Chapter 1

Overview & Background

1.1 Introduction

Established as an oil marketing entity on 30th June 1959, Indian Oil Company Ltd. was
renamed Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. on 1st September 1964 following the merger of Indian
Refineries Ltd. (established in August 1958) with it . The integrated refining & marketing
entity has since grown into the countrys largest commercial enterprise and Indias No.1
Company in the prestigious Fortune Global 500 listing of the worlds largest corporates,
currently at the 96th position. Indias flagship national oil company and downstream
petroleum major, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (Indian Oil) is celebrating its Golden Jubilee
during 30th June - 1st September 2009.

Figure 1.1 IOCL logo

Indian Oil is India's flagship national oil company with business interests straddling the
entire hydrocarbon value chain from refining, pipeline transportation and marketing of
petroleum products to exploration & production of crude oil & gas, marketing of natural gas
and petrochemicals.
The company is mainly controlled by Government of India which owns approx. 79% shares
in the company. It is one of the seven Maharatna status companies of India, apart from Coal
India Limited, NTPC Limited, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Steel Authority of India
Limited, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and Gas Authority of India Limited.
With over 34,000 strong workforce, Indian Oil has been helping to meet Indias energy
demands for over half a century. With a corporate vision to be the Energy of India, Indian
Oil closed the year 2013-14 with a sales turnover of Rs.4,57,553 crore and profits of Rs
7,019 crore. Since 1959, this refining, marketing, and international trading company served
the Indian state with the important task of reducing India's dependence on foreign oil and
thus conserving valuable foreign exchange. That changed in April 2002, however, when the
Indian government deregulated its petroleum industry and ended Indian Oil's monopoly on
crude oil imports. The firm owns and operates seven of the 17 refineries in India, controlling
nearly 40 percent of the country's refining capacity.
Indian Oil and its subsidiary (CPCL) account for over 49% petroleum products market share,
31% national refining capacity and 71% downstream sector pipelines capacity in India. The
Indian Oil Group of companies owns and operates 10 of India's 22 refineries with a combined
refining capacity of 65.7 Million Metric Tonnes Per Annum (MMTPA), i.e. 1.30 million
1

barrels per day approximately. Indian Oil's cross-country network of crude oil and product
pipelines spans 11,214 km with a capacity of 77.258 MMTPA of crude oil and petroleum
products and 10 MMSCMD of gas. This network is the largest in the country and meets the
vital energy needs of the consumers in an efficient, economical and environment-friendly
manner. The Corporation has a portfolio of powerful and much-loved energy brands that
includes Indane LPGas, SERVO lubricants, XtraPremium petrol, XtraMile diesel, PROPEL
& petrochemicals, etc. Validating the trust of 82 million households, Indane has earned the
coveted status of 'Superbrand'

1.2 IOCL Refineries:In Assam

Digboi Refinery is India's oldest refinery and was commissioned in 1901. Originally
a part of Assam Oil Company, it became part of Indian Oil in 1981. Its original
refining capacity had been 0.5 MMTPA since 1901. Modernisation project of this
refinery was completed by 1996 and the refinery now has an enhanced capacity of
0.65 MMTPA.

Guwahati Refinery, the first public sector refinery of the country, was built with
Romanian collaboration and was inaugurated on 1 January 1962. Its capacity is 1
MMTPA.

Bongaigaon Refinery became the eighth refinery of Indian Oil after merger of
Bongaigaon Refinery & Petrochemicals Limited w.e.f. 25 March 2009.

In Bihar: Barauni Refinery, in Bihar, was built in collaboration with Russia and Romania. It
was commissioned in 1964 with a capacity of 1 MMTPA. Its current capacity is 6 MMTPA.
In Gujarat: Gujarat Refinery, at Koyali (near Vadodara) in Gujarat, is Indian Oils second
largest refinery. The refinery was commissioned in 1965. It also houses the first
hydrocracking unit of the country. Its present capacity is 13.70 MMTPA.
In West Bengal: Haldia Refinery is the only coastal refinery of the Corporation, situated
136 km downstream of Kolkata. It was commissioned in 1975 with a capacity of 2.5
MMTPA, which has since been increased to 7.5 MMTPA.
In Uttar Pradesh: Mathura Refinery was commissioned in 1982 as the sixth refinery in the
fold of IndianOil and with an original capacity of 6.0 MMTPA. The capacity of Mathura
refinery has been increased to 8.8 MMTPA.
In Haryana: Panipat Refinery is the seventh and largest refinery of Indian Oil. The original
refinery with 6 MMTPA capacity was built and commissioned in 1998. Panipat Refinery has
since expanded its refining capacity to 15 MMTPA.
In Odisha (Orissa): Paradip Refinery - is the 11th refinery being set up by Indian Oil
Corporation in Jagatsinghpur town in the state of Odisha. The installed capacity of refinery
will be 15 MMTPA.

