Examines real life problems and solutions for operators and engineers running process controls Expands on the first book with the addition of five new chapters as well as new troubleshooting examples Written for the working operator and engineer, with straightforward instruction not hinged on complex math Includes real-life examples of control problems that commonly arise and how to fix them Emphasizes single and well-established process engineering principles that will help working engineers and operators switch manual control loops to automatic control
Diagnose and Troubleshoot Problems in Chemical Process Equipment with This Updated Classic! Chemical engineers and plant operators can rely on the Third Edition of A Working Guide to Process Equipment for the latest diagnostic tips, practical examples, and detailed illustrations for pinpointing trouble and correcting problems in chemical process equipment. This updated classic contains new chapters on Control Valves, Cooling Towers, Waste Heat Boilers, Catalytic Effects, Fundamental Concepts of Process Equipment, and Process Safety. Filled with worked-out calculations, the book examines everything from trays, reboilers, instruments, air coolers, and steam turbines...to fired heaters, refrigeration systems, centrifugal pumps, separators, and compressors. The authors simplify complex issues and explain the technical issues needed to solve all kinds of equipment problems. Comprehensive and clear, the Third Edition of A Working Guide to Process Equipment features: Guidance on diagnosing and troubleshooting process equipment problems Explanations of how theory applies to real-world equipment operations Many useful tips, examples, illustrations, and worked-out calculations New to this edition: Control Valves, Cooling Towers, Waste Heat Boilers, Catalytic Effects, and Process Safety Inside this Renowned Guide to Solving Process Equipment Problems • Trays • Tower Pressure • Distillation Towers • Reboilers • Instruments • Packed Towers • Steam and Condensate Systems • Bubble Point and Dew Point • Steam Strippers • Draw-Off Nozzle Hydraulics • Pumparounds and Tower Heat Flows • Condensers and Tower Pressure Control • Air Coolers • Deaerators and Steam Systems • Vacuum Systems • Steam Turbines • Surface Condensers • Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers • Fire Heaters • Refrigeration Systems • Centrifugal Pumps • Separators • Compressors • Safety • Corrosion • Fluid Flow • Computer Modeling and Control • Field Troubleshooting Process Problems
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO TROUBLESHOOTING PROCESS EQUIPMENT MALFUNCTIONS Process Equipment Malfunctions offers proven techniques for finding and fixing process plant problems and contains details on failure identification. Diagnostic tips, examples, and illustrations help to pinpoint and correct faults in chemical process and petroleum refining equipment. Complex math has been omitted. An essential resource for plant operators and process engineers, this book is based on the author's long career in field troubleshooting process problems. COVERAGE INCLUDES: Distillation tray malfunctions Packed tower problems Distillation tower pressure and composition control Fractionator product stripping Pumparounds Reboiled and steam side strippers Inspecting tower internals Process reboilers--thermosyphon circulation Heat exchangers Condenser limitations Air coolers Cooling water systems Steam condensate collection systems Steam quality problems Level control problems Process plant corrosion and fouling Vapor-liquid separation vessels Hydrocarbon-water separation and desalters Fired heaters--draft and excess O2 Disabling safety systems Vacuum systems and steam jets Vacuum surface condensers Centrifugal pump limitations Steam turbine drivers Centrifugal compressors Reciprocating compressors
Vacuum systems are in wide spread use in the petrochemical plants, petroleum refineries and power generation plants. The existing texts on this subject are theoretical in nature and only deal with how the equipment functions when in good mechanical conditions, from the viewpoint of the equipment vendor. Also, the existing texts fail to consider the interaction of the vacuum system with the process equipment it serves and the variability of the motive steam conditions, change in cooling water temperature condenser fouling and erosion of the ejectors. Here are some of the many questions answered in this groundbreaking volume: Why does my first stage jet make a surging sound during hot weather? Why does the vacuum suddenly break? I've seen moisture condensing on the jet's body! What’s causing that? Why do I have to steam-out the drain legs from our condensers? Superheated steam is making our vacuum worse. Is this normal? How can I locate and measure air leaks? Reducing the steam pressure to my jets improves vacuum. But why? I can't pull the pre-condenser bundle. The shell side is fouling. What should I do? We're not getting our normal horsepower from our steam turbine. Could this be a jet problem? Raising the seal drum level improves vacuum! Is there an explanation for this? Our turbine exhaust steam pressure to our surface condenser has doubled in the last two years. What should we do? Restricting cooling water flow from our elevated condensers improves vacuum! Is this possible? What's a converging-diverging ejector all about? What's the difference between a barometric condenser and a surface condenser? Which is better?
For the first time, process technicians have a resource designed specifically for them that will provide a comprehensive, thorough overview of modern troubleshooting methods and models. Process Technology Troubleshooting utilizes a simple to complex approach that encourages readers to master basic concepts before progressing to more advanced ones for increased comprehension. The book covers troubleshooting models that apply concepts from advanced instrumentation, the control loop, and process equipment and systems, and includes coverage of such processes as a simple pump-around and feed system, compressor system, heat transfer system, cooling tower system, boiler system, furnace system, distillation system , stirred reactor system, and separations system. Each of these systems have operational information, set points, and start-up procedures. These sections include "what-if" scenarios and detailed illustrations. Process Technology Troubleshooting is an invaluable resource and reference for any novice, training manager or experienced process technician.
