Processing facilities pumps

In areas where seabed relief makes pipelines vulnerable or where pipelines cannot be justified on economic grounds, tankers are used to store and transport crude from production centres. The simplest method for evacuation is to pump stabilised crude from a processing facility directly to a tanker. 

Many materials are conveyed within a process facility by means of pumping and flow in a circular pipe. From a conceptual standpoint, such a flow offers an excellent opportunity for rheological measurement. In pipe flow, the velocity profile for a fluid that shows shear thinning behavior deviates dramatically from that found for a Newtonian fluid, which is characterized by a single shear viscosity. This is easily illustrated for a power-law fluid, which is a simple model for shear thinning [1]. The relationship between the shear stress, a, and the shear rate, y, of such a fluid is characterized by two parameters, a power-law exponent, n, and a constant, m, through... 

Major equipment factor estimates. Major equipment factor estimates are made by applying multipliers to the costs of all major equipment required for the plant or process facility. Different factors are applicable to different types of equipment, such as pumps, heat exchangers, and pressure vessels. Equipment size also has an effect on the factors. 

It is common practice to equip a drainage system or sump with a pump to return the collected inventory to storage or process facilities. Alternatively, for certain toxic materials, the spill is sometimes altered chemically to a nonhazardous substance by draining the spillage to a basin filled with a neutralizing slurry where the reaction forms an insoluble sludge. For acids, in particular, soda ash, limestone, or weak caustic solutions may be used. The reacted product becomes a solid that is neutral and can be disposed of accordingly. 

The first part of the Information Manual provides an overview description of the process facility, what its primary functions and products are, and what those products are used for. The process overview can include information to do with the facility s location, its impact on the environment, and general public relations issues to do with the local community. An overview of meteorology data can be included in this section also. The overview will also provide a summary of the major equipment items such as distillation columns, fired heaters, compressors, pumps, and heat exchangers. A layout sketch for each level of the facility (or each deck of a platform) should be provided. 

The optimum piping arrangement in a tank form, as elsewhere in a process facility, is the most direct route between two points, allowing for normal line expan-.sion and stresses. Exhibit 15-40 illustrates piping between tanks and pumps. Anchor points, or places vdiere piping movement is restricted, mast be established..Tank nozzles are one such anchor point. The second anchor point may be the pump nozzle if line growth is permitted through the dike, or it may be... 

The purchase or specification of a firewater pump to support process facility operations should be in compliance with recognized international standards for such equipment. The most commonly referred to standards are listed below. All of these standards require a factory acceptance test of the unit. 

Process facilities susceptible to earthquakes should be provided with suitable restraints for fire protection systems. The extent of these restraints are normally dictated by local ordinances and primarily concern the bracing of pipework and adequate securing of firewater pump base plates and controller panels for earthquake forces. Pump houses should be adequately constructed and braced so they will not collapse onto the firewater pump or distribution piping. 

Pumps are at the heart of all process facilities. They are also a source of hazards because they have moving parts and a seal between their contents and the... 

The BSD can either shut down the entire facility, or it can be designed for two levels of shutdown. The first level shuts down equipment such as compressors, lean oil pumps, and direct fired heaters, and either shuts in the process or diverts flow around the process by closing inlet/outlet block valves and opening bypass valves. The second level shuts down the remaining utilities and support facilities, including generators and electrical feeds. 

---