Non-Process Consulting
The scope of our engineering consulting covers all of the principal non-process disciplines associated with facilities for the process and energy related industries. Our non-process consulting services involve participation in the execution of projects for new facilities and plant modifications as well as improvement of ongoing operations. More information on the equipment categories towards which our engineering consulting in the non-process technologies is primarily directed is given below, and can be accessed with the following links:
Carmagen Engineering, Inc. has the capability and experience you need in these engineering disciplines for non-process technologies:
- Mechanical
- Piping
- Pressure vessels
- Heat exchangers
- Tankage
- Engineering Materials
- Metallics
- Non-metallics
- Welding and fabrication
- Refractory linings
- Cathodic protection
- Paints and coating
- Environmental
- Combustion emissions
- Incineration systems
- Wastewater management
- Instrumentation/Controls
- Field instruments
- Distributed process control systems
- Machinery
- Compressors
- Pumps
- Steam/gas turbines
- Heat Transfer
- Fired heaters/boilers
- Heat exchangers
- Incinerators
- Cooling towers
- Civil/Marine
- Structures
- Geotechnical engineering
- Marine terminal facilities
- Offsites
- Utilities
- Terminal loading facilities
- Storage facilities
- Electrical Power
- Water Treatment
These are the primary areas in which Carmagen Engineering, Inc. provides consulting services in the non-process technologies:
- Reliability and Maintenance
- Turnaround planning
- Maintenance planning
- Maintenance systems
- Operations reliability
- Inspection Methods and Planning
- Standards and Specifications
- Risk Based Inspection (RBI)
- Damage Assessment
- Fire investigations
- Storm damage investigations
- Energy Efficiency Studies
- Process considerations
- Maintenance practices
- Technology and design
- Startup Assistance
- Turnover planning
- Punch list preparation
- Records management
- Close-out/acceptance procedure
Piping Systems
Our capabilities in piping systems technology encompass the following areas, among others:
- System design and stress analysis
- Machinery systems
- Storage tank systems
- High-temperature refractory-lined piping
- Safety relief systems
- Component Design
- Expansion joints
- Supports and restraints
- Evaluation of problems in the field
- Failure investigation
- Vibration phenomena
- Flanged joint reliability
- Compliance with ASME/ANSI B31 requirements
- Valve design and selection
- System component specifications
- Design and installation procedures
- Maintenance and reliability considerations
Here are a few examples of assignments related to piping systems technology that we have successfully completed:
- Analysis of a combination lined and unlined high-temperature system in an FCCU plant.
- Evaluation of an existing system based on removal of expansion joints to improve reliability.
- Analysis of an existing multi-pump system for stress and nozzle load acceptability after major piping additions.
- Design of new piping systems for installation to existing tall towers by hot tapping.
- Development of new and revised engineering standards and specifications for piping systems.
- Development of nozzle hot tapping guidelines and procedures.
- Failure evaluation of 1500°F furnace outlet piping.
- Development of spring support design specification.
- Development of engineering specification for piping flexibility analysis.
Pressure Vessels and Heat Exchangers
Our capabilities in pressure vessel and heat exchanger technology encompass the following areas, among others:
- Design evaluations
- Compliance with ASME Code and specification requirements
- Development of technical purchase specifications
- Design details for high temperature, internally lined equipment
- Engineering design details
- Catalyst support grids
- Plenum chamber and cyclone systems
- Fluidized solids distribution grids
- Hot/cold nozzle intersections
- Support skirt intersections
- Outlet collectors
- Rerating and repair analysis
- Tall vessel design
- Wind
- Earthquake
- Process or wind induced vibration
- Shell-and-tube heat exchangers
- Flange leakage
- Vibration evaluation
- Heat transfer duty
Here are a few examples of assignments related to pressure vessel and heat exchanger technology that we have successfully completed:
- Evaluated existing pressure vessels and heat exchangers for revised design conditions. Demonstrated that vessels were acceptable without changes.
- Analyzed locally corroded regions of an existing pressure vessel. Demonstrated that the vessel was acceptable for unrestricted operation.
- Reviewed vendor design of large, horizontal pressure vessel intended for hazardous waste storage. Found major errors in saddle support design and in minimum temperature limit for use.
- Developed mechanical design purchase specification for a large high-temperature steam generator. Performed bid conditioning review of vendor design and participated in vendor selection.
