Oil & Gas
Building & Facility Management
Manufacturing
BrightShieldโข Restores Flow in Critical CSS Exchanger at Cold Lake Bitumen Facility
At a glance
A CSS bitumen production facility in Cold Lake faced a severely fouled, โuncleanableโ heat exchanger. Using Guardianโs BrightShieldโข Process, including a tailored chemistry program, their team restored flow, eliminated fouling, and returned the system to optimal performance without disruption.
Key metrics
150%
INCREASE IN FLOW RATE WITH THE VALVE ONLY HALF OPEN
ELIMINATED
FLOW RESTRICTIONS
50 L
TOTAL VOLUME OF CHEMICAL REQUIRED TO CLEAN EXCHANGER
Why a fouled exchanger threatens a CSS turnaround
In cyclic steam stimulation (CSS), heat exchangers handle water and fluids that carry oil, grease and solids. When an exchanger fouls, flow drops and the unit starts to limit the plant.
Some exchangers get labelled “uncleanable” after conventional methods fail. That usually means more downtime, mechanical work, or replacement. When the cleaning has to fit a turnaround schedule, there is little time for lab work.
This Cold Lake bitumen facility had a critical exchanger fouled with oil, grease and solids, with flow below 20 mยณ/h even with the valve fully open. The team needed a plan fast.
Challenges
A critical heat exchanger was heavily fouled with oil, grease, and solids, cutting flow below 20 mยณ/h. With no time for sampling, Guardian used historical deposit analysis and fouling photos to quickly design an effective cleaning plan.
Solutions
Through the BrightShieldโข Process, Guardian developed a custom chemical cleaning plan to meet the clientโs turnaround goals quickly and safely.
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Initial Review: The team looked at photos and past deposit info to plan the job โ no lab testing needed.
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Custom Cleaning Program:
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Step 1: 10 L of HotSoss mixed with 2 mยณ of boiler feed water (BFW) to start the clean
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Step 2: 40 L of Terrasol ULV with 2 mยณ of BFW to remove oil and solids
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Step 3: A final rinse with clean water and filter pots to catch any leftover debris
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On-Site Support: Guardian stayed on-site to monitor flow and make sure the cleaning worked as planned.
Results
BrightShieldโข exceeded expectations. Flow increased to 50 mยณ/h with the valve only 50% open, effectively tripling the exchangerโs throughput under lower load.
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Operational continuity maintained. No shutdown required.
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Low chemical volume: Only 50 L total product used.
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Exchanger fully restored with flow and efficiency surpassing original targets.
Data
Pre-cleaning: The valve had to be fully open due to restrictions limiting flow. Even with the valve fully open, the flow rate was limited to 20 mยณ per hour.
Post-cleaning: With flow restrictions eliminated, the valve did not need to be fully open to achieve desired flow rates. As such, the valve opening was reduced to 50%. At 50%, the flow rate was 50 mยณ per hour, 1.5X the flow rate of the pre-clean fully open condition.
TERRASOL ULV is a unique Ultra-Low VOC hybrid degreaser combining the power of both solvent and water-based formulations to tackle the toughest soil and oil deposits to deliver strong cleaning performance. It has a flash point above 95ยฐC (TCC) and ultra-low VOC content for exceptional cleaning and degreasing.
Frequently asked questions
How was the cleaning planned without sampling?
Guardian used historical deposit analysis and fouling photos to design the program, with no new lab testing.
What products were used?
10 L of HotSoss with 2 mยณ of boiler feed water to start, then 40 L of Terrasol ULV with 2 mยณ of boiler feed water, followed by a clean water rinse through filter pots. About 50 L of product in total.
How much did flow improve?
Before cleaning, flow was limited to 20 mยณ/h with the valve fully open. After cleaning, flow reached 50 mยณ/h with the valve only 50% open.
Was a shutdown required?
No. Operations continued, and Guardian stayed on site to monitor flow during the clean.