agreed.
• Site specific safety induction attended by crew.
• Machinery is positioned alongside furnace to be decoked
as agreed with Client Refinery Maintenance Team.
• Machinery arrives fully resourced, fitted with launchers of
appropriate sizes and all water circuit connection tubing.
• Launchers are connected to furnace flanged inlets and
outlets horizontally. Water circuit tubing is connected to link
Pumping Machine to launchers.
• With connections complete and machinery tested & set,
the first two furnace passes are then ready to be decoked.
COKEBUSTERS DECOKING
TESTING AND DECOKING
• Pressure and flow tests are carried out at beginning and
end of decoking in each pass, allowing a valuable
assessment of the efficiency of the decoking operation.
• Once a pass is proven to be clear, decoking can start.
• Operators have direct control of scraper pig speed,
direction and position which is all recorded for additional
analysis and inclusion in Operations Report.
• Coke is visibly removed and is measured by volume.
Primary and secondary filtration of coke returns takes
place, collecting all coke particles larger than 750 microns.
• Removed coke is collected in on-board tank for safe
client disposal.
COKEBUSTERS DECOKING
HOW DOES MECHANICAL DECOKING WORK?
• Coke is removed from fired heater tubes by propelling a studded plastic “pig” through
using water as a motive force.
• The studded pig is propelled in such a way that it scrapes the coke from the inner wall
of process tubes, without damaging or compromising the integrity of the tube wall.
• Different sizes of abrasive pigs are used in this decoking process. Pigs are slightly
smaller than internal tube diameters.
• Usually pigs are pumped through each tube several times, forward and backward,
until overall differential pressure across the tube (inlet to outlet) is restored to its original
or new “un-fouled” condition.
• Typical decoking duration is 24 to 36 hours per furnace depending on set-up time.
COKEBUSTERS DECOKING
ADVANTAGES:
• All coke is removed from the inside of tubes
• More environmentally safe than steam air decoking - no venting to atmosphere or ground.
• “Pigs” do not erode or damage inside of tubes
• Mechanical decoking performed faster than steam air decoking.
• Clients have reported longer run lengths after mechanical decoking compared with steam.
• Requires outside vendor to perform decoking procedure so Client operating staff can
devote more time on turnaround activities.
• Operations under ISO 9001:2008 QA procedures & ISO 18001:2007 safety systems.
Perceived DISADVANTAGES:
• Requires furnace to be taken fully out of service
• Disposal of “discoloured” water required
• Specialist decoking Practitioner needed
SERVICES & EQUIPMENT
MACHINERY
COKEBUSTERS SCRAPER PIG
COKEBUSTERS DECOKING
MERLIN INSPECTION
TECHNOLOGY
HYDROCARBON & METALLURGIC
ANALYSIS
CLIENTS
MIT – INTELLIGENT PIGGING Intelligent PIG system employs ultrasound techniques to scan furnace tube
walls throughout a pass to accurately record tube wall geometry:
• General wall thinning
• Internal corrosion
• External corrosion
• Localised pitting
• Diametric tube growth (swelling, ovality & bulging)
• Internal fouling
Merlin Mark IV Intelligent Pig
MERLIN – THE TECHNOLOGY
• Carbon Fibre body
• Carbon Fibre/Kevlar/HDPE extension tubes & nose-cones
• Miniaturised electronics with a 533MHz processor, providing 2560 - 10,240
wall thickness & internal radius measurements per second
• Bi-directional
• Neutrally buoyant pig designed to move with water flow at low pressure.
Distinctly advantageous when inspecting multiple tube diameter furnaces
DRIVE & ALIGNMENT
• Custom lightweight HDPE/Nylon
brush rings
• Varying bristle length allowing pig to
travel through internal diameter
changes of up 35%
• Stiffer inner brush rings allow for
improved transducer alignment in
return bends
• Larger, 32 transducer pig
provides greater data coverage on
larger tube diameters (6” – 10”)
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
• 533MHz Central Processing Unit
• 64MB RAM
• Up to 128GB of on-board storage, with micro SD capability
• USB 2.0 for rapid data download
• Custom built specialist ceramic transducers: 16 on small pig measuring tube diameters of 3” – 5”. 32 on large pig measuring tube diameters 6” – 10”.
