Process Plant Troubleshooting

Overview

When a process unit stops meeting its targets, the cost of every hour of lost production or off-specification product is high, and the pressure to act quickly can push teams towards guesses rather than diagnosis. Good troubleshooters follow a disciplined method: they define the problem precisely, gather the right data, check it against first principles and test the most likely cause before changing anything. This course teaches that method and applies it to the equipment that causes most problems in refineries and gas plants: distillation columns, heat exchangers, fired heaters, pumps, compressors, separators and control loops. Participants learn the typical symptoms of flooding, fouling, cavitation, surge, entrainment and instrument faults, and how to confirm them with field tests and simple calculations. Real plant cases are worked through from first symptom to final solution, building the confidence to lead troubleshooting efforts on site.

Objectives

• Apply a structured troubleshooting method to process problems
• Use plant data, field tests and simple calculations to test hypotheses
• Diagnose common distillation column problems
• Identify heat exchanger and fired heater performance issues
• Troubleshoot pumps, compressors and separators
• Distinguish process problems from instrument and control faults

Who should attend

Training methodology

Each day starts with the theory of how the equipment should behave, then moves quickly into real troubleshooting cases using trend data, pressure surveys, gamma scans and laboratory results. Participants work in small teams, propose causes, request additional data from the trainer and defend their conclusions. Simple hand calculations, such as column hydraulics and exchanger fouling factors, are used to confirm or reject hypotheses. A final multi-equipment case brings everything together.

Programme outline

Dates and fees

Certificate

Frequently asked questions