Technical & Practical
Piping-System Leak Detection and Monitoring for the CPI
Leaks in a chemical process industries (CPI) facility can run the gamut from creating a costly waste to prefacing a catastrophic failure.. They can be an annoyance, by creating pools of liquid on concrete that can become a possible slipping…
Fired Heaters: Best Practices for the Control of Fuel Gas
Large petroleum-refining complexes often have dozens of fired heaters, making broad-based competency in this area essential to overall reliability, safety and energy efficiency. Despite industry’s widespread familiarity with fired heaters, they continue to pose significant challenges during initial control-system design…
Three Insights for Managing Legacy Data
Existing chemical process industries (CPI) facilities possess years, if not decades, of legacy engineering information. The data exist in a myriad of formats and are typically siloed across multiple systems and locations. In cases where the engineering data are either…
Centrifugal Pump Maintenance
Optimal functioning of centrifugal pumps over time depends on sound maintenance practices. The following material represents tips and guidelines for routine preventive and protective maintenance for centrifugal pumps. Monitoring A basic maintenance routine for centrifugal pumps should include monitoring of…
Principles of P&ID Development
The piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) is often considered to be the gold standard for the proper design, operation and maintenance of plants in the chemical process industries (CPI), including chemical, oil-and-gas facilities, mining operations, food-processing plants, and water- and…
Production of Bio-based Succinic Acid
Succinic acid is an important industrial chemical that is traditionally derived from petroleum feedstocks. It can be used in several areas — from high-value niche applications, such as food, beverages and pharmaceuticals, to large-volume applications, such as plasticizers, resins and…
Integrally Geared Compressors in the CPI
In an integrally geared centrifugal compressor (Figure 1), several impellers are mounted on the ends of high-speed pinion shafts, which are rotated by a bull-gear. Each impeller’s casing is mounted directly on the horizontally split gear casing. As is the…
Protecting Against Compressor Pulsations
Pressure variations resulting from the oscillatory flow patterns found in positive-displacement machinery, especially reciprocating compressors, are referred to as “pulsations.” Found in both liquid- and gas-handling systems, pulsations are a common phenomenon in the chemical processing industries (CPI). Operational problems…
Static Electricity Discharge and Fire Prevention
When flammable or combustible atmospheres are present, uncontrolled discharges of static electricity are potentially dangerous or even catastrophic. A significant portion of industrial explosions and fires are attributable to static electricity each year. In theory, controlling static electricity by grounding…
Implementing a Corrosion-Under-Insulation Program
Corrosion to the external surface of process piping and vessels that is hidden under the insulation is referred to as corrosion under insulation (CUI). Aging piping and equipment in chemical plants and petroleum refineries have made CUI detection and assessment…