We asked Ilya about how – with these decades of experience – he compares the state of the company now versus when it started. “Just a few years ago we had the technology, now we have both the experience and the team,” is his answer.
Angara Industries use data powered smart chemistry to help oil refineries and chemicals producers generate more profit. The company is experienced in cleaning heat exchangers and other critical equipment from fouling in a safer, faster, and more effective way than many other existing solutions.
A great benefit of the cleaning solution Angara Industries offer is that it does not require equipment disassembly, nor does it affect pipes and gaskets. Moreover, the cleaning method does not produce toxic waste.
Heat Exchangers
Recently Angara Industries were present at the Heat Exchange Engineering 2019 event in Prague, Czech Republic, where they presented a paper at the Conference. The topic was AlfaPEROX, a special chemical cleaning solution, and the applications hereof.
Heat Exchangers are pieces of process equipment built and designed for maximum efficiency of heat transfer between two different machines or mediums. “In most industrial processes, the loss of heat is very wasteful and inefficient,” Ilya tells. “In many cases – such as gas compressors – poor cooling reduces productivity, thus the introduction of AlfaPEROX also helps to make more revenue and profits.”
This is why regular fouling removal is so important to keep the performance level of equipment at an optimum. As Ilya puts it: “We offer fast cleanings in-between major turnarounds to keep up the optimal level of manufacturing effectiveness.”
At the conference in Prague, Angara Industries presented several cases from a technical point of view. “Responses were great and we received a lot of very good questions from delegates all around the glove, including Europe, the United States and Saudi Arabia,” Ilya sums up.
Over the years the company already established a strong foothold in various regions including Russia and Ilya tells there are plans underway to focus on a number of other countries in the future as well.
“Saudi Arabia is a good example of a market with high demand for our services as well as a high investors’ interest,” says Ilya. “We have also started a project in Thailand together with the largest oil manufacturer, while Russia is still our sandbox with the biggest number of jobs and clients.”
The innovative cleaning solutions Angara Industries offer are targeted specifically at industrial companies operating complex chemical processing equipment. “More specifically we target the hardest cases of chemical deposits in thermos heat-exchangers, especially where disassembly and mechanical cleaning are the only option today,” Ilya explains.
“AlfaPEROX has a positive impact on mechanical availability, Personnel Index, energy Intensity Index. According to Solomon’s Fuels Study (from Solomon Associates), the main industry information source for the 85% of the world’s refining capacity, these indexes are high on the list of O&G refineries management’s KPIs,” Ilya concludes.
What is AlfaPEROX?
AlfaPEROX is a special chemical solution, which is activated when it gets in contact with chemical deposits inside pipes. It then physically detaches the residue from the surfaces of the equipment and gaskets.
AlfaPEROX activates catalytic breakdown of components inside fouling pores, producing significant volumes of oxygen and water. This causes a bursting disjoining effect, which is followed by ruptures and the mechanical crushing of depositions.
Case Study
In 2017 Angara Industries have implemented the AlfaPEROX technology at Gazprom, who achieved a positive economic outcome as a result of the chemical cleaning of heat transfer equipment.
During the first site visit and follow up, communications service engineers performed the following tasks:
· Fill in the detailed questionnaire about equipment (heat exchanger (cooler) Х-6/1,2, the volume of tube loop – 1000 l., the volume of the shell loop – 2500 l; materials – CS, SS)
· Discuss types of fouling in the equipment (mixture of salt, Ca, Ma and FeO) and collect samples
· Check how pipes could be connected to the equipment
· Identify the closest electric outlet, water and sewage pipes to connect equipment
→ The goal – to complete the project within a time period of no longer than 24 hours and chill n-butane not less than by 18оС.
→ Two shifts of 12 hours completed the job within 23 hours.
After removing more than 500 kg of various sediments, it was possible to increase the temperature split of the gas circuit from 0.9 °С to 38 °С. In addition, the reduction of cleaning time in comparison with the mechanical cleaning from 72 hours to 23 hours created a further economic benefit in the amount of almost $ 100,000 due to the increase of butane entrainment.