Insight

When a business depends on water for its operations, being located in a drought-stricken region can pose a serious threat to growth, reliability and reputation. A West Coast refinery knew it had to act quickly to reduce the amount of water it was drawing from the area water supply. So, it sought the help of Nalco Water, a technology services provider that specializes in water- and energy-saving solutions for oil and gas refineries.

Innovation

Using its Best Practices Gap Analysis, Nalco Water identified the refinery’s boiler system as a potential reliability risk. An audit confirmed that poor control of the cycles of concentration was contributing to high water use. Nalco Water installed a trial of 3D TRASAR™ Technology for Boilers, a solution that enhances sustainability performance and operational efficiency, while protecting assets. Before this, the boiler chemistry and cycles had been maintained manually.

With its continuous monitoring and immediate responses to system changes, 3D TRASAR™ significantly improved the boiler system’s reliability and performance, and greatly reduced its water and energy use. Encouraged by such dramatic improvements, the refinery chose to install eight more 3D TRASAR™ units.