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Process Engineering Calculations (Part 1)-113

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Process Engineering Calculations (Part 1)-113

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Varatha
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© © All Rights Reserved
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meaningful frequency level.

The most frequent surveys of this type that the authors have
seen were completed every 3 months, and then only when a team from a corporate
engineering support group provided the staff.
Ideally, data should be available for each exchanger’s shell-side and tube-side outlet
temperature and each fluid’s temperature as it first enters the heat exchanger network.
Inlet temperatures for all other exchangers can be set equal to the outlet of an upstream
connected exchanger without appreciable loss in accuracy. The exchanger outlet
temperatures must be adjusted for any bypasses. Exchangers can also be modeled by
grouping identical exchangers and identifying common configurations (two series/one
parallel, two series/two parallel, etc.). Note, however, that in such groupings some
resolution is lost as to the exact location of any fouling.
Exchanger grouping for monitoring may also be determined by the availability of
bypass and isolation valves to allow online exchanger isolation and removal from
service. In general, though, monitoring resolution should be determined by available
temperature instrumentation.
Crude feed, product rundown, and tower pump-around flow rates are generally well
measured. Ideally, flow rates should be corrected for flowing density versus design for
each meter and an overall mass balance check should be performed across the unit to
ensure flow meter consistency.
Flow splits are usually less well measured unless the splits are actively manipulated
by operators. Temperatures around an associated mixer can be used to estimate an
unmetered flow split. This is especially useful around a controlled bypass. Failing this,
valve position in conjunction with valve flow characteristics can sometimes be used to
estimate flow distribution between branches. However, this is complicated by the
unequal pressure resistance on different branches, particularly when fouling is involved.
Finally, in the absence of any of these, bypasses should be assumed closed and other flow
splits to have an equal distribution.
Alternatively, data reconciliation can be used to find best-fit flow split data, though
data reconciliation then becomes a more difficult nonlinear optimization exercise. This
can also introduce more uncertainty as the model now has extra optimization variables.
Rigorous calculation of film heat transfer coefficients requires thermal and physical
data about each stream. Distillation data and liquid specific gravities are sufficient to
synthesize the required liquid properties of density, heat capacity, thermal conductivity,
and viscosity at flowing conditions in each heat exchanger. The best approach is to use
rigorous physical property simulation to calculate these properties from composition or
crude assay information. However, standard shortcut methods can also be used in
spreadsheets.
If available, electronically sourced laboratory data should be used to characterize
crude and oil product properties. It is important to include all components when
characterizing the whole crude oil stream. Different distillation types and light ends
analysis can be combined in the process simulation and the result checked against the
crude unit material balance.

Data Quality and Data Reconciliation


Exchanger tube-side heat duties (Qt) and shell-side heat duties (Qs)
are calculated independently and compared for consistency. Shell- and tube-side heat
imbalances are not uncommon. It is rare that raw plant data give
reliable (±5%) heat balance closures for all exchangers, especially with larger preheat

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