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Utility and Auxiliary Systems

1. Process Systems Overview 2. Water Systems

Utility Systems include • Raw-Water

1. water (e.g. steam generation,
water treatment) • Fire-Water
2. Fuel
3. gas (e.g. air, nitrogen)
4. power (e.g. electricity) • Boiler Feed-water
5. Refrigeration
6. cooling tower operations. • Steam

Raw-Water (RW): reservoir, local • Cooling Water

rivers & lakes, pumping remotely, 125-
150 psi • Industrial Sewer

• Potable Water

• Wastewater 1

Fire-Water (FW): used only for specific units such as boiler, diesel-driven pumps
Back pumps: first (110 psig), second (100 psig), third (90 psig)
lines underground (>2 feet)

Boiler Feedwater (BFW): primary pumps, backup pumps

Steam generation: Equipment

• Boiler (water tube)
• Steam header: low, medium, high pressures,
• Condensate return (steam trap, valves, piping, pumps)
• Deaerator: collect fluids from the condensate return system,
• remove excess air from the system

Four types of steam systems

1. Super-High Pressure (SHP): 1,000-1,200 psig
2. High-Pressure (HP): 400-800 psig
3. Medium-Pressure (MP): 180-200 psig
4. Low-Pressure (LP): 50-60 psig,
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Chapter 13 Utility and Auxiliary Systems (cont.)

Condensate Recovery:
• Clean section: to deaerator
• Suspect (dirty) section: contamination

Cooling Water (CW): closed system, supply of 90 F (32.2 C) and return of

120 F (48.9 C), cooling tower, filter, corrosion inhibitor, chlorine for
control of microbiology fouling

Industrial Sewer: all drains, ditches, waste treatment, oil/water separation ,

American Petroleum Institute (API), sanitary sewer systems

Potable Water: drinking water, high quality

Wastewater: variety of sources

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Water Properties
Resources

States (Phases):
1. Steam (gas): 212 F (100 C)
2. Water (liquid): boiling point increases with increasing pressure
3. Ice (solid): 32 ( (0 C)

Latent heat:
British thermal unit (BTU)

Chemical formula: H2O

Corrosion: complex electrochemical reactions, oxygen,

Prevention: remove oxygen, chemical treatment etc.

Water Treatment Process

Impurities in the water
• Suspended solids: e.g. mud, clay, sand; filtration

• Dissolved solids: e.g. sodium chloride (NaCl), calcium chloride (CaCl2),

• magnesium chloride (MgCl2), sodium sulfate (NaSO4),
• sodium carbonate (NaCO3), calcium bicarbonate (CaHCO3), minerals
•

• Water hardness: calcium compounds, magnesium compounds

• Deposits in boiler: e.g. calcium bicarbonate converts to calcium carbonate

• (precipitates)

• Boiler Feedwater Treatment

Standards for boiler operation:
• Pressure: total solids, suspended solids, silica, alkalinity

Treatment Process
• Deaeration: remove air, corrosion, heating the water with steam

• Water treatment in boiler: internal , pH, particulate particles

• Blowdown: remove accumulated sludge, 5-10% of the total capacity

•

• Batch or Continuous Process

• Chemical Precipitation: form solid precipitates, softening, adding lime,

• reactions

Major Impurities, their Effect, and Treatment

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Coagulation and Flocculation

1. Coagulants: aluminum sulfate (Alum), ferric chloride, charge neutralization

2. Flocculants: polymers, form floc, bridging, settling by gravity

3. Ion Exchange Process: demineralization, dissolved minerals

Ion exchange resins: anion (negative charged ions, e.g. SO4-2)
cation: (positive charged ions, e.g. Ca+2)

3. Gas Systems
Air (instrument, utility)
One or two air compressors, ~125 psig of air pressure,
Instrument air (IA) system: 100-105 psig of pressure
Utility air (UA) system: no pressure control

Separation drum: remove free water

Instrument Air Filters/Dryers: ~-50F (-45.55C) dew point, activated alumina,

normal controlled pressure of 105 psig,

Nitrogen
High pressure: 300-600 psig, inert gas for blanketing,
nitrogen connections (Natural Standard Coupling)

Chapter 13 Utility and Auxiliary Systems (cont.)

Natural Gas (NG)

• High pressure
• Distribution header: 200-250 psig
• Unit pressure: 60-100 psig
• Fuel Gas for furnace and boiler

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

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4. Power Systems: Power Generation & Distribution

Motors:
Type: three-phase induction, AC supply,
Winding: produce a rotating magnetic field
Protection: heat, household fuse,
circuit breakers, against overload, shut down

Voltmeters: voltage measurement

Ammeters: current measurement

Backup Power Systems:

Emergency diesel-engine generator, automatic transfer switch
Instrument systems: uninterruptible power system (UPS), batteries

Steam Systems:
Steam energy: transform into mechanical or heat energy upon condensation

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Properties of Saturated Steam

Steam traps: condensate, remove air and dust
types; inverted bucket, impulse (disk or float), thermostatic (bellows)

Strainers: keep small pieces of trash out of the trap

Distribution:
Received: 100-160 kV
Transformed: down: 13.8 kV for distribution within the plant
Down: 4,160 V for use on large motors
Down: 480 V for plants
Down: 240 V & 120 V for heating, lighting, horsepower motors

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5. Relief and Flarre Systems: safely remove excess hydrocarbons

Safety valves: specified pressure

The discharge is collected in a closed piping system and sent to a flare stack. Steam,
Air, and nitrogen vapors discharge to the atmosphere.

Hot Relief Systems (Hot Flare): warm-wet, >32F (0C)

Cold Relief System (Cold Flare): cold-dry, < 32F (0C) , heat exchanger

Flare Seal Drum Function: water seal in the flare knockout drum

Flare Stack and Flare Pilots:

Combustion in the flair tip, limit radiation heat at ground level
Height: 200-350 feet
Pilot burner: ignite the gas, always burning

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6.Refrigeration
General process

Units
compressor (high-pressure refrigeration gas), heat exchanger (cooling tower),
receiver, expansion valve (low-pressure refrigeration liquid),
evaporator (low-pressure refrigerant gas)

Refrigerants: boiling point at very low temperature, propylene, ethylene, ammonia

Propylene: boiling point of -54F (-47.77C) at atmospheric pressure

Refrigeration cycle

Multiple stages (steps): three or four levels of temperature and pressure

Application of Refrigeration in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)

Wastewater Treatment
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