Process Equipment Malfunctions: Techniques to Identify and Correct Plant Problems

613 Pages·2011·7.257 MB·English

by  Norman Lieberman

Dedication

A. Dedication
I was watching the Nature Channel last night. The wandering
albatross spends 9 months in solitary flight over far-flung seas. Then,
without fail, it returns to the Falkland Islands in the wild Antarctic
Ocean. Invariably it seeks and finds the same mate it had the previous
season. And so it goes on, fulfilling nature's plan for 30 or 40 years.
It reminds me of Liz and me. Wandering across the face of the earth
to far-flung refineries and chemical plants. Gathering tales of process
equipment malfunctions. Invariably returning to our home in New
Orleans to renew our time and life together.
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About the Author

B. About the Author
Norman P. Lieberman is a chemical engineer with 46 years of experience in
process plant operation, design, and field troubleshooting. An independent
consultant, he troubleshoots oil refinery and chemical plant process
problems and prepares revamp process designs. Mr. Lieberman teaches 20
to 25 seminars a year on "Troubleshooting Process Plant Operations," and
this book is based on his long experience in field troubleshooting refinery
and process plant problems.
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Preface

C. Preface
The training provided to the process operator and to the chemical or process
engineer often does not seem to apply in the plant. It's as if both formal
education and training are irrelevant to actual process plant problems. The
difficulty lies in an implied assumption made by instructors, professors,
textbooks, and training manuals that the equipment is working correctly and
within its normal operating range.
But in the real world, the process engineer and operating supervisor do not
concern themselves with properly performing equipment. It's the
malfunctioning pumps, control valves, pressure transmitters, compressors,
fractionators, and fired heaters that occupy their attention. To identify a
malfunction, the technician must first understand the normal function of that
equipment. Such understanding may come from training or experience. In
this book, I've assumed that you already understand the basic operating
principles of steam reboilers, air coolers, distillation trays, reciprocating
compressors, knock-out drums, and heat exchangers.
A reasonably intelligent person can be taught to design, monitor, or operate
correctly functioning process plants. Competent maintenance personnel can
efficiently execute equipment repairs. But to identify and troubleshoot
equipment malfunctions requires a different and higher level of
understanding and analytical reasoning. In that sense, this text presents an
advanced type of training not available in universities or operator training
programs.
The information and ideas I've presented are based on my own 46 years of
field experience. If I have not seen it myself, I have not included it in this
book. The examples are drawn from my work in oil refineries and, to a lesser
extent, petrochemical plants, LNG facilities, and gas field production.
If you have an erratic bottoms level, or a flooding fractionator, or a surging
steam jet, this is the text that can help you, provided that you're willing to go
out into that noisy, hot, hostile, confusing, and evil-smelling world on the
other side of your office door. And don't forget your wrench, infrared surface
temperature gun, screwed fittings, and pressure gauge.
C.1. Disclaimer
While all my stories are true and related in a technically correct sequence of
details, I have often forgotten where they occurred. Thus, references to
specific companies and locations are meaningless and should be regarded as
pure fiction.
I have written mainly from my personal experience. On the odd occasion
where I refer to the technical literature, I have so noted. Other than
references to myself and my family, all other references to individuals are
also totally fictional. That is, the names have been changed to protect the
guilty.
C.2. Note on Term Definition and Glossary
There are a large number of terms that are in common use in the process
industry but have no particular meaning in the larger world. When I use
terms that I imagine the novice process technician has not been exposed to, I
have boldfaced the term at least once. Then, in the glossary, I have defined
that term. Particularly when you work with older operators or maintenance
personnel onsite, communication can be a big problem for the new man or
woman. I have also tried to define such terms, in less detail, in the text, but
not every time I use them. So, when in doubt, consult the glossary.
C.3. Other Texts by Author
To an extent, more-detailed descriptions of some of the examples cited in this
book are contained in other books I have authored. I have referenced such
examples throughout this text.
A Working Guide to Process Equipment , 3rd ed., McGraw-Hill, 2009 (with
Elizabeth Lieberman).
Process Engineering for a Small Planet , Wiley, 2010.
Troubleshooting Process Operations, 4th ed., PennWell, 2009.
Troubleshooting Natural Gas Processing , PennWell, 1987.
Troubleshooting Process Plant Control , Wiley, 2008.
Process Engineering for Reliable Operations , 2nd ed., Gulf, 1995.
Troubleshooting Refinery Processes , PennWell, 1980.
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Norman P. Lieberman: Process Equipment Malfunctions: Techniques to Identify and
Correct Plant Problems. Preface, Chapter (McGraw-Hill Professional, 2011),
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Acknowledgments

