Separator boots

CHALLENGES

Ineffective boot interface measurement

• Issues can range from reduced productivity and process efficiency to catastrophic failures in downstream equipment

• There are a variety of vessels that have these separators including alkylation units, hydrotreaters, cokers and amine units

WATER CARRYOVER

• If water enters distillation columns or other high-temperature units, then it will rapidly flash due to thermal expansion

• May cause excessive vibration and damage to trays or other parts of the distillation column

• Costs can reach $550K USD per hour to have a distillation column down (based on the size of the refinery)

• May require days to bring it back up depending on damage

HF ACID CARRYOVER

• If HF acid proceeds downstream it can corrode stainless steel piping, valves, fittings and instrumentation

HYDROCARBON EXTRACTION

• If hydrocarbon process liquids exit the boot it will diminish efficiency of the water treatment processes

• Hydrocarbons may plug screens or filters downstream

SOLUTION

Magnetrol® level devices allow for tighter control of the interface to increase productivity and prevent failures of downstream equipment

• Aurora® design is compact; great for limited space and process connections around boots

• Redundant options include MLI with GWR (Aurora®) or external addition of magnetostrictive for thicker emulsions

• MLI provides advantages over sight glasses for manual inspection during walk-through

• No dead zones (or blind spots) for shorter level spans

RESULTS

Better level measurement in boots for more effective separation

• Safeguards against considerable costs due to failures in downstream equipment

• Enhances the safety of the refinery by mitigating potential catastrophic failures

• Reduces maintenance due to reliable signal and enhanced diagnostics