Operator S Guide To Process Compressors

The perfect primer for anyone responsible for operating or maintaining process gas compressors. Gas compressors tend to be the largest, most costly, and most critical machines employed in chemical and gas transfer processes. Since they tend to have the greatest effect on the reliability of processes they power, compressors typically receive the most scrutiny of all the machinery among the general population of processing equipment. To prevent unwanted compressor failures from occurring, operators must be taught how their equipment should operate and how each installation is different from one another. The ultimate purpose of this book is to teach those who work in process settings more about gas compressors, so they can start up and operate them correctly and monitor their condition with more confidence. Some may regard compressor technology as too broad and complex a topic for operating personnel to fully understand, but the author has distilled this vast body of knowledge into some key, easy to understand lessons for the reader to study at his or her own pace. This groundbreaking new work is a must-have for any engineer, operator, or manager working with process compressors. The main goals of this book are to: Explain important theories and concepts about gases and compression processes with a minimum of mathematics Identify key compressor components and explain how they affect reliability Explain how centrifugal compressors, reciprocating compressors, and screw compressors function. Explain key operating factors that affect reliabilityIntroduce the reader to basic troubleshooting methodologies Introduce operators to proven field inspection techniques Improve the confidence of personnel operating compressors by teaching them the basics of compressor theory Improve compressor reliability plantwide by teaching operating and inspection best practices Improve communication between operating and supporting plant personnel by providing a common vocabulary of compressor terms Help processing plants avoid costly failures by teaching operators how to identify early compressor issues during field inspections

Working Guide to Process Equipment, 2nd Ed. carefully and clearly explains all the basic technical issues that you need to know to trouble-shoot most process equipment problems. This guide contains a wealth of useful diagnostic tips, worked-out calculations, practical examples, and informative illustrations to help you quickly pinpoint trouble and repair typical malfunctions in: Trayed and packed distillation towers; Natural and forced reboilers; Partial and total condensers; Steam systems and deaerators; Vaccuum systems; Fired heaters; Shell and tube heat exchangers; Centrifugal compressors; Gas turbines and reciprocating engines; Centrifugal pumps and motor drivers. In no time at all, this essential problem-solving manual will become your most trusted on-the-job tool for dealing effectively with costly equipment malfunctions.

Every operator who is responsible for monitoring critical rotating equipment will greatly benefit from this handy reference book. The goal of this book is to present proven techniques that will enable rookie and veteran operators alike to detect problems early and, we hope, eliminate major outages and/or maintenance costs. To achieve this goal we shall explain the basics of lubrication systems, bearings, drivers, seals and sealing systems, for centrifugal and positive displacement pumps as well as turbines, centrifugal compressors and reciprocating compressors. We will then present common sense inspection methods for centrifugal and positive displacement pumps, gear boxes, motors, heat exchangers, and turbines.

A Complete overview of theory, selection, design, operation, andmaintenance This text offers a thorough overview of the operatingcharacteristics, efficiencies, design features, troubleshooting,and maintenance of dynamic and positive displacement process gascompressors. The author examines a wide spectrum of compressorsused in heavy process industries, with an emphasis on improvingreliability and avoiding failure. Readers learn both the theoryunderlying compressors as well as the myriad day-to-day practicalissues and challenges that chemical engineers and plant operationpersonnel must address. The text features: Latest design and manufacturing details of dynamic and positivedisplacement process gas compressors Examination of the full range of machines available for theheavy process industries Thorough presentation of the arrangements, materialcomposition, and basic laws governing the design of all importantprocess gas compressors Guidance on selecting optimum compressor configurations,controls, components, and auxiliaries to maximize reliability Monitoring and performance analysis for optimal machinerycondition Systematic methods to avoid failure through the application offield-tested reliability enhancement concepts Fluid instability and externally pressurized bearings Reliability-driven asset management strategies forcompressors Upstream separator and filter issues The text's structure is carefully designed to build knowledgeand skills by starting with key principles and then moving to moreadvanced material. Hundreds of photos depicting various types ofcompressors, components, and processes are provided throughout. Compressors often represent a multi-million dollar investmentfor such applications as petrochemical processing and refining,refrigeration, pipeline transport, and turbochargers andsuperchargers for internal combustion engines. This text enablesthe broad range of engineers and plant managers who work with thesecompressors to make the most of the investment by leading them tothe best decisions for selecting, operating, upgrading,maintaining, and troubleshooting.

