Edwards has over 90 years experience in the design and supply of steam ejector systems. Edwards has been instrumental in the development of the steam ejector from the relatively crude single stage devices which evolved into today’s highly efficient multi-stage systems.

Process and mechanical design expertise is combined with project management skills for the supply of individual items of plant, or the execution of total projects including installation and commissioning.

The company has an immense reputation in applications including the following:

• Refinery Vacuum Systems
• Vacuum Distillation Units
• Flash Evaporation for Seawater Desalination
• Turbine Condenser Air Extraction
• Edible Oil Processing
• Polymerisation
• Crystallisation
• Evaporative Cooling

Secondary recovery by means of water injection is frequently an essential feature of crude oil production. It is often a crucial factor in achieving and sustaining economically viable production rates.

The source of the water is dependant on the location of the production facility and could be from a subsurface source such as produced water or an aquifer, or from a surface source such as the sea or a river.

The latter two sources, as with most surface waters, normally contain substantial levels of dissolved oxygen. In order to control corrosion rates in downstream plant and to inhibit bacterial growth this oxygen must be removed before the water is used for injection.

Edwards is able to provide extensively proven deaeration technology to facilitate the removal of this oxygen to levels such that the remaining residual may be economically removed by the addition of a chemical scavenger.

The following options are available:

• Spray/pack deaerators
• Packed column deaerators
• Trace gas stripping deaerators

Edwards is able to offer field proven designs for water injection deaerators, which are required to operate upstream of sulphate removal systems. Such installations require that the deaerator must operate without antifoam agents since the use of such agents in incompatible with the membranes used in the sulphate removal system.

Edwards has considerable experience in the supply of deaeration packages for use on floating production vessels, including installations on FPSO's, semi-submersibles and on tension leg platforms.

 

 

Through its acquisition of Hick Hargreaves, Edwards has added the capability to design and supply replacement feedwater heaters for central power generating plants to its product portfolio.

Our capabilities in regard to this equipment are principally focussed on the supply of replacement vertical heaters, with full radiographic testing of the back face welded tube to tubesheet joints being undertaken to ensure maximum integrity of these critical joints.

Hick Hargreaves began to suppy feed heaters in the 1930’s and the reference list now extends to several hundred units. Many of our heaters have been in service for well in excess of twenty five years.

The designs developed by Hick Hargreaves cater for modern power station operating practices with repeated cold and warm starts and the stresses imposed on the heaters as a result of this type of operating regime. Well proven baffling and shrouding arrangements maximise the efficiency of the desuperheating and condensing sections and enable effective control of liquid levels within the heater to ensure effective condensate drains cooling.

Access to the waterbox for inspection is provided via an arrangement designed to allow easy removal and replacement of the cover and to provide adequate access to permit inspection to be undertaken efficiently.

There are many different applications in the process market requiring vacuum with many alternative vacuum technologies available. One solution that is often overlooked is the combination of steam ejectors and liquid ring pumps in a hybrid pumping system. Edwards has many years of experience supplying these systems into the refinery and chemical plant process dating back to the 1970’s. 

Steam ejector operate most efficiently at higher vacuum levels whilst liquid ring pumps are most efficient at lower vacuum levels, combining the two technologies enables each technology to operate at its optimum giving enhance performance for the process. The combination is particularly effective when handling large quantities of both condensable vapour and non-condensable gases, a typical system comprises of two stages of steam ejector each with and out let condenser and a final stage liquid ring pump energy savings compared to an all steam ejector and condenser system can be significant.
As the supplier of all three components of the hybrid system, steam ejector, condenser and liquid ring pump, Edwards are able ensure the design of the combination is optimized to get the maximum performance from each stage of the process.

For processes with lower flow rates and higher operating pressures bespoke Edwards also supply engineer to order liquid pump systems designed and supplied in accordance with customer specifications.

Equipment can be supplied in various materials of construction with fabrication and construction to international standards for compatibility with process conditions.