The simplicity provides a cost-effective means to combat expensive plant design and maintenance issues. This is a win-win situation for both the industry and environment. Crude oil fouling costs the refining industry billions of dollars in extra energy use per year with serious environmental implications. Under the guidance of an International Working Party of oil companies and mitigation technology suppliers, led by a group of refiners representing some 70 percent of world refining capacity, ESDU has developed a practical user guide enabling process engineers to review the impact of process conditions on heat exchanger fouling in crude distillation units. The user guide is supported by software programs incorporating fouling threshold curves based on the crude oil model.
Users can specify their own fouling parameters or use default values contained in the software.
The user is shown graphically the relationship between fouling and operation. A team of international experts validates ESDU methodology. Only after the team unanimously approves data is it released for general distribution, producing a validated and trustworthy engineering design tool. For 60 years, ESDU has consulted with international committees drawn from industry experts, consultants and eminent academics. ESDU is unique in funding the work and research of the committees and making the results available for all.