(203a) Tutorial on Refinery Fouling Mitigation

Today, when refineries are trying to run at full capacity, shutting refinery units down to remove foulants has severe financial penalties. Fortunately, refinery fouling mitigation is much easier than previously imagined. This is because 90% of fouling has only six common causes and three of these involve insoluble asphaltenes. The analysis of the foulant will usually enable identifying the root cause that is confirmed by finding the precursor in the oil flowing through the fouled unit. By tracing the precursor to the source, one arrives at a number of potential mitigating methods from which a refinery can select the best to implement for the refinery. Case studies will be presented where this strategy was used to mitigate petroleum fouling for different causes.