Seven Furnaces. One Chance to Get It Right.
How B&W Energy Services engineered and executed a complex chemical cleaning program for seven large-scale ethane cracking furnaces at a major Southeast Texas petrochemical complex
$0.0B
Total Project Investment
0
Ethane Cracking Furnaces Cleaned
0
Integrated B&W Service Lines
2nd
Major B&W Scope at This Complex
The Challenge: Cleaning Specifications With No Margin for Interpretation
Ethane cracking furnaces are complex systems to prepare for commissioning. Extensive piping and equipment must meet defined cleanliness requirements before startup, and residual construction debris, oils or other contaminants can affect downstream equipment and processes.
Adding to the complexity, the equipment manufacturer’s cleaning specifications were among the most stringent B&W’s engineers had encountered. B&W had already completed a major pre-commissioning scope at the same complex—chemical cleaning and high-velocity oil flushing for two polyethylene production units—and had also executed chemical cleaning on similar furnace designs on other recent projects.
Key Pre-Commissioning Challenges
- Manufacturer cleaning specifications required strict compliance to support equipment acceptance and startup requirements
- Seven furnaces required coordinated cleaning sequences with precise timing to avoid cross-contamination between units
- Raw water on-site required treatment to produce demineralized water of the right purity for both cleaning circuits and hydrotesting
- Waste effluent generated by the program couldn’t be discharged on-site, so the job required full containment and coordinated off-site disposal
- The program’s scale demanded simultaneous engineering oversight and field execution without compromising either
B&W’s Role: End-to-End Engineering and Field Execution
The scope for the ethane cracker unit was unusually comprehensive. B&W’s in-house engineering team:
- Developed the cleaning procedures and execution plan to meet the manufacturer’s cleaning specifications
- Managed onsite demineralized water production and waste effluent handling
- Took responsibility for waste effluent containment and disposal alongside the core chemical cleaning execution
Why B&W Was Selected
The client needed more than a cleaning contractor. They needed a partner who could:
- Engineer a custom cleaning program to meet the equipment manufacturer’s exact specifications
- Produce and store demineralized water on-site from the raw water supply
- Contain and manage all waste effluent through to compliant offsite disposal
- Coordinate simultaneous cleaning of seven furnaces without cross-contamination risk
- Bring an established relationship and proven performance from the prior scope at the same complex and other similar projects
Project Quick Facts
Location:
Southeast Texas
Industry:
Petrochemical
Unit:
Ethane Cracking Furnaces
Furnaces Cleaned:
7
Services:
Chemical Cleaning, Water Treatment, Waste Management, Engineering
Total Project Value:
$8.5 Billion
Relationship:
Repeat client (second major scope at this complex)
“Having already completed a major scope at the complex gave our team a strong understanding of the facility and the client’s expectations. The furnace cleaning program presented a different set of technical challenges, and our engineering and field teams worked together to develop an execution plan around those requirements.”
— Chris Oakley, President
Deep Dive: Services Deployed at the Ethane Cracker Unit
Chemical Cleaning
B&W developed and executed a custom chemical cleaning program for all seven ethane cracking furnaces, specifically formulated to meet the equipment manufacturer’s stringent cleanliness requirements. Chemistry, concentration, temperature and contact time were engineered for this application, not adapted from a generic protocol.
On-Site Water Treatment
Chemical cleaning and hydrotesting at this scale requires large volumes of demineralized water—water of a purity that raw site supply can’t provide. B&W engineered and operated an on-site water treatment system capable of producing and storing demineralized water required throughout the cleaning and hydrotesting program.
Waste Effluent Containment & Disposal
Chemical cleaning generates waste effluent that can’t be discharged on-site. B&W took full ownership of that obligation, containing all waste generated by the cleaning program and coordinating compliant off-site disposal.
Pre-Commissioning Engineering
B&W’s engineering team was responsible for developing the cleaning program and execution plan, not just its field execution. Cleaning procedures, water treatment design, sequencing logic and waste management planning were developed in-house, providing a single engineering team accountable for how each element of the program worked together.
Supporting Successful Startup
Successful pre-commissioning required each furnace system to meet the specified cleanliness requirements before turnover and startup. By integrating chemical cleaning, water treatment, waste management and engineering under a single scope, B&W helped reduce interfaces and provide the client with clear accountability throughout execution.
A Complex Scope With A Single Accountable Partner
Complex pre-commissioning programs often require much more than cleaning alone. By integrating engineering, onsite water treatment, waste management and field execution, B&W provides a single point of accountability from planning through completion.
Talk with B&W about your next petrochemical pre-commissioning project.
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