Troubleshooting in the Chemical Process Industries

Troubleshooting is an activity on which process engineers spend a relatively large portion of their time throughout their career. And yet, it is a topic not adequately covered in chemical engineering curricula. While the fundamental principles surrounding the field of chemical engineering are taught, they are presented as fragments and, like pieces of a puzzle, must be put together when analyzing a potential problem. Troubleshooting in the Chemical Process Industries offers readers practical guidance on problem-solving in the chemical process industry from a process engineering perspective. It links fundamental principles of chemical engineering together, considers the data gathering and analysis steps in the problem-solving process, and details how they can be effectively used to identify root causes of and resolve operating problems. The book highlights the importance of troubleshooting as a response to abnormal process behavior that threatens or prevents achievement of targets, such as production volume, product sales specifications, and environmental and process safety performance. - Considers troubleshooting in three categories: for existing facilities, during retrofit of an existing facility, and for new plants - Covers plant performance monitoring and discusses the source of process data relative to instrumentation and associated errors - Discusses process simulation in troubleshooting, strategies for dealing with the empirical aspects of processes, and manipulation of raw process data into meaningful performance information - Explores the perspectives of process engineers and process operators, comparing and contrasting both functions, considering human factor issues - Features industrial case studies With this practical book, process engineers are given the know-how to solve real-world problems they are likely to encounter in industry through the application of sound process engineering methodologies.

André Bernard is a Senior Process Engineer in the Central Engineering Department of NOVA Chemicals, now Borouge International. He has over 35 years of experience in plant operations and process design. He has published several technical papers over the years and holds BS and MS degrees in chemical engineering from l'École Polytechnique de Montréal in Canada. He is a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) and a registered professional engineer in the provinces of Ontario and Québec in Canada.

1. What Is Troubleshooting and the Work Processes. 2. Troubleshooting - The Object. 3. Troubleshooting - Consequences and Circumstances. 4. Troubleshooting - The Data, the Tools, and Monitoring. 5. Troubleshooting - The People Aspect.