PF-47 PROCESS UTILITY SYSTEMS, ORLANDO.

DECEMBER 15th TO DECEMBER 19TH, 2014

KEY LEARNING POINTS

Day 1: 15th December, 2014 (Sections 1, 2, 3 and 4)

Methodology behind calculating fuel gas requirements.
Magnitude of consumption of various fuel gas users e.g. GT vs tank blanketing.
Understanding of general, simplified utility flow diagrams.
Understanding different uses for fuel gas.
Understanding the need for fuel superheating for gas turbines.
Gas turbines are the major consumers of fuel gas.
A minimum of 28oC superheat above the cricondentherm is typically required by gas turbines.
Process utilities have an important impact on plant performance.
Diesel fuel is the most common liquid fuel used on plants.
Wobble index for gas turbines is calculated using lower, not higher, heating value.
Pump performance can be optimised using a variable speed drive.
The fuel gas superheater is usually spared and each has a different energy source.
The pressure control valve upstream of the fuel gas scrubber is usually spared in order to increase
the availability of the fuel gas system.
Day 2: 16th December, 2014 (Sections 5, 6 & 7)
Instrument air is typically dewpointed to -40oC.
Understanding of the potential degradation temperatures of different heating medium
fluids.
Understanding of the air dryer adsorption/regeneration cycles.
Difference between absolute and nominal filters.
Importance of maintaining constant recirculation flowrate around the heating medium
loop and use of the dump cooler to achieve this.

The sizing of valve actuators needs to take into account not only the normal operating
pressure of the instrument air but also its minimum acceptable operating pressure.
Typically, 8 barg normal, 4 barg minimum.
Compressing and cooling of the air stream reduces both air receiver size and dryers
bed size.
Heating medium decision selection tree.
Use of a heating medium expansion drum to capture and purge light hydrocarbons
that might have been generated as a result of the oil cracking.
Understanding of the different technology options for producing nitrogen.
Calculation of utility consumption rates heating medium and instrument air.
Understand the hazards of nitrogen asphyxiation.
Identified consumers of compressed air.
Plant and instrument air is to be particle free.
Day 3: 17th December, 2014 (Sections 8, 9 & 12)
Knowledge of which standards to consult to determine fire water application rates.
Recommendation of minimum 7 days storage capacity for potable water at offshore
locations.
API 2510 requires availability of a minimum of 4 hours fire water at design application
rate.
Thermal efficiency of steam boilers is typically 90%.
Use of steam traps, especially at start-up, is important to prevent condensate slugging
and steam hammer.
Understanding that sea water, if available, can be used as a source of fire water.
Condensate from steam traps can be routed to a lower pressure flash drum for
recovery of flash steam.
Potable water produced by flash vaporisation of sea water will require the addition of
salts to provide acceptable taste.
Understanding that the thermal efficiency of steam boilers is calculated based on the
Higher Heating Value of the fuel supply.
Awareness of the different types of steam boiler (fire tube, water tube).
Understanding of how reverse osmosis system operates for production of potable
water.
Understanding that plot layout plays a key role in providing fire protection and
mitigating the risk of fire escalation.
Understanding of the purpose of the fire water jockey pumps.
Design capacity of potable water system at remote locations is based on daily
consumption of 250 300 litres per person.
Day 4: 18th December, 2014 (Sections 10, 11 & 14)

Awareness of the difference between onshore and offshore cooling systems.

Definition and types of Critical, Essential and non-Essential power consumers.
Understanding of dry and wet bulb temperatures.
Calculation of circulation (cooling water and heating medium) rates.
Understanding/interpreting information from a Pressure vs Enthalpy diagram.
Use of Joule-Thompson (JT) valve and turbo-expanders for producing cold refrigeration.
Once-through vs closed loop cooling systems.
Understanding the use of transformers in a process plant (discussion between
participants)
Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) requirements vary between companies in the O&G
industry.
Applying an electrical load shedding philosophy, design of the electrical power
generation system can be based on N operating generators, not N+! generators.
Different definitions of low/medium and high voltage levels.
Use of PINCH technology in cooling systems to optimise plant efficiency.
Understanding of how to read and interpret a psychrometric chart.
Knowledge of typical water quality issues within cooling systems.
To prevent solids settling in cooling water systems, maintain velocities above 1
metre/second.
Understand the importance of the purity level of refrigerants.
Calculation of refrigerant condensing system heat load.
Day 5: 19th December, 2014 (Sections 13)
No KLPs on final day course contents.