Protecting Cooling Towers From Fluid Delivery Pump Failures

Oil refineries separate crude oil into a variety of feedstocks and final products through high pressure distillation processes, which require extremely high temperatures that can approach 750°F (400°C). As with any high temperature process, cooling is essential at oil refineries to protect their equipment from overheating conditions that can result in equipment failures or lead to potentially serious plant accidents..

The extremely high temperature, high pressure distillation process environments encountered in crude oil refining process plants require continuous cooling of the separation equipment with large cooling towers. These devices use water-based coolants for air evaporative cooling or employ various fluid coolants that are designed to dissipate heat.

Large cooling towers at oil refineries draw hot air into the cooling tower or move air with large fans across and around equipment. Their water-based coolant typically is recycled multiple times and is treated with corrosion-inhibiting chemicals that protect both the cooling system and the equipment being cooled. In addition to their use in petrochemical plants, such cooling towers are used in electric power generation plants and other industrial processes including chemicals, food and beverage.