Antiscalant elimination on a 200,000 m³ a day system
Antiscalant elimination was the aim at Imperial Oil’s Canadian operation, which was dosing antiscalant heavily to protect its heat exchangers from calcium carbonate scaling. The system moves around 200,000 cubic metres a day, so the dosing meant ongoing chemical cost, continuous monitoring and constant adjustment. The heat exchangers are critical plant, so any change had to be monitored closely. In March 2022 three HydroFLOW® Custom 24 inch units were fitted to the heat exchanger inlet pipes for a monitored 12-month trial. Dosing was brought down to 0.0 ppm and the exchangers stayed protected throughout, with the chemical cost and monitoring burden removed.
The Challenges
- Antiscalant elimination was the goal, with high dosing in place
- Chemical costs and monitoring were significant and ongoing
- Calcium carbonate scaling in the exchangers was a constant risk
- Dosing needed continuous adjustment to hold it right
- The system flowed around 200,000 m³ a day
The Solution
- Unit installed: three HydroFLOW® Custom 24 inch units
- Installation point: heat exchanger inlet pipes
- Installed: March 2022
- Trial: 12 months, monitored throughout
- Dosing stopped: antiscalant, reduced to 0.0 ppm
The three units went on the heat exchanger inlet pipes, and the exchangers were monitored for 12 months as antiscalant dosing came down. The signal disrupts the conditions that bond scale to surfaces, which allowed the antiscalant to drop to zero. Antiscalant elimination was complete by the end of the trial, with no scaling in the exchangers.
