Gamma Transmission Technique to Inspect Trays Condition of Distillation Column: An Experiment at Refinery Plant

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-772-4_48How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Distillation; gamma scanning; hydrocarbon; petroleum; trayed column

Abstract

In the petroleum refining process, distillation columns, operating under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions, are vital components responsible for producing crucial hydrocarbons. Conventional non-destructive tests often necessitate prolonged plant shutdowns, prompting the adoption of gamma column scanning, a nuclear-based, non-invasive technique with advantages in terms of speed, online troubleshooting, and safety. This study aims to detect suspected problems at the distillation column on trays #28 - #38., addressing the diversity of tray configurations and potential external obstacles. The scanning was performed using gamma radiation source 60Co with an activity of 1.74 GBq and a scintillation detector. Due to the tray configuration, the scanning was divided into two segments, which are top scans and bottom scans. The top scans were aimed to inspect trays #28 - #32, whereas the bottom scans were aimed to inspect trays #33 - #38. The scan lines were carefully selected to accommodate the investigation on all trays and also adapted to external column conditions that became obstacles to the probes (source and detector). The findings confirm the integrity of most trays but reveal suspected partial damage in trays #34 and #37, leading to flooding on tray #38, along with anomalies potentially caused by water or unknown materials. This research provides valuable insights into distillation column condition assessment and tray performance within the petroleum refining industry.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Megy Stefanus
AU  - Bayu Azmi
AU  - Indra Milyardi
AU  - Norman Pamungkas
AU  - Rahmad Ramdani Sambari
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/07/01
TI  - Gamma Transmission Technique to Inspect Trays Condition of Distillation Column: An Experiment at Refinery Plant
BT  - Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Science and Technology (ICST 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 542
EP  - 550
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-772-4_48
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-772-4_48
ID  - Stefanus2025
ER  -