DE CASTRO, CHRISTIAN F.

ICT 322
ICET -3201 PROCESS CONTROL APPLICATION

REVIEW QUESTION:
1. Name two types of atmospheric tanks.
• Floating Roof tanks, and Cone Roof Tanks.
2. What is meant by “breathing” action?
• When the vapor in the tank expands or shrinks due to heating and cooling,
it is said to be "breathing." Sunlight and warm days are enough to
generate some vapor expansion, while chilling at night or after a rainfall
causes vapor contraction.
3. How does a flame arrestor work?
• A flame arrestor is installed in the vents to prevent fire from spreading to
the tank's contents. Flame arrestors are not meant to block flame passage
forever, so any fire at a flame arrestor should be extinguished
immediately. Because corrosion or foreign particles can clog the narrow
passageways in a flame arrestor element, the elements are cleaned on a
regular basis.
4. Describe the purpose of a conservation vent.
• A typical conservation vent has two vents. During operation, valves with
weighted discs regulate pressure. The exhaust valve will not open until
there is a small amount of positive pressure in the system. The intake
valve will not open until the tank is under a small pressure vacuum.
Controlling the tank's pressure lowers vapor loss.
5. Why are gas-blanketed tanks used?
• Gas-blanketed tanks are used to store these hazardous feedstocks. They
are also used for other stocks when contact with air or moisture would be
harmful to the product. In general, gas-blanketed tanks are similar to other
types of fixed-roof tanks except that they are equipped with a supply line
for the gas blanket and a regulator to control the pressure.
6. Describe corrosion and the ways process technicians prevent it.
• Corrosion is the deterioration of a material as a result of its interaction with
its surroundings and can occur at any point or at any time during
petroleum and natural gas processing. prevented by maintaining neutral
pH in feedwater, deaeration of water, chemical treatments, and out-of-
service and blowdown procedures.
7. Why do cooling towers need to be blown down periodically?
• Bleed-off/blowdown of the cooling tower occurs several times a day to
remove high concentrations of mineralized water from the tower due to
evaporation. If the concentration of minerals in a cooling tower rises above
the saturation point of the system water, scale will emerge.
8. Describe a fire water system.
• Fire water is supplied to the plant by pumps, which must be capable of
continuing to run if power to the plant is lost. These pumps are typically
diesel driven to ensure operation if electric power is lost. The FW system
pressure can be supported by cross-connecting from the raw water
system
9. Describe boiler feedwater treatment.
• Boiler feedwater treatment is the process by which suspended and
dissolved solids are removed from the waste used in a plant. Clean
condensate and demineralized makeup water are deaerated in order to
supply boiler feedwater (BFW) to multiple BFW pumps. Two or three
pumps are used in the pump-around operation. The primary pump
typically has one or two backup pumps that are placed in standby mode
10. If it takes 1 Btu to raise the temperature of 1 lb. of water 1°F, how many Btus does it
take to convert 1 lb. of water at 35°F (1.66°C) to steam?
• 212 - 35 = 177 because water boils at 212°F
11. What are some impurities found in natural water?
• The impurities that are present in water supplies can be divided into
suspended and dissolved solids. Suspended solids are those that do not
dissolve in water and that can be removed by filtration. Examples of
suspended solids are mud, clay, and silt. Dissolved solids are those that
are naturally dissolved in water and, therefore, cannot be removed by
filtration. Examples of dissolved solids are sodium chloride (common table
salt), calcium carbonate (limestone), silica (sand), calcium sulfate
(gypsum), magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts), magnesium carbonate
(dolomite), hydrated sodium sulfate (Glauber’s salt), aluminum, iron,
manganese, fluorides, and other trace substances. Impurities must be
removed from water before it can be used in industrial applications.
12. Why is the purity of boiler feedwater critical to the operation and maintenance of the
system?
• Suspended and dissolved solids, ions, etc, can damage the boiler, foul the
pipes, etc, and reduce efficiency
13. What is the maximum amount of suspended solids permitted in a boiler operating at
over 2,000 psig?
• N/A
14. What are coagulation and flocculation?
• Coagulation neutralizes negative charges of suspended solids, allowing
them to clump together and settle out. Flocculation is when coagulated
particles bridge together; these particles form a floc net that collects
suspended material.
15. What is the relationship between water softening and chemical precipitation?
• Water softening is a form of chemical precipitation. Lime soda is a water
softening agent; it reacts with calcium bicarbonate and magnesium
bicarbonate to form solid precipitates
16. How do anion resins and cation resins react with impurities in the water?
• Anion resins react with negative ions (sulfate) to bond them and adsorb or
remove them from the water; cation resins react with positive ions
(calcium) to do the same. Demineralization uses both; resulting effluent is
essentially pure water
17. Describe the operation of a deaerator.
• Removes excess air aka oxygen from the water; excess oxygen would
corrode boilers and other equipment if not removed.
18. What is the justification for hooking nitrogen and instrument air systems together?
Do you agree?
• For the occasional use of nitrogen as an instrument air backup when
regular air fails.
19. Describe a flare system.
• Flare systems are used to safely remove excess hydrocarbons from a
variety of plant processes. Flare systems are composed of a complex
network of pipes and headers connecting to a knockout drum and flare
20. Describe the operation of a three-phase motor.
• 3-phase AC induction motors are comprised of the stator and rotor.
During operation, a current is applied through the stator, which induces a
magnetic field and leads to the rotation of the rotor
21. What are natural gas systems used for?
• Natural gas is used to supplement the fuel gas produced at a unit in order
to meet furnace and boiler demands. Natural gas is also used as a purge
medium in unit startup and shutdown.
22. What is the primary function of a steam trap?
• To trap condensate and or force steam to condense. The steam trap then
allows the condensate to discharge and return to a boiler, where it is
reheated into steam. Without a steam trap, the steam would not give off its
latent heat, and the efficiency of the heat transfer in the heat exchanger
would be greatly reduced
23. Describe an industrial sewer system.
• It collects all drains ( water and process fluid) from the process unit.
24. Draw a simple sketch that shows how a refrigeration system operates.

25. What are the basic components of a relief and flare system
• A flare (long, narrow, vertical pipe), a steam ring at the top of the flare
(dispenses vapors), an ignition source (also at flare top), a fan at the flare
base (forced-draft operation), knockout drum with water seal (removes
water before sending HCs to flare), and a flare header (piping to flare). For
volatile HCs, 2 collecting systems are used to avoid freezing - a warm-wet
system and a cold-dry system. (else wet vapors make ice in cold weather).
Cold vapors are warmed before going to flare