Full-Scale Plant Column Efficiency - Measurement and Management

Examples of measurement of full scale plant efficiency (from process data, modelling and benchmarking) are offered from three different petrochemical areas.  For each, an efficiency deficit was identified and linked back to a shortcoming in tray design and/or operation. In all cases this lack of efficiency is hidden from the operation teams who have often lived for years with these deficits unknowingly. This paper offers methods to tease out efficiency numbers, offers potential explanations for each and looks at the impact on the broader cost of production.