ESL-IE-81-04-02

"SANDJET - A NEW ALTERNATIVE FOR CLEANING FURNACE TUBES"

Charles B. Pollock
Union Carbide Industrial Services Company
Houston, Texas .

ABSTRACT
Energy management in modern refineries is be
coming more difficult as the real cost of in-house
and purchased fuel escalates and the quality of
feedstocks decreases. Furnace tube maintenance has
been made more complex by the presence of not only
coke but extensive inorganic deposits while the de
mands of efficient fuel utilization reauire supe
rior results from decoking procedures. Union Car
bide Industrial Services Co., (UCISCO), is continu
ing the development of its proprietary "SANDJET"
system that removes coke as well as other inorganic
deposits efficiently and rapidly. The procedure
features computerized job plannin9 and control in
order to assure accurate estimates of cost and the
proper selection of cleaning parameters and mate
rials. Energy saving benefits of the process have
recently become obvious and case studies summari
zing these results are discussed.
A description of the newly developed job con
trols and a brief summary of recent experiences in
the field will be described in this paper.
INTRODUCTION
----Fired heaters are an integral part of all refineries
and their proper operation and maintenance is
required for ecomomic and safe operations. The
refining industry is engaged in a two-pronged cam
paign to become more competitive by converting more
of the average barrel to distillate material and
concurrently to process crudes that are decreasin9
in API gravity and increasing in sulfur content.
The successful implementation of these extremely
important trends will extend the nation's crude oil
supplies by using more of it for applications that
cannot be easily and economically performed by coal
and other energy sources. The environmental state
of the country will be improved by the removal of
sulfur from the refined product rather than allowing
it to be released into the air as residual fuels
are burned. However, the economic success of this
effort 1s highly dependent upon the efficient op
eration of the modern refinery.
Union Carbide Industrial Services Co., (UCISCO), a
subsidiary of Union Carbide Corporation has been
developing and standardizing the Sandjet furnace
cleaninq system [lJ for several years in order to
respond to the rapidly increasing needs of the
fired heater maintenance market. The improved

procedure now features a computerized model that'

first of all assists the Sales Engineer in rapid
and accurate job planning. Secondly the data de
rived from the model provides guidance to the
operations supervisor in the set-up and conduct of
the job and finally, criteria for a clean furnace.
During the past two years certain advantages of the
Sandjet system over competing decoking techniques
have become apparent. Recent results have indi
cated trends that predict substantial energy sa
vings derived from the successful application of
Sandjet cleaning. We will also discuss factors
that might lead to significantly longer tube life
than is presently the case and finally a few pre
liminary results that demonstrate the possibility
of extending the normal operation cycle.
"SANDJET CLEANING"
The Sandjet system consists of propelling a co
mingled stream of a cleaning material and an inert
carrier gas under controlled conditions of velocity
and pressure through a single pass of a fired
heater. The proper selection of cleaning material
and velocity is the key to the efficient removal
of coke and other inorganic material from the
heater pass. The controlled, high velocity clean
ing media impinge on deposits on the furnace wall
at a very slight angle, however the presence of
thousands of oarticles and the resultant millions
of coll isions' cause the removal of undesirable
deposits. The multitude of impacts shatter or
break up the undesirable deposits and cause them
to fall into the carrier gas stream for removal.
Typically a furnace pass can be cleaned with 45 to
90 minutes of cleaning time. Cleaning time is
defined as the time that cleaning material is al
lowed to enter the carrier gas stream. At the
completion of the cleaning cycle, the carrier gas
continues to flow for several minutes until the
clean~ng material and debris clear the furnace.
The UCISCO technician controls the process by moni
toring the cleaning material feed rate, propellant
gas feed rate, furnace inlet pressure, and the
primary pumper pressure and Sandjet pot pressure.
Requirements for type and amount of cleaning ma
terial, carrier gas rate and process pressures are
listed for each job on a computer run sheet. The
operator initiates each job by performing a flow

Proceedings from the Third Industrial Energy Technology Conference Houston, TX, April 26-29, 1981

ESL-IE-81-04-02

test to determine if the pass is open and to

measure the initial back-pressure at a given system
pressure. If the results of the flow test fall
within the criteria established in pre-job planning,
he establishes the prescribed Sandjet cleaning
parameters and proceeds to clean the furnace. The
furnace tubes are clean when the furnace pressure
stabilizes at a predetermined theoretical pressure
drop and the effluent appears to be clear.

