Process Engineering · Advanced · 1 day

Distillation Troubleshooting and Optimisation

Diagnosing flooding, weeping, maldistribution and control problems, and finding the energy and yield that a column is giving away

Duration1 day
LevelAdvanced
FormatOn-site · virtual
CodeTR-F07
PFD-001 Rev BH&MB · Class 5Issued for design FeedReflux drum
Course flyer

Distillation Troubleshooting and Optimisation — one-page catalogue.

The flyer below is the printable A4 version. Use the buttons above to download it or the request form.

Distillation Troubleshooting and Optimisation — one-page course flyer
Click the flyer to open the printable PDF.
Request this courseDownload the Training Request Form, quote course code TR-F07, sign and e-mail it to sales@cerasus.ai — or use the consultation form below.
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At a glance

What you will be able to do.

Process and operations engineers responsible for distillation units; APC and control engineers supporting column control; unit supervisors

Columns rarely fail; they underperform, and the reasons are usually visible in pressure-drop, temperature-profile and reflux trends long before anyone opens the manway. Built around the Kister troubleshooting approach and FRI-based hydraulic guidance, the course teaches how to read a column from plant data, rate the internals against the current load, identify the operating limit, and then decide which of reflux, pressure, feed condition or product specification is worth changing.

  • Interpret pressure drop, temperature profile and gamma-scan results to identify flooding, weeping, foaming and maldistribution
  • Rate trays and packing hydraulically against the current load and set the real capacity limit
  • Reconcile plant data with a simulation and estimate tray efficiency or HETP
  • Diagnose control problems: pressure, temperature-control tray selection, reflux and reboiler interactions
  • Quantify optimisation levers: reflux-to-minimum ratio, pressure minimisation, feed preheat and product give-away
  • Prepare a turnaround inspection list and revamp options with a supporting case
Course outline

Day by day

Morning

Column fundamentals refresher: stages, reflux, minimum reflux, pinch · tray and packing hydraulics: flooding, weeping, entrainment, pressure drop · reading a column from plant trends and gamma scans · common malfunctions and their signatures (Kister) · rating exercise on plant data

Afternoon

Data reconciliation and efficiency estimation · column control: pressure, temperature-tray selection, reflux and boil-up interaction · optimisation levers and economics: reflux, pressure, feed preheat, give-away · energy savings and constraint pushing · inspection and revamp options · troubleshooting cases workshop

Standards referenced
Kister, Distillation Troubleshooting and Distillation Operation
FRI design practices
GPSA Engineering Data Book
Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook
API RP 554
Request a consultation

Tell us about the unit and the problem.

Send a short brief — plant, service of interest and what you need to achieve — and a Cerasus engineer will respond with a proposed scope and next steps.

Prefer email or phone? sales@cerasus.ai · +974 5506 2743