Service

Refinery Unit Decontamination Cleaning

Refinery shutdowns and turnarounds demand precise, unit-specific cleaning programs to get equipment decontaminated, degassed, and safe for entry on schedule and without incident. Requirements shift dramatically by unit type, feedstock history, and deposit composition — from heavy hydrocarbon residues and pyrophoric iron sulfides in crude units to coke and catalyst fines in FCC and coker systems. Indie Chem Co develops data-driven treatment programs tailored to each set of conditions while reducing waste and wastewater burden, lowering VOC/HAP exposure, minimizing contractor risk, and shortening turnaround duration.

How It Works

Three stages, specified in writing.

  1. 01

    Technical intake and process review

    We collect unit configuration, feedstock history, previous cleaning data, metallurgy details, and operational timeline. This review determines which strategy and treatment plan is preferred to meet your objectives.

  2. 02

    Chemistry program design

    Based on the technical review, we formulate a targeted chemical treatment program including temperature, time, flow rates, decontamination agents and passivation chemistry as required. Dosing rates, circulation sequences, and temperature parameters are built with the customer and specified in writing. We sit with your teams to go through the process from start to finish, so no question is left unanswered.

  3. 03

    Program execution and monitoring

    The treatment program is deployed during line flushing, circulation, or controlled vapor-phase treatment as appropriate for the unit. Field monitoring checkpoints confirm treatment progress against target indicators — H2S readings, pyrophoric iron test results, LEL levels.

Applications

Refinery units addressed.

  • Desalters
  • Crude distillation units and atmospheric towers
  • Vacuum towers and vacuum heat exchangers
  • Delayed cokers and fluid cokers
  • Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) units
  • Hydrotreaters and hydroprocessing units
  • Catalytic reformers
  • Naphtha splitters and fractionation columns

Benefits

What the program delivers.

Safer unit entry

Pyrophoric iron sulfide neutralization and H2S vapor suppression chemistry reduce the most serious hazards associated with refinery unit entry, supporting your safety protocols and protecting your personnel.

Schedule adherence

Chemical treatment programs engineered for your specific unit and timeline minimize the risk of unexpected complications that extend decontamination duration. Faster clearance means earlier access for mechanical crews.

Deposit removal matched to unit type

Generic cleaning chemistry rarely addresses the specific deposit matrix present in a given unit. Our targeted approach removes deposits more completely, reducing the mechanical work required and contractor exposure in confined space, and improving inspection access.

Technical Approach

Engineered, not selected from a catalog.

Each refinery clearing and cleaning program is engineered through a rigorous, multi-variable assessment of unit type and geometry, foulant class and deposition mechanisms, metallurgy constraints, circulation or vapor-phase options, and defined operational outcomes.

Treatment chemistry is selected using applied solubility science, reaction kinetics, and mass-transfer considerations, matched to foulant accessibility, thermal operating windows, and the unit's process history to ensure predictable dissolution, dispersion, or passivation pathways. We may request deposit or process-fluid samples for laboratory characterization to quantify foulant composition, validate solubility and reactivity profiles, and refine the treatment design with data-driven precision. This engineered methodology reduces clearing time, lowers waste generation, and enhances safety and readiness for mechanical entry.

See how this applies across our refinery programs.

Get a treatment program recommendation for your unit.

Tell us your unit type, upcoming turnaround timeline, and the specific challenges you're managing. We'll respond with a technically grounded recommendation.

Request a Recommendation →