Process monitoring

A Ramaragavan

25 Mar 2015

Westin Hotel Gurgaon, India

Normal deactivation

Optimize performance

Abnormal deactivation

Process monitoring

Reasons for process monitoring

SOR activity

Poisoning

Sintering

Gas distribution

Poor mixing

Measurable parameters

Conversion

Loading issues

Thermal cycles

Bed movement

Wetting/ fouling

Support failure

Pressure drop

Purification

Hydrodesulphurizer

Monitor conversion of organic sulphur and pressure drop

Fouling can lead to loss in activity and pressure drop increase

Desulphurizer

Once saturated, sulphur slip will rise rapidly

Assessing saturation level

Mass balance, inlet sulphur flow

Intermediate bed sample points (single bed)

Inter-bed sampling (lead lag)

Online density measurements

Online ZnO saturation analysis

Accurate analysis of low S levels difficult

Scan across ZnO bed online

Detects difference between ZnO and ZnS

density

Optimize change-out in turnarounds and

maximize ZnO utilization

TRACERCO DiagnosticsTM Maximizer

Reforming

Main deactivation mechanism

Sintering

Key performance indicators:

ATE at catalyst exit temperature

Pressure drop

Considerations

Methane slip sensitive to operating conditions

Heat loss

Radiation effect

Failure of thermocouple

Gas distribution

Reformer survey toolbox

Gold Cup TWT measurements

Pressure surveys Thermal Imager LOTIS and

MANTIS tube inspection

Remnant tube life calculations

Design philosophy review

Computational fluid dynamics

Corrosion investigations and

analysis

Tube failure analysis

Maldistribution checks

CatTracker In-tube temperature measurements

Assessment of burners

Combustion air survey

Optical pyrometer Benchmarking Process

Simulation

CatTrackers - process gas profile

Multipoint thermocouple installed in central of catalyst tube

Validation of process modelling

Avoiding carbon formation

Minimizing steam:carbon ratio

Sulphur poisoning

CatTrackers - process gas profile

Reformer Imager - TWT measurement

Reformer Imager - TWT measurement

Reformer survey report

Statistical and graphical analysis of TWT

Benchmarking against other reformers

Troubleshoot operational issues

Cold zone

Hot zone

Benchmarking reformer performance

Database captured results of reformer surveys

Allows for benchmarking of reformer

Compare against similar reformers

Water gas shift

Main deactivation mechanism

HTS = sintering

LTS = poisoning

Key performance indicator

CO slip and ATE

Pressure drop

Temperature profile

Considerations

Shrinkage on reduction

Variable inlet temperature

Kinetically limited at lower T, equilibrium limited at higher T

Heat loss

WGS temperature profiles

Methanator

Deactivation due to carry over from CO2 removal section

Key performance indicator

COX slip

Temperature profile

Pressure drop

CatTracker temperature monitoring

Synthesis catalyst

Main deactivation mechanism

Pressure drop

Key performance indicators

Catalyst bed temperatures

Inlet/exit % ammonia

Pressure drop

Considerations

Inlet flow Pressure

Bed temperatures Bed volumes

Inlet gas analysis

Catalyst size

Production rate

Monitoring & optimisation

Simple heat & mass balances To check measured vs calculated ammonia make

Determine catalyst activity To assess current and future performance

Optimise bed temperatures/loop purge to Maximise NH3 make and catalyst life

Minimise synthesis compressor power

T2 (degC)

T3 (degC)

Make (te/day)

Remote monitoring

JOHNSON MATTHEY OFFICE

CLIENT SITE

DCS

JM

FIREWALL PLANT ENGINEERS

PLANT

MANAGERS

CLIENT DATA

HISTORIAN CLIENT

FIREWALL

DEDICATED

JM SERVER

SECURE

VPN LINK

JM SUPPORT STAFF

AUTOMATED

ANALYSIS

TOOLS

Summary

Common measurements

Analysis

Mass balance

Bed temperature rise

Bed temperature profile

Pressure drop

Advanced measurements

Radioactive tracer scans

Multipoint thermocouples

Thermal imaging

Remote monitoring

Thank you