WHY IMPLEMENT THE ENGINEERING APPROACH?

Individual plant management is increasingly being asked by their corporate offices to consider financial results, TCO, quality, environmental health and safety, and manpower effectiveness. The order of importance may have changed over the past few years, and may be different from industry to industry, but all plants are focusing more and more on the environment, safety, budgets, and performance.

Water treatment can have an impact on all areas of a utility budget. Actual water treatment costs, however, usually only represent 2 to 3 percent of overall costs, as seen in Figure 1. Although water treatment chemicals represent a small portion of the utility budget, they have a major impact on all areas of a utility budget. Water touches most, if not all, of the key process units, and can have a major impact on production rates, maintenance costs, and overall plant profitability.

Unexpected boiler outages will limit, or even stop, production. Poorly run boiler systems will be very energy inefficient, and may even result in environmental problems with emissions. Additionally, running ineffectively may actually shorten boiler life, or at a minimum increase maintenance costs. In any case, plant profitability suffers, and both short- and long-term viability may be brought into question.

All is not lost, however. ONDEO Nalco’s strategy is to become part of the solution, the total cost reduction solution, partnering with our customers to become a generator of profit and a reducer of total costs. Best practices, or the Engineering Approach, provide the means as well as the tools to bring this about.

Having an in-depth understanding of the mechanical components of the water systems, and specifically the boilers, provides a good starting point. The mechanical survey is then followed by statistical analysis of operational control capability, so that we have a statistical understanding of the actual control capability of the system. Finally, having a thorough understanding of the real stresses on the water chemistry of the system completes the picture.

Completing surveys of the plant, and specifically of the boiler operations with the MOC approach often leads to a new perspective on the system. Results of surveys, statistical analysis, and water chemistry modeling provide an impartial framework to evaluate and improve the overall system operation and cost.

Some examples of mechanical system aspects are heat flux, determining thermal limits, and identifying problem areas. Operational factors include examining control charts and process capability, identifying control problems, and looking at automation. Chemical aspects of the system involve looking at modeling (water chemistry, treatment chemicals, and so on), determining control limits for the system, and examining treatment alternatives.

The current approach in some plants may be to skip the mechanical and operational steps, and just focus on chemical solutions. Standard performance, basic control needs of the water chemistry, and chemical costs are what are considered. But you then have to ask whether you have total system management and whether there is reliability in the mechanical operations and recommendations. What assurances are there that chemical program success can be predicted? Are key performance factors being considered and tracked? Can total costs (and possible reductions) be calculated, or just costs associated with chemical treatment?

The Engineering Approach uses a variety of databases for data analysis. Information gathered about the system from surveys is input into the database, and is continually updated. This helps provide system management, reliability, predictability, and TCO reduction. It also allows us to benchmark and norm against other plants, other industries, and so forth.

How and what was your system designed to do? Mechanically, consider piping, blowdown tanks, and economizer. Is your system capable of operating the way you want? How and what was your current water treatment program designed to do? The Engineering Approach goes beyond MOC, however. Data, with their financial implications, are compiled so that real value is addressed.

The complete MOC approach provides an objective look at the system with information, which then helps to facilitate decisions at all levels in the plant. Choices for change are clear and documented, whether for mechanical, operational, or chemical segments of the operations. In addition, each choice has a cost and a return associated with it, allowing for project prioritization and tracking. Plant management can truly answer the questions of “how much,” “how sure,” and “how soon” the savings can be realized.

Probably the best way to explain the power of the Engineering Approach is to relate some real life experiences in applying the approach in our customers’ plants, using plant personnel.