The Fuel Gas HDS plant control loops were re-tuned as part of re-tuning all the control loops in the HDS plants.

Loops were tuned to get the best performance to their duty and efforts were done to compare it’s functioning prior and after the tuning

Tuning was done by “Ziegler Nichols” approach – namely – finding the ultimate process gain and ultimate process dynamics and setting the controller’s parameters accordingly – bearing in mind the controller duty and the characteristics of the expected behavior..

The control performance is calculated and presented using two indices:

1.      Process value Standard Deviation (STD)

and

2. Process Value Travel Index (Process travel)

The Gasoline HDS plant control loops were re-tuned as part of re-tuning all the control loops in the HDS plants.

Loops were tuned to get the best performance to their duty and efforts were done to compare it’s functioning prior and after the tuning

Tuning was done by “Ziegler Nichols” approach – namely – finding the ultimate process gain and ultimate process dynamics and setting the controller’s parameters accordingly – bearing in mind the controller duty and the characteristics of the expected behavior..

The control performance is calculated and presented using two indices:

1.      Process value Standard Deviation (STD)

and

2. Process Value Travel Index (Process travel)

Customer is operating a Sulphuric Acid plant.

Instability in the waste heat recovery – Steam production  brought the need to stabilize the process and let the system operate more efficiently.

Using the existing process instrumentation, changing some of the configurations (Adding some cascade levels and feed forward compensations) made the plant manager happy.

Customer is operating a steam generation plant.

Instability in the make-up water streams reduces the overall plant throughput.

Based on the existing instrumentation, addition of one controller – the performance of the existing controllers was orchestrated to give smooth operation to the whole steam production operation.

Client has multi sources of effluents some extremely Acidic while others very Basic.

Environmental permission strict the pH range and the solids content (Turbidity) of the effluent stream to local water body

Together with the client engineers we were able to bring stage 1 of the effluent treatment plant to perform according to the requirements.

Our main contribution to the plant Process and Process Control were around the concentration process.

Process Design & Implementation of NIR Analysis Technology based on our experience with Real Time / In Line process analyzers.

Besides supporting design marketing and implementation we also participated in the systems’ running in.

Among our (mutual) clients were: Haifa Oil Refinery (ORL), Ashdod Oil Refinery, CaOl, Gadiv, PDVSA and Valcor (Venezuela).

Use Telecommunications for Real time Process Control
Use of NIR Technology as Applied to Steam Cracker Monitoring and Optimization

Unit 80 is a plant with set chemistry and well defined actions to be taken. After studying the process we were able to offer automation of these while maintaining the ability of the operators to override all decisions.

Main topics of the project:

Drying furnaces has special features that has to be taken when coming to deal with its performaces in general and specifically with its thermal, Fuel and product quality (dryness).

We participated in few of this kind for different customers:

Advanced Temperature Control of fertilizers granulation plant – fuel oil firing.

Product (fertilizer) dryer temperature and load control, changing from fuel oil to Natural Gas firing

The Potash Filtering section is dealing with very large quantities of slurry and the quality of this section operation has significant impact on the economics of the whole production.
This comes to light in the production rate, quality of product as well as the rate of breakdowns in the process.

Conducting careful process analysis, together with the client engineers and the production team brought number of improvements such as using unusual means to control process parameters, as well as some inovative process control techniques implementations.

Results:

• Better stability in the filtering process by reducing variability in cake thickness.
• Higher production per filter unit.
• Significant saving in water and electricity consumptions.
• Reduce number of filter units in operation.

Potash fertilizers are expected to be red to help the user to make out these.

The dosing of color onto the product was not accurate enough which caused the product not to confirm with the spec, Different types of red showed up, customer unsatisfaction, over usage of expensive coloring material.

Following our work – with the customer:

pH control is considered by the majority of Process Control Experts as the most difficult one topic control job.

Careful study the unique situation in each project together with cautious implementation of advance process control techniques brings excellent results to the full satisfaction of the projects’ goals.

pH control is found in Processes, in effluent treatment plants in scrubbers and more.

Wet Scrubbing plays important role in Gas Cleaning operations.

As such it is widely used where gases that are released to the atmosphere have to meet the environment standards.

In the DSW case we had to take care of the brine collected at the system bottom to meet the required pH values as well to be suitable to be released to the sewage.

In refining projects, sour gases were treated to reduce the sulfur content down to acceptable levels.

In the process of Potash (KCl) production Carnallite [KMgCl₃·6(H₂O)] and water are fed into crystallizers. Instability in the Carnallite rate of feed requires the water to follow and maintain the proper ratio between these two streams.

Examining the system and instrumentation we found some mistakes in the control strategy implementation.

We redesigned the control strategy.

Number of readings outside the required values dropped dramatically.

Stage II of this project brought significant savings in water consumption and reduced the Potash lost considerably.

To unify the granulation process product it was required to balance the feed rate from all raw material sources.

The plant was not designed to allow direct controlling of these streams. With the aid of the plant staff it was made possible.

Significant improvements were observed.

The availability of Natural Gas brought the need to adapt the control systems for optimal performance.

Natural Gas Firing Skid.

As part of the De-Aeretor project, it became necessary to ensure all systems before and after the de-Aerator are functioning the way it should.

All related control loops, especially Steam Drum level as well as temperature and pressure loops were tuned for optimal performance.

שיפור בקרת המפלס בדוודים – תרב”ם
שיפור תפעול מערכת הקיטור – תרב”ם
שיפור עבודת הDeAerator – תרב”ם

Energy Surveys, besides being compulsory by the authorities is a very efficient way to learn about a plant, its operating team and management.

Most surveys we performed were an opening to improvement project either by us or by others.

All surveys carried out by us, brought the customers great savings and in some case tips to achieve better mode of operations.

Surveys we carried :

• Dor Chemicals (2006, 2012)
• Carmel Chemicals(2007)
• Starkist(2013)
• Galil Herbs(2014)
• Ahva(2014)
• John Deere BH(2015)

All reports are available in Hebrew.