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Heavy Oil Units

Let's face it.  Heavy oils create a heavy mess.  The right chemistry makes all the difference. And we know chemistry.  Having worked in units processing the heaviest, dirtiest crude in the world, our custom solutions combine innovative chemistries and applications, saving you time and money. Learn more about our expertise below.

We Get Our Hands Dirty

Beginning with thorough planning, we tailor each heavy oil cleaning project with the same goals in mind: less time to eliminate contaminants, and a greatly reduced need for mechanical cleaning upon opening. Our specialized chemistries were developed to tackle the toughest challenges globally.

As such, the heavy oil units we treat can be cleared in a remarkable 12 hours – with very little additional mechanical cleaning required. In fact, in many cases our solutions require no mechanical cleaning at all. 

Crude Slates Changed, So Did ZymeFlow

When ZymeFlow noticed the increasing processing of heavy opportunity crudes, we saw it as an opportunity to develop a chemistry designed specifically to address unit fouling issues specific to heavy crude refining. The result? Rezyd-HP. A chemistry specifically engineered to clean the dirtiest units across the world.

Traditional cleaning typically leaves feet of hardened coke.  Enter Rezyd-HP.  No mechanical cleaning needed.  Rezyd-HP fluidizes heavy deposits, such as coke, leaving mere inches of fluff coke, that can be easily swept out. All of this results in time savings and significant cost savings for your facility. 

Explore some of the common challenges of heavy oil units and learn how we've successfully treated them below. 

Common Crude/Vacuum Distillation Unit Challenges

  • Heavy deposits such as tars and asphaltenes throughout unit
  • High levels of H2S
  • Pyrophoric  iron sulfide
  • Fouling in pre heat exchangers
  • Ammonia in overhead systems

Explore Case Study

Common Desalter Challenges

  • Sludge
  • High levels of Benzene, LEL, and Hydrogen Sulfide
  • Plugging
  • Design issues make cleaning difficult
  • Severe deposition of asphaltenic/paraffinic matrices

Read Case Study

Common Fluidized Catalytic Cracker Challenges

  • Heavy deposits and coke in bottoms
  • High level of H2S, benzene, LEL and pyrophorics
  • Fouling and channeling in packing
  • Heat exchanger plugging and fouling

See Case Study

Common Coker Challenges

  • Heavy tar and coke in fractionator bottoms, transfer lines, and piping
  • Paraffinic sludge
  • High level of H2S and pyrophoorics 
  • Plugged spray nozzles
  • Heavy fouling

Explore Case Study

Common Visbreaker Challenges

  • Coke and H2S
  • Heavy fouling in preheating exchangers tarry solids
  • Sludge in H2S
  • Pyrophorics in feed exchangers

See Case Study

Refinery Expertise In Action

Whether treating the heavy oil components, or any other component in the refinery process, you can count on our talented people, more than 30 years of expertise and global knowledge for expert solutions to the toughest challenges.

See Our Refinery Expertise

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Specific units require specific decontamination solutions that balance safety with time-saving results. As the undisputed leader in the chemical decontamination industry, we provide custom solutions for heavy oil and consistently outperform our competitors. We listen. We collaborate. We deliver.

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