Environment & Safety Gas Processing/LNG Maintenance & Reliability Petrochemicals Process Control Process Optimization Project Management Refining

Bloch, Heinz P.

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff, Montgomery, Texas

Heinz P. Bloch resides in Montgomery, Texas. He retired as Exxon Chemical’s Regional Machinery Specialist for the U.S. and has authored or co-written more than 780 publications, among them 23 comprehensive books on practical machinery management, failure analysis, failure avoidance, compressors, steam turbines, pumps, oil mist lubrication and optimized lubrication for industry. Mr. Bloch holds BS and MS degrees (cum laude) in mechanical engineering from the Newark College of Engineering (NCE). He is one of 10 inaugural inductees into NCE’s Hall of Fame, which honors its most distinguished alumni.

HP Reliability: Consider overspeed protection retrofits

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

The overwhelming majority of small turbine overspeed trip devices are mechanical; they incorporate a spring-activated trip bolt that moves out and contacts a trip lever whenever a pres..

HP Reliability: Consider disc pumps where impeller pumps fail

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Until recently, finding a suitable pump was difficult for plants pumping viscous fluids or fluids that undergo viscosity change. Here, using conventional centrifugal pumps may lead to poor performance..

HP Reliability: Strategic mechanical seal partnerships

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Not all mechanical seal supplier agreements benefit both parties equally. We have recently seen some rather one-sided ones. At a recent users conference, the suggestion that the "partner" should discl..

Toward better reliability management

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Reliability is like safety – everybody is in favor of it, but not everybody practices it. Safety professionals know that solid achievement rests on the need to change an existing culture, replaci..

HP Reliability: Inductive pumps solve difficult lubrication problems

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Authoritative texts show that traditional static oil sumps, both with or without oil rings, represent nonoptimum means of lubricating rolling element bearings. With sump lubrication, the rolling eleme..

HP Reliability: Improve turboexpander shaft seals and bearings

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Virtually all cryogenic turboexpander seals are either close-fitting labyrinth or noncontacting (dry) gas types. Conventional mechanical seals are not generally used; high velocities prohibit use of c..

HP Reliability: Conclusions drawn from bearing life equations

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Fig. 1 shows an example of the influence of contamination on bearing life in general terms. A "real life example" best illustrates the various aspects of bearing life calculations. It s..

HP Reliability: Expander power absorption methods

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Turboexpanders frequently used in refrigeration processes develop power, but recovery of this power has often been of secondary importance. A number of power absorption methods are dire..

HP Reliability: Oil feed rates for reciprocating compressors

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

In the lubrication of double-acting compressor cylinders, one of the most important factors is the oil feed rate. Likelihood of over-lubrication is greater than that of supplying too li..

HP Reliability: Bearing life and contamination

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

As if we didn't know, lubricant contamination will reduce bearing life. However, a thorough understanding of the contamination / bearing life relationship is essential if improvements a..