Becht has a team of HF Alky experts that have established and led the alkylation networks and licensing activities for companies like XOM, BP, P66, Shell, and UOP. Becht SMEs have worked in over 95% of the refineries in North America and many others internationally and bring an owner-operator perspective of safety, reliability, quality, cost, […]
Introduction Operational reliability is a priority for any process unit facility. A definition of Reliability is: “The ability of an apparatus, machine, or system to consistently perform its intended or required function or mission, on demand and without degradation or failure.” Reliability is something that owners and operators consider a priority, but achieving stable reliable […]
Compliance with the Process Safety Management rule, OSHA 1910.119, is a requirement for plants processing certain highly hazardous materials exceeding threshold quantities. The rule requires the owner to demonstrate all equipment has been purchased and installed in accordance with recognized industry standards. Maintenance practices must also be according to Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering […]
In addition to the many clarifications, updated references to codes and standards, updates to basic allowable stresses, and added listed materials, there are several substantive changes to the 2016 Edition of ASME B31.3, Process Piping, which is scheduled to be issued on January 4, 2017. These changes are: Severe Cyclic Conditions The definition for severe […]
Today’s young process engineers have tools available to them that we “old timers” only dreamed about. Although smaller and some medium sized companies will not have the items listed below, most large refining and or petrochemical operations have the following: Real-time and historical plant operating data available on his/her desk top computers; Real-time and historical […]
CFD was used to confirm that poor design of the steam inlet nozzle was the main contributor to deaerator head to shell weld cracking, and confirmed proposed design improvements. This recent Becht project illustrates one of the causes of deaerator cracking. A through-wall crack had been found at the head-to-shell junction at the steam inlet […]
