Fired Heaters come in many types and configurations: catalytic reformers, crude heaters, visbreakers, vacuum heaters, coker heaters, etc; and many are prone to carburization damage (i.e. residual carbon diffusing into the tube material, causing damage or even failure). Many refineries today use delayed coking processes to upgrade their crude product. This process includes the use […]
Appendix P was written to introduce piping flexibility analysis rules that are more suitable for computer piping flexibility analysis, in contrast to the rules in the base Code which were written when piping analysis was done by hand calculations. Most of the elements of Appendix P have been, or are proposed to be, added to […]
Process vessels such as towers, drums and heat exchangers may be exposed to low temperatures as a part of normal operation or as the result of an upset condition. Carbon and low alloy steels typically used in process vessels undergo a transition from ductile to brittle behavior as temperature is reduced and are at increased […]
Operations and Maintenance Practices in refineries focus on maximizing safety, reliability and profitability, in a highly competitive industry, with tight margins. A key consideration is to effectively manage annual maintenance costs which can be as high as 40-50 MM$/year for a medium size refinery. These costs can escalate to several hundred million dollars, if unplanned […]
