• Rapid identification of furnace problems on-line
• Accurate measurement of tube metal temperatures
• Identify coking and scale
• Decrease downtime and avoid critical tube metal temperatures in steam/air decoke procedures
• Identify burner problems and hot zones in furnaces especially with the new
Low-Nox
burner designs
Refractory Inspection
FCC Units and other major high temperature systems rely on refractory material for protection
of the carbon steel material used in their construction. Relying on visual inspections for identification
of problem areas can potentially miss critical problem areas. Infrared inspection can locate problems
in refractory and insulation systems before they develop into problems that damage the surface metal.
A regularly scheduled infrared inspection program can locate problems and allow them to be addressed
before severe damage or failure occurs. The information can be used to determine the frequency of
inspection, formulates specific material and manpower planning for turnarounds, and verifies repairs
after they have been implemented.
Steam / Air Decoke Monitor and Control
The critical path during a unit turnaround in a hydrocarbon unit usually involves
Decoking the furnace. During the normal process run, coke builds up on the internal
walls of the furnace tubes requiring removal to return the heater to optimum
Performance. Steam/air decoking and pigging are the most common methods used today.
Although pigging has gained popularity over the past few years steam/air decoking still
remains the most common method for decoking.
Infrared Scanning Services
, Inc. has extensive experience in monitoring and control of
steam/air decoking. We can accurately identify the burn front and control the burn
temperature by regulating the steam to air ratio allowing the furnace to burn out in the
shortest possible time while staying below critical tube metal temperatures.
ISSI personnel have experience in decoking hundreds of heaters and, with unit downtime
costs of $30,000 per hour or more, ISSI can save you thousands on every decoke.
Electrical Inspection
When an electrical connection is overloaded or becomes loose or corroded it will generate heat.
Over time the severity of the problem will increase until failure occurs. Sometimes the failure of
a single electrical component can cause the shutdown of a complete processing unit. Unless the
problem is severe it cannot be observed through visual inspection or other test methods.
A regularly scheduled infrared inspection program can find these problems before they reach a
critical point. They can then be monitored and repaired during a planned outage avoiding an
unscheduled shutdown and the associated problems and extensive costs. Let us come in and
perform a pre-maintenance inspection before your next turn-around.