The calculation is performed for clean and coke~

furnaces and results are used as planning guide
by our technical representatives and for process
control by our highly trained operations techni L
cians. The furnace model is stored ina central'
computer and each job is planned and contro11edi by
performing the required calculations at termina~s
strategically placed at all divisional location?
i

Typically, furnace data acquired from the custo~er

plant personnel will be inputed into the termin~l
by the UCISCO technical representative and feas~
bi1ity calculations made. The Operations personnel
then use the results of this exercise to plan and
execute the job. Additionally, all data from these
jobs is entered into a companion statistical prb
gram that allows us to develop an experience ba~e
easily accessible through our computer network ~o
partially compensate for the wide differences ob
served in fired heaters, This data is prOVing to
be one of our most powerful tools because of th~
vast differences observed in fired heaters.
:

"SANDJET" SYSTEM FURNACE MODEL

In order for the Sandjet system to be effective, a
number of factors must be cons i dered and contra 11 ed.
In a typical refinery hea ter, lower temperature
feed enters the convective section, and the heated
material exists through the radiant section. For
those operations in which coking or other scale
buildups occur, the degree of severity of those
buildups is proportional to residence time in the
furnace. In other words, the maximum amount of
coke will occur in the radiant tubes (or in some
cases, in the roof tubes where the material to be
processed is exposed to both radiant and convective
heating) toward the exit end of the furnace. For
optimum results, the Sandjet system should be set
up in the same manner as the process fluid flow.
The maximum cleaning conditions are set for the
region of maximum deposit thickness. Development
programs at our test facilities have established
ootimumc1eaning materials and parameters for re
finery fired heaters [1 ]

More recently we have developed a theoretical model

based on a fluid flow equation that describes the
movement of the co~ing1ed cleaning stream through
a typical furnace. This model was placed on our
central computer after a suitable test period.
Each division and location has access to this new
tool through locally available terminals. A typi
cal eQuation [2J used to model furnace tubes is:
2V1 FLP + P 2
1
2
144g DA 2

cross sectional area of furnace tube (ft2)

i nterna 1 di ameter of the furnace tube (ft2)

F
g

friction factor in Darcy equation

acceleration of gravity (ft/sec 2 )

equivalent length of furnace tubing (ft)

P1
V1
W

ENERGY CONSERVATION
The Sandjet furnace cleaning system has proven ~o
be a viable option to traditional cleaning methbds
because it is performed quickly with reduced do~n
time and predictable results. Energy conservat,:on
advantages that accrue to refineries have become
apparent in the past two years. These direct '
energy savings are from more complete cleaning of
furnace tub~s and the resultant lengthening of I
service cycles and tube life.
I

(1 )

where P1
A

i
i

The furnace model and assoclated controls have I

allowed us to standardize and control our cleanH1'n g
techniques worldwide through a computer network.
The high degree of reliability and reproductivity
that we now observe is in large part directly .
attributable to this improvement. The data that
we collected from cleaning approximately 300
furnaces adds another very positive dimension to
the Sandjet system.

