Recently, we highlighted a recorded webinar on the use of online analyzers in refinery blending operations. The presenters, Emerson's Patrick Truesdale and Topnir Systems' Didier Lambert, also recently wrote a Processing Shale Feedstocks article, Three steps to...
distillation column
Distillation Column Control Basics – Part 3
Part 1 in the series addressed basic distillation column control and Part 2 explored inferential composition measurement and control design. In today's post I share how we need to consider how to close the material balance and the application of advanced process...
Optimizing Reactor Temperatures for Resins Manufacturer
I heard a great story about a resins manufacturer who was having some issues in meeting quality specifications due to temperature variability in the process. Emerson's Gergo Kertesz, whom you may recall from an Emerson Exchange presentation I liveblogged, shared this...
How Good is Your Level Control?
So asks Emerson's Lou Heavner in a thought-provoking post in the DeltaV track of the Emerson Exchange 365 community. Lou opens: Is it good enough? Is it too good? Do you even know? Should you care?Well yes, you probably should care. Most level processes are...
A Primer on Refinery Operations
If you're not in the oil refining business the names of the process units, such as cat crackers, can sound quite exotic. Emerson's Tim Olsen, a consultant on the refining industry team, wrote a great AIChE Chemical Engineering Progress article, An Oil Refinery...
With Smart Process Distillation, James Beall Finds Hidden Savings for Gulf Coast Plastics Plant
Last week, Emerson Consultant James Beall was working with a major U.S. plastics facility on the Texas Gulf Coast, helping the firm figure out how it might save some of the money it spends on distillation energy by using Emerson's Smart Process Distillation Column...
Steps to Effective PID Loop Tuning
Sometimes when you read an article about tuning proportional-integral-derivative (PID) loops, you're treated to all the 2nd order differential equations they contain. These can be intimidating, especially if your college calculus classes are many years in the rearview...
How to Tune Self-Regulating Control Loops
I've highlighted a few Emerson presentations for this week's ChemInnovations conference in New Orleans. Emerson's James Beall, a 30-year veteran in process control and chairman of the ISA 75.25 committee on control valve performance testing, shared his ChemInnovations...
Early Detection of Distillation Column Flooding Conditions
The distillation process is one of the most common means of separating two or more components from a fluid. Ever handy Wikipedia defines it: Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture....
Monitoring Heat Exchangers for Fouling and Energy Inefficiencies
A ScienceDirect.com abstract highlights the importance of heat exchangers in refinery energy-efficiency efforts: Crude oil fouling in pre-heat train heat exchangers has been a major problem in oil refining for decades. The operating problems, increased energy...
Greenhouse Gas Monitoring In, Energy Efficiency Out
Over at ControlGlobal.com's Sound Off! Editors' Blog is a post, Greenhouse Gases-- There's a Pony in There Somewhere! #carbondioxide #control #pauto #globalwarming #ruminants. The post by Control magazine Editor in Chief Walt Boyes highlights Emerson's Patrick...
Tuning Considerations in Surge Tank Level Control
Chemical Processing magazine has a great article, Be Levelheaded About Surge-Tank Control. I shared it with Emerson's James Beall asking for his thoughts. He noted that surge tank level control is a common application in many of the process industries. Often a surge...
Keep Up to Date With the Latest News and Updates
Follow Us
We invite you to follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube to stay up to date on the latest news, events and innovations that will help you face and solve your toughest challenges.
Do you want to reuse or translate content?
Just post a link to the entry and send us a quick note so we can share your work. Thank you very much.
Our Global Community
Emerson Exchange 365
The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the authors. Content published here is not read or approved by Emerson before it is posted and does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Emerson.