Abstract:

With the development of refining and petrochemical integration, ethylene plant is developing towards long term and high load operation, and the problems of compressor scaling and heat exchanger blockage becomes more prominent due to the lighter cracking feedstock. The effective control of compressor scaling and heat exchanger blockage is one of the key points to achieve the long-term operation of ethylene plant. The ethylene plant in Sichuan was restarted up after overhaul in June 2018, and the interstage heat exchanger in cracking gas compressor was blocked only one year later, seriously affecting the long-term operation of the ethylene plant. Based on cause analysis, some measures were taken including adding interstage dispersant, changing the composition of wash oil and installing the wash oil injection line of heat exchanger to achieve the expected effect, and the loss caused by the 10-day unplanned shutdown of ethylene plant each time was avoided.

Key words: cracking gas compressor, heat exchanger, blockage, solution