Patent ID: 8671003

Claim:
A system for predicting the rate of deterioration in one or more items of process equipment, which system comprises: (a) a first item of process equipment, which first item of process equipment is adapted to receive an inlet stream comprising a feedstock or derivative thereof, and to discharge one or more outlet streams, which one or more outlet streams can optionally be fed to said first item of process equipment, which first item of process equipment is subject to deterioration by one or more deterioration mechanisms; (b) a data processor adapted to receive values of more than one property of the feedstock, and adapted to calculate predicted rates of deterioration by the one or more deterioration mechanisms for the first item of process equipment from the values of more than one of the feedstock properties, which data processor is additionally adapted to provide an output comprising information relating to the predicted rates of deterioration by the one or more deterioration mechanisms for the first item of process equipment, wherein the data processor is a programmed computer and comprises at least one rate model for said first item of process equipment; in which the output comprises the predicted rate of deterioration and/or the predicted lifetime of said first item of process equipment for at least one deterioration mechanism, or the lowest calculated predicted lifetime and/or rate of deterioration for said first item of process equipment; and wherein the data processor comprises or is adapted to receive a depreciation value for said first item of process equipment, and the output additionally comprises a predicted rate of depreciation for said first item of process equipment.