1.3 IOCL Barauni Refinery:-

Fig 1.2 IOCL Plant

Barauni Refinery is the second public sector refinery of IOCL which was built in
collaboration with Russia and Romania. Situated 125 kilometres from Patna, it was built
with an initial cost of Rs49.40 crore. Barauni Refinery was commissioned in 1964 with a
refining capacity of 1 Million Metric Tonnes per Annum (MMTPA) and it was dedicated to
the Nation by the then Union Minister for Petroleum, Prof. Humayun Kabir in January 1965.
After de-bottlenecking, revamping and expansion project, it's capacity today is 6 MMTPA.
Matching secondary processing facilities such Resid Fluidised Catalytic Cracker (RFCC),
Diesel Hydrotreating (DHDT), Sulphur Recovery Unit (SRU) have been added. Theses state
of the art eco-friendly technologies have enabled the refinery to produce environmentfriendly green fuels complying with international standards.
Barauni Refinery was initially designed to process low sulphur crude oil (sweet crude) of
Assam. After establishment of other refineries in the Northeast, Assam crude is unavailable
for Barauni . Hence, sweet crude is being sourced from African, South East Asian and
Middle East countries like Nigeria, Iraq & Malaysia. The refinery receives crude oil by
pipeline from Paradip on the east coast via Haldia. With various revamps and expansion
projects at Barauni Refinery, capability for processing high-sulphur crude has been added
high-sulphur crude oil (sour crude) is cheaper than low- sulphur crudes thereby
increasing not only the capacity but also the profitability of the refinery.
The Refinery consists of three crude oil distillation units , two coker units , CRU , LRU , and
BXP. The oil movement and storage section of refinery does the storage and dispatch of all
the products. An LPG bottling plant has also been provided which is able to fill 3500 to 4000
cylinders pe day.A captive power plant has been provided to meet the steam and power
requirement of the refinery.
Another feather in the cap for Barauni Refinery is that it has been awarded with the TPM
Excellence Award in category A by JIPM (Japan Institute of Plant Maintenance ) the first
public sector enterprise in the country to achieve the same.

1.4 Plant Layout:-

Figure 1.3 Plant Layout of IOCL

1.5 Different Units of Barauni Refinery:1.AVU-1

ATMOSPHERIC AND VACCUM UNIT-1

2.AVU-2

ATMOSPHERIC AND VACCUM UNIT-2

3.AVU-3

ATMOSPHERIC AND VACCUM UNIT-3

4.CRU

CATALYTIC REFORMING UNIT

5.RFCCU

RESIDUE FLUIDIZED CATALYTIC CRACKING UNIT

6.DHDT

DIESEL HYDRO TREATMENT UNIT

7.HGU

HYDROGEN GENERATION UNIT

8.SRU

SULPHUR RECOVERY UNIT

9.ARU

AMINE RECOVERY UNIT

10.CCU

COKE CALCINATION UNIT

11.PEU

PHENOL EXTRACTION UNIT

12.SWSU

SOUR WATER STRIPPER UNIT

13.PEU

PHENOL EXTRACTION UNIT

13.TPS

THERMAL POWER STATION

14.DM PLANT

DEMINERALISED WATER PLANT

Table 1.1 Different Unit of Barauni Refinery

1.6 Structure Of The Refinery:The refinery consists of the following important sections:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Production Department
Engineering Service Department
Internal Audit
Inspection Department
Medical Department
Fire And Safety Department
Technical Service
Quality Control Department

Production Department
This department basically takes care of all the production related issues in the
refinery.

Engineering service department

It encompasses mechanical, civil, electrical, and instrumentation disciplines.
Engineering & material procurement related activities for modification / process
schemes / projects are taken up.

