Unlocking Hydraulic Limits in a Revamp

Follow the practical tips discussed here to accelerate hydraulic revamp projects and increase the success rate Conducting a thorough hydraulic check is a crucial part of a successful plant revamp. Depending on the remaining margin of the hydraulic system, a certain degree of modifications may be required to accommodate a new unit throughput or configurations. Conventional hydraulic calculations can be time-consuming, involving engineering documents, possibly with expensive hydraulic calculation software. This article provides helpful tips to significantly reduce the person-hours required for hydraulic review. Also, unorthodox, yet practical, methods for equipment sizing will be demonstrated as fast-track solutions to unlock hydraulic constraints at a chemical process industries (CPI) facility. These tips and methods come out of the author’s experience as a plant operator and designer, and are illustrated with several real-world examples. Real-life dilemmas As a former petroleum-refinery process engineer, the author had opportunities to work with multiple reputed design companies on different revamp projects. Surprisingly often, these companies applied hydraulic design criteria intended for new units to revamp projects without…