TOPGUARD overhead corrosion control

Mitigating corrosion in your refinery’s crude tower overhead is a complicated process with no single solution.

A multi-pronged approach is required that includes:

• Desalting to minimize chlorides in your crude feedstock
• Water wash management to prevent corrosive salt formation in the vapor phase
• Optimal injection of neutralizing amines and inhibitors to combat high organic acid conditions
• Corrosion monitoring to assess and inform mitigation strategies in problem areas

TOPGUARD™ overhead corrosion control programs from Baker Hughes deliver automated prediction, monitoring and control solutions that effectively address these needs. TOPGUARD’s comprehensive solutions help extend your crude tower’s operating life and maximize profit potential from the most challenging feedstocks.

Maximize your feedstock flexibility

With global production of opportunity crudes on the rise, your refinery must manage corrosion risks while processing lower-quality feedstocks.

The TOPGUARD™ Corrosion Risk Monitor (CRM) delivers real-time corrosion risk assessments that guide mitigation actions for a wide range of process conditions and crudes.

• Manage high-acid, high-salt crudes. TOPGUARD CRM tracks salt formation risks via online pH analyzers and auto-adjusts corrosion inhibitor, neutralizer, and salt control dosing.
• Process amine-contaminated crudes. The onsite TOPGUARD™ Field Amine Measurement Service (FAMS) provides precise concentrations of ammonia, neutralizer amines, and tramp amines in your overhead water. FAMS feeds these measurements to TOPGUARD CRM to guide safe tower temperatures and faster corrosion mitigation decisions.
• Pinpoint bromide salt formation conditions. The integrated analysis of TOPGUARD FAMS and CRM determines bromide salt formation temperatures from select tramp amines, helping to reduce salt formation and corrosion risks.

Maximize reliability and profitability

TOPGUARD’s comprehensive approach to mitigating overhead corrosion also elevates your refinery’s reliability and profitability.

Optimize your water wash. The TOPGUARD™ Spray Model provides mass transfer simulations that guide optimal injection nozzle placement for efficient neutralizer distribution in your water wash system. These proven solutions minimize salt formation to extend wash system run life and maximize your water wash ROI.

Push through design constraints

TOPGUARD’s real-time analysis and process controls help mitigate corrosion while operating at your crude tower’s design limits.

• At high processing velocities, TOPGUARD CRM tracks velocity-accelerated corrosion risks while real-time pH monitoring and neutralizer control maintain the pH within target.
• Under wet reflux conditions, TOPGUARD CRM tracks and reports corrosion risks to guide proper salt control.
• To optimize heat transfer and minimize corrosion risks in your heat exchangers, the advanced TOPGUARD™ Ionic Model calculates aqueous phase ion concentrations and tube skin temperatures. The TOPGUARD CRM measures the bulk temperature differential between the cold tubes and hot shell. These measurements provide insights into the exchanger's corrosion risk to guide the optimal mitigation treatments.

Get an informed strategy for corrosion control

Ultimately, TOPGUARD overhead corrosion control programs deliver immediate, onsite corrosion mitigation answers for any process conditions. The result: targeted, data-driven corrosion control strategies that ensure proactive protection and reliable processing of the most challenging feedstocks.

Contact Baker Hughes to learn how TOPGUARD can provide assured protection and profitable operations in your crude tower.