Troubleshooting exercise

Figure 4 Common examples of film-coating problems that trigger troubleshooting exercises.

Such a survey becomes a combination of an annual inspection and a troubleshooting exercise. The fact is that operating practices change with time the production process may be adjusted or new sections of cooling systems are added to the main plant, or pumps, heat exchangers, and other items of equipment are periodically replaced. The personnel also change. 

A periodic planned and comprehensive inspection and troubleshooting exercise (not a quick look-over ) often reveal better ways to operate the cooling system or opportunities to upgrade the water treatment program for mutual benefit. 

As with troubleshooting, parameter estimation is not an exact science. The facade of statistical and mathematical routines coupled with sophisticated simulation models masks the underlying uncertainties in the measurements and the models. It must be understood that the resultant parameter values embody all of the uncertainties in the measurements, underlying database, and the model. The impact of these uncertainties can be minimized by exercising sound engineering judgment founded upon a famiharity with unit operation and engineering fundamentals. 

As with troubleshooting, a proper debottlenecking exercise must consider the effects of feedstock, catalyst, operating conditions, mechanical hardware, environmental issues, and the ability of the rest of the refinery to handle the additional feed/product rates and quality. 

Control can be exercised by the operator in the control roam on the well chokes and manifold divert valves (although this is normally handled by the HOC), start/atop of the oil shipping pumps, utility equipment, switching valves, gas plant feed valves, gas compressor start/stop and emergency shutdown of any production train or the entire GC. Since the closed loop process control is performed by local pneumatic instruments, all set point changes and controller troubleshooting must be accomplished locally. 

E Homework and tests involve convergent problems, divergent (open-ended) problems, and troubleshooting, interpretation, and problem formulation exercises. 

---