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At a glance
- Challenge: High levels of solid and liquid contamination in fuel gas damaged the gas injection nozzles and automatic control valve, affecting reliability, performance and safety.
- Intervention: Installation of a SepraSol® Plus coalescer rental skid near the control valve; fully commissioned within two weeks.
- Operating window: ~650 Am³/h, 3.4 bar, 100 °C with three coalescer elements.
- Outcome: Three months of trouble free operation and no further maintenance reported on the fuel gas control valve.
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Challenge
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Solution
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Results
What problem was the refinery trying to solve?
The refinery experienced malfunctioning of the automatic fuel gas flow control valve located upstream of the furnaces. Very high levels of entrained liquids and solids including amine, water, and free hydrocarbons were transported in the fuel gas stream. These contaminants:
- Damaged burner nozzles, reducing injection efficiency.
- Impaired combustion stability, affecting furnace performance.
- Compromised reliability of the control valve, causing operational interruptions.
The on site engineering team identified contamination as the root cause and determined that a filtration and separation step was essential to protect equipment and maintain stable furnace operation.
Which Pall solution was implemented and why?
To address the contamination issue effectively, Pall recommended a single stage SepraSol® Plus liquid/gas coalescer, a proven solution for fuel gas polishing and contamination control. To minimise downtime and validate performance under real operating conditions, the refinery installed a rental skid directly in the fuel gas line near the control valve. The unit was commissioned and fully operational within two weeks, enabling rapid restoration of fuel gas system reliability.
What operating conditions did the coalescer handle?
The system processed approximately 650 Am³/h of fuel gas at 3.4 bar and 100 °C, using three coalescer elements, suitable for the contamination profile and flow conditions present in the refinery’s fuel gas system.
What results did the refinery see?
Clear operational improvements
Over a three month continuous operating period, the following benefits were observed:
- Zero maintenance events on the previously problematic fuel gas control valve.
- No recurrence of contamination, demonstrating effective removal of both solids and entrained liquids.
- Stabilised combustion, driven by consistent and contaminant free fuel gas quality.
- Improved uptime, as equipment no longer suffered frequent contamination related failures.
Impact on reliability and asset protection
By eliminating the root cause of valve malfunction and nozzle erosion, the coalescer helped the refinery:
- Extend the service life of critical components.
- Reduce emergency maintenance interventions.
- Lower operational variability in furnace performance.
Overall, the implementation delivered verifiable and sustained improvements to the fuel gas delivery system.
Download the Full Case Study
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Frequently Asked Questions
What contaminants were present in the fuel gas?
The fuel gas contained solid particles and liquid contaminants, including traces of amine, water and free hydrocarbons, all of which contributed to valve damage and unstable combustion.
Why was a rental skid used?
A rental skid allowed the refinery to validate performance quickly and implement corrective action without delay, providing the most practical short term solution.
Where was the coalescer installed?
The coalescer skid was installed close to the automatic fuel gas control valve, ensuring contaminants were removed immediately before entering the critical equipment.