Hydrocarbon Processing - December 2021 - 39

Process Optimization
* Use recorded data to identify bad actors and root causes
of failures
* Generate information on savings to justify expenditures
and return on investment (ROI)
* Ensure that the program continues to run smoothly
and make continuous improvements year after year.
Optimize steam-using equipment performance. Further
steam system asset improvements can be made once the steam
trap population is under control, after high-quality steam is
supplied to production and effective condensate drainage for
steam-using equipment is deployed throughout the facility.
The investigative steps for this typically include:
1. Conduct a one-day plant walkthrough and a consultation
session with a steam specialist to identify opportunities
and potential value. The plant can assess priority and
potential ROIs to decide which options to progress.
Sometimes, a plant may already have specific challenges
for the event to review.
2. Obtain detailed technical assessments of a specific
opportunity or challenge onsite to identify the
root cause of the issue and collect data to engineer
a solution and more accurately calculate potential
benefits. This action is usually followed by offsite
work to design a solution. Several technical
assessments may be combined to create a larger event.
3. Work with plant personnel to complete an
implementation proposal to gain funding.
4. Provide equipment, engineering, construction and
commissioning support for the solution.
High-value targets for steam-using applications in hydrocarbon
processing facilities typically include:
* Steam turbines to reduce trips, increase reliability,
decrease damage incidents and reduce plant steam
generation
* Reboilers to decrease plant steam generation, reduce
failures (gaskets, corrosion of tube bundles and
piping erosion), and increase performance to improve
production rates and product quality by fixing operating
problems, reconfiguring processes to use lower-pressure
steam that may be vented and by recovering condensate
* Flares to reduce risk of flare tip damage from erosion or
water slugs, and to decrease condensate backflow down
the flare gas line
* Condensate recovery strategies to save energy,
alleviate raw water treatment limits and reduce
environmental impact.
Takeaway. Hydrocarbon processing plants are facing new
challenges that are frequently changing, so the focus of these
plants is often on the production process and keeping things
running. Taking a strategic look at the steam system, treating
it as an asset and following a simple four-step program to improve
it can positively impact the plants' performance in many
areas, including safety, environmental impact, production
rates, product quality, equipment reliability and energy efficiency.
This article has outlined the four steps to steam system
improvement and provides references that provide more detail
on implementation.
Roth chemical processing pumps include a
standard chemical duty, low NPSH, seal less
magnetic drive, and low NPSH multistage pump
options to pump an extensive array of chemicals
including liquefied gases.
The Low NPSH Advantage
Roth Low NPSH Pumps
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Special thanks to James Risko and Norman White for their kind reviews and
comments, as well as to Andrew Mohr and his CES applications engineering team
for creating all the graphics in this article.
LITERATURE CITED
1
2
Risko, J. R., " Ask the experts-Optimize the entire steam system, " Chemical
Engineering Progress, February 2008.
Risko, J. R., " Tracing the causes of heat maintenance issues, " Chemical
Engineering Progress, December 2019.
3 Risko, J. R., " Steam quality considerations, " Chemical Engineering, May 2020.
4
5
6
7
Risko, J. R., " Allocate new plant focus to steam system design-Part 1, "
Hydrocarbon Processing, January 2019.
Risko, J. R., " Tech Sheet #107: Steam traps-Operating principles and types, "
FCI white paper, April 2008.
Risko, J. R., " Steam heat exchangers are underworked and over-surfaced, "
Chemical Engineering, November 2004.
Risko, J. R., " Optimize reboiler performance via effective condensate drainage, "
Chemical Engineering Progress, July 2021.
8 Risko, J. R., " My steam trap is good-Why doesn't
Engineering Progress, April 2015.
9
it work?, " Chemical
Walter, J. P., " Implement a sustainable steam trap management program, "
Chemical Engineering Progress, January 2014.
JONATHAN P. WALTER is the Business Development Manager for TLV Corp.
He previously served as general manager of TLV's International Consulting and
Engineering Services group, where he gained extensive experience helping
refineries and chemical plants optimize the performance of their steam systems.
Mr. Walter earned a BEng degree in electronic engineering from the University
of Sheffield in the UK and is a UK Chartered Engineer (CEng). He also holds
qualifications as a Certified Energy Manager, a Professional Energy Manager
and a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Steam Specialist.
1-888-444-ROTH * www.rothpump.com
Hydrocarbon Processing | DECEMBER 2021 39
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Hydrocarbon Processing - December 2021

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