D. Acknowledgments
Irene Hebert—my daughter, who assembled and corrected this manuscript
into a publishable form.
Roy Williams—who drafted the process figures from my scribbled penciled
sketches.
Liz Lieberman—my wife, fellow chemical engineer, and coworker, who
reviewed the final draft.
Just a few of my colleagues who have helped me over the years: Dale
Wilborn, Ken Block, Mark Allen, Mike Angela, Henry Kister, Scot Golden,
Gerry Carlin, Joe Gurawitz, Gerry Obluda, Cedric Charles, Terry
Henderson, Nelson English, Prasnanta Kumar, Dennis Schumede, Jean Paul
Mauleon, Robert Haugen, Andries Burger, Tariq Malik, Steve Hill, Jim
McQuire, Archie Elam, Mike Nodier, Oscar Wyatt, Jack Stanley, Ken Rickter,
Heinz Block, Telroy Morgan, Joe and Jim Deprisco, Vaidas Dirgelas, Trung
Quan, Probkar Reddy, Charlie Schultz, Richard Doss, Bill Hurt, Dan
Summers, Raj Malik, Ohad Rotan, Sandy Lani, Paul Schrader, Janet Wilson,
Joe Petrocelli, Bobby Felts, Henry Zipperian, Greg Hevron, and Tom Varadi.
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2011), AccessEngineering
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Introduction

E. Introduction
Norman, the toilet won't flush!"
"Use the toilet in the upstairs guest room," I replied. "I'm watching the game."
"You need to fix it! It won't flush." Liz insisted, "There's zero tolerance for
failure in our home!"
Liz and I live alone in a house with seven toilets. I can't quite grasp the
problem if one or two are out-of-service. But Liz sees things differently. So,
during halftime, I listed the potential reasons for the toilet malfunction:
The 3-inch connection between the toilet and the 4-inch sewer line under
our slab has plugged. That's a job for my power plunger.
The 4-inch sewer line under our slab has plugged. That's a job for the Roto-
Rooter man. Cost = $250, minimum.
The 4-inch sewer line under our slab has broken. That's a job for the
Hydro-Tunnelers. Cost = $21,800 (not an estimate).
The chain connecting the flush handle to the rubber stopper in the water
closet has come loose. Cost = 2 cents for a new rubber band.
The rubber stopper in the water closet is stuck in an open position. I
should be so lucky.
A bird has built a nest on top of the roof vent. Air trapped in the toilet
drain line has vapor-locked the toilet. Likely I'll fall off the roof trying to
evict the fowl.
The sewer line between my home and the city sewer is plugged. This just
happened last month; I cleared it with a "bladder" attached to my garden
hose.
The City of New Orleans has shut off the water to my house because I've
again forgotten to pay my water bill. Cost = Liz will be really angry.
The washing machine is pumping soapy water into the 4-inch sewer under
our slab, and backing-out the toilet flow. I'll wait until the washer stops,
and then claim to have fixed the toilet.
I'll procrastinate and eventually Liz will fix the toilet herself.
As you can see, I'm a real expert in defining process equipment malfunctions.
It comes from 46 years of home ownership. To be successful in
troubleshooting, one must:
Understand how the equipment works.
Anticipate possible types of equipment malfunctions.
Discriminate between these malfunctions by direct field observations.
Devise and execute a test to prove that a particular malfunction is truly the
cause of the equipment failure.
My book is written at the working level. Having a university technical degree
is rather irrelevant to one's ability to understand this text. Having hands-on
field experience in a petrochemical plant or petroleum refinery will certainly
help the reader. But, if you're really stuck on a problem, give me a call at 1-
504-887-7714, or e-mail me at [email protected]. Just call during
halftime.
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