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Archives :: Processing & Handling :: Operations & Maintenance

Displaying 1 - 20 of 35 stories.
January 1, 2013
Use Simplified Lifecycle-Cost Computations to Justify Upgrades
Virtually every process-plant manager pursues the commendable goals of safely extending equipment life and maximizing both the availability and reliability of plant assets. Achieving these objectives usually requires upfront effort and money — both of which can be scarce resources. But even the realistic manager who knows that reliability comes at an ufront price may not want to authorize these...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Use-Simplified-Lifecycle-Cost-Computations-to-Justify-Upgrades_10087.html
August 1, 2012
Waterhammer In Condensate Return Lines
There is a temptation that steam design engineers find difficult to resist — to put condensate from high-pressure (HP) steam mains directly into the low-pressure (LP), pumped condensate-return (CR) mains. After all, the CR main is so convenient — it is generally laid right next to the outgoing steam main in the same tunnel, trench or racks as the CR main returning to the steam plant. And, the...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Waterhammer-In-Condensate-Return-Lines_9551.html
January 1, 2012
Lubricating Rotating Machinery
      Lubricants in rotating machines reduce friction and wear, dissipate heat, protect surfaces, keep out foreign contaminants and remove wear particles. Commonly used liquid lubricants fall into two main categories: mineral (petroleum-based) oils and synthetic oils. Mineral oils are produced by refining crude petroleum. They usually contain trace amounts of some unwanted substances. By...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Lubricating-Rotating-Machinery_8840.html
November 1, 2011
Selecting Oil-Mist Systems
For decades, plant-wide oil-mist systems have been used to lubricate rolling-element bearings in high-speed applications throughout the petrochemicals, textiles, pharmaceuticals, mining and other chemical process industries (CPI). Applications range from small motors to large rotating cylinders and a variety of fluid movers. Plant-wide oil-mist systems provide a centralized way to supply lubricating oil to...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Selecting-Oil-Mist-Systems_8615.html
July 1, 2011
Inspecting Fractionation Towers
Distillation columns are often workhorses in the chemical process industries (CPI), and at times, it is necessary to physically inspect the interior of a column. This article demonstrates what an inspection can reveal, by sharing the experience of actual fractionation-tower inspections in a petroleum refinery. The points mentioned are intended to provide guidance to future tower inspectors, so that they...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Inspecting-Fractionation-Towers_8214.html
April 1, 2011
Ten troubleshooting tips
Good troubleshooting skills are invaluable in chemical engineering practice. While their value is clearly gleaned from the impact they have on plant performance, it is also a reflection of the intangible process of learning them. Last month, at the AIChE Spring meeting in Chicago, Ruth Sands, former CE author and mass transfer consultant at DuPont Engineering Research & Technology, presented attendees...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Ten-troubleshooting-tips_7742.html
January 1, 2011
Get the Most out of Vibration Analysis
With productivity, growth and reliability as constant drivers, the proactive evaluation of all machinery is critically important. In order to gain useful insight, the maintenance team must capture comprehensive data related to machinery operation and carry out a logical interpretation of the data. The conventional language of equipment components — vibration — transmits relevant information...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Get-the-Most-out-of-Vibration-Analysis_6294.html
February 1, 2010
Comparing petrochemical plant aging
The massive buildup of new petrochemical capacity in the Middle East and Asia has been well documented, and its effect on future supply-demand much discussed. But a look at the average ages of plants in different regions in the years that follow this capacity buildup, prompts new conclusions on just how profound the effects of this new capacity will be. Ed Gartner, Director of SRI Consulting’s World...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Comparing-petrochemical-plant-aging_5447.html
December 1, 2009
Smooth Your Retrieval of Plant-Design Data
Most chemical engineers involved with operating large chemical process facilities have encountered the following challenge: Several large engineering contractors built the facility in multiple phases, using different computer-software models. Retrieving drawings or data in both digital and non-digital form in such a situation only adds complexity to operations, maintenance and revamp activities and often...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Smooth-Your-Retrieval-of-Plant-Design-Data_5326.html
August 1, 2009
Keeping Cooling Water Clean
Cooling water systems that rely on cooling towers are a critical component at chemical process industries (CPI) facilities. However, during operation, these open recirculating systems concentrate the contaminants in the makeup...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Keeping-Cooling-Water-Clean_5005.html
July 1, 2009
The Shotgun Approach: Removal of Fouling Deposits on Heat Transfer Surfaces in Coal-Fired Process Heaters & Boilers