Internal audit
The function of internal audit may be expressed as an independent appraisal
activity within the organization for the review of operations as a service to
amangement.it is managerial control which functions by measuring and evaluating
the effectiveness of other internal audit.

Inspection department
Its function is to provide technical backup to production and maintenance
department in terms of unit operations , monitoring & inspection of static
equipments such as furnace , vessels , lines , columns to prevent failures and also
recommends necessary repairs.
6

Fire and safety department

The function of fire and safety department is to reduce losses in terms of machine,
material and environment because of fire, accidents, near miss accidents,
dangerous occurrence and disaster by assisting in development of safe and suitable
working environment, adopting established procedure for critical and emergency
operation, giving necessary guidance to refinery and contractor employees and
tackling the emergency situations in shortest possible time.

Technical service
The main function of department is to provide technical backup to production
department for monitoring unit operations, fuel and loss, utilities and chemical. It
monitors refinery emissions/effluent to meet environmental regulations and safety
performance. Accordingly the department is divided into different cells to perform
various functions.
The various cells afe as follows:

Planning & Co-ordination and Cost & Economic Cell

Process cell
Technical audit cell
Off-site cell
Safety audit cell
Environmental protection cell

Quality control department

This department monitors the quality of initial to final product that is from crude
to each extracted product.

1.7 Different Products of Barauni Refinery:PRODUCT

i.
LPG
ii.
NAPTHA

END USES
Cooking gas(marketed as indane)
Raw material for production of various
petrochemicals and fertilizers.

iii.

MOTOR SPIRIT (87 OCTANE)

Commonly known as petrol.

iv.

MOTOR SPIRIT (93 OCTANE)

v.
vi.

AVIATION TURBINE FUEL

SUPERIOR KEROSENE OIL

vii.

HIGH SPEED DIESEL

High octane petrol for engines having

high compression ratio.
Used as the fuel for aircrafts.
An illuminate and used for domestic
purposes.
Used in vehicles with diesel engines.

viii.

LIGHT DIESEL OIL

Small engines like engines attached to

irrigation pumps
Sulphuric acid manufacturers and sugar
industry.
For road surfacing and other industrial
needs
For manufacturing of sulphuric acid.

9. SULPHER
10. BITUMEN
11. SULPHUR
12. RAW PETROLEUM COKE

Fuel Grade Petcoke is used primarily by

Cement Plants.
Calcination Grade RPC is used for
production of Anodes for the
Aluminium and steel Industry.

13. CALCINED PETROLEUM COKE

Table 1.2 Different Products of Barauni Refinery

CHAPTER 2
BRIEF OVERVIEW OF DIFFERENT UNITS

2.1 ATMOSPHERIC AND VACUUM DISTILLATION UNIT

Barauni Refinery has three primary distillation units AVU-1, AVU-2 and AU-3 with
a combined crude processing capacity of 6 MMTPA and flexibility of processing
indigenous or imported crude.
The various product streams obtained on crude distillation are:
1. Methane, Ethane and Propane mixture as refinery fuel gas.
2. Liquefied mixture of propane and butane marketed as
3. Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
4. Gasoline fraction.
5. Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF).
6. Superior Kerosene (SK).
7. High Speed Diesel (HSD).
8. Reduced Crude Oil (RCO).

2.2 COKER A & B

Delayed coking process is an effective conversion process for up gradation of the
heavy residuals from the refinery distillation unit into valuable distillates and
premium quality petroleum coke.
In this process the heavy residual feed stocks are heated up to coking temperature
and the mixture is allowed to stand for prolong period in large insulated vessels
called coke drums. During this time, the heavy stock undergoes thermal cracking at
large high b.pt. H/C molecules are decomposed into smaller lower boiling point
9

molecules and at the same time some reactive molecules undergoes pyro lytic
polymerization forming fuel oil and coke.

2.3 HYDROGEN GENERATION UNIT (HGU)

To meet the makeup requirement of Hydrogen for DHDT Unit, naphtha steam
reforming type Hydrogen unit has been considered where Hydrogen is produced by
steam reforming of Naphtha.

2.4 DIESEL HYDROTREATING UNIT (DHDT)

DHDT is installed for up gradation of Coker Gas Oil as well as quality improvement
of few diesel components.

