Chemical Decontamination

Solutions At Your Service


Chemical Decontamination Process
Leveraging our years of experience and expertise in planning, our people engineer the right proprietary chemistry and application method to ensure superior results for every decontamination job, up to and including a full turnaround. The result? Safer, faster vessel entry, leaving minimum or zero mechanical cleaning required.

Engineered Planning
Our industry-experienced decontamination planners embed with your refinery personnel to ensure tasks are managed and consistent with your design limits and specifications, while maximizing uptime and a quick return to business operations. We use state of the art software to provide customized and easy to understand procedures, drawings and timelines to ensure the decontamination portion of the shutdown is carried out as smoothly and efficiently as possible.


Reactor Cleaning
We've revolutionized reactor cleaning with CatZyme - our proprietary solvent-based chemistry. This effective chemistry boosts removal of residual gases, helps dissolve any existing solid deposits, and acts as a scrubber to collect LEL. Simply put, if you're looking for a more efficient and fast reactor cleaning, then you need ZymeFlow's reactor cleaning services.


Online Cleaning
Sometimes your equipment can't wait for the scheduled turnaround but you need to keep producing revenue. Customers worldwide turn to us to develop a custom online cleaning plan to keep the unit running until the scheduled outage. Whether it's segmenting heat exchangers or performing true online cleaning, our team utilizes innovative chemistry and processes to keep you running.


Effluent Management
Our family of chemistries have minimal impact on wastewater and the environment. Our water-based products are biodegradable and wastewater friendly; our solvent-based products can be reprocessed in-plant. Our application methods produce minimum effluent. Still, for facilities that require it, we provide effluent management equipment for a complete turnkey solution from ZymeFlow.
Collaborate With Confidence
For more than three decades, the largest energy companies in the world have depended on ZymeFlow for faster, safer vessel entry. We annually complete over 200 turnaround projects that span more than 55 countries.
From single vessel decontamination to full turnaround, customers trust us for innovative solutions whether it's light ends, heavy oil or anything in between. Using a variety of application methods, we utilize proprietary and safe, yet powerful chemistries that treat contaminants in the vapor, liquid and solid phases simultaneously and have no residual byproducts. We are the global leader in decontamination:
- Chemistry. A full range of patented, innovative, proprietary, safe chemistries, both water- and solvent-based, developed by in-house chemists
- Application methods. Proven and adapted application methods tailored to your project
- Planning. Embedded turnaround planners, with decades of industry experience work with your team, both on and off-site, to develop a plan using best practices and your current shutdown procedures
- Global team. Our team consists of professionals from industrial disciplines including engineers, chemists and field operation experts from both refining and petrochemical industries
The Best Chemistry Meets The Right Application
Give us your challenge. We'll give you the custom solution. We utilize application methods and chemistries in a singular or multi-phase approach to achieve maximum results - and we do this more than 200 times a year for our customers around the world.
We have the best chemistry in the industry. PERIOD.
Applications
- Vapour-Phase
- Boil Out
- Circulation
- Combination Treatments
- Pre-Post Treatments
- Dry gas Dispersions
Incomparable Chemistry
ZymeFlow set the standard in chemical decontamination with its development of the flagship chemistry ZymeFlow. Since then, an entire suite of proprietary water- and solvent-based formulations have been created and utilized. We are trusted innovators that continue to develop products for the industry's toughest cleaning challenges. Our entire family of ZymeFlow chemistries are complementary and can be used together safely and effectively. Furthermore, the ZymeFlow family of chemistries are fully compatible with all metallurgy and seal/gasket material.
Water Based
- Fast-acting and wastewater friendly
- Simultaneous contaminant treatment - de-oils while eliminating LEL, benzene, H2S, and pyrophorics
- Can be applied in many different methods including a true Vapour-Phase using steam
Solvent Based
- Dissolves binders to clean heavily fouled equipment
- Easily reprocessed in the refinery without negative impact on product stream
A Return Engagement
After successfully completing an initial decontamination project for a South Louisiana refinery, ZymeFlow was invited to return for a large turnaround project. The unit needed to be ready for entry in a short timeframe and ZymeFlow delivered.

A Return Engagement
After successfully completing an initial decontamination project for a South Louisiana refinery, ZymeFlow was invited to return for a large turnaround project. The unit needed to be ready for entry in a short timeframe and ZymeFlow delivered.

