Case History
Texas petrochemical company saves over $600,000 in maintenance costs for chemical decontamination of quench oil & water towers as compared to conventional methods
Results Achieved
70% reduction in down time
Over $600,000 in
maintenance cost savings
Cleaner equipment, ready for hot work and manned entry
Zero LEL and zero Benzene
after 32 hours
Chemicals Utilized
Rapid absorption and encapsulation of vapor-state hydrocarbons
Alkaline degreaser for heavy oil and grease deposits
A large petrochemical company in Texas used FQE® LEL-Vapor and FQE Oil Degreaser products to decontaminate and clean the quench oil, quench water, and caustic wash simultaneously.
All of the associated heat exchangers and piping were included in the cleaning path. Typically, it took several days to evacuate the system of hazardous vapors such as benzene. After 24 hours of steam phase injection, using FQE product, the towers were at zero LEL and zero benzene. The quench towers were circulated for 8 hours with FQE Oil Degreaser to remove heavy oils. In prior cleaning trials, this method of cleaning required several days from shutdown to return to maintenance.
The plant estimated that over $300,000 was saved per tower compared to conventional cleaning methods.
