REFRACTORY REMOVAL BY HIGH PRESSURE WATERJET

摘要

The removal of refractory from lines and vessels in the petrochemical industry is necessary forinspection, repair, maintenance, and replacement. The small spaces and difficulty of access haveotherwise limited the methods of removal to manual labor with handheld chipping hammers.This allows only the limited power and force that an individual can support, while exposing theseworkers to the hazards of silica dust, extreme noise, vibration, and physically exhausting labor ina confined space.Refractory materials can be safely removed through the proper application of high pressurewaterjets and mechanization, from localized repairs to complete vessel cleaning. The use of highpressure water allows the transmission of hundreds of times the power of handheld chippers,with resulting refractory removal rates on the order of days to weeks faster than manual methods.This paper presents the results of multiple tests to define the key operating parameters for thesuccessful removal of several refractory types with high pressure water, the possible rates ofremoval, and other considerations necessary for the successful execution of field work.