Troubleshooting vacuum operation of an inter-after condenser unit in an ethylene plant

Thomas Wieslaw is a chemical engineer for the Sasol North America ethylene technology group. He has 10 yr of experience in olefins, gas/liquids processing and catalytic reforming of H2O, CO2 to H2 and CO with natural gas. His areas of expertise range from daily operations, troubleshooting and plant commissioning to grassroots plant process design. Mr. Wieslaw holds a BS degree in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Jeff Nichols is Ethylene Technology Manager for Sasol North American Operations. He has 20 yr of experience in both operations and business optimization roles, primarily in olefins and urethanes production. Mr. Nichols holds a BS degree in chemical engineering from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Auburn University.

Norm Lieberman graduated with a degree in chemical engineering from The Cooper Union in New York in 1964. In 1965, while working for Amoco Oil, he designed the first complex fractionator using a computer simulation (i.e., with side draws, side strippers and pumparounds). Over 18,000 engineers and technicians have attended Mr. Lieberman’s refinery troubleshooting seminars since 1983. Based in New Orleans, Mr. Lieberman specializes in the retrofit design of crude units, FCU fractionators, delayed cokers, sulfuric acid alkylation plants and sulfur recovery units. He can be contacted via email at norm@lieberman-eng.com.

Eric Michael Johnson has worked for 7 yr as a Service Engineer for Graham Corp. in Batavia, New York, specializing in the evaluation, troubleshooting and commissioning of vacuum equipment. He previously acted as the Supervisor of Graham’s service department, overseeing the daily operation of its service team and providing support for vacuum systems globally. He now assists Graham Corp. with its expanding support role by helping manage the company’s newly opened Gulf Coast Office in Covington, Louisiana. Mr. Johnson graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York with a BS degree in mechanical engineering.