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Failure On Heater Treater Tubes - Case Study

Heater Treaters are designed for the removal of emulsifies and unwanted salts from crude oil. They purpose is to facilitate the oil and water separation by breaking emulsions by means of increasing the temperature of the oil, reducing its density and viscosity. A heater treater is a 3-phase separator vessel, equipped with fire tubes, that utilizes heat and mechanical separation devices to facilitate the separation of oil-water emulsions.

Product Number: 51322-17586-SG
Author: Roxanna Alvarez
Publication Date: 2022
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Heater Treaters are designed for the removal of emulsifies and unwanted salts from crude oil. This paper will discuss a case study completed on two heater treaters that exhibited premature failure after 8 months in service, involving an extensive fire with a subsequent loss of production.
Multiple cracking on the mitrated elbow welds, on the flanges to shell circumferential weld and a collapsed tube were observed in the heating section, after the treater went out of service. Visual inspection, metallurgical analysis, physicochemical analysis of the formation water, corrosion deposits analysis and stress analysis were completed to identify the root cause of the failure. Results indicated that the accumulation of deposits from the reservoir water and a low level of crude oil due to the reduction in production caused high thermal cyclic stresses on critical welded areas in addition to a localized overheating on the collapsed tube.

Heater Treaters are designed for the removal of emulsifies and unwanted salts from crude oil. This paper will discuss a case study completed on two heater treaters that exhibited premature failure after 8 months in service, involving an extensive fire with a subsequent loss of production.
Multiple cracking on the mitrated elbow welds, on the flanges to shell circumferential weld and a collapsed tube were observed in the heating section, after the treater went out of service. Visual inspection, metallurgical analysis, physicochemical analysis of the formation water, corrosion deposits analysis and stress analysis were completed to identify the root cause of the failure. Results indicated that the accumulation of deposits from the reservoir water and a low level of crude oil due to the reduction in production caused high thermal cyclic stresses on critical welded areas in addition to a localized overheating on the collapsed tube.

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