Heat Exchanger Fouling Monitoring & Cleaning

Application – Digital Twin Case Study

Client Profile
The client - a Globally Responsible Energy & Chemical Major at its Major Manufacturing site
operates integrated key facilities of petrochemical, such as a Naphtha Cracking Center (NCC),
a Condensate Fractionation Unit (CFU), and an aromatics plant, downstream units together.
As part of its continuum Operations Excellence program, the highly integrated site/plant
consistently focusses to achieve competitive advantage through improvement in Energy
Indices and Operation practices by leveraging its existing and emerging Digital
Technologies/Frameworks.

Business Challenge
“Heat exchanger fouling” leads to multiple outcomes in the process industry such as-

• Less energy-efficient use,

• More greenhouse emission and
• Potential production loss when associated heat transfer equipment is heat capacity
limited.

Consistent with above, the Global Major experienced similar operational challenges in its
“Condensate pre-heat exchanger train”. To handle same, the Global Major had a
methodology in-place which was being followed for years! The methodology focus was to
Heat Exchanger Fouling Monitoring & Cleaning
Application – Digital Twin Case Study

identify the best exchanger to clean in the entire pre-heat train and also focus on when to
clean the identified exchanger.

The challenge however was that many times the methodology produced business results as
expected while at other times, the expected business results were not experienced. This
phenomenon was taken in-stride until the new methodology identified the reasons for such
variable experience.

Solution
To address the challenge and enable competitive advantage through operational excellence, EQNX
designed, built and deployed a Digital Twin Application christened EARNER (Economic Analysis of
fouling ReductioN and Energy Recovery). The ECONOMICS based decision enabling application is
powered with a user-report work flow & first fundamental model of unit. The application framework
provides users an economic ranking of cleaning various exchanges of the exchanger train in an
efficient, robust and consistent basis.

HX to
be
cleaned

Coil Inlet Temperature decline

Heat Exchanger Fouling Monitoring & Cleaning
Application – Digital Twin Case Study

Key Benefits
The EARNER Digital Twin application helps the Operations team to achieve -

 Consistent Economics Based Analysis & Decision of prioritization of heat exchanger cleaning
 Cleaning Outcome Consistent with Analysis & Decision
 Economic benefits include :
o Fuel gas savings in the range of X % translating to ~$ Y M savings per year *
o CO2 emission reduction of Z % *

* available on request

For more information, please visit our website:

www.equinoxsoftwareservices.com

Or contact -

deepak.seth@equinnoxsoftwareservices.com
aniruddha.chipalkatty@equinoxsoftwareservices.com