Mineral Scale Management in Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers of Oil and Gas Industries

Document Type : Review

Authors

1 Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

2 Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

Abstract

Shell & tube heat exchangers are known as one of the most important devices in oil, gas, and energy industries. Alongside their design, their maintenance would also be of prime importance when they are prone to mineral scale formation. According to the field reports, the mineral scaling can be formed in heat exchangers due to the presence of fluid precursors at different operating conditions as well heat transfer surface conditions. Thus, in-depth knowledge of the best management methods to control scale formation in heat exchangers is indispensable for engineers. In this paper, various methods of controlling mineral scale formation, including removal and inhibition, i.e., conventional physical and chemical methods, and ultrasonic technology have been examined for an industrial case study. Moreover, several statistics from the field reports have been examined to prove that the utilization ultrasonic would clean the exchanger under study. The results show that scale management especially the use of ultrasonic technology would lead to an increase in the efficiency of heat exchangers as well as a significant reduction in operating costs.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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