November 2024

The goal of this article is to highlight how: Supervised machine-learning and the Internet of Things can be used to develop a soft sensor that can enable the plant operator to continuously monitor product analysis, as well as gain insights into the root cause of off-spec product—in this work, the off-spec product is distillate. Also, this article will show how reinforcement learning can be used to train an AI agent to operate the plant. 

Accurate grab sampling practices are necessary to validate the quality of chemical products with precise compositions. Operators must follow proper procedures to avoid compromising the sample. Otherwise, the result may be an inaccurate analysis of their product, leading to quality lapses and potentially costing a facility thousands of dollars in revenue.

When operating in a potentially explosive atmosphere, several crucial aspects must be considered. These include understanding the potential hazards and choosing the correct tools for the identified hazardous areas. The rules and regulations surrounding the use of equipment in hazardous areas are deciphered and explained within this work. 

This article will mainly focus on horizontal flare systems and grade-level burn pits. Design considerations, operational challenges and several lessons learned will be discussed. 

This article presents a review of a failure that happened in a hairpin heat exchanger type on the shell side in a H2 (H2) reformer unit.