Thermal Design, CFD Modelling and Experimental Validation of Multiple Cemented Steam Tracers for Refinery Applications

Abstract

Oil and gas sector is the backbone of mechanical industry. The products of oil and Gas industries are very much profitable on high volumes. The increasing prices of fossil Fuels are the best examples of our dependency on oil and gas sector. The increasing demand of fuels and limited resources forcing the industry for the efficient extraction process. The extraction of crude oil beneath the sea requires some processing for further use. The refineries are the places where the purification of crude oil is done to make it usable. In this modern era industry is looking for more efficient and maximum extraction from crude oil. During extraction crude oil has to go through many reactions. The temperatures of reactions are very high somewhere to one thousands to some hundreds. In winter ambient conditions are having very low temperatures. So considering temperatures the gradient is very high. The temperature gradient leads to heat loss which results into temperature drop of fluid. Some fluids are having very high pour point so it has to maintain its temperature above pour point otherwise it ends with solidification. Solidification causes the clotting of pipelines. Clotting is inevitable phenomenon. The solution to above problem is to reduce the heat loss. Thus loss reduction cannot be possible beyond certain limit with use of insulation. Steam tracing is the concept in which steam is used as a source to cater the heat loss. The project is all about designing, analysis and testing of steam tracers.