Refineries
Overview
Refineries can be thought of as large chemical process plants where crude oil is transformed and refined into more useful products such as gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, jet fuel and liquified petroleum gas. The refinery contains an extensive network of fluid processes, vessels and piping requiring relief for overpressure conditions.
Separators
An oil/gas separator is a pressure vessel used for separating a well stream into gaseous and liquid components. They are installed either in an onshore processing station or on an offshore platform. Installation of a rupture disk will, often in tandem with a pressure relief valve, provide over-pressure protection.
Distillation Towers
Distillation towers are industrial fractioning columns used in oil and gas refining as a petroleum separation technology. Rupture disks are added to the distillation column in the event of an over-pressure situation due to an uncontrolled reaction.
Coking Drums
A coker unit is an oil refinery processing unit that converts the residual oil from the vacuum distillation column into low molecular weight hydrocarbon gases, naphtha, light and heavy gas oils, and petroleum coke. At extremely high thermal cracking temperature of about 480 °C, rupture disks from ZOOK provide over-pressure protection.
Pump & Valve Protection
Throughout the refining process, petroleum and biproducts are moved throughout the refinery using a variety of pumping technologies. If there is blockage on the discharge side of the pump, typically due to a failed or closed valve, a rupture disk will release the excess backpressure and prevent permanent damage to the pump, as well as other components of the fluidic system.
Safety Relief Valve Isolation
A safety relief valve automatically releases pressure from a boiler, pressure vessel or other pressure system when the pressure exceeds pre-set limits. A rupture disk is an excellent solution for isolating the pressure relief valve from power plants when the process fluid is highly corrosive to the safety relief valves internal components (trim). By installing a rupture disk fabricated from special alloy rather than the valve trim will dramatically reduce the cost of the safety relief valve. In addition, using a rupture disk in combination with a safety relief valve provides zero process leakage, the release of fugitive emissions and allows in-situ testing of the safety relief valve and extends the working life of the safety relief valve.
Applications
| Recommended Products | Separators | Distillation Towers | Coking Drums | Pump & Valve Protection | Safety Relief Valve Isolations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reverse Acting Disks RA4 RA6 RA8 RAX | |||||
| Forward Acting Disks ARD D FAX FDZ PB | |||||
| Graphite Disks Mono Duplex FS Inverted | |||||
| Ultra-Low & Bi-Directional Disks Z-VAC/Z-POS | |||||
| Sanitary Disks RAUS RLPS SD | |||||
| Screw Type Holders | |||||
| Union Type Holders | |||||
| Burst Sensors & Indicators |