“Process Plant Equipment Book is another great publication from Wiley as a reference book for final year students as well as those who will work or are working in chemical production plants and refinery...” -Associate Prof. Dr. Ramli Mat, Deputy Dean (Academic), Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia “...give[s] readers access to both fundamental information on process plant equipment and to practical ideas, best practices and experiences of highly successful engineers from around the world... The book is illustrated throughout with numerous black & white photos and diagrams and also contains case studies demonstrating how actual process plants have implemented the tools and techniques discussed in the book. An extensive list of references enables readers to explore each individual topic in greater depth...” –Stainless Steel World and Valve World, November 2012 Discover how to optimize process plant equipment, from selection to operation to troubleshooting From energy to pharmaceuticals to food, the world depends on processing plants to manufacture the products that enable people to survive and flourish. With this book as their guide, readers have the information and practical guidelines needed to select, operate, maintain, control, and troubleshoot process plant equipment so that it is efficient, cost-effective, and reliable throughout its lifetime. Following the authors' careful explanations and instructions, readers will find that they are better able to reduce downtime and unscheduled shutdowns, streamline operations, and maximize the service life of processing equipment. Process Plant Equipment: Operation, Control, and Reliability is divided into three sections: Section One: Process Equipment Operations covers such key equipment as valves, pumps, cooling towers, conveyors, and storage tanks Section Two: Process Plant Reliability sets forth a variety of tested and proven tools and methods to assess and ensure the reliability and mechanical integrity of process equipment, including failure analysis, Fitness-for-Service assessment, engineering economics for chemical processes, and process component function and performance criteria Section Three: Process Measurement, Control, and Modeling examines flow meters, process control, and process modeling and simulation Throughout the book, numerous photos and diagrams illustrate the operation and control of key process equipment. There are also case studies demonstrating how actual process plants have implemented the tools and techniques discussed in the book. At the end of each chapter, an extensive list of references enables readers to explore each individual topic in greater depth. In summary, this text offers students, process engineers, and plant managers the expertise and technical support needed to streamline and optimize the operation of process plant equipment, from its initial selection to operations to troubleshooting.
This is not your average technical book! Using a humorous and easy-to-understand approach to solving common process engineering problems, this unique volume is the go-to guide for any veteran or novice engineer in the plant, office, or classroom. Textbooks are often too theoretical to help the average process engineer solve everyday problems in the plant, and generic handbooks are often out of date and not comprehensive. This guide focuses on the most common problems that every engineer faces and how to solve them. The "characters" walk the reader through every problem and solution step-by-step, through dialogues that literally occur every day in process plants around the world. With over half a century of experience and many books, videos, and seminars to his credit, Norm Lieberman is well-known all over the world and has helped countless companies and engineers through issues with equipment, processes, and training. This is the first time that this knowledge has appeared in a format like this, quite unlike anything ever published before in books on process engineering. This is a must-have for any engineer working in process engineering.
Understanding Process Equipment for Operators and Engineers explains how process equipment functions. As problems often arise in plants that must be solved by unit engineers, this book offers successful solutions and methods for their implementation. The concepts explained are based on Norm Lieberman's personal, hands-on experience. Like you, Norm attended a university and was exposed to technical seminars which did not always provide the needed solutions. In this text, you will learn the functioning of a variety of equipment types, including Fired Heater Draft, Centrifugal Pump Head, Distillation Tray Efficiency, Vacuum Jets, Recip Compressors, Steam Turbines, Thermosyphon Circulation Reboilers and Air Cooler. - Includes methods and procedures on how to make field measurements - Outlines fire heater principles and operation and how they develop draft - Describes distillation column operation and methods to increase their efficiency - Includes computer modeling and provides use case examples
Designed to provide a comprehensive, step-by-step approach to organic process research and development in the pharmaceutical, fine chemical, and agricultural chemical industries, this book describes the steps taken, following synthesis and evaluation, to bring key compounds to market in a cost-effective manner. It describes hands-on, step-by-step, approaches to solving process development problems, including route, reagent, and solvent selection; optimising catalytic reactions; chiral syntheses; and "green chemistry." Second Edition highlights:• Reflects the current thinking in chemical process R&D for small molecules• Retains similar structure and orientation to the first edition. • Contains approx. 85% new material• Primarily new examples (work-up and prospective considerations for pilot plant and manufacturing scale-up)• Some new/expanded topics (e.g. green chemistry, genotoxins, enzymatic processes)• Replaces the first edition, although the first edition contains useful older examples that readers may refer to - Provides insights into generating rugged, practical, cost-effective processes for the chemical preparation of "small molecules" - Breaks down process optimization into route, reagent and solvent selection, development of reaction conditions, workup, crystallizations and more - Presents guidelines for implementing and troubleshooting processes
A GUIDE TO THE DESIGN, OPERATION, CONTROL, TROUBLESHOOTING, OPTIMIZATION AS WELL AS THE RECENT ADVANCES IN THE FIELD OF PETROCHEMICAL PROCESSES Efficient Petrochemical Processes: Technology, Design and Operation is a guide to the tools and methods for energy optimization and process design. Written by a panel of experts on the topic, the book highlights the application of these methods on petrochemical technology such as the aromatics process unit. The authors describe practical approaches and tools that focus on improving industrial energy efficiency, reducing capital investment, and optimizing yields through better design, operation, and optimization. The text is divided into sections that cover the range of essential topics: petrochemical technology description; process design considerations; reaction and separation design; process integration; process system optimization; types of revamps; equipment assessment; common operating issues; and troubleshooting case analysis. This important book: Provides the basic knowledge related to fundamentals, design, and operation for petrochemical processes Applies process integration techniques and optimization techniques that improve process design and operations in the petrochemical process Provides practical methods and tools for industrial practitioners Puts the focus on improving industrial energy efficiency, reducing capital investment, and optimizing yields Contains information on the most recent advances in the field. Written for managers, engineers, and operators working in process industries as well as university students, Efficient Petrochemical Processes: Technology, Design and Operation explains the most recent advances in the field of petrochemical processes and discusses in detail catalytic and adsorbent materials, reaction and separation mechanisms.
