Generating More Than $1 Million in Savings for SABIC

At SABIC’s largest petrochemical complex, the seawater cooling towers were responsible for 28% of the site’s total electricity consumption. Reusing more cooling tower water by increasing the number of recirculating cycles could reduce both water and energy use.

To improve system cleanliness, Ecolab introduced Purate™ Technology, an easy-to-use, more cost-effective chlorine dioxide generation method that reduces chemical hazards for these large seawater systems. Purate™ Technology led to reduced biofouling on the surfaces of the heat exchange systems (which are used to transfer heat between two or more fluids). It also reduced manual cleanings and increased production rates in summer, when higher regional temperatures make cooling challenging.

In addition to Purate™, Ecolab implemented 3D TRASAR™ Technology, coupled with a seawater scaling tool to safely model the number of recirculating cycles, saving water and energy. exchange systems (which are used to transfer heat between two or more fluids). It also reduced manual cleanings and increased production rates in summer, when higher regional temperatures make cooling challenging. In addition to Purate™, Ecolab implemented 3D TRASAR™ Technology, coupled with a seawater scaling tool to safely model the number of recirculating cycles, saving water and energy. 

Ecolab also helped this customer improve:

• Productivity
  • By eliminating a summer cooling bottleneck, which contributed to increased production capacity
• Assets
  • By reducing biofouling, which eliminated 2-3 cleanings per year
  • By reducing the number of chemical deliveries required, which reduced trucking and delivery costs