Econotherm secures contract at Rotterdam refinery

The project, which is being undertaken by the refiner as part of its overall GHG reduction initiatives, will entail the implementation of Econotherm’s proprietary heat pipe heat exchanger (HPHE) technology, and represents the single largest order received to date since Econotherm’s founding in 2007.

The project is expected to be executed through 2026 and 2027 with engineering and heat pipe manufacturing from Econotherm’s Bridgend fabrication shop and final assembly of the equipment within the Netherlands.

This latest contract brings the total number of Econotherm air pre-heaters in the customer’s global refining portfolio to seven and are the first heat pipe-based units to be implemented within a European refinery. The combined duty of the 3 units is 21.9 MW which on a 24/7 utilisation represents a GHG reduction of 35 126 tpy of CO₂ equivalent (CO2e). At EU CTS price of €72.96/tCO₂e, this is equivalent to €2 562 792/yr of carbon credits.

The main selection criteria was the ability to avoid acid condensation given that the refinery will be switching from natural gas to low joule gas in the next few years. Additional selection criteria included a heat exchanger type that is not prone to single tube or plate failure, thereby reducing maintenance requirements and process outages.

“This latest contract demonstrates how refiners are turning to new technologies that can meet their technical requirements while offering additional advantages over the well-established equipment types,” said Warren Chung, Global Product Director of Econotherm.

Mark Boocock, Chairman of Econotherm, added: “Econotherm’s close cooperation with petroleum refineries has resulted in HPHEs being recognised as a valid technology type in API Standard 560 – Fired Heaters for General Refinery Service, which is a major development.”

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/refining/16012026/econotherm-secures-contract-at-rotterdam-refinery/