When refineries and chemical plants plan complex projects, there are many facets of the job that must be considered. These can affect timeliness, cost, logistics, project equipment and personnel costs. However, process safety management (PSM) dictates the review of equipment, personnel knowledge and experience, compliance and permitting, and most importantly, safety, which together form the basis of PSM. PSM requires we evaluate the “what ifs.” What if someone turned the wrong valve or the operator was not fully trained? There are always measures to improve a project’s outcome based on these factors. Those contractors and teams with extensive knowledge, experience and technical aptitude in the industry have a huge leg up in determining the most efficient process.
An experienced specialty vapor control and mobile water treatment company can provide an incredible range of services, including performing tank degassing, managing vapor and water treatment issues for turnaround, performing marine vapor recovery, pipeline hydrostatic test water treatment, odor control and unique vapor solutions for chemical plant processes. Every service offered requires a professional scope, detailed plan and proper execution by qualified, dedicated and trained personnel on the engineering, operations and planning sides. This type of detailed process sets a company apart from its competitors. A project engineer or operations manager in the market for a specialty degassing company should look for an expert contractor that has successfully planned and managed projects with top-notch efficiency and rigorous process improvement.
I’ll highlight a perfect example of the rationale behind hiring a specialty contractor rather than a generalist, full-service company. A refinery turnaround project was spending absorption media at a much higher rate than expected, and while media expenditure is a relatively small part of the overall process, using media at that high rate creates significant project downtime, extra material and personnel costs on the project. The easy solution employed by “jack-of-all-trades” companies is by no means the best solution. The generalist contractor mentality simply provides larger vessels with even more absorption media to minimize the time between “breakthrough” events. This increases operating time and adds significant cost. In an industry where every dollar counts, petrochemical leaders are looking for engineered solutions by those who have the breadth and depth of experience and professional engineering support only a specialty contractor can bring. A successful contractor that seeks to build lasting relationships will propose a fully engineered, cost-effective and safe solution. In one case, a specialty contractor proposed a solution that increased the life cycle of a vapor scrubber by nearly 20 times. The utilization increase was not realized by adding more media or people but by re-engineering the process. Process changes allowed flow rate to be optimized while decreasing safety risks.
The customer saved time and money by reducing the frequent recharging of the scrubber and the reduction of spent media. This is one example of the positive impact of good engineering reviews and process safety.
When you need a contractor for vapor control or water treatment projects, choose one that brings years of experience and a team of engineers to provide a fresh evaluation. The specialty contractor will bring its in-house engineering team to design the most cost-effective and safe vapor control solution. Both contractor and owner should know a successful and cost-effective solution means a better, more consistent relationship. Plant project and maintenance managers want to trust their contractors working in the field are doing things safely and cost effectively because they can’t be there 24/7.
Now more than ever, the petrochemical industry is experiencing pricing pressures. In order to meet this demand while continuing to be in full compliance with regulators, specialty contractors are critical. Bringing in an expert to help engineer the solution, streamline the process and improve safety while saving money ensures every project receives the expertise it deserves.
For more information, contact Jerry Ren at ENVENT Corp. at (888) 997-9465 or visit http://enventcorporation.com.