2.5 LPG RECLOVERY UNIT (LRU)

Gases from Coker-A, Coker-B & Stabilizer off-gas from AVU-I / II / III are
compressed in a two stage steam turbine driven compressor. Compressed gases at a
pressure of 14.0Kg/cmg along with unstabilised naphtha are cooled to 40C in air
and water cooler successively and fed to a discharge knock-out pot where gas and
condensate (mainly-LPG) are separated. After further processing we get naptha and
LPG as product which is send to storage tanks.

2.6 CATALYTIC REFORMING UNIT (CRU)

Catalytic reforming is a chemical process used to convert petroleum refinery
naphthas, typically having low octane ratings, into high-octane liquid products called
reformates which are components of high-octane gasoline (also known as petrol).
Basically, the process re-arranges or re-structures the hydrocarbon molecules in the
naphtha feedstocks as well as breaking some of the molecules into smaller
molecules.

2.7 RESIDUE FLUIDISED CATALYTIC CRACKING UNIT

Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) is the most important conversion process used in
petroleum refineries. It is widely used to convert the high-boiling, high-molecular
weight hydrocarbon fractions of petroleum crude oils to more valuable gasoline,
olefinic gases and other products. Cracking of petroleum hydrocarbons was
originally done by thermal cracking which has been almost completely replaced by
10

catalytic cracking because it produces more gasoline with a higher octane rating. It
also produces byproduct gases that are more olefinic, and hence more valuable, than
those produced by thermal cracking.
The feedstock to an FCC is usually that portion of the crude oil that has an initial
boiling point of 340 C or higher at atmospheric pressure and an average molecular
weight ranging from about 200 to 600 or higher. This portion of crude oil is often
referred to as heavy gas oil. The FCC process vaporizes and breaks the long-chain
molecules of the high-boiling hydrocarbon liquids into much shorter molecules by
contacting the feedstock, at high temperature and moderate pressure, with a fluidized
powdered catalyst.
In effect, refineries use fluid catalytic cracking to correct the imbalance between the
market demand for gasoline and the excess of heavy, high boiling range products
resulting from the distillation of crude oil.

2.8 THERMAL POWER STATION (TPS)

The Barauni refinery has its own thermal power station for production of steam and
electricity. TPS is very important unit of Barauni refinery. The generated electricity
is consumed by refinery, township and site colony. It also takes power from BTPS
for emergency need. Thermal energy is converted into electrical energy. Fuel for
steam generators comes from AVU-I, AVU-II, AVU-III. Steam generated in boilers
at high pressure is dropped on turbine blades, which is coupled to the rotor of the
generator. The Exciter produce the magnetic field in the generator. As per right hand
rule, electricity is produce. Some salient features of TPS, Barauni Refinery are
following:
There are four Russian boilers and a new boiler of IJT Company Ltd. Being
installed. All are water tube boilers.
It has two Russian turbo generators TG-1 & TG-2 each of capacity 12 MW
and one Indian turbo generator made by BHEL, Hyderabad of capacity 12.5
MW.
Water is treated in DM plant after artesian well storage for steam generation
in boilers.
Circular water is cooled in Cooling Tower System.
11

 Circulating water is used to cool the turbine.

It has two gas turbines of 20 MW each made by GE (General Electric).
Steam is delivered to various units like Turbine , Processing on their demand
pressure and quality

12

Chapter 3
MAINTENANCE
This department focuses on maintaining all mechanical equipments in the plant in
healthy condition to ensure their continuous availability and to minimize the
breakdown time during the production process.
The function of this department is:
1. Planning, Scheduling, Predictive and Preventive Maintenance of all rotary
equipments.
2. To carry out all mechanical jobs affecting the production process.
3. Planning and Scheduling of all type of shutdowns.
4. To ensure availability of spare of mechanical maintenance jobs.
5. To maintain all heavy equipments
The function of the rotary cell is to maintain and monitor all rotary equipments of
the plant. It also includes repairs and replacements of parts or equipments. There
are many predictive maintenance technologies. They include Vibration Analysis,
Ultrasound, and Oil Analysis; Wear Particle Analysis and thermograph.

2.1 Maintenance
Maintenance, repair and operations involve fixing any sort of mechanical or
electrical device should it become out of order or broken. It also includes performing
routine actions, which keep the device in working order.

