Diagnosis of the heat-engineering properties of petrochemical plant equipment

Abstract

Problems in diagnosing the heat-engineering properties of oil refineries and petrochemical plants anda methodological approach to evaluating the thermal resistance of containment structures and heat losses based on imaging surveys are examined.Heat losses through containment structures in the systems and units in oil refineries and petrochemical plants can add up to tens of megawatts. As energy becomes more expensive, reducing heat losses is becoming one of the most important factors in the economic effectiveness of the plant. Timely and objective diagnosis of the heat-engineering state of equipment based on methods of mathematical modeling allows evaluating the quantitative level and localizing heat losses in the system.The purpose of diagnosis is to determine the actual appearance of an abnormal situation, which can be represented as the quality vector going outside of the limits of the acceptable region [1]. The parameters (temperature and pressure of working media in certain reactor zones, towers, or in a concrete section of pipeline; amount of thermal energy at the furnace outlet, etc.) whose observation determines the quality of operation of the examined system can be components of the quality vector. In diagnostic problems, it is important to not only determine the fact, but also the cause and localization of the abnormal situation. Direct measurement of these parameters, i.e., equipment diagnosis, is possible in favorable conditions.In most cases, the complexity and extent of the objects does not allow direct equipment diagnosis of the state of the equipment. In such cases, it is only possible to determine the actual appearance and evaluate the