Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 25

Cover Story
Extending the Life
of Fluid System
Components
With proper design, installation, monitoring and maintenance, chemical plant operators can
increase the lifecycle of fluid systems - and the bottom line
R
eplacing a fluid system component
costs more than just the price of
the part itself. It also includes paying
the procurement engineer, as
well as the cost for installation and maintenance.
But the largest expense incurred is
when a plant must shut down a section of its
critical infrastructure while the broken component
is replaced. This delay results in lost
productivity during downtime and can affect
a plant's profitability.
Extending the life of fluid-system components
is one way to reduce these replacement
costs. The longer a component lasts,
the longer a plant can avoid downtime
and other related expenses. Fortunately,
there are some proven ways to improve
component lifecycles, lower maintenance
costs and even maximize plant safety in
the process.
Focus on system design first
One of the most crucial elements that often
gets overlooked is how the design of a fluid
system can affect the ways that components
wear. For example, pressure and temperature
fluctuations, waterhammer, vibration
and contamination can all have a significant
impact on how well a system functions and
how components age. Using sound design
principles is essential to limit these stressors
to improve long-term performance.
Simplified designs are preferred. For example,
designing a fluid system with fewer
components and fittings means fewer opportunities
for leaks, which can prove dangerous
to operators and may be costly to
repair. In addition, this simpler system design
reduces the possibility of potentially
costly and dangerous fugitive-emission pollution.
For example, a traditional nonwelded
pipe assembly contains multiple direction
changes and requires numerous elbows
and connection points. A modern piping
system with bendable tubing can reduce
the number of fitting connections to as few
as four points - at the mechanical seal and
the seal-support system (Figure 1). Nearly
all the connections can be welded, including
swept bends, which greatly reduces the
number of leak points. For tips on when and
how to use bendable tubing runs, see the
sidebar on page 27.
As designs are simplified, it is important
to that ensure all the components meet the
operating parameters, including temperaSwagelok
Brian
Aplin
Swagelok Co.
IN BRIEF
FOCUS ON SYSTEM
DESIGN FIRST
CONSIDER ALL
OPERATING CONDITIONS
TRAIN FOR PROPER
INSTALLATION
PERFORM PREVENTATIVE
MAINTENANCE
STORE PARTS PROPERLY
LEARN AS YOU REPLACE
FIGURE 1. A simplified, multidirectional fluid system using bendable tubing (right) can greatly reduce the number of connection
points - and therefore leak points - compared to a system featuring a nonwelded pipe assembly (left). The bendable
tubing run reduces the nonwelded pipe assembly's 17 potential connection leak points down to just 4
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
FEBRUARY 2023
25
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Chemical Engineering February 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering February 2023

Chemical Engineering February 2023 - Cover1
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - Cover2
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 1
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 2
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 3
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 4
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 5
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 6
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 7
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 8
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 9
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 10
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 11
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 12
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 13
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 14
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 15
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 16
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 17
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 18
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 19
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 20
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 21
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 22
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 23
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 24
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 25
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 26
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 27
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 28
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 29
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 30
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 31
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Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 34
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 35
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 36
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 37
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 38
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 39
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 40
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 41
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 42
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 43
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Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 45
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 46
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Chemical Engineering February 2023 - 48
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - Cover3
Chemical Engineering February 2023 - Cover4
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