Analyzer technician

Receiver The person responsible for ensuring that the new method and/or analyzer is used and maintained correctly on site once it is installed and validated. This is nearly always an operations person, often a dedicated analyzer technician or a lab analytical technician. 

Note The costs of implementing this fictitious analyzer have not been included in the value calculation, though it is a critical aspect. The costs would include hardware, software, facility modifications, personnel time, travel, and ongoing maintenance costs (including the analyzer technician s time) over the expected analyzer lifetime. 

Medical or clinical lab technicians work in large hospitals or independent labs. Under the direction of a technologist, they prepare specimens, conduct tests, and operate computerized analyzers. Technicians need to pay close attention to detail, have good judgement, and be skilled in using computers. 

Because of the sophistication of new automated control systems and the complexity of the growing list of responsibilities, the requirements for a process employee changed. No longer can they be someone who could come in off the street without training or experience and be trained for the job in a few days or even a few weeks. The fact that operators, instrumentation technicians, and analyzer technicians are now more frequently referred to as technicians implies a change in their roles. The definition of technical is having special or practical knowledge of a mechanical or scientific subject. 

As more complex operations, such as catalytic cracking and reforming were introduced, more complex instrumentation and controls were needed to operate the plants safely and economically. Pneumatic units replaced manual controllers as operations became more complex. These were subsequently replaced by electronic controllers, then by programmed smart controllers, and eventually by computerized systems. Each evolution required that operators, instrument technicians, and analyzer technicians have more and more technical training to understand process operations and perform their Job safely and profitably. A gradual evolutionary process occurred and many employees evolved into technicians. They were no longer just blue collar workers. 

Write a one page report describing why process operators, instrument technicians, or analyzer technicians are no longer considered blue-collar workers. 

Impact accidents involve a worker being struck by or striking against an object. Impact accidents are more frequent during turnarounds when a lot of equipment is being moved, lifted, and transferred around. The next most prominent cause of work injuries is falls. Operators, instrument technicians, and analyzer technicians do a lot of climbing on towers... 

T/F) Like process operators, analyzer technicians, and instmmentation technicians are all at risk to toxic chemicals. 

Thus, high pressure can be almost any level prescribed for the equipment or system in use. For accident prevention purposes, any pressure system must be regarded as hazardous. Hazards lie both in the pressure level and in the total energy involved. Any employee on a processing unit—operator, instrument and analyzer technicians, mechanical personnel, contractors—that has pressurized lines or vessels is subject to the hazards of pressure. 

This is a short chapter that briefly introduces you to the environmental, safety, and health hazards associated with the collection of samples, their transport, and ambient air sampling instrumentation (gas detectors). Process technicians and analyzer technicians will frequently be involved with collecting samples. 

Besides collecting samples for process control reasons, process and analyzer technicians also use certain instrumentation to sample the air quality in certain areas, vessels, or during unit turnarounds. The instruments they use (gas detector) informs them of ... 

Most process and analyzer technicians are trained to operate portable gas detectors. Sampling of the ambient air is an integral part of any safety, environmental, or health program for several reasons, some of which are to ... 

There are three permit systems very common to the petrochemical and refining industries because OSHA mandates them. They are confined space, lockout/tagout, and hot work. All process employees—operators, instrument technicians, analyzer technicians, and maintenance personnel—sooner or later participate in a permitting situation. 

The EPA, like any other regulatory agency, sets standards (laws) and then checks to see that the laws are obeyed. It must enforce the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and Resource Recovery and Conservation Act (solid waste control). One way it does this is by monitoring industrial sites to determine if the site is deliberately releasing pollutants into the environment. Operators, instrumentation and analyzer technicians, and maintenance personnel working in refineries, petrochemical, and manufacturing plants are responsible for the proper operation of their equipment and proper performance of their duties so as to keep their facility in compliance with environmental standards. These employees will receive training on... 

Under the Clean Water Act, all discharges into the nation s waters are unlawful unless specifically authorized. Industrial and municipal dischargers must obtain permits from the EPA or their municipal government before allowing any effluent to leave their premises. The Clean Water Act and its amendments have a large impact on most process industries and involve process technicians to catch and analyze samples and operate wastewater facilities instrument technicians to maintain the instruments of the wastewater system and analyzer technicians to maintain and calibrate analyzers on the wastewater system (see Figure 20-2) and outfalls. 

Wastewater standards are applied to process wastewater, storm water, and once through water, cooling tower and boiler blowdown. Wastewater standards set a standard (quality) for wastewater before it can leave the plant and be returned to rivers, streams, or bays. Water sources leaving the processing site to return to the environment are called outfalls. Outfall samples are collected to be analyzed prior to releasing wastewater back into the environment to ensure environmental compliance. Some plants have analyzers mounted on outfall piping or vessels because of the critical nature of environmental compliance. This places a great responsibility on analyzer technicians for environmental compliance. 

I have also mentioned instrumentation and analyzer technicians in this text and included several photographs since they are out there on the units exposed to the same hazards as a process technician. This was suggested to me by colleagues at a nearby college. 

The real-time process analyzer is significantly different from conventional instrumental measurements in combining analytical chemistry with instrumentation. Typically, there is a sample transportation and conditioning system associated with the analysis, as well as some form of data presentation for human or automatic interface. It is also different from the laboratory analytical instrument. While laboratory analysis occurs within environmentally controlled conditions, the process analyzer is typically installed in a harsh environment and the analyses are taking place around the clock. Because of these unusual characteristics, the technicians responsible for analyzer maintenance must be thoroughly familiar with the entire analyzer system (analyzer as well as sample conditioning system). Analyzer technicians are typically well trained and highly skilled, and dedicated solely to analyzer system maintenance. Occasionally, analyzer technicians work side by side with laboratory technicians. 

Depending on the size of the plant, the number of analyzers, the culture of the location, and, to some extent, precedents in maintenance practice, the analyzer maintenance organization may be of any variety. Smaller plants may have a few analyzers that require only one person to maintain. A large plant may need to have a well-structured and staffed department to maintain the analyzers throughout the plant. Some plants may choose to have some analyzer technicians assigned to a certain production area, while others may assign technicians based on their skill levels. The analyzer maintenance organization may be localized or centralized. 

Technicians knowledge Analyzer technicians should have a comprehensive understanding of the... 

Data network With networking capability, analyzer data can often be viewed and archived on an internal data network. This is very convenient for the analyzer technicians and engineers to view the analyzer data at their offices and to analyze data along with other operating parameters for any correlation. 

Computer skills training The analyzer technicians should have some basic computer skills in... 

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