Primco’s process expertise
Our process expertise is founded upon several decades of services provided to the chemical industry. Our experience spans a wide range of fields, encompassing both the technical and economic optimization of processes, as well as problem-solving in areas such as corrosion control, environmental constraints, laboratory management, sampling, analytical chemistry, energy optimization, catalyst management, debottlenecking, and troubleshooting. Our extensive knowledge extends to processes in mineral synthesis, fine chemistry, petrochemicals, and nuclear chemistry.”
Primco is involved in the following areas:
- Environmental constraints
- Unexpected corrosion
- Decline in process performance
- Product quality problems
- Identifying bottlenecks and proposing improvements
Primco’s approach is to first identify the root cause(s). In agreement with the customer, a modification plan is then proposed to move from the current situation to the target situation, with controlled expenditure of human and financial resources.
The recurring topics of this exercise are:
1) Description of the problem and desired end-state
A multi-disciplinary review of the issue brings together the Operator and Primco specialists to present the question, review the state of knowledge, identify outstanding issues and draw up a list of documents and information to be shared. At this stage, additional measurements and analyses may be required. If the Operator lacks the necessary resources, external solutions may be proposed, such as taking measurements or samples, acquiring special equipment, or using one analytical method rather than another.
2) Examination of the facts and search for solutions
The aim of this stage is to gather all the elements and facts needed to understand the process, from raw materials to finished product, and to examine intermediate data such as unit processes, analyses, transient phenomena and process control.
Extensive experience of unit processes, organic and inorganic chemistry, operating procedures and quality control usually enables us at this stage to identify the most likely causes and suggest ways of improving the problematic conditions until a permanent solution can be found.
3) Towards the desired end state
Depending on the case and the nature of the constraints, the existing process can be adjusted to achieve the desired end-state by means of minor, non-investment modifications, such as changes to raw material specifications, the use of additives, better adapted analytical or process control, or by modifying the process itself, such as replacing a machine, instrument, catalyst or metallurgy, or adding additional equipment.
4) Ongoing support
These stages are subject to the availability of installations, Operator specialists and, in some cases, equipment in continuous operation. The approach is therefore followed over time to ensure that results are consolidated and capitalized on in operating procedures.
Case study
- A catalytic reforming process suffers a sudden shutdown which seriously damages the unit: examination of the data shows that chronic fouling is the source cause, but only an audit of the control laboratory shows that an unsuitable analysis procedure masked the chronic non-conformity of a raw material.
- Chronic excessive head loss in a distillation overhead line is linked to the omission of an orifice plate in a transfer line after the flowmeter had been dismantled decades earlier.
- The instability of a mineral synthesis process is linked to a combination of analytical parameters that disrupt the heat balance without the raw material deviating from the manufacturer’s specifications.
- Corrosion of a 316L steel plant is linked to the presence of a reaction by-product that was not identified when the process was set up.
- Product conformity of a light petroleum cut is ensured after an existing process is adjusted to ensure simultaneous compliance with two distillation head specifications.
- An environmental stack emission constraint is met after an acid gas treatment process is adjusted to its thermodynamic limit.
- An investment-free unit debottlenecking is achieved by identifying and eliminating upstream the causes of heat exchanger fouling.
- Product conformity during mineral synthesis is improved after discovery and treatment of thermal heterogeneity in a dryer.