Distillation Troubleshooting (eBook)

Henry Z. Kister is a Senior Fellow and director of fractionation technology at Fluor Corporation. He has 30 years of experience in troubleshooting, revamping, field consulting, design, control, and startup of fractionation processes and equipment. Previously, he was Brown & Root's staff consultant on fractionation and also worked for ICI Australia and Fractionation research, Inc. (FRI). He is the author of the textbooks Distillation Design and Distillation Operation, as well as 80 published technical articles, and has taught the IChemE-sponsored "Practical Distillation Technology" Course more than 260 times. A recipient of Chemical Engineering magazine 2002 award for personal achievement in chemical engineering, and of the technology, Kister obtained his BE and ME degrees from the University of NSW in Australia. he is a Fellow of IChyemE, a Member of the AICHE, and serves on the FRI Technical Advisory and Design Practices Committees.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

How to Use this Book.

Abbreviations.

1. Troubleshooting Distillation Simulations.

2. Where Fractionation Goes Wrong.

3. Energy Savings and Thermal Effects.

4. Tower Sizing and Material Selection Affect Performance.

5. Feed Entry Pitfalls in Tray Towers.

6. Packed-Tower Liquid Distributors: Number 6 on the Top 10Malfunctions.

7. Vapor Maldistr5ibution in Trays and Packings.

8. Tower Base Level and Reboiler Return: Number 2 on the top 10Malfunctions.

9. Chimney Tray Malfunctions: Part of Number 7 on the Top 10Malfunctions.

10. Draw-Off Malfunctions (Non-Chimney Tray) Part of Number 7 onthe Top 10 Malfunctions.

11. Tower Assembly Mishaps: Number 5 on the Top 10Malfunctions.

12. Difficulties During Start-Up, Shutdown, Commissioning, andAbnormal Operation: Number 4 on the Top 10 Malfunctions.

13. Water-Induced Pressure Surges: Part of Number 3 on the Top10 Malfunctions.

14. Explosions, Fires, and Chemical Releases: Number 10 on theTop 10 Malfunctions.

15. Undesired Reactions in Towers.

16. Foaming.

17. The Tower as a Filter: Part A. Causes of Plugging-Number 1on the Top 10 Malfunctions.

18. The Tower as a Filter: Part B. Location of Plugging-Number 1on the Top 10 Malfunctions.

19. Coking: Number 1 on the Top Malfunctions.

20. Leaks.

21. Relief and Failure.

22. Tray, Packing, and Tower Damage: Part of Number 3 on the Top10 Malfunctions.

23. Reboilers That Did Not Work: Number 9 on the Top 10Malfunctions.

24. Condensers That Did Not Work.

25. Misleading Measurements: Number 8 on the Top 10Malfunctions.

26. Control System Assembly Difficulties.

27. Where Do Temperature and Composition Controls Go Wrong?

28. Misbehaved Pressure, Condenser, Reboiler, and PreheaterControls.

29. Miscellaneous Control Problems.

References.

Index.

About the Author.

"...an extensive compilation of problems, solutions, and
lessons learned...Kister is probably the world's foremost
authority on the subject..." (CHOICE, September 2006)

"The third book on distillation by the renowned Henry
Kister. It is a highly impressive piece of work." (The
Chemical Engineer, March 2008)