Ethylation plants

The ethylation plants are productive plants at a high risk both of explosiveness and of toxicity.
Against these risks, Ecopetrol Ltd is able to carry out the following interventions:

• Drawing of product samples
• Disassembly and partial or total demolition
• elimination/removal of tanks and of obsolete lines)

Ecopetrol Lt. operates with professionalism employing:

• Specific means and equipment;
• Qualified staff possessing the license for the preparation of toxic gases (TEL/TML);

Ecopetrol Ltd., as regards the intervention of demolition, adopts the operative procedures ripened in many years of co-operation with the following companies: ITALIAN MANNESMANN and SIAC/OCTEL:

• Disassembly of the plant:
  Exclusive use of pneumatic equipment;
  Dissection and isolation of all the plant's elements;
  Continuous control in order to avoid any risk of product shedding (petrol, ethyl-fluid, colouring matter) and of both inflammable and toxic vapours;
  
• Transfer of all the plant's elements to a proper area at the inside of the refinery:
  - Accurate inspection of the zone for the valuation of the eventual presence of little wells and of refluent lines;
  - Drawing up of a double signalling circumscription of the operative area with sign-boards showing the obligation to protect the respiratory ways with suitable DPT;
  - Creation of openings on the bombed bottoms of the tanks using a specific pneumatic equipment;
  - Entry into the tanks of the workers who are equipped with diving-suit with air flux (MOD. OCTEL);
  - Removal, arrangement in drums of both liquid and solid residual products;
  - Pneumatic striking of the whole internal plating, in order to remove any residue of oxides and of product encrustation;
  - Transport and forwarding of the residual products to thermo- destruction.
  
• Decontamination:
  - Cut (oxypropanic torch) of all the plant's elements into "ready for furnace" speckling;
  - Flaming-out of the wrecked products (about 600 C) with oxypropanic lances;
  - Transport and forwarding to remelting of the wrecked products, upon degree of decomposition control;

During the working stages, Ecopetrol Ltd. monitors the environment (explosiveness and toxicity) employing suitable and specific implements.

Each analysis will be certified by a qualified engineer.
Ecopetrol Ltd.'s services will be carried out with the highest safety with regard to the environment and staff and respecting the laws in force.

<< Back