Customer Case: Retrofit of the Filter System for the Raw Material Pre-treatment Line of a Petrochemical Enterprise

Project Background
A medium-sized petrochemical enterprise in North China mainly engages in the production and processing of base oil for lubricants and additives. The raw materials of this enterprise are complex, and some recycled oil products contain a certain amount of mechanical impurities, gums, and oxidation products. Before entering the main reaction equipment, the raw materials need to undergo multi-stage filtration pretreatment. The original filtration system used traditional bag-type filters, which had problems such as low filtration efficiency, frequent filter bag replacements, and high labor costs, directly affecting the operational stability of the subsequent reaction equipment. 
Pre-renovation operating condition data
Within three months prior to the project's commencement, the enterprise conducted a detailed data collection of the original filtration system: 
Daily processing raw material volume: approximately 120 tons 
Filter bag replacement frequency: Approximately once every 3 days. 
Single replacement time: Approximately 45 minutes (including shutdown, emptying, disassembly, and cleaning) 
Average monthly filter bag consumption: 10 to 12 pieces 
The number of production interruptions caused by filter blockage: 4 to 5 times per month 
The downstream reaction equipment was forced to operate at reduced capacity due to impurity issues: 2 to 3 times per month. 
Catalyst lifespan of the reaction device: Approximately 30% shorter than the designed value. 
The person in charge of the enterprise's equipment stated that the original filtration system had become a bottleneck in the entire production line and urgent upgrades were needed. 
Renovation plan and data indicators
Based on the raw material characteristics, flow rate, temperature and pressure parameters provided by the customer, we have designed and provided a customized stainless steel basket filter solution. The key data indicators are as follows: 
Equipment model: Customized non-standard horizontal basket filter 
Shell material: 304 stainless steel 
Design pressure: 1.0 MPa 
Design flow rate: 12 m³/h (satisfying the customer's daily processing capacity and leaving a 20% buffer) 
Filter accuracy: 100 μm (using a double-layer 316L stainless steel sintered filter basket) 
Filter area: 0.85 m² (approximately 3 times the filter area of the original bag-type filter) 
Import and export connection: DN50 flange, directly connected to the customer's existing pipeline 
Cleaning method: The quick-opening top cover design allows the filter basket to be removed for cleaning while the pipeline remains intact. No need to disassemble the pipeline. 
Post-reconstruction operation data
After the equipment was installed and debugged, the enterprise conducted a 6-month tracking monitoring of the post-reconstruction filtration system. The key data comparisons are as follows: 
Filter efficiency and maintenance cost 
Before the renovation, the filter bags were replaced every 3 days, and each replacement took 45 minutes. On average, 10 to 12 filter bags were consumed per month. After the renovation, the cleaning cycle of the filter baskets was extended to once every 15 days, and each cleaning took 20 minutes. The filter baskets themselves can be reused and no filter materials need to be replaced. Just this one change alone can save approximately 1,800 yuan in filter material costs per month and reduce maintenance hours by about 7.5 hours. 
Production continuity 
Before the renovation, production disruptions caused by filter blockage occurred 4 to 5 times per month. After the renovation, within 6 months, there was only 1 disruption caused by abnormal raw materials, and due to the quick-opening design, the cleaning recovery time was shortened from the original 45 minutes to 20 minutes, significantly reducing the impact on production. 
Operational stability of downstream equipment 
Before the renovation, the downstream reaction equipment was forced to operate at reduced capacity due to impurity issues, with such situations occurring 2 to 3 times per month. After the renovation, no such reduced-load situations caused by impurities occurred within 6 months. Product quality

Before the renovation, the product qualification rate was approximately 97.2%. After the renovation, through continuous monitoring for 6 months, the product qualification rate increased to 98.5%, and the impurity content indicators were significantly improved. Customers reported that the product quality stability had been greatly enhanced. 
Customer review
"The effect of this filtration system upgrade exceeded our expectations. The most obvious change was that the continuous operation time of the production line was significantly extended, and maintenance personnel no longer had to frequently go to the site to replace the filter bags. From the data, the extension of the catalyst's lifespan was the biggest unexpected gain, and this benefit was something we had not anticipated before. Now this filter has become the standard configuration for our raw material pre-treatment line." 
— The production department manager of this enterprise 
Summary
Through the customized transformation of this stainless steel basket filter, the petrochemical enterprise achieved multiple benefits such as improved filtration efficiency, reduced maintenance costs, enhanced production continuity, and extended catalyst lifespan. The data-driven transformation plan helped the client recover the investment in just over two months and provided a reliable guarantee for long-term stable production.