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600
80
590 mm (max)
Efficiency %
570 mm (rated)
70
500
530 mm (min)
60
400
300
40
Efficiency, %
50
Head, m
he chemical process industries (CPI) are functioning in an era of globalization, and between the
prevailing economic conditions and upheavals
in the energy sector, the number of new investments in CPI facilities has fallen in recent years. Many
industries are seeking cost reductions by revamping
existing plants with minimum investment. The objective
is to reduce the cost of production through the use of
upgrades and new technologies, to remain competitive
in the market. By way of example, if one wants to set
up a new complex to produce ammonia and urea, the
specific capital cost will be on the order of $666/ton of
urea. By comparison, if an existing plant is revamped to
raise the existing production from 100% to 120% (that
is, adding 20% additional capacity), this can be done at
an expenditure that is closer to $300/ton to achieve this
incremental production
This article reviews key concepts, objectives and procedures that are needed to successfully carry out various types of CPI plant revamps.
30
200
20
100
NPSHR
0
0
250
500
750
1,000
Capacity, m3
1,250
1,500
10
0
1,750
FIGURE 1. Shown here are typical pump characteristic curves, with three
different impeller sizes, showing capacity versus head, and NPSHR versus
capacity
a turnkey basis. Meticulous planning related to the hookup of tie-in points arising out of expansion schemes can
help to reduce the amount of downtime required to execute the revamp schemes and put the plant back online.
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quires a study to assess the technical and economic feasibility of the different process paths being considered.
Example 2. A feedstock change from naphtha to natural
gas in ammonia plants, hydrogen plants and methanol
plants also necessitates a need for revamp of the reformer section and front end, but in many cases, the
existing process path can be retained. In this case, the
absorbed duty of the reformer which tends to be the
major energy-consuming equipment found in the system
and the burner duties required vis-a-vis the required
reformer absorbed duty are calculated to check their suitability. The maximum skin temperature of the reformer
tubes for the feedstock change must be checked.
In all cases, the existing process path, along with other
options, must be studied in detail to arrive at the most
economical and technically feasible revamp option.
Objectives of a revamp
The objectives of a plant revamp should be spelled out
prior to studying the options. Possible objectives could
be the following:
Enhance capacity from the present operating level to
expand capacity to, say, 110%, 120%, 130% of rated
capacity
Reduce production costs
Reduce pollution
Reduce the consumption ratios of various raw materials and utilities
Reduce maintenance costs and increase the onstream
factor
Upgrade the technology to keep pace with the new
developments, and to increase the plant life
Minimize plant shutdown
These objectives can be achieved by maximizing efficiency,
yield and conversion of raw materials in various sections.
Specifically, plant revamps are often implemented to improve process optimization, increase energy conservation, improve product quality and expand capacity.
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49
PLF OSF
100
(2)
(3)
Unit
Before
After
Flowrate
m3/h
80
100
Density
kg/m3
950
950
kPa
49.03
49.03
kg/cm2
0.5
0.5
0.0865
N1
unitless
0.0865
Cv
unitless
128.73
160.92
in.
Pipeline size
in.
Internal reasons: Recurring. Examples include process problems, mechanical breakdown of equipment,
planned shutdowns and more
Internal reasons: Non-recurring. Examples include
lack of finished product sales, effluent treatment, lack
of byproduct sales and more
External reasons: Recurring. Examples include utility
failure, raw-material shortages and more
External reasons: Non-recurring. Examples include
worker strikes, natural calamities and more
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Type of line
23
Fire water
Gravity lines
0.60.7
Low-pressure gas
20
High-pressure gas
15
Low-pressure steam
20
High-pressure steam
15
the percent flooding velocity with the revamped throughput. If the flooding velocity is greater than 80%, the packings are replaced with ones that offer lower packing factors
and higher surface area per specified volume. However,
adequate wetting of the packing must be ensured, according to design guidelines, and circulation rates of liquids must be enhanced accordingly, if needed.
Packed towers that contain ceramic packings have a
tendency to flood at lower gas velocities. Hence, in some
cases, such packings may be replaced with steel packings
(after conducting the technical suitability check) to help reduce the flooding velocity and increase throughput.
Pumps. Pumps are very important and often provide a
relatively simple revamp opportunity, to take advantage
of advancements in pump technology. The throughput
required at desired plant capacity is determined, and
the characteristic head-versus-capacity curves, required net positive suction head (NPSH), and other key
characteristics should be studied. Normally, pump
manufacturers
indicate
three
impellers
(minimum, normal, maximum) that are suitable for
any duty. The possibility of using a larger-sized
impeller diameter should be studied, considering the
head and capacity requirements (Figure 1).
