UNIT CLEARING SERVICES

 

USA DeBusk is committed to being the best and most complete turnaround (TAR) service provider in the industry. Unit Clearing is a specialty service that is a critical component of a successful TAR.

 

USA DeBusk Provides The Right Stuff

USA DeBusk provides “the right stuff” for every TAR:

  • The Right Personnel: Experience Matters.  USA DeBusk offers an excellent team of experienced engineers and refinery and chemical plant operations supervisors with 10+ years in a plant or refinery at a supervisor level, as well as chemical cleaning supervisors with 10+ years of experience.
  • The Right Plan. Project managers and engineers with decades of experience prepare detailed plans that won’t overlook the smallest of details.
  • The Right Purpose-Built Equipment. A complete package of equipment designed for whole-unit cleaning at TAR time includes all of the necessary decon header equipment, thousands of feet of flanged piping in a variety of sizes, thousands of feet of SS flanged hoses in many sizes, a huge inventory of exchangers in a variety of sizes, knockout drums, mix tanks, reverse flow manifolds and much more.
  • The Right Chemistry. Safe, effective, well-tested products that deliver proven results are critical to meeting client expectations. Products are designed to remove H2S, LEL, benzene and pyrophoric concerns.
  • The Right Package of Services. USA DeBusk offers a complete line of services to complement every TAR, including a very experienced team of mechanical personnel that can handle any size TAR from start to finish, pull all of the bundles with the largest and best bundle pulling equipment in the USA, install the entire drain header system, and do it on time or ahead of schedule.
  • The Right Price. USA DeBusk provides competitive pricing, as well as excellent service, making USA DeBusk the THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR YOUR NEXT TAR.
 

The Right Plan

USA DeBusk knows the importance of a good plan that pays close attention to the smallest details. No TAR can be successful without a well-thought-out plan that includes all of the lessons learned from prior TARs, detailed discussions between USA DeBusk subject matter experts, and the plant’s best operations personnel, and a thorough understanding of all safety and environmental concerns with a detailed plan to abate those concerns. The USA DeBusk team includes operations experts, experienced operations personnel, and a project management team that is second to none.

Steps to take to ensure proper planning:

  1. USA DeBusk sends the right team to the plant/refinery to meet with the appropriate personnel. Experience absolutely matters.
  2. Thorough, candid discussions that involve a complete review of lessons learned from previous TAR’s provide excellent insight into what challenges must be addressed so they can be avoided. USA DeBusk provides experienced operations supervisors to participate in these discussions so that everyone speaks the same language when it comes to operational details.  A clear understanding of all of the potential challenges, safety and environmental concerns and operational issues is critical.
  3. The USA DeBusk team of experts will create excellent P&ID drawings as well as SFD drawings to highlight the entire system to be cleaned and flow paths.
  4. Once the drawings are reviewed and approved by the client, the USA DeBusk team will prepare detailed procedures in the client’s format that addresses every detail necessary to successfully guide the TAR to a safe, successful completion.
  5. The USA DeBusk team will then train the plant operation’s personnel on the tasks and assignment of responsibilities for executing those tasks. It is very important that the plant operation’s personnel buy into the plan and have a thorough understanding of each person’s role in making it successful.
  6. The USA DeBusk team will arrive to assist with the management of the set up so that all equipment is placed per the drawings and plot plan prepared by USA DeBusk.
  7. The USA DeBusk execution team will arrive to follow the plan and the procedures that will meet or exceed the client’s expectations.
 

The Right Chemistry

USA DeBusk offers proven products that are designed for the right results. USA DeBusk offers three proprietary products designed for removal of H2S, LEL, benzene, hydrocarbons, and pyrophoric concerns from a long list of process equipment at refineries and petrochemical plants. DeBusk OX is one of those products, and it provides significant benefits over the typical potassium permanganate alternative.

USA DeBusk also offers four proprietary products designed for the neutral pH cleaning of HF alkylation units. These options provide a long list of benefits over the hydrochloric acid method including significant safety benefits to personnel and process equipment, as well as significant time savings.

  • Piranaha 107

    Piranha 107 is an excellent product for the removal of H2S, LEL, benzene, and pyrophoric concerns.  It can easily be injected into steam, becoming part of the steam carried throughout the system that is being vapor phase cleaned. Piranha 107 is an amine oxide that provides a mildly oxidizing solution used in a variety of methods:  vapor phase by injecting into the steam out of vessels, towers, drums, piping, etc.,  boil out, and circulation techniques.

    Piranaha 107 solutions do not create emulsions that are hard to break and the chemicals are carried in the water phase rather than the oil phase which makes it an ideal product that will not impact wastewater plants.

    Piranha 107 is very effective in extremely low concentrations (200 to 400 ppm) and therefore minimizes COD concerns for wastewater. It is non-flammable, 100% soluble in water, safe to process equipment and personnel, and easily utilized with existing steam-out procedures.

    Piranha 107 Key Advantages:

    • De-oils, degasses and removes H2S, LEL and benzene in one step
    • Utilization of this product in a vapor phase application significantly speeds up the decontamination of process equipment. Most jobs are completed in a single shift once the chemical injection begins.
    • Compatible with all known metallurgies, as well as normal gasket and seal materials
    • Excellent for whole-unit cleaning and allows significant reduction of mechanical preparation of the unit to make it ready for inspections and maintenance
    • Well-tested over four decades and provides reliable, proven results
    • Works well in vapor phase, boil out, and circulation techniques for cleaning a long list of process equipment and preparing them for safe entry and maintenance

     

  • DeBusk OX

    DeBusk OX is a safe alternative to hydrogen peroxide and permanganate for the control of H2S and sulfide oxidation. DeBusk OX is an excellent, strong, safe oxidizer that can be utilized for the removal of sulfide, mercaptan and pyrophoric concerns.

