Refineria Isla Supplied with Record Size Standpipe Joint

With the supply of the new regenerator standpipe expansion joint to Refineria Isla on the island of Curacao, a new standpipe weight record was established at Senior Flexonics Pathway. The 50' diameter cold shell standpipe assembly weighed in at 61,000 pounds when completed.

The Isla Project involved a revamp to a FCC that included upgrade of the regenerator standpipe to cold shell from hot shell construction. Foster Wheeler New Jersey was the designated architectural engineering firm performing the revamp. Early in the project, Senior Flexonics Pathway personnel visited the Isla Project Site to obtain a better understanding of the needs and concerns of the inspection and maintenance staff at Refineria Isla. Throughout the detailed design and fabrication process, Senior Flexonics Pathway maintained open communications with the Foster Wheeler Project Team to ensure efficient progress. The end result was on-time delivery of a state-of-the-art expansion joint that essentially replaced the entire regenerator standpipe.

The design included several features strongly supported by Senior Flexonics Pathway field experience. The bellows elements were ply testable design and each included a Senior Flexonics Pathway “Red Top” leak detection device. This concept provides the ability to detect a leak in a bellows element while continuing to operate safely until a scheduled repair can be performed. The expansion joint also included a center gimbal on the pantograph. This feature allows for continuous support of the expansion joint center spool even during out of plane movements that often occur in cold shell application.

To find out more about standpipe expansion joints, contact Senior Flexonics Pathway.