The heat transfer sufaces of coal-fired process heaters and boilers often undergo severe fouling. If left intact, such deposits, consisting of slag from mineral matter contained in the coal, can reduce heat-transfer-surface availability, reduce thermal efficiency and cause corrosion. If the deposits are adherent and cannot be removed by conventional steam soot-blowers, shutdown and more rigorous cleaning...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/The-Shotgun-Approach-Removal-of-Fouling-Deposits-on-Heat-Transfer-Surfaces-in-Coal-Fired-Process-Heaters-and-Boilers_4925.html
December 1, 2008
Cover Story Part 2: Heat Transfer Fluids: Maintaining the System
Organic-based thermal fluids provide relatively trouble-free service for significant periods of time. However, there comes a time when any fluid (either aromatic- or aliphatic-based) needs to be replaced. Since aromatic-based fluids generally cost more and are complicated to dispose of, they receive far more attention than aliphatic-based fluids when the time comes for replacement. Aliphatic-based fluids...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Cover-Story-Part-2-Heat-Transfer-Fluids-Maintaining-the-System_4385.html
November 1, 2008
Condition-Based Maintenance Management Enhances Reliability
Management is a process of managing risk; maintenance management is a process of managing risk for operational reliability. Since it is hard to manage what cannot be measured, effective maintenance management demands good data on machine health — a comprehensive condition monitoring program, carried out by skilled and determined personnel, using appropriate tools and technology. Condition-based...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Condition-Based-Maintenance-Management-Enhances-Reliability_4320.html
November 1, 2008
Engineering Practice: Get More From Vertical Thermosiphon Reboilers
A very common heat exchanger in the chemical process industries (CPI) is the vertical thermosiphon reboiler (VTR; Figure 1). Due to size and fluid-flow restrictions, however, its heat transfer rate is often quite low. The subcooled region formed at the thermosiphon’s tube-bundle base usually causes reduction in the tubes’ average heat-transfer coefficient. Improvements in performance can be...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Engineering-Practice-Get-More-From-Vertical-Thermosiphon-Reboilers_4321.html
August 15, 2008
Cover Story: Making Energy Efficiency Pay
As fuel prices continue to rise, energy management is everyone’s business Market trends suggest that the demand for energy resources will rise dramatically over the next 25 years with the global demand for all energy sources forecast to grow by 57% and the U.S. demand for all types of energy expected to increase by 31% (see Figure 1). By 2030, it is expected that 56% of the world’s energy use...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Cover-Story-Making-Energy-Efficiency-Pay_4090.html
August 15, 2008
Editor’s Page: Cutting Corrosion Costs
Corrosion is a cannibalistic force that usually attacks chemical process equipment from the inside out. That must be why it is often referred to as a hidden cost, because the economic impact of corrosion is becoming impossible to overlook. As Russell D. Kane, director of corrosion services for Honeywell Process Solutions (Phoenix, Ariz.; www.honeywell.com) points out, the price of corrosion reveal itself...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Editors-Page-Cutting-Corrosion-Costs_4100.html
April 15, 2008
Feature Report: The Number One Problem in a Steam System: Water Hammer
  Water hammer — a high-pressure surge or wave created by the kinetic energy of the moving liquid — is not only a system issue, but primarily a safety concern. Understanding the nature and severity of water hammer in a steam-and-condensate system will allow prevention of its destructive forces. A better understanding will also help with the introduction of preventative measures into system...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Feature-Report-The-Number-One-Problem-in-a-Steam-System-Water-Hammer_3796.html
March 15, 2008
Maintaining and Repairing Heat Exchanger Tubes
Tube plugging is probably the most frequently used maintenance and repair technique for the tube side of an exchanger. This article provides information on how to locate the positions of tube failures and discusses why it is important to know such information. It describes how to find out where the tubes failed and explains how to analyze what caused failures, seen from the tube side. Descriptions of...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Maintaining-and-Repairing-Heat-Exchanger-Tubes_3731.html
February 15, 2008
Environmental Manager: Caring for Cooling Water Systems
Hydrocarbon leaks can disrupt recirculated cooling-water systems. Here’s an outline of effects and remedies Water is often the fluid of choice for cooling systems in the chemical process industries (CPI). Recirculated cooling-water systems are used to control the temperature of process fluids, which is necessary for process control and to achieve target product yields and specifications. Hydrocarbon...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Environmental-Manager-Caring-for-Cooling-Water-Systems_3664.html
February 15, 2008
Cover Story: CPI Water and Steam Chemistry
Careful control of water and steam chemistry at CPI facilities can pay off handsomely in reliable operation Sometimes lost in the hustle and bustle of production issues at chemical-process-industries (CPI) facilities is that high-purity water, and steam produced thereby, is the lifeblood of the plant. Yet, equipment failures and curtailed production due to water and steam issues can cost a company hundreds...
http://www.che.com/processing_and_handling/operations_and_maintenance/Cover-Story-CPI-Water-and-Steam-Chemistry_3668.html
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