Process heaters are used to add, heat to hydro- I

carbon feedstocks and in normal operations this
increase in temperature will frequently cause a
layer of carbonaceous and other material to deppsit
on the tube wall. The type and amount of undesrr
able deposits depend on many factors including
type of service, feedstock and process re1iabil'ty.
Clearly, furnaces in thermal service (i.e. cok~rs
and visbreakers) coke much more rapidly than dq
reformers. S'imilarly, processes designed to remove
sulfur not only coke but also deposit various s 1
fides. In recent years the trend toward heavie
crude oils with higher sulfur levels have accented
the coking, scaling problem. In addition, as mbre
of the heavier bottoms are processed into the
distillate range, the inorganic deposits will
become more of a problem, Finally, coking and I
other types of furnace deposits become instant I
crisis during process upsets (i ,e. the loss of!
a charge pump, loss of a desalter).
.

the furnace tube inlet pressure (PSIA)

furnace tube outlet pressure (PSIA)

specific volume of inlet nitrogen (ft3 I1b )
rate of nitrogen flow (lb/sec)

This equation and similar calculations allow us to

calculate pressure drops and associated velocities
in all furnaces cleaned by the Sandjet system,

Steam-air decoking is the most common technique

employed in furnace cleaning in the United States.

Proceedings from the Third Industrial Energy Technology Conference Houston, TX, April 26-29, 1981

15

ESL-IE-81-04-02

The reaction in which oxygen combines with carbon

to form carbon dioxide (C02) is a very efficient
way of removing carbonaceous material. Since it
is highly exothermic, steam is added to quench the
reaction. The effect of the quenching is to drive
the equilibrium toward the carbon plus oxygen to
carbon monoxide reaction. This attempt at balan
cing will in some cases leave deposits of carbon,
particularly in the lower temperature regions like
the convective sections. An additional problem is
that oxide scale does not burn.

system. As previously mentioned, the process can

be equated to in-place shot peening or internal
stress relieving. This stress relieving operation
leaves the furnace tube in the lowest possible
energy state. When the furnace is then brought
onstream to heat fluids, the coking phenomena is
slowed or delayed because of the lower energy
state of the tube surface. In one midwest refi
nery the normally observed stack gas temperature
increase was delayed for aporoximately two months
and the rate of increase was somewhat slower after
Sandjet cleaning. Two subsequent Sandjet cycles
have verified this trend. The resulting increase
in service cycle might be due to other factors,
however the only common difference was Sandjet
decoking of the unit.

Other decoking or cleaning techniques include tur

bining and hydroblasting that do not discriminate
between carbonaceous and inorganic deposits,
however, they are extremely time consuming in that
individual access to each tube is required because
they are line-of-sight methods. Finally, chemical
cleaning can be employed in those instances where
the deposits can be leached with acids. In general,
this technique is also time consuming because it is
a multi-step PrOcess and disposal of residue is
becoming more of an issue.

I would now like to discuss a few other case

studies that reinforce the energy conservation
trend.
CASE STUDIES
At a southwest Texas refinery two vacuum furnaces
and two atmospheric charge heaters were steam-air
decoked. The sets of furnaces were essentially
identical in design, operation and maintenance
history. One each of the vacuum and the atmos
pheric charge heaters were descaled by Sandjet
cleaning after the steam-air decoking operation.
After start-up, fuel savings of 1 to 3% were
calculated from fuel gas meter data and furnace
efficiency data. Additionally, stack gas tempera
tures on the Sandjet treated furnaces were on the
average 75F lower than the other heaters after
more than six months of operation. Pay back
periods ranged from 5 to 15 months for the Sandjet
service.

Sandjet is a Union Carbide cleaning system that

causes the removal of deposits by fracturing and
then entraining the residue in the gas stream.
Therefore, it does not discriminate between coke
and other deposits. In properly planned and
controlled decokings, the cleaning conditions are
placed in areas of maximum coke and inorganic
deposits. The technique normally reduces down time
in that little furnace preparation is required and
complete passes are cleaned in series. The stan
dard cleaning material, steel shot, does not affect
the integrity of the furnace tubes and as a matter
of fact it may even stress relieve the interior
surface of tube walls. Shot peening is normally
considered to be a superficial stress relieving
technique and Sandjet cleaning can be considered
to be analogous to in-place shot peening.

