IPE-TM-700 Metallurgy
Mill Scale Removal
IPE-TM-700-03
1. Purpose
This procedure describes the piping and equipment that shall be acidized prior to the startup of certain units.
2. General
Acidizing of piping and equipment before initial startup is necessary in certain circumstances. The situation where this occurs most often is in systems containing a reciprocating compressor. Onstream reliability and maintenance are directly related to the cleanliness of the piping and equipment upstream of a Sreciprocating compressor. Failure to observe this fact results in greatly reduced valve life due to the presence of scale and rust passing through the valves.
3. Applicability
Acidize all reciprocating compressor systems (Unionfining, Unicracking, Platforming, etc.) to remove mill scale in order to reduce post startup compressor maintenance problems. The minimum piping and equipment from which mill scale shall be removed is as follows:
- Compressor suction drums
- Suction and discharge pulsation suppression devices
- Compressor intercoolers
- All piping from suction drums to compressor suction
- All discharge piping up to junction of succeeding stage suction drum or to junction of spillback piping
- All compressor spillback piping
CAUTION: The inside surface of the pulsation suppression devices may be specially coated. The cleaning contractor shall determine the suitability of this equipment to be chemically cleaned.
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