Anirudh Balasubramanian BT17CME011

Bhavesh Sarode BT17CME020

Eashan Bhat BT17CME025
Ojas Hanwat BT17CME045
Pranav Gadhave BT17CME051

Polymer Processing Assignment-5

Alumni Talk with

Ambuj Kumar Singh, Assistant Manager, IOCL
1) What polymers do you produce and what is the source of the monomer for
it?
My job is to manage the production of LLDPE, and the nearby units produce PP and
HDPE. the raw materials for the polymer are naphtha and it is coming from the nearby
Panipat Refinery produced from their ADU, VDU units and is processed here.
2) What equipment are used in production?
Distillation column, mixer, agitator, pumps, heaters reactors, vaporizer, these are the
main equipment used.
3) What special conditions are needed for production? (Catalyst, Pressure,
Temperature etc.)
The reaction is one of high temperature and high pressure with catalyst used like Tri-
ethyl aluminium.
4) What type of polymerization is being done? (Bulk, Suspension, Solution,
Emulsion etc.)
The type of polymerization being done is solution polymerization.
5) How do you remove impurities in the produced polymer?
The impurities come from moisture and process disturbances as well. when there are
disturbances in the process parameters, since the polymer is produced in solute form, it
cannot be mixed and impurities remain. the polymers are categorised as prime quality
and non-prime quality and we segregate the final polymers as per the impurity and sell
it at a lower price. the impurities present have to be minimised during the process itself
and cannot be removed after the polymer has been produced.
6) Which polymers are in market demand?
I can't tell you how much quantity of each polymer is required but each polymer has its
own uses. LLDPE is mainly used in things like chocolate wrappers or thin films or
laminations. the nearby plant produces Polymers for Tupperware bottles HDPE is used
for car dashboards.
7) What are the risks in monomer/polymer handling?
The process is high temperature, high pressure and the solvent used is cyclohexane
which is used above auto ignition temperature and if any leakage happens it catch fire.
The Catalyst itself is pyrophoric meaning it can spontaneously Ignite when it comes in
contact with air.
8) What is the life cycle of your equipment and which equipment need lot of
maintenance?
We are primarily in dealing with solid handling meaning there is a chance of choking
happening in the equipment. when you handle liquids, it is always continuous flow, but
when you handle solids there are chances of pockets being from which can put high
load on the equipment, also some material gets deposited in the equipment which can
cause damage. Things like columns don’t require that much maintenance. these plants
are built for approximately 40 to 50-year life cycles these plants are also updated every
few decades to comply with latest standards and new technologies.
9) How many people work in a plant?
There are approximately 5,000 officers 5,000 employees and around 10,000 contract
workers are employed in refinery.
10) How are worker shifts organized? (6-hour shifts, 8-hour shifts etc.)
Employees are given grades from a to C and depending on and people in these will
have to come and Shift 3 times a day above the three grades the people only comment
generation.
Alumni Talk with
Mrunal Raichura, Process Safety Engineer, ExxonMobil
1) What are the safety aspects in handling chemicals?
Safety of the plant is supremely important while designing as well as operating it. Proper
conditions are to be maintained, proper materials to be used for equipment design,
proper safety critical devices are to be applied to ensure no hazards take place while
handling chemicals.
2) How is general plant safety design made?
Plant is designed based on which critical equipment are to be place where in the layout.
While layout designing it is made sure that the safety critical devices are not placed neat
the ignition source to avoid fire. Over pressure protection is provided on most of the
equipment to ensure the proper operations. Emergency response plan is also developed
to deal with the unforeseen conditions in the plant.
3) How are process equipment maintained?
Maintenance philosophies are generated for each equipment to ensure maximum life
and lower operating cost. Regular maintenance registers are maintained by the
operators and proper surveillance is regulated to avoid any damage to the equipment
4) Which chemicals are being produced?
Company is Oil and Gas producing company. So, company works to explore new oil
reservoirs, drill the wells, process the oil, water &gas and send it to refinery to get value
added products such as petrol, diesel, lubricants, etc. Company also has marketing
sector of its own.
5) How are working hrs. in the plant?
I do not work on site but we have 8 working hours with Saturday and Sunday off. The
work culture is really good and ensures maximum value capture from every employee.
6) What other divisions are there in the plant/company?
Company has wide portfolio from exploring oil to finally selling diesel, petrol, etc. in the
market. It includes different engineering operations like drilling, separation,
compression, pumping, distillation, etc. Being a Process Safety Engineer, I am working
on various projects to design pressure protecting devices and maintain it to operate
safely. I am also working on Fire Protection designing of the plant to set up emergency
response plan for the fire fighters as well as operating personnel.