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A crude column that suffered from extensive corrosion of both the cylindrical shell and the complete top dome had to be either replaced with a new dome of refurbished with corrosion protection solution devleoped for usage insitu and the the particaular process parameters inside the crude column.
Minor changes of the process in a crude column have initiated an aggresive corrosion of the pressure retaining caron steel shell. The actual thickness of the columns base material was close to t-minimum. NDE inspections and actual corrosion rates indicated that the column will be below t-min after 24 months of operations (next outage). Actions needed to be taken to either replace the complete top dome with a new one with upgraded corrosion protection alternativly repair and refrubish the top dome with Uddcombs technology for a permanent corrosion protection solution.
After a technical evaluation and comparison of: 1. Costs for replacement of the complete crude column top dome 2. Technical risks for replacement insitu 3. Time (lost days of production) The choice was to repair and refurbish the crude column top dome with. The cylindrical shell was refurbished with The Uddcomb Method and Uddcomb used a horisontal weld overlay method for the top dome.
1. Huge savings of costs compared to replacement and manufacturing of a new top dome. 2. Possibility to customize a permanent corrosion protection solution for the actual case and for the updated process parameters inside the column (choice of filler material, etc) 3. The weld overlay project was done within the actual time frame for the maintenance turnaround of the refinery - No lost days of production, 4. The life of the current production asset (column) could be extended without any replacement. Less manufacturing of huge steel components = Less CO2 emissions.