We recently completed a major debottlenecking project on one of our plants. This entailed installing new equipment in certain areas of the plant to enable a 10% increase in plant production capacity. The reactor is core to the plant and it was not modified as part of the project. Equipment on either side of this reactor was either upgraded or replaced as applicable. Since the plant was recently re-commissioned, we have been experiencing significant reactor instability in certain reactor operating modes over the last month. This instability leads to a sub-optimal reaction and reactor blockage in the worst. Production suspects that the peroxide additive system on this reactor is not working correctly. This system was not modified as part of the debottlenecking project. A concern has been raised that the peroxide control valves are not controlling accurately. In some instances, too much peroxide is dosed into the reactor despite a control room request to dose a lower quantity.
You suspect that something might be faulty with the control loop, the flow meter and/or the control valves. Two valves are involved with this control. One valve is 75% smaller than the other valve. You have also questioned if the current system is the correct technology for this application since a metering pump system (without control valves) is used on another peroxide
dosing system at Sasol. Despite this difference, the existing peroxide system did not appear to give problems before the plant was debottlenecked.
Production is expecting that this matter be resolved by the control and instrumentation team. A worst case reactor block up scenario will cost the business at least 2 days of production loss with an associated value of $10million. How would you approach this matter? Who would you involve?
You suspect that something might be faulty with the control loop, the flow meter and/or the control valves. Two valves are involved with this control. One valve is 75% smaller than the other valve. You have also questioned if the current system is the correct technology for this application since a metering pump system (without control valves) is used on another peroxide
dosing system at Sasol. Despite this difference, the existing peroxide system did not appear to give problems before the plant was debottlenecked.
Production is expecting that this matter be resolved by the control and instrumentation team. A worst case reactor block up scenario will cost the business at least 2 days of production loss with an associated value of $10million. How would you approach this matter? Who would you involve?