Tag: Safety

Sulphur reports on this year’s Sour Oil and Gas Advanced Technology (SOGAT) conference, which was run as a virtual event at the end of September 2020.

New approaches and novel processing schemes employing oxygen enrichment in sulphur recovery units have been developed and commercialised. In this feature Siirtec Nigi, Linde, Blasch, Fluor and RATE report on their latest developments.

This case study describes a backflow scenario in a pressurised leak detection system. Backflow can occur in case of a relatively large leak (crack in liner), where the flowmeter installed downstream of the equipment acts as a flow restriction, allowing pressure to build up.

By harnessing the power of real-time data and exploiting the opportunities provided by digital solutions plant owners can achieve greater plant efficiency and reliability. In this article Stamicarbon shows the benefits of the Stami Digital Plant Optimiser for urea plants, OnPoint Digital Solutions provides a case study on optimising primary reformer heater operations using Smart Combustion™ , TOYO provides an update on its digital transformation service DX-PLANT® and thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions provides examples of how digital solutions can be used to improve plant operation.

Undegassed molten sulphur can contain several hundred ppmw H2 S. If the headspace in the storage tank is stagnant, the H2 S can accumulate in the vapour space above undegassed liquid sulphur to dangerous levels. Sweeping and blanketing systems are commonly applied to manage the explosion risk in the headspace of molten sulphur storage tanks. D. J. Sachde , C. M. Beitler , K. E. McIntush , and K. S. Fisher of Trimeric Corporation review these approaches, outlining the benefits and limitations, design considerations, and industry experience/guidance for each approach. Calculation methods for natural draft flow of sweep air are also presented.

Chris Heaton has joined Baker Engineering and Risk Consultants, Inc. as Chief Executive Officer. Chris replaces Quentin Baker as part of BakerRisk’s ownership and management succession plan. Baker will remain with BakerRisk, serving as chairman of the board, and will continue to support clients with incident investigations, engineering studies and research programs. Heaton has executive experience with risk engineering and consulting, fire protection engineering, life safety and incident investigation companies, and holds degrees in civil engineering and architecture.

For the protection of nozzles in sulphur forming plants it is important to prevent larger particles from entering the forming machinery and possibly blocking the nozzles. In normal operation, pipeline strainers are used. Sulphurnet has designed a new system which is suitable for continuous or batch operations and has lower maintenance costs. J. Hermans of Sulphurnet introduces the self-cleaning sulphur strainer.

Fluor’s case study of recently constructed ultra-sour gas treating facilities provides new information about the operation of DGA-based AGRUs. B. Lynch and C. Graham of Fluor Corporation discuss how using this knowledge and leveraging the recent improvements to process simulators in the gas sweetening space, Fluor has developed an efficient, flexible, and cost effective solution in the two-stage absorption process to maximise mercaptan removal from ultra-sour gases with minimal equipment.

It’ s not a very worthy thought, I’m afraid, but I must admit it was my first reaction on seeing the terrible pictures from Beirut on August 4th. The explosion that ripped through the centre of the historic and much troubled Mediterranean city was captured from many different smartphone cameras, and watching the expanding vapour cloud from the supersonic shockwave, and witnessing the sheer size of the explosion, it seemed immediately evident to me that it had to be a high explosive responsible, not the fireworks that could be glimpsed sparkling beforehand in the smoke from the burning warehouse. The rising cloud of orange-brown nitrogen dioxide that followed the blast was the clincher – it looked like it was ammonium nitrate yet again.

Troubleshooting and root cause analysis help to identify and solve problems in the operation of nitric acid plants and to prevent future reoccurrences. Johnson Matthey, Casale and Sabin Metal Corporation discuss their approach to solving problems in nitric acid plants to improve plant reliability and efficiency and to avoid unplanned shutdowns, costly replacement of equipment and loss of production.