thermal adjustments, while they may temporarily mitigate the problem, are palliative solutions with high operating cost and associated risk, without eliminating the root cause of the phenomenon. On the contrary, effective management requires a preventive approach focused on controlling the system’s chloride balance. In this context, the selection of the catalyst emerges as a critical variable, capable of directly influencing the availability of chlorinated species. Conclusion The comparison between both operating periods shows that eliminating internal chloride sources not only prevents salt for- mation, but also restores process efficiency, improves product quality, and significantly reduces operating costs. This case shows that salt formation in FCC units is a preventable and controllable phenomenon, provided that an integrated strat- egy based on identifying and managing its sources is adopted. References 1 Sadeghbeigi, R. (2012). Fluid Catalytic Cracking Handbook: An Expert Guide to the Practical Operation, Design, and Optimization of FCC Units. 4th ed., Elsevier. 2 Gary, J. H.; Handwerk, G. E.; Kaiser, M. J. (2007). Petroleum Refining: Technology and Economics . 5th ed., CRC Press. 3 Watkins, R. N. (1979). Petroleum Refinery Distillation . 2nd ed., Gulf Publishing. 4 Martin, D. O. (2001). Preventing salt fouling in FCC main fractionators. Digital Refining . 5 Petersen, P. R.; et al. (2001). Impact of ammonium chloride salt depo- sition on refinery operations. Corrosion 2001, NACE International.
6 Al-Dabbagh, A.; et al. (2005). Ammonium chloride corrosion in refin - ery overhead systems. Materials Performance, NACE. 7 Turnbull, A. (1993). Corrosion and deposition in refinery overhead sys - tems. Corrosion Science. 8 Nelson, W. L. (1985). Petroleum Refinery Engineering. 4th ed., McGraw-Hill. Adilson Cavalheiro Borges Gutierres is a senior technical consultant at FCCSA, where he provides technical support to FCC units across South America. He holds a degree in chemical engineering and a Master’s in
materials science and engineering. Email: adilsongutierres@fccsa.com.br
Carlos Alberto Rivera Corredor is a process engineer at Ecopetrol with more than eight years of experience in refining and petrochemicals, working at the Barrancabermeja Refinery, Colombia, He holds degrees in chemical engineering and petroleum engineering from the National University of Colombia and an MSc in energy and processes from IFP School, France. Email: carlosal.riveraco@ecopetrol.com.co Manuel Julian Ardila Pimiento is a senior process engineer at Ecopetrol with more than 22 years of experience in the petrochemical and refin - ing industries. He holds an MSc in chemical engineering from the Universidad Industrial de Santander, Colombia. Email: manuelja97@hotmail.com.co Eric Rutan has 16 years of experience in the refining industry from pro - cess engineering, technical services, and technical sales. Recently com- pleting an MBA programme, he has taken on several business roles and leadership positions at Ketjen Corporation. Cliff Avery is the FCC Process SME for Ketjen Corporation, Houston, Texas. He holds a BS degree in chemical engineering from California State University, Long Beach and has more than 39 years of experience in the FCC/hydrocarbon processing industry.
15
PTQ Q4 2026
www.digitalrefining.com
Powered by FlippingBook