Pumps
Case history: Troubleshooting a leaking valve in a hydrogen unit
A Middle East refinery installed a hydrogen plant that was designed to produce 20,000 Nm3/hr of pure hydrogen (H2) to support a diesel hydrotreater. The unit was commissioned in 2006. This H2 plant wa..
HP Engineering Case Histories: Case 80: Sudden temperature change in a centrifugal compressor
A process upset occurred that caused the gas temperature of a centrifugal compressor to increase from the design condition of Tstart = 300°F to Tinf = 600°F in t = 0.25 hours. Some engineers..
HP Viewpoint: Optimize control systems with preventive maintenance
Ensuring equipment integrity by conducting thorough maintenance provides multiple benefits, from maximizing machine uptime and minimizing process shutdowns, to prolonged equipment service life and imp..
HP Reliability: Things to know and do before starting new initiatives
HP editors frequently attend technical conferences to keep informed on the many factors impacting the hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI). The focus of these conferences often differs. However, one ..
Automate furnace controls to improve safety and energy efficiency
Furnace firing is the biggest single operating expense in any refinery. Consider a medium-size refinery (250,000 bpd) that consumes 2,000 MMBtu/h. At a cost of $5/MMBtu, that’s $87.6 MM/yr being ..
Use online conditioning to monitor electric motors
Quality and health assessments of motor insulation are important aspects during the manufacturing, as well as the operation, of electrical motors. Today, there are several offline insulation quality a..
HP Engineering Case Histories: Case 79: Integral compressor failures
Recently, the author received information regarding the failure of a large reciprocating compressor. In this example, the pistons for power and compressor cylinders are powered by the same crankshaft...
Reliability tips for centrifugal process pumps
The pump’s behavior can be likened to that of a manual transmission in an automobile. While a car can be driven 80 mph in first gear, it would be a mistake to do this for an hour or so.
HP Reliability: Make equipment decisions with up-to-date technical information
Answering lube practice-related questions is important. These questions provide insight on the status of education and technology, along with trends in understanding equipment reliability, safety and ..
HP Reliability: Small deviations can compromise equipment reliability
In 2013, a major refinery was experiencing serious pump problems. The refinery had a massive thrust-bearing failure on a critical 3,560-rpm pump. The pump was designed and manufactured by a well-known..
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