Catalyst regeneration line at a petrochemical plant in Antwerp, Belgium.
On a cyclical-temperature catalyst regeneration line, wet mineral wool drove severe CUI and repeated unscheduled downtime. Pyrogel® XTE stabilized the process and was subsequently specified across all high-CUI-risk applications on the site.
Wet mineral wool, severe CUI, and an unstable cyclic process.
A line at the heart of plant operation — downtime in regen drove the entire plant output down.
- Wet mineral wool driving CUI. Severe corrosion under insulation on a cyclic-temperature line.
- Repeated unscheduled downtime. Mineral-wool failures triggered emergency repairs.
- Plant-wide capacity impact. Regen line at the heart of the plant; its downtime cascaded.
Pyrogel® XTE — flexible enough for the cycling.
Pyrogel® XTE’s flexible blanket design accommodates the contraction and expansion of cyclical processes, eliminating the failure mode that plagued mineral wool.
- Stabilized key processes. Replaced wet mineral wool with Pyrogel® XTE.
- Flexible blanket accommodates cycling. Environmental + process cycles no longer damaging the insulation.
- Specified across high-CUI-risk applications. Site-level standard for the most exposed scope.
- Followed by Cryogel® Z on other applications. Operator subsequently specified Cryogel® Z on cold-service scope.
Pyrogel® XTE performed against the key enemies of insulation: water, high temperatures and cyclical processes.
Long-term facility performance improvement.
Pyrogel® XTE mitigated CUI on the regen line and stabilized the cyclical process. The operator extended the standard to cover all high-CUI-risk applications on the site, and later began specifying Cryogel® Z on cold-service scope based on the durability they had observed.
Cyclic-temperature process driving CUI?
Pyrogel® XTE’s flexible blanket survives cycling that defeats mineral wool — Aspen can review your most-exposed scope.