- Performed design analysis of cyclone plenum systems for vessels containing fluidized solids. Initiated changes to vendor proposed design to adequately carry design loads.
- Designed and prepared stress analysis of distribution grids for large, fluid-solids unit vessels. Prepared design specifications for vendor quotation.
- Prepared failure evaluation of distribution grid supports in fluid-solids unit vessels.
- Gave onsite turnaround assistance in inspection and evaluation of fluid-solids unit vessels.
- Analyzed reactor outlet collectors to determine acceptable differential pressure to avoid a unit shutdown.
Fired Equipment
Our capabilities in fired equipment technology encompass the following areas, among others:
- Prepare process duty specifications
- Review of design specifications for compliance with industrial standards
- Assistance to owners with selection of vendors
- Technical as well as economic criteria
- Quality control of engineering design
- Review vendor's calculations, etc., to assure compliance with specification and standard
- Assistance in shop inspection
- Provide 'cold-eyes' review to assist owner's selection
- Commissioning services
- Operator training
- Development of commissioning procedure
- Onsite assistance for inspection, troubleshooting, and/or turnaround
- Burners, refractory, tubes, rotating equipment, etc.
- Assist in pre-turnaround planning
- Failure analysis
- Identify probable root causes, and offer recommendations to mitigation
- Debottlenecking of fired equipment
- Increase capacity
- Improve efficiency procedures
- Assist in tube-side and fire-side cleaning
- Survey of fired equipment to identify and quantify potential energy savings
- May include equipment modifications or operational changes
- Witnessing of fired equipment testing on owner's behalf
- Burner testing, fan testing, cold flow modeling, etc.
- Training and operating guidelines
- Operators
- Contact engineers
Here are a few examples of assignments related to fired equipment technology that we have successfully completed:
- Operations and combustion surveys made for multiple fired heaters at several refineries. Operating efficiency improvements were identified that would yield significant annual savings or increase heater capacity with minimal capital investment. Projects were also identified that would yield further savings or capacity improvements with some additional capital investment.
- Identified primary cause for capacity limitations of a crude unit furnace and developed the design requirements for the necessary modifications.
- Provided long-term operations support for all the fired heaters at a major refinery.
- Performed technical bid conditioning of fired heater proposals. Identified alternative design that was technically preferable and significantly less expensive.
- Provided design specification for grass-roots fired heater. Heater design was ultimately selected over competitive design on the basis of more favorable cost savings.
- Reviewed operating conditions of a vacuum heater that was run-length limited.
- Recommended changes that would allow client to extend run-length as well as severity of operation at little or no additional cost.
- Witnessed flow model testing of combustion air distribution system at laboratory. Flow model results demonstrated need for engineering changes to distribution system to achieve uniform burner-to-burner flow distribution to within +/-2%.
- Provided onsite audit of fired equipment to identify potential energy savings. Energy savings so identified exceeded $1M with little equipment cost.
- Assisted owner in shop inspection for heat recovery steam generator replacement project.
Storage Tanks
Our capabilities in storage tank technology encompass the following areas, among others:
- Development of inspection and maintenance guidelines and procedures
- Review of new tank designs for compliance with API 650 or API 620 requirements
- Evaluation of existing atmospheric storage tank condition for compliance with API 653 requirements
- Analysis of locally corroded regions of tank shell for suitability
- Evaluation of shell and bottom differential settlement
- Evaluation of fixed and floating roof systems
Here are a few examples of assignments related to storage tank technology that we have successfully completed:
- Evaluated the design of an API 620 tank intended for hazardous waste storage. Found fundamental error in vendor's nozzle design computer program which directly affected the required reinforcement.
- Analyzed 50-year-old pressurized storage spheres for continued operation. Identified fill height limitations based on measured thicknesses.
- Developed fill height limitations for API 650 tanks based on corroded shell measurements.
- Demonstrated by stress analysis that severe local shell corrosion at the bottom-to-shell junction did not require downrating of an API 650 tank.
- Developed design and installation details for adding new nozzles to existing storage tanks.
- Prepared design and installation specification for a double bottom, secondary containment system for retrofit into atmospheric storage tanks.
- Prepared inspection and maintenance checklists for use by field personnel.
- Performed bid conditioning review and later engineering follow-up for two new crude oil storage tanks.
- Evaluated the condition of storage tank bottoms to determine their suitability for continued service in accordance with API 653 criteria. Developed repair recommendations as required.
- Performed beta testing of new tank analysis computer program.
