The relationships between whole crude oil properties and fouling that can occur when crudes flow across heated surfaces as in refinery preheat train exchangers and furnaces have been studied. Complete understanding of how and why whole crudes foul on heated surfaces does not exist. The complexity of the system (e.g., exchanger design, local shear rates, etc.) and variations in crude types/properties are major causes for the difficulty in fully understanding how foulants form and deposit. The purpose of this paper is to describe the work that was performed to segregate out the property-surface-temperature interaction effects on crude fouling and encourage continued research in this area. Such knowledge is essential to be able to monitor and predict when fouling occurs and/or when heat exchangers and furnaces are more susceptible to fouling. In addition, such understanding can lead to improved crude selection options and optimal handling and mitigation techniques.
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