Methanol Facility Turnaround Process Engineering Support

Project Synopsis

Project Summary

The client operates a commercial methanol production facility located in the southwest U.S.  The facility uses natural gas as the feedstock with steam which is subsequently reacted over a series of three reformers, yielding a syngas (CO, CO2, and H2 mixture).  This syngas is subsequently compressed to a high pressure prior to entering the methanol converters, where the CO, CO2, and H2 react over a catalyst to form a crude methanol product.  The crude methanol is refined by use of three distillation columns prior to being pumped off-site for sea transport.

Process Engineering Associates, LLC (PROCESS) was tasked with providing on-site support during the last few weeks of the facility’s first major turnaround. The specific support tasks included the following:

• Attended daily process engineering, operations, and management meetings to discuss and prioritize turnaround workload/scope
• Worked alongside site process engineers and assisted with evaluating environmental flare emissions (MMBTU values) during the projected plant startup
• Reviewed and provided updates to the methanol converter catalyst reduction procedure and isolation log
• Supported catalyst reduction activity for the steam methane reformer (SMR), pre-reformer, and the methanol converter reactors
• Collected data and built temperature profile trends in support of writing catalyst reduction shift logs
• Worked with the instrument team to support installation of gas chromatograph and H2 analyzers in preparation for catalyst reductions
• Provided support training/guidance and leadership to site engineers and operators as it relates to the catalyst reduction process for the pre-reformer and methanol converter catalyst bed reactors
• Supported operations with plant startup, as required.

Industry Type

Utilized Skills

• Turnaround and startup support
• Plant operations support
• Plant staff technical training.