Oil, Gas & Refinery Introduction and description of market segment (Overview) Corrosion problems in oil refineries and gas plants can be significantly reduced by relying upon Sulzer static mixers and related application know-how. Sulzer Chemtech has the solution on offshore platforms, in transportation of oil, in the measurement of the water content in crude oil, in desuperheating purposes, in desalination plants, in distillation units or for alkylation or catalytic processes. Our static mixers not only reduce operating costs, but also increase the plant on-stream time. As a result, they are a solid proof that Sulzer Chemtech mixing and reaction technologies pay off, whatever the application may be. Crude Oil Sampling Sulzer SMV™ static mixers have proven design for this application. The unique geomety pattern of the mixing elements allows for good prediction of the water droplets position at the mixer outlet. Droplet homogeneity across the pipe section, even in horizontal pipes, is within the ISO specifications, ensuring the best performance for the approval of the sampling equipment. Low pressure drop solutions are also available. More Crude Oil Blending Fuels are produced by mixing different distillate fractions and additives (e.g. dyes, lead compounds, special admixtures, etc.) in-line as the storage tank is being filled. The mixing ratio is continuously monitored and controlled by on-stream analyzers; representative sampling has to be ensured in order to facilitate perfect functioning of this control. It is possible to get an excellent mixing result ensuring representative sampling by installing a Sulzer mixer immediately after the proportioning station. More Crude oil desalting Effective crude oil desalting is achieved by optimizing the crude/wash water contacting during the dissolution of the salt, followed by an effective separation of the two phases to avoid water carry over in the crude oil. Sulzer Chemtech is a supplier of SMV™ type crude/wash water dispersers to enable intensive contacting of the two immiscible liquids through a swarm of water droplets formed in a mixer. A homogenous distribution of the these droplets in the crude oil and the large and continuously renewed interfacial area are created in order to facilitate mass transfer. More Overhead Desalting Gas washing systems with Sulzer SMV™ mixers are relied upon to dissolve salts into injected wash water. If these salts are not eliminated, they could begin to crystallize, and plug as well as corrode overhead equipment. Installing Sulzer mixers after liquid distribution nozzles facilitates intensive contact between the gas to be scrubbed and the wash liquid. The mixer creates a liquid film on the surface and generates a flow of fine droplets within the mixing elements. The resulting large interfacial surface area is maintained throughout the mass transfer process, resulting in an efficient removal of the salts. More Gas Treating The Sulzer SMV™ co-current gas scrubber is often installed for process gas treatment in refineries to remove impurities from a gas. The process consists of contacting the gas with a scrubbing liquid in order to promote the desired mass transfer from the gas to the liquid phase. Typical refinery gas washing serves for the removal of sulphur compounds like H2S, COS and SO2, acids like HCl and HF as well as many salts. Gas washing systems with Sulzer SMV™ mixers give highest possible removal rates. More Gas Mixing Blending Natural Gas streams with steam, propane or other gases is an important application for Sulzer Static Mixing units. Although all of these gases flow turbulently, the turbulence itself is not sufficient to equalize the differences in concentration and temperature over short distances in empty pipes. The SMV™ and SMI™ static mixers help achieve homogeneous mixtures even at wide differences in density and at low flow velocities. More Gas Dehydration with TEG Sulzer co-current MIXDRY Static mixers offer an attractive alternative to typical counter-current contactors for dehydration of natural gas. Dehydration is accomplished by intensively contacting the wet gas with lean glycol (mainly TEG) in the compact MIXDRY system, where a high interfacial surface area is created in order to promote the intensive mass transfer. One single stage of removal can be achieved in one mixer. Multiple stages of removal are also available using multiple mixers with separators positioned between the mixers. More LNG Desuperheating Sulzer Chemtech has elaborated a new injection-mixing device for LNG Desuperheating purposes. The superheated LNG is injected, atomized and intensively contacted with the gas phase (NG or BOG). This novel mixing system enhances the evaporation by higher turbulence, longer residence time of the liquid and the large mass transfer surface area. As a result these novel direct contact evaporators provide higher efficiencies than common in-line spray systems. More Re-condenser Re-condensers are used in LNG receiving terminals to re-condense LNG Boil-Off gas (BOG) with sub-cooled LNG in order to reduce the operating cost associated with the pressurization of the BOG to pipeline pressure level. By using Sulzer's Mixing/Contacting Technology the BOG enters the mixing section in the tube at high speed so that intense mixing process is established, resulting in more efficient condensation than in the conventional packed bed columns . More Claus Unit In order to convert H2S into elemental sulfur a series of different types of catalytic reactors are used. For this purpose, intensive mixing of air and the process gas is necessary in front of every catalytic reactor. The overall conversion efficiency of the Claus Unit plant depends on the homogeneity of this mixture. SMV™ type static mixers provide this high homogeneity degree and allow for highest yields and performance characteristics. More Sulphuric Acid Alkylation Unit Sulzer SMV™ mixers are specified in the Stratco sulpfuric acid alkylation process. The caustic wash mixers are designed to comply with the requirements of the downstream settler, and to fully neutralize acid components. The neutralization is of great importance for the downstream process. The separation columns located after the separators are corrosion protected by the static mixer efficiency. Badly designed mixers result in serious corrosion problems in the downstream columns. More CCR Reformer During regeneration of catalyst reactors the regeneration gas has to be intensively contacted with a caustic water stream before entering the loop trim cooler. A gas-liquid contacting system consisting of a Sulzer SMV™ mixer installed after a liquid distribution nozzle generates flow of fine droplets resulting in large interfacial surface area for most intensive contacting. More Hydroprocessing Unit Sulzer SMV™ static mixers are installed to saturate the hydrocarbons with hydrogen before they enter the catalytic reactor bed. As the consequence, liquid hydrocarbon penetrates the catalyst pores enriched with hydrogen and less by-products are formed in the reaction. After the reactor another SMV™ static mixer washes out the salts formed during the previous hydrogenation reaction and prevent serious damages to downstream equipment by scaling, plugging and corrosion. Scaling could even plug the downstream cooler. More Hydrocracking Unit The vapor effluent flashed-off from the high-pressure (HP) Hydrocracker reactor is mixed with wash water to dissolve ammonium bisulphides (NH4HS) upstream of the HHP off-gas cooler. The purpose of the water wash is to prevent salt deposit built-up on the cooler tubes and the associated corrosion rates. The use of the SMV™ Static Mixer installed after spraying nozzles yields best washing efficiencies of the process stream (HHPS Vapour). More Desulphurization of distillates (sweetening, Merox process) Desulfurization involves the removal of undesirable sulfur compounds from petroleum distillates – such as LPG or Naphtha – by means of a sodium hydroxide solution containing catalyst. More Biodiesel / Bioethanol production BIO-Ethanol and BIO-Diesel production requires static in-line mixing in many process stages. The mash slurry and the chemicals dosed require highly customized solutions. More Other applications Sulzer mixers have been operating successfully in the petroleum industry for many years. They are deployed where different liquid or gaseous media have to be thoroughly mixed together or intensively contacted. More