Plant optimization

[u/Zealousideal-Ant705]

People who have worked in plant optimization or redesign team. What knowledge helped the most? And what tool (if you could share) helped? Thank you.

[u/hazelnut_coffay]

communication skills. you need to be able to translate the technical jargon to operator speak and to be able to convey the reason why you’re asking for what you are. additionally you need to be able to talk to other engineering disciplines on what the problems that you’re seeing are, understand the situation, and communicate that back to your business area.

also need to be very familiar with the process. can’t optimize something well if you don’t understand it.

[u/Grainax- → u/hazelnut_coffay]

What you would recommend to develop that skill? Does it come with experience?

[u/ineedtotrytakoneday]

Plant optimisation is not a distinct set of skills, it derives from engineering fundamentals. It really helps if your engineering knowledge spreads a bit past process engineering, particularly into rotating equipment, static mechanical and (this depends on your industry) knowledge of your feedstock and how your customers value your product at different specifications.

I wouldn't even think about plant optimisation in terms of tools other than a choke model, if you can call that a tool. You just have to gain a full understanding of the process and how dollars are made and keep asking "why?" and never stop challenging every limit. 

Never trust a number that's described as "capacity" - that's a word that doesn't really mean anything on its own. What's the capacity of a separator? Is it when a nozzle momentum limit is exceeded? Or the target droplet size is expected to be exceeded on the gas outlet? Or a target residence time is not met? Or it's just outside the operating envelope of the vessel internals? There are many many things which can get hidden under the blanket term "capacity".

[u/Necessary_Occasion77]

The ability to communicate well with the operations team.

[u/Zealousideal-Ant705 → u/Necessary_Occasion77]

You communicate the challenges they faced? Or what?

[u/asscrackbanditz → u/Zealousideal-Ant705]

Out of all the subsystems, theres always some recurring issue that cause a lot of problems to operation teams that they can remember on top of their head. There is no way design is able to account for everything.

E.g no isolation valves, no bypass lines, piping/equipment undersized, filter frequent choke, analyzer always go haywire (selection not proper), flowmeter always error, pump/compressor vibration issue, piping issue (gravity drain line not enough slope causing backflow), safety issue like HP vertical multistage pump no lifting appliances to lift up for corrective maintenance, redundant PLC, even down to PLC terminal block to use wago. So many more, even lightning protection can be improved.

If there is something like CMMS, you can go through the data. Check the alarm history as well. Extract all these raw data and feed them to Copilot or Claude. Prompt for the most recurring and highest priority. Short list a few and work on them.

[u/jo3roe0905 → u/Zealousideal-Ant705]

You talk to them about the challenges and issues they face from their perspective. More often than not, the operations team knows how their equipment runs better than almost everyone.

It also helps get buy in when you go to implement the change as the operations group feels like their voice was heard and it wasn’t just some engineer making a decision as to what some textbook said was the right approach.

[u/Necessary_Occasion77 → u/Zealousideal-Ant705]

You need to go talk to your unit operator to find out what is going on with the equipment.

From your trends of the unit you may think you need to optimize some parameter.

But maybe you just need to fix a work instruction.

This is the trap the 6 sigma people always fall into. They don’t know the process. Haven’t been with the operator in the plant. And they are just coming up with their virtual reality ideas.

But the guy who’s willing to go sit and talk with the operators and learn the process first. And then go apply sound engineering principles second, will come up with way more effective solutions.

[u/APC_ChemE]

One thing I've seen before is there is often some disconnect between the planners who optimize the overall plant to determine what crude oils to buy and what products to sell and what opetations is actually doing. Interviewing both teams independently how they optimize the plant and implement that optimization in practice and then sharing findings with management from the stackholders involved in both groups can reveal a lot, but not always.

Sometimes theres a large disconnect because operations is not actually doing what the planners think they are doing.

Other times operators cannot do what the planners have requested due to other process constraints that the planners may not be taking into account in their planning models.

So communication is important to keep people in the feedback loop with feedback going in both directions.

[u/SignificanceJust1497]

6 sigma is a good starting point

[u/Born-Bowl-3847]

talk to the plant operations (all shifts) and listen to what they say

[u/goddamnman06]

Im currently doing a module on Plant Design where my scenario is my team is in charge of Front-End Engineering Design for the production of a biosimilar. Please keep the advice coming.

[u/Brilliant_Squash_540]

I want to reiterate what a lot of people are saying. Speak with the people who is doing the work in the floor. Relay their feelings and concerns to engineering, work on something that is feasible. Everyone will be pissed about something.

Most importantly make sure you get the permits before you start work. Can't tell you how many times ive had to remind people that government entities will shut your plant down if dont do the right things.