7 replies to this topic

[Said Salim]

Dear Members,

I am working in ammonia-urea complex and the management is planning to conduct an energy saving project feasibility study by a third party. As per your experience, what conditions our enquiry should include so that we get the maximum benifit from this study.

[ankur2061]

Said Salim,

 

Refer the attachment. It has some details on energy savings and energy management.

 

 

Attached Files

•  IICHEPresentation.pdf   513.28KB   68 downloads

[manojkaila]

Dear Salim,

 

Energy Management is not one time job, This is dynamic thing & continuous monitoring & bench marking is required. You must have in your organization some Energy Manager/ Auditor for such job who will guide the organization on this subject. You can refer following like for more details. That is not for profit organization.

 

Regards,

Manoj

 

 

http://iaemp.in/

[Bobby Strain]

You want to select the party based on their recommended study. Don't tie their hands. But you should provide sufficient information about your facility so that they can develop a proper plan. And, you need to decide whether you are looking for fixed price or hourly rates. Fixed price means you must do a lot of work to define the scope. Before you enlist a third party, make sure you have done sufficient screening. Otherwise you may get little for their effort and your money.

 

Bobby

[breizh]

Hi Said,

Probably good to refer to your process book and check the gap between actual versus design ( equipment/equipment) . Important to be able to measure the performances through accurate mass and heat balances . Historical data should be available to see the trend. As stated above it's important to be able to benchmark the performance , data are available on the net . New technology or new design may support your study , a contact with licensor should help.

 

good luck .

 

Breizh

Edited by breizh, 30 December 2015 - 09:42 PM.

[Said Salim]

Thank you Sirs for your useful advices I applogize for taking from your valuable time.

[Satyajit]

Hi Said,

             Appreciate very much for raising this question in the forum. You do not need to appologize as this is a platform to exchange our ideas and improve our knowledge.

This is in fact a very important and compelling job in any fertilizer complex. We do more of these studies in house for all ammonia plants / urea plant across the globe so that we can remain competitive in the market .

You can also approach licensors like Halder Topsoe, KBR, UHDE, Casale etc and other companies to do these studies; but it will cost you minimum half a million USD plus 3-4 months study period. Licensors are currently busy with various projects and may not be available for such small jobs. However, you can go into their websites , contact their technical service department  and ask for a quotation without bidding. Licensors will be happy to give you a quotation for such study if they are free.

 

If I am in your position, I do this myself together with my plant engineers so that you really understand the technology, the plant issues, deviations,and areas of improvement. It not only helps you to save money but helps you to build expertise in house so that you continue this improvement process. If you have not done it before, I would suggest you to work with an expert .

 

If you want to do it yourself, I would suggset you to follow the following steps :

 

1. Make a plant simulation model using Aspen Plus or any other software tool,

2.Optimise the plant load and  perform plant test,

3. Make heat and mass balance, steam and water balance of the whole plant

4. Evaluate performance of each heat exchanger, furnace, compressors and pumps,turbines etc. Get your catalyst performance evaluated by catalyst supplier.

5. Calculate specific energy consumption of the plant

5. Find out the gaps in plant performance , productivity , monitoring, stability etc.

6. Make a plan for improvements :

    AA. improvements without investment and plant shut down.

    BB. Improvement that requires small investment and a short shut down

    CC. Improvement that requires good investment and longer shutdown.

7. After completing the improvements mentioned under 6AA, take new plant data, update plant simulation model.

8. Convert your model into a predictive model using calculated heat trasfer coefficient, efficiencies of machineries.

9. Run your predictive model and confirm  your plant bottlenecks and low efficiency areas; discuss smart ideas  ( under 6BB and 6CC) with plant staff and make a list of changes required to reduce plant energy consumption.

10.Add new unit or replace equipment to remove the plant bottlenecks.verify each ideas in plant model, note down the benefits.

11. Make a final heat and material balance, calculate the efficiency.

12. Make a cost estimate of the changes needed and see the payback period ; keep it between 2-3 years .

 

Make a report and submit to your management with your recommendation.

 

If you can provide details about your plant like  technology provider, age of your plant,daily production vs rated capacity, current specific energy vs design specific energy, changes/modifications so far implemented, existing plant problems and some lab analysis, I can give you good tips for you to include in your enquiry bids.

My experiences in last 28 years in ammonia / fertiliser plants always remind me that I as an owner must be technically strong enough to challenge the licensor or contractor at any stage and get the best out of the plant.

Hope this helps you.

Wish you and all the members and viewers of this wonderful forum a very Happy New Year 2016.

Kind regards,

Satyajit

[Bobby Strain]

Unless, and until you set a goal, it's unlikely that you will get meaningful results. This is true in any endeavor. And take Satyajit's offer for help.

 

Bobby