We’ve Got Decontamination Planning Down To A Formula
Site Visit and Kickoff
Once you select ZymeFlow - the process begins. Most engagements start with a site visit to review your turnaround goals with your team. Once we have the lay of the land, we move onto the development of the plan.
Site Visit Steps Include:
- Kickoff and scope overview
- Walk down associated equipment
- Development of decon path and procedures
- Identify injection, drains and vents
Plan Development
This phase involves detailed planning and scheduling. We'll draft and submit preliminary drawings and guidelines for client approval. As true collaborators in the process, we welcome your input, direction and revisions as the planning manual is developed.
Planning Manual includes:
- Drawings broken down by circuit
- Chemical decontamination procedures
- Chemical injection tag list
- Detail mechanical listing
- The safety matrix
- SDS's
Planning Finalization
Upon approval of the planning manual our team will assist with operational training, MOC review or plan review as requested by the facility. At the appropriate time, our planners will affix injection and drain tags in the appropriate locations.
Finalization Includes:
- Operator training
- Injection and drain tagging
- Execution kickoff
CTA Module
CatZyme RT™ guarantees repeatable results for reactor cleaning, by being predictable and plannable, so efficiencies are achieved and timelines are met. Cleaning time is optimized, with minimal personnel and reduced shifts required, so you can get back to business as soon as possible.

3 column box
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.
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
Common Desalter Challenges
- Sludge
- High levels of Benzene, LEL, and Hydrogen Sulfide
- Plugging
- Design issues make cleaning difficult
- Severe deposition of asphaltenic/paraffinic matrices
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
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
Common Visbreaker Challenges
- Coke and H2S
- Heavy fouling in preheating exchangers tarry solids
- Sludge in H2S
- Pyrophorics in feed exchangers
Unit Service Solutions And Expertise Unite
We are leaders in the industry for a reason. Using our proprietary technologies, we can decontaminate hydrocarbon process vessels in as few as 8 to 12 hours with minimum effluent. We are planners, engineers and chemists - all working as a team to provide you the best service.
Petrochemical Units
- Quench
- Compression
- Fractionation
- Caustic Amine
Contact us
Contact information for your region
Asia Pacific and India
Ka Siang Chua
Director of Business Development - APAC, India
NOrthern Europe
Thorbjörn Holm
Director of Business Development - Europe
Southern Europe
Patrick Figueiredo
Director of Business Development - Europe
Global Experience

Executive
Safety Stats
Video Section - Reform And Transform
Traditionally, reactor cleaning has been performed in a variety of ways – all of which are dated. Hydrogen sweep/nitrogen purge is incapable of completely removing LEL & hydrogen sulfide, or addressing heavy end deposits remaining on the catalyst, and perhaps most importantly, there is a safety risk to personnel. Our CatZyme RT™ process will eliminate all concerns.
We are called innovators for a reason. As one of the only companies on the globe equipped and experienced enough to tackle this process, ZymeFlow offers improved, predictable, plannable solutions.
DATE | EVENT | LOCATION |
19 - 21 February 2024
|
ESF Europe
|
Madrid, Spain
|
5 - 6 March 2024
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International LNG Forum
|
Doha, Qatar
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25 - 28 March 2024
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Ethylene Producers' Conference
|
New Orleans, LA
|
29 April - 3 May 2024
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RefComm Galveston
|
Galveston, TX
|
11 - 13 June 2024
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ERTC Ask the Experts
|
Rotterdam, Netherlands
|
25 - 26 June 2024
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LNG Export Conference
|
Houston, TX
|
23 - 25 Sept. 2024
|
International Downstream Week (IDW)
|
Warsaw, Poland
|
Sept. TBD
|
Latin America Refining Technology Conference (LARTC)
|
Cartagena, Columbia
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Sept. 30 - 3 Oct. 2024
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Technip Ethylene Forum
|
Rome, Italy
|
15 - 17 Oct. 2024
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AFPM Excellence in Plant Performance Summit
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New Orleans, LA
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15 - 18 Oct. 2024
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European Ethylene Producers' Committee (EEPC) Conference
|
Barcelona, Spain
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4 - 6 Nov. 2024
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RefComm International
|
Barcelona, Spain
|
11 - 14 Nov. 2024
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European Refining Technology Conference (ERTC)
|
Lisbon, Portugal
|
10 - 11 Dec. 2024
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Shutdowns Turnarounds Super Conference
|
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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