Refining

Corrosion Control Programs

Refinery-wide capacity constraints and lost availability due to corrosion can be very detrimental to refinery profitability^[1]. Energy, maintenance, capital expenditure and lost product revenues are some of the cost elements which can be increased as a result of corrosion. Integrity losses due to corrosion can also result in safety violations. Baker Hughes works closely with refiners to provide corrosion control programs that minimize the impacts of naphthenic acid corrosion and overhead corrosion on your operations to improve safety, increase feedstock flexibility and reduce total cost of operations.

SMARTGUARD Naphthenic Acid Corrosion Control Program

The SMARTGUARD Program has been developed by Baker Hughes to help refiners control high temperature naphthenic acid corrosion and thus profit from processing higher TAN crude blends. Baker Hughes's experienced metallurgists and corrosion experts perform unit risk assessments and use advanced evaluation techniques to identify high-risk areas in the unit.

The SMARTGUARD Program then establishes processing protocols to set stream TAN control limits, targets effective monitoring services and mitigation efforts, and optimizes the application of patented low-phosphorous SMARTGUARD™ corrosion inhibitors. With innovative mobile monitoring, Baker Hughes's SMARTGUARD Program enables real time, non-intrusive, in situ measurement of corrosion activity on system equipment in targeted high risk areas.

SMARTGUARD Program Performance

High acid crudes have the potential of significant economic benefits for refiners, but realizing these benefits requires overcoming the negative impacts of the crudes on product yields and quality and on reliability. Baker Hughes's SMARTGUARD Program helps ensure that refiners are able to take full advantage of such economic opportunities while minimizing the total cost of running these crudes. The SMARTGUARD Program protects critical refinery equipment from high temperature corrosion, reduces the risks refiners face in safely processing high-acid crudes, and provides greater flexibility to profit from running a higher percentage of discounted opportunity crudes.

SMARTGUARD Program Benefits

• Increase safety of operations
• Run higher TAN crude blends
• Avoid costly corrosion failures
• More flexibility in crude oil selection
• Maintain equipment reliability
• Reduce maintenance costs

Contact Baker Hughes today to find out how your refinery can use the SMARTGUARD Program to confidently and safely increase the TAN of crudes blends processed.

TOPGUARD Overhead Corrosion Control Program

Gone are the days of sweet crudes and simple solutions for overhead corrosion control. With declining crude quality and the high profit potential of opportunity crudes, refiners now face a difficult balancing act: determining the optimum combination of crude blends, unit operations, corrosion control programs and unit maintenance to achieve the greatest ROI. Baker Hughes's TOPGUARD Overhead Corrosion Control Program is a comprehensive, engineering-based approach to safely manage increased overhead corrosion potential.

The first step in designing a corrosion control program is a detailed root cause analysis to define the problem. The Ionic Model is a comprehensive and robust simulation technology that provides critical insight into the phase behavior that leads to corrosion. Using our proprietary thermodynamic database and over a decade of application experience, Baker Hughes experts can predict specific outcomes for your refinery, your crude blends, and your operating conditions. With the Ionic Model we can:

• Determine potential causes of corrosion and the specific conditions under which it will occur.

• Identify potential sites of corrosion in overhead systems, towers, pumparounds/side draws and more. We can know not only when corrosion can occur, but where.

• Evaluate potential mitigation options. With the Model, our experts can define optimal operating conditions, customize neutralizers, establish maximum allowable contaminant limits, specify water wash requirements and more.

• Predict the impact of changes. You can know in advance the effects of variations in crude slates, operating conditions, contaminant levels and water wash rates.

Only the Baker Petrolite Ionic Model and our experience can give you information of this caliber. Together we'll have everything we need to customize a total corrosion control program for your refinery and your profit objectives.

Baker Hughes has developed a series of TOPGUARD™ Corrosion Inhibitors and Neutralizers that have been designed specifically to address the increased corrosion potential that occurs with more challenging opportunity crude oils.  Advanced technology is applied to monitor the equipment and ensure that corrosion is successfully managed. The TOPGUARD Program provides ongoing support with the Ionic Model Field Monitor that allows prompt evaluation and response to any changes in corrosion risk as unit conditions vary.

TOPGUARD Program Benefits

• Ensure integrity and safety of your operations
• Increase refinery profitability
  • Improve process reliability
  • Increase capacity utilization
  • Increase feedstock flexibility
  • Reduce maintenance costs
  • Extend equipment life

Contact Baker Hughes today to find out how your refinery can use the TOPGUARD Program to predict and control the corrosive impact of specific crude blends and operating conditions. 

 SMARTGUARD and TOPGUARD are trademarks of Baker Hughes Incorporated

^[1] Cost of corrosion in refining worldwide ranges from $0.16/bbl to $1.96/bbl - with a mid range cost of $0.85/bbl Source: NACE Task Group