Improve sulfur unit reliability

Journal Article · Fri Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997 · Hydrocarbon Processing

OSTI ID:527577

Braithwaite, J R ^[1]

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1. American Western Refining, L.P., Lawrenceville, IL (United States)

A troublesome sulfur recovery unit had great difficultly in maintaining sulfur dioxide (SO{sub 2}) limits for a Midwest refinery. This processing area`s frequent upsets and unplanned shutdowns also affected the entire refinery`s operations. Equally important, maintenance and repair costs for the sulfur recovery unit were increasing. The refinery set out to identify root causes for past shutdowns and equipment failures. Using collected information on failures and other compromised operating events, a reliability group began a preventive maintenance program on high-impact failure events. Reviewing and improving maintenance and operating procedures increased unit uptime and minimized upsets and unplanned downtime. More important, SO{sub 2} emissions were kept within required New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) limits. Implementing the reliability program gave this facility increased environmental compliance with the same program.

• OSTI ID: 527577
• Journal Information: Hydrocarbon Processing, Journal Name: Hydrocarbon Processing Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 76; ISSN HYPRAX; ISSN 0018-8190
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
FAILURE MODE ANALYSIS
MAINTENANCE
MATERIALS RECOVERY
PETROLEUM REFINERIES
SULFUR
SULFUR DIOXIDE