Should the main oil pumps for the catalytic main fan and the air compressor be driven by one electric motor and one pneumatic motor, or by two electric motors?
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Our company is expanding its oil refining project with a capacity of 5 million tons; we need to decide whether to use two electric pumps or one electric pump along with one mechanical pump for the main oil pumps in the new 2.6 million tons per year oil refining unit. We would appreciate the advice of experts on this matter.
If the steam pipeline network is large and the steam pressure is stable, then using steam is more cost-effective. Otherwise, it’s better to use two batteries honestly. When our company first started using it, we used one electric motor and one pneumatic motor, and as a result the main fan almost triggered an interlock. In the end, it was changed back to two batteries.
We are both electric pumps, but I think it might be better to have one electric and one gasoline one? Since the probability of simultaneous failures of electricity and steam is low, this is beneficial for protecting the unit. But what’s a good way to deal with the waste steam from the steam pump’s back pressure? It is not conducive to energy conservation and environmental protection.
It is highly recommended to use two power sources. We opted for one power source and one backup at that time, as we overemphasized extreme scenarios; this approach has now led to issues such as high energy consumption and high investment costs (for small turbines in the United States). If the power supply is interrupted, the installation stops operating, and generally, steam supply also ceases. Even with a steam pump, it is not possible to keep the installation running properly – it only provides slightly longer lubrication protection for the compressors, which is of little significance.
Our company also designed the main fan and air compressor to be powered by both steam and electricity at the beginning. However, we considered that steam supply might not be reliable, so we replaced the small steam turbine used in the main fan before starting operations. The small steam turbine used in the air compressor performed poorly after being in use for a short time, so it has been replaced as well. If you decide to use such systems, we recommend choosing a manufacturer of high quality and ensuring that they provide you with proper support
Agree with the opinion from the 3rd floor. It still needs to be decided based on the actual situation.
There are advantages and disadvantages to each approach. The air compressor, the main fan, and the exhaust fan units are all driven by two motors. Once, there was an unexpected power outage that lasted several hours; as a result, all the equipment stopped working, not even the lighting was functional. The DCS is powered by a UPS. Of course, all the lubrication pump motors also lost power; in the end, the bearing shells of the smoke extractor were severely damaged, while the air compressor and the main fan were not affected. After that, check the oil pressure trend in the main lubricating oil pipeline; the pressure of the smoke extractor is pitifully low, while the oil pressure in the compressor and the main fan is higher than that of the smoke extractor. The height of the high-level oil tanks is the same.
Electric pumps require little routine maintenance, but in the event of a sudden power outage or a loss of 380V power, there is a significant risk to the bearing shells of the unit.