Hi All,

Could you please clarify me some issues. We will be using HFO for our some process unit and during operation HFO tanks and the pipings are heated by steam. My question is, do I need to consider still steam usage to heat HFO if the plant shut down for some days?

thanks
BlueTigers

Hello everybody:

Yes bluetigers, otherwise the clogging of valves, pumps, small diameter pipes, filter elements, etc., will be an unavoidable problem when the process starts again.

In addition to the steam heating during the down time, it would be advisable to perform some kind of continuous circulation of the HFO in the system.

absolutely right what 21121956 has said.

Alternatively you could work with heat tracing instead of steam when steam is not always available, but in this case you need to double your system (steam and heat tracing)
and the continous circulation is necessary anyway.  

You can maintain the temperature of the HFO in the piping with (I assumed it was electric) heat tracing, but you will still have to have something to heat the oil in the storage tank in the vicinity of the pump suction in order to get flow up again when you restart.  I suspect you have some type of bayonet heater there in the tank for that purpose now and you will have to have something equivalent to be able to start up again.  Any chance of getting up on light oil and then switching to HFO when your HFO oil system is up to speed?

rmw