• Lithium ion battery giving 8 hours continuous life, with power management and fuel gauging
• 3-axis accelerometers to determine location within furnace
• Shock resistant and pressure tested to 300PSI
ULTRASONIC ACOUSTICS TECHNOLOGY
2 quantities are measured
in ultrasonic testing:
1. Time taken to travel
through the sample
2. Amplitude of the
received signal
Material Thickness can be calculated by:
T = ct/2
T = Material Thickness C = Material Sound Velocity t = Time of Flight
COMPUTER ANALYSIS • Merlin’s Roxtail Too™ software is used to upload Intelligent Pig data for fast and
effective analysis
• Data is viewable on screen within 10-15 minutes, upon removal of the Intelligent Pig
from the pass
• Software display accurately presents all captured data in a user friendly manner
• Tube measurement & condition rapidly assessed on-site
ROXTAIL™ SOFTWARE
A
B
DETAILED DATA ANALYSIS
3D-IMAGERY & DATA MAPPING
• Fully interactive Merlin 3D Viewer
using advanced 3D Mesh software
• Accurate wall thickness & internal
diameter mapping
• Quickly highlights problematic areas
within the furnace within minutes
9mm
8mm
7mm
6mm
9mm
8mm
7mm
6mm
99mm
98mm
97mm
96mm
95mm
99mm
98mm
97mm
96mm
95mm
LIMITATIONS
• Tube diameter range: 3 – 10 inches (73-260mm)
• WT static accuracy: ±0.3mm
• ID accuracy: ±2% (Full Scale)
• Axial location accuracy: ±160mm (typical)
• Resolution: 8 x 50mm (typical)
• Running Speed: 0.5 – 1ms-1
• All inspection PIGS and ultrasonic transducers calibrated to
UKAS approved calibration block prior to EVERY inspection**
SERVICES & EQUIPMENT
MACHINERY
COKEBUSTERS SCRAPER PIG
COKEBUSTERS DECOKING
MERLIN INSPECTION
TECHNOLOGY
HYDROCARBON & METALLURGIC
ANALYSIS
CLIENTS
HYDROCARBON & METALLURGIC
ANALYSIS
• Working in association with the
Universities of Manchester and
Liverpool (UK)
• World leading laboratories and
equipment
• Expert judgment on all scientific
analysis via close consultation
with university academic staff
• Furnace conditions can be
accurately and expertly assessed
• Recommendations on future
operating conditions can be made
HYDROCARBON & METALLURGIC
ANALYSIS
Material analysis & classification via:
• SEM/EDX
• XRD
• OPTICAL MICROSCOPY
• HARDNESS TESTING
• DENSITY/POROSITY
MEASUREMENTS
SERVICES & EQUIPMENT
MACHINERY
COKEBUSTERS SCRAPER PIG
COKEBUSTERS DECOKING
MERLIN INSPECTION
TECHNOLOGY
HYDROCARBON & METALLURGIC
ANALYSIS
CLIENTS
SOME OF OUR CLIENTS
A COST EFFECTIVE COMBINATION
ONE COMPANY – ONE QUOTATION – ONE SERVICE – ONE CHARGE
• The alternative is an Inspection Company + Decoking Company
………..that’s two mobilisation costs, two contractors & two invoices!
• Cokebusters decoking & inspection staff work in harmony; once a pass is cleaned and
proven, inspection takes over without delays.
• Inspection Pig is driven by water which is pumped by the same Cokebusters machine.
• Controlled by an inbuilt computer, the Inspection Pig is un-tethered and flexible.
• Continuous ultrasonic scans taken to produce detailed cross sectional internal and
external tube images every two inches (50mm) lineally.
• The technology includes proprietary ROXTAIL imaging software.
FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT OUR WEBSITE:
www.cokebusters.com