A midwest refinery was operating a hydrotreater

that scaled so badly, throughput was limited to
55% of design. The alternative was a complex,
very time consuming and expensive multi-stage
chemical clea~,illg, steam spalling operation.
Sandjet cleaning was uscd to increase the thermal
efficiency of this unit,y 5% and permit product
flow to return to designonditions.

Steam-air decoking previously described involves

the exothermic reaction of oxygen and carbon to C02
and CO. The operation is conducted infrequently by
operators whose chief means of control is varying
the steam-air ratio. Reaction completion may be
monitored by observing the flame front or with the
aid of oxygen monitors at the furnace outlet. In
the best of situations, thermal wear must occur in
that carbon is completely stripped from the surface
including the exposed grain boundaries and surface
defects. In the worst case, severe overheating
occurs causing sagging, bulging or the complete
meltdown of the tube. In many cases, the use of
steam-air decoking is the determining factor in
tube 1ife.

A European refinery had beef, operating a large

vacuum heater for seven years with frequent tube
ruptures caused by hot spots. The quality of
crude oil being processed caused the extensive
development of scale buildups leading to hot spots.
The furnace was cleaned with the Sandjet system
and the constant process delays caused by tube
ruptures have disappeared. Additional y, the
stack gas temperature has been maintained in the
design range for the first time in years. The
furnace had been turbined but this alternative
was not effective in preventing the accumulation
of hot spots.

In contrast, Sandjet cleaning consists of control

1ed phys i ca 1 remova 1 of depos its wi th 1i ttl e or no
wear on the tube. In cases where corrosion is not
a factor, tube metallurgical requirements could
possibly be relaxed with substitution of Sandjet
cleaning for steam-air decoking. The substantial
savings of material and labor can be translated
directly into improved operating efficiencies.

A large Houston area refinery was operating a unit

that contained a depos't that was 75% non-combus
tible. The heater was Sandjet cleaned in one day
with a fuel savings in excess of 560,000 per year.
The alternative in this case was retubing with its
extensive cost and time delays.

Finally, I must comment on the possibility of ex

tending service cycles with use of the Sandjet

Proceedings from the Third Industrial Energy Technology Conference Houston, TX, April 26-29, 1981

16

ESL-IE-81-04-02

The Sandjet furnace cleaning system is a relia~le,

safe and efficient means of cleaning process i
heaters in those cases where it is suitable. nhe
newly developed computer modeling capability
provides the customer with a rapid, accurate e~ti
mate of: 1) the heater's suitability for the!
process, 2) the cost, and 3) the time required ~or
the job. The benefits of Sandjet cleaning in time
savings, tube 1He extension, lengthening of .
operation cycle and energy conservation are be-I
coming more obvious to the industry with each
successful decoking.

CONCLUSIONS
The common trend in these cases and many others is
that conventional techniques do not completely
clean furnaces. The Sandjet removal of coke and
other deposits cause immediately observable lower
stack gas temperature and fuel flow as well as the
elimination of scale buildups. The scale deposits
not only restrict flow but cause hot spots. Hot
spots and steam-air decoking are the major cause
of tube failure and therefore the limit on tube
life. Additionally, the use of Sandjet cleaning
shot peens the interior surface of furnace tubes
leaving them in a reduced energy state. Prelimi
nary evidence indicates that the advent of coking
is delayed and the initial rate of coking is
somewhat slower than that observed after steam-air
decoking. The result is a few weeks or perhaps
months of additional service life between
maintenance and reduced energy cost.

References
[lJ W. A. Woodburn, Nicholas Basta, Union Carb"de
Industrial Services Co., "New Developmentsl In
"Sandjet" Cl eaning For Furnace Tubes," prel
sented at the NPRA Annual Meeting, Februar~
1979, San Francisco, Cal.
[2J Crane Co., Flow Of Fluids Through Valves,

Fittings, And Pipes, technical paper no. 4~O,

1976, pps. 1-8.

Proceedings from the Third Industrial Energy Technology Conference Houston, TX, April 26-29, 1981

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