A study of crude oil fouling propensity

CATEGORY: FOULING
A study of crude oil fouling propensity

Type	Journal Article
Author	Teh C. Ho
URL	http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0017931015304853
Volume	95
Pages	62-68
Publication	International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer
Date	April 2016
Abstract	Fouling deposited on process equipment accounts for a much of the energy loss in the process industries and oil production. Researchers conducted a combined experimental and modeling study to relate crude oil properties to their intrinsic fouling propensities. They developed a theory based on the premise that fouling is driven by coking reaction and mass transfer. All the complexities of the fouling dynamics can be subsumed in a dimensionless group characterizing fouling rate. The theory predicts the growth rate of foulant thickness. Of 20 oil properties examined, the most influential ones are oil’s solvency power and the contents of asphaltenes, basic nitrogen, and metals. These properties are combined into a fouling propensity index that correlates with a fundamentals-based fouling severity index. The resulting fouling-property correlation can be used to develop improved fouling reduction methods such as on-line cleaning, blending, and antifouling chemical treatment.