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

Motors

HP Reliability: Make equipment decisions with up-to-date technical information

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

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

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

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..

Case study: Service life assessment of boiler superheater tubes

SABIC Technology Centre: van Zyl, G.  |  Al-Meshari, A.  |  Al-Shahrani, S.

Boilers are used in petrochemical facilities to generate steam that can be used to meet process and utility requirements. Many industrial boiler designs can be shop assembled and are therefore referre..

Reciprocating compressors running together—Is that a problem?

KnightHawk Engineering, Inc.: Knight, C.

A new maintenance engineer is assigned the task of overseeing large, critical rotating equipment in a petrochemical facility (Fig. 1). In this example, the facility has vent-gas compressors that, in g..

HP Reliability: Consider single-point responsibility for compressors

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Equipment purchasers are always interested in meeting the cost and schedule targets for projects. However, there could be conflicting goals when purchasing compressor drivers and/or auxiliaries from v..

HP Reliability: Best practices when trim-cutting closed-pump impellers

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Experienced reliability professionals will implement least-risk solutions whenever possible. The following example relates to impeller trimming to reduce the diameter of a fixed-speed centrifugal pump..

HP Engineering Case Histories: Case 77: Random deck vibration with beats

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

When something vibrates, it is usually in a predictable manner. Motors, pumps, compressors, turbines and centrifuges all vibrate when they are out of balance. Vibration analysis can help predict the s..

Update on lubrication systems

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Several case histories illustrate the pros and cons for maintaining rotating equipment under various plant conditions.Example 1In late May 2013, a US oil-mist provider in one of the Great Lakes states..

Control moisture in ‘wetted’ rotating equipment

Des-Case Corp.: Barnes, M.  |  Morgan, D.

In turbomachinery, water is one of the most deleterious contaminants. Left unchecked, moisture can severely reduce the service life expectancy of oil-wetted rotating and reciprocating components by as..

Improve quality of lubricating fluids via filtration

Puradyn Filter Technologies: Kroger, K. G.

Micro-sized dust particles, along with water, can ruin the best lubricating fluids. Contamination of lubricating fluids can occur due to the byproducts of combustion, metal wear, oxidation and more. T..