RATIONALIZATION THE CONDENSATE HARVESTING AND CONDENSATE RETURN SYSTEM AT THE PETROLEUM REFINERY

Abstract

The petroleum refineries are significant heat energy consumers supplied to process units and utilities as hot water and water steam of various parameters. By the mean of design documentation analysis and the in-depth refineries survey in Ukraine and the CIS countries, it has been proven that each refinery has its unique system of harvesting, treating and returning steam condensate to the sources of steam supply (heat stations or boiler houses). These systems are morally and technically obsoleted in most cases and do not meet modern energy efficiency requirements. By optimizing of condensate return systems significant economy of thermal energy can be achieved. Uncontrolled discharge of steam condensate to the sewage system can not be justified by anything other than insufficient drainage control or in the case of very high level of the steam condensate contamination. By way of example of the petroleum refinery operation, detailed work was carried out to study the causes and effects of steam condensate and water steam unmoral losses, and technical solutions to minimize these losses were developed and partially embodied in the refinery’s production process. It has been established that the drainage of warm condensate into the sewage system in the summer season effects to temperature increasing up to critical limit of 42 °C. It may cause the biochemical wastewater treatment sections shutdown and result in negative environmental impacts. It was proved that the refineries have significant production reserves for streamlining the condensate harvesting system by implementing relatively inexpensive technical solutions, which ultimately produce a tangible economic effect by reducing energy and materials consumption (water, hydrocarbon fuel, reagents, electric energy, filter medium).