Electrical designs -from small cables to big networks- must follow the guidelines provided by local and/or international standards and should contemplate particularities of the electrical network and client preferences. Becoming an expert on local standards is not an easy task; regulations tend to change from place to place. However, becoming knowledgeable on international standards is […]
Continuous Operational Tune-up (COT) of process furnaces is the fastest and cheapest option to mitigate CO2 emissions in oil refineries. CO2 emissions in petroleum refineries Process heaters in petroleum refineries consume large volumes of fossil fuels and emit proportional amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. Most of these heaters have a natural draft design and […]
It’s very common to have a control valve as the final control element in industrial process plants. Depending on its function, the valve must control flow, temperature, pressure, level, or concentration. Considering that the control loop (composed of the measurement element, the control valve, and the controller) must control the process, this means that the […]
Planning consists of defining each of the steps necessary to achieve small accomplishments towards a larger goal. Planning makes it possible to prevent problems that may arise or, failing that, to have time to resolve and overcome any setbacks that arise from what has been established. It is a decision-making process to achieve a desired […]
An open recirculating cooling system uses the same water repeatedly to cool process equipment. Heat absorbed from the process must be dissipated to allow reuse of the water. Cooling towers, spray ponds, and evaporative condensers are used for this purpose. Fresh water is being added to cooling water towers to replace water lost through leaks […]
Flanged joints are an assembled set, formed by the joining of two flanges using fasteners such as bolts, nuts and washers. A gasket is located between both flanges, which performs the function of sealing the joint assembly. Flanged joints are designed to allow the transport of a fluid in a pipeline or in a pressure […]