Diagnose and Troubleshoot Problems in Chemical Process Equipment with This Updated Classic! Chemical engineers and plant operators can rely on the Third Edition of A Working Guide to Process Equipment for the latest diagnostic tips, practical examples, and detailed illustrations for pinpointing trouble and correcting problems in chemical process equipment. This updated classic contains new chapters on Control Valves, Cooling Towers, Waste Heat Boilers, Catalytic Effects, Fundamental Concepts of Process Equipment, and Process Safety. Filled with worked-out calculations, the book examines everything from trays, reboilers, instruments, air coolers, and steam turbines...to fired heaters, refrigeration systems, centrifugal pumps, separators, and compressors. The authors simplify complex issues and explain the technical issues needed to solve all kinds of equipment problems. Comprehensive and clear, the Third Edition of A Working Guide to Process Equipment features: Guidance on diagnosing and troubleshooting process equipment problems Explanations of how theory applies to real-world equipment operations Many useful tips, examples, illustrations, and worked-out calculations New to this edition: Control Valves, Cooling Towers, Waste Heat Boilers, Catalytic Effects, and Process Safety Inside this Renowned Guide to Solving Process Equipment Problems • Trays • Tower Pressure • Distillation Towers • Reboilers • Instruments • Packed Towers • Steam and Condensate Systems • Bubble Point and Dew Point • Steam Strippers • Draw-Off Nozzle Hydraulics • Pumparounds and Tower Heat Flows • Condensers and Tower Pressure Control • Air Coolers • Deaerators and Steam Systems • Vacuum Systems • Steam Turbines • Surface Condensers • Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers • Fire Heaters • Refrigeration Systems • Centrifugal Pumps • Separators • Compressors • Safety • Corrosion • Fluid Flow • Computer Modeling and Control • Field Troubleshooting Process Problems

Originating in the process compressor industry, this text primarily addresses: rotating equipment engineers, project engineers, engineering contractors, and compressor user companies in oil and gas field operations, natural gas processing, petroleum refining, petrochemical processing, industrial refrigeration, and chemical industries. It enables the reader to assess compressors and defines the constraints influencing the compressor design.

Human error is here to stay. This perhaps obvious statement has a profound implication for society when faced with the types of hazardous system accidents that have occurred over the past three decades. Such accidents have been strongly influenced by human error, yet many system designs in existence or being planned and built do not take human error into consideration.; "A Guide to Practical Human Reliability Assessment" is a practical and pragmatic guide to the techniques and approaches of human reliability assessment HRA. lt offers the reader explanatory and practical methods which have been applied and have worked in high technology and high risk assessments - particularly but not exclusively to potentially hazardous industries such as exist in process control, nuclear power, chemical and petrochemical industries. A Guide to Practical Human Reliability Assessment offers the practitioner a comprehensive tool-kit of different approaches along with guidance on selecting different methods for different applications. It covers the risk assessment and the HRA process, as well as methods of task analysis, error identification, quantification, representation of errors in the risk analysis, followed by error reduction analysis, quality assurance and documentation. There are also a number of detailed case studies from nuclear, chemical, offshore, and marine HRA'S, exemplfying the image of techniques and the impact of HRA in existing and design-stage systems.

This straightforward guide to compressors seeks to unveil a lot of myths surrounding compressors. In this book, we will be looking at most types of compressors, including the centrifugal compressors, the air compressors, and of course the most troublesome of all compressors, the reciprocating compressors. Having a compressor with minimal operating problems does not only depend on the selection of the right type and size for your job. Detailed specifications of all auxiliary equipment and operating conditions, as well as keeping constant vigilance over the engineering and installation is imperative. The Simple Guide will explain in a simple yet definitive manner which compressor type is best used for which job and what it can produce.