Case Study
FOAMSTOP low catalyst impact antifoam reduced silicon carryover from coker by 78%
Jun 23, 2020
Overview
Challenges
- Silicon originated from antifoaming agents used in oilfield production and delayed coker foam control additives
- Silicon carryover from coker product
- Increased silicon content of incoming crude
Results
- Reduced silicon contribution to naphtha hydrotreater (NHT) catalyst contamination by 78%
- Improved thermal stability in the coke drum, reducing the silicon carryover from 36 to 18%
- Maintained antifoamer performance in a coke drum with a lower silicon injection rate
- Reduced silicon contamination to downstream catalyst by 2,700 lb/yr
Case study details
A refiner was treating their coker with a commodity 60,000-cSt polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) antifoam that was contributing 3,500 lb (1,588 kg) of silicon per year carryover to downstream units. The refiner was experiencing an increase in the silicon content of incoming crudes, resulting in rapid contamination of their downstream catalysts. They agreed to trial FOAMSTOPTM low catalyst impact (LCI) antifoam to address the problem. This novel product contains a proprietary agent that is more thermally stable than conventional silicone oils. A temporary tote injection system was installed to allow feeding of the trial antifoam and provide ease of switching back to the old antifoam if needed.
Download the PDF to read the full case study.
/sites/bakerhughes/files/2020-05/FOAMSTOP-LCI-reduced-silicon-coker-usa-cs.pdf