    DeBusk OX is an anhydrous triple salt that can easily be blended with water in most industrial applications. DeBusk OX is slightly more powerful as an oxidant than peroxide. A key advantage is that the decomposition of the monopersulfate (KHSO5) will release sulfate ions rather than free oxygen. DeBusk OX is designed to oxidize all pyrophoric material, turning sulfides into elemental sulfur or sulfate and destroying benzene by converting it to carbon dioxide.

    DeBusk OX can be used in a variety of techniques:

    • Post flushing applications where large packed beds are known to have pyrophoric solids
    • Circulation of drums, towers, packed beds and any other process equipment that is known to have pyrophoric concerns
    • Vapor phase by injecting into a steam out of piping and process equipment that has pyrophoric concerns
    • Boil outs of drums/exchangers that contain pyrophoric sludge layers in the bottom to enable penetration of the sludge layer, thus allowing oxidation of the sulfides to sulfates

    DeBusk OX does not create insoluble precipitates like potassium permanganate does.

    DeBusk OX has the ability to assist in the measurement of pyrophorics. When measured, oxidation reduction potential (ORP) can show the level of oxidation and guide the cleaning process. It is a much more reliable and quantitative evaluation of the oxidation of sulfides and provides an excellent guide to determine when the available sulfides have been converted to sulfates.

    DeBusk OX Key Advantages:

    • Safe and does not release free oxygen
    • 100% biodegradable—washes away completely
    • Compatible with all known metallurgies and wastewater systems. Originally designed for wastewater treatment of organics and sulfides.
    • Easily applied in a water solution through a variety of techniques (circulation, vapor phase and boil out)
    • Does not create insoluble precipitates like potassium permanganate does
    • Easily analyzed with ORP, avoids unnecessary oxidative chemicals to be wasted, and allows USA DeBusk to target the desired endpoint (KPI) more accurately and quantitatively than relying on color indicators (which is the only option with permanganate)

    DeBusk OX is designed for industrial applications and should only be applied by skilled USA DeBusk personnel familiar with its uses. Refer to the SDS for handling precautions and additional safety/environmental considerations for storage and use.

     

  • Piranha HO-106

    Piranha HO-106 is an excellent product for the removal and dispersion of heavy hydrocarbon sludge, asphalt-like deposits, heavy lube oil and heavy residues in vessels. Piranha HO-106 works well with crude preheat exchangers, vacuum bottom exchangers, FCC slurry circuit systems and coker bottoms exchangers where low flash point solvents cannot be used.

    Piranha HO-106 is a non-petroleum product that will mix with water and help break down polymeric deposits. It has dramatically lower toxicity and flammability than comparable petroleum and citrus type products. Pirahna HO-106 will allow total recovery of hydrocarbon value and the wash solutions can typically be sent to crude tankage for easy breakout and recovery.

    Piranha HO-106 Key Advantages:

    • Safe for the environment—100% biodegradable
    • Does not damage skin or clothing
    • Washes away completely with no residue
    • Compatible with all metallurgy and wastewater systems
    • High flashpoint (>300 degrees F)
    • Compatible with normal gasket and seal materials
    • Compatible with other USA DeBusk products

     

  • USAD-HFA-Chelant

    This USA DeBusk proprietary product is a blend of chelants designed to remove iron fluoride from an HF and Sulfuric Alky Unit in a refinery.

    It is a safe, effective product that provides significant benefits when compared to the use of HCl options to clean/neutralize an HF Alky unit.

    Benefits include:

    • Safe for all personnel working in the area
    • Safe for process equipment since it avoids corrosion of the process metallurgy
    • Saves significant time. Most units can be cleaned in less than 72 hours, which is about half the time required for the HCl option.
    • Saves waste volume since this method generates less than half the waste volume of the HCl option
    • Significantly reduces the mechanical preparation time required to prepare the unit for cleaning/neutralization compared to HCl
    • Avoids the corrosive impact to gasket surfaces when compared to HCl options

    Consult your USA DeBusk representative for additional information and to request an SDS.

  • USAD-HFA-Buffer

    This product is a proprietary blend of buffers designed for rapid neutralization of HF and sulfuric acidic solutions.

    It works well in combination with USAD-HFA-Chelant and USAD-HFA-Surfactant to provide a rapid cleaning/neutralization option for HF Alky units during a turnaround to prepare the system for maintenance and entry.

    It is compatible with most wastewater plants once the USAD-HFA-Precipitator product has been utilized to remove fluorides. Consult your USA DeBusk representative for additional details and to request an SDS.

  • USAD-HFA-Sufactant

    This product is used in combination with USA DeBusk buffer and chelant products to enhance the removal of the typical polymer contamination in an HF Alky unit.

    Consult your USA DeBusk representative for additional details and to request an SDS.

  • USAD-HFA-Precipitator

    A safe, proprietary, USA DeBusk product utilized to remove fluorides from the cleaning solution generated during the cleaning/neutralization of an HF Alky unit at turnaround time.

    This product, when used in the right quantities, can reduce fluoride levels to below 5 ppm and at or near zero ppm when this KPI is required.

    Consult your USA DeBusk representative for further details and to request an SDS.

 

USA DeBusk chemistries… safe, environmentally friendly solutions that clean and clear units with minimal time and expense.

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