As the pump capacity increases, required NPSH
(NPSHR) increases. Hence, the available NPSH
(NPSHA)should be checked, to avoid cavitation of the
pump at higher flows. The motors suitability should
also be verified. Many successful revamps were carried out by changing the impellers to those with larger
diameters. The team should also carry out a design
check to ensure that the piping material classification
is still suitable for the pumps discharge piping.
Instruments. Instruments such as flowmeters (orifice,
venturi and mass flowmeters), pressure indicators, temperature transmitters, level instruments and so on should
be rated and studied in detail for the proposed changed
condition. Since orifice meters often give rise to higher
pressure drop, they may be replaced with mass flowmeters. Similarly, level instruments based on differential
pressure can be replaced with non-contact type, radartype level instruments, which tend to be more accurate.
Normally, the orifice plates in flowmeters are maintained
with ratios that is, the ratio of orifice plate bore diameter (d) to pipeline diameter (D) of 0.3 (minimum) to
0.7 (maximum). The orifice meters are rated for the target throughput and the pressure drop across the orifice
element is determined. If the pressure drop is too high,
the orifice plates are changed to those of higher ratios,
DECEMBER 2015
51
CV =
Q
N1
/ 0
P
(5)
Where:
Q = the flowrate through the control valve, m3/h
N1 = a constant (8.65 x 10-2), from ISA 75.01.01-2007
(IEC 60534-2-1 Mod), Table 1 [2]
1 = density of the fluid, kg/m3
0 = density of the water at 15C, kg/m3
P = differential pressure, kPa
Table 1 shows a typical calculation of CV before and
after revamp flowrates, and shows how the existing control valve must be changed to the pipeline size for a 20%
increase in flowrate.
Control valves should also be checked for noise levels. Controllability and rangeabilty are also important for
revamping the valve. Revamps involving control valves
should always involve vendor cooperation. If the revamp
is not able to bring the process into the controllability
range, either the valve should be replaced with one of
higher size, or fine feed-control valve can be added parallel to the existing control valves.
Heat exchangers. The existing heat exchangers should
be checked for any excess available surface area, by rating them using standard software modeling packages. In
general, an existing heat exchanger provides enhanced
heat exchanging capacity if the pressure drop across the
tube side or shell side is increased.
If the heat exchanger is downstream of a pump, the
team should consider increasing pump head, which
would increase the allowable pressure drop across the
heat exchanger. There may be a tradeoff between the
operating cost of the pump and fixed cost associated
52
150 class
18.3
93.3C /200F
300 class#
47.8
93.3C /200F
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References
1. American Petroleum Inst., API 579: Recommended Practice for Fitness for Service, 2nd
Ed., July 2007.
2. Instrument Soc. of America, ISA 75.01.01-2007 (IEC 60534-2-1 Mod): Flow Equations
for Sizing Control Valves, 2007.
3. International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), BS IEC 61511: Functional Safety
Safety Instrumented Systems for the Process Industry, 2003.
4. International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), BS IEC 61508: Standard for Functional
Safety of Electrical/Electronic/Programmable Electronic Safety-Related Systems, 2010.
5. American Petroleum Inst., API 520: Sizing, Selection and Installation of Pressure Relieving
Devices, Part 1, 8th Ed., 2008, and Part 2, 5th Ed., 2003.
6. American Petroleum Inst., API 521: Pressure Relieving and Depressurizing Systems, 5th
Ed., 2007.
7. ASME/ANSI B16.5: Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings, April 2013.
8. American Petroleum Inst., API 2000: Venting Atmospheric and Low Pressure Storage
Tanks, 7th Ed., March 2014.
Author
Koya Venkata Reddy is senior manager, process engineering, at FACT Engineering & Design Organization (FEDO), a div. of
Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd. (FACT; Udyogamandal
683501, Kochi, Kerala, India; Phone: +91-484-2568763; Email:
koyareddy@yahoo.com). He has 24 years of experience in chemical plant operations, including expertise in the fields of process
control, process design, process risk analysis, Hazop analysis, process simulations, environmental management and plant revamps.
He is a recipient of FACTs Merit Award. Reddy holds a Bachelor of
Technology degree from Andhra University (Visakhapatnam) and a
Master of Technology degree in project management from Cochin University of Science
and Technology. He also received an M.B.A. in finance from Indira Gandhi National Open
University (IGNOU; Delhi). He is a lifetime member of the Indian Inst. of Chemical Engineers (IIChE) and a member of the Institution of Engineers (India).
DECEMBER 2015
53