2.1.1 Main Types of Maintenance: Corrective Maintenance:The equipments are maintained after break downs. This maintenance is often most
expensive because worn equipments can damage other parts and cause multiple
damage. But this is economical where the parts are cheap and are in bulk, so that this
maintenance is easier.
13

 Preventive Maintenance:Where equipment is maintained before break down occurs. This type of maintenance
has many different variations and is subject of various researchers to determine best
and most efficient way to maintain equipment. Predictive maintenance allows plant
management to control the machinery and maintenance programs rather than vice
versa. In a plant using predictive maintenance, the overall machinery condition at
any time is known and much more accurate planning is possible.

Periodic Predictive Maintenance:From run to failure, we progress to periodic preventive maintenance, which is
sometimes called historical maintenance. This is where the histories of each machine
type are analysed and periodic overhauls are scheduled to occur before the statically
expected problems occur. Preventive maintenance includes such activities as
changing lube oil and filters, periodic cleaning and inspection, etc.
In a famous study of preventive maintenance by United and American Airlines, it
was found that for a large class of rotating machines, the failure rate greatly increased
just after the periodic overhauls. In other words, the overhaul reduced the reliability
of the machines.

Planned Preventive Maintenance:Planned preventive maintenance or Planned Maintenance is any variety of scheduled
maintenance to an object or item of equipment. Specially, Planned Maintenance is a
schedule service visit carried out by a competent and suitable agent, to ensure that
an item of equipment is operating correctly and to therefore avoid any unscheduled
breakdown and downtime.

Proactive Maintenance: 14

The latest innovation in the field of predictive maintenance is also called pro-active
maintenance, which uses a variety of technologies to extend the operating lives of
machines and to virtually eliminate reactive maintenance. The major part of a proactive programme is root cause failure analysis, which is the determination of the
mechanisms and causes of machine faults. The fundamental causes of machine
failures can thus be corrected, and failure mechanisms can be gradually engineered
out of each machinery installation.
It has been known for a long time that imbalance and misalignment are the root
causes of the majority of machines faults. Both of these conditions place undue
forces on bearings, shortening their service life. Rather than continually replacing
worn bearings in an offending machine, a far better policy is to perform precision
balance and alignment on the machine, and then to verify the results by careful
vibration signature analysis.

2.2 Total Productive Maintenance (TPM):TPM system is one of the new concepts in todays competitive scenario for
optimization of cost and increasing productivity. Gujarat refinery had launched
this new system in Nov2003.

Total productive maintenance aims at:i.

ii.

Holistic productivity improvement system

Drives the entire factory and work force.

2.2.1 8 Pillars for Implementation of TPM

I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.

Autonomous Maintenance
Focused Improvement
Planned Maintenance
Quality Maintenance
Early Management
Safety, Health & Environment
15

VII.
VIII.

Education & Training

OTPM

2.2.2 Office TPM:Aims at improving Office efficiency, productivity and reduce Time losses in Office
processes and procedures.

APPROACH ADOPTED THROUGH 5 S

Segregation of useful / wasteful records and documentation

Thoroughly cleaned tables, drawers and cabinets
Elimination of unnecessary documents
Indexation of all documents / files Pre-fixed locations on tables / drawers/
storage units.
Creating a master record for all files & documents
Easy locating devices for the documents.

16

Chapter 4
OPERATION MAINTENANCE & TROUBLESHOOTING OF
CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS

4.1 PUMPS
Pumps are one of the many critical pieces of equipment inside a refinery. Theyre
required to transfer fluid from one location to another, and you cant do much
without them.
There are various types of pump used in a refinery these are:
Centrifugal Pump: Centrifugal pumps are typically the most common
type of pumps found in a refinery. Any pumps with one or more impellers

Fig 4.1 Centrifugal pump

Be categorized as centrifugal. There are quite a few different types of
centrifugal pumps that can be used for a variety of applications. A wide range
of liquids can be pumped with these types of pumps. They can handle dirty
liquids and liquids with low viscosity. The liquid being pumped should not
contain air or other vapours. These pumps are generally the best choice for
low viscosity liquids and high flow rates.
Positive Displacement Pump: A positive displacement pump does not
have impellers. Rather, it relies on rotating or reciprocating parts to directly
17

push the liquid in an enclosed volume until enough pressure is built up to

move the liquid to its destination.

Fig 4.2 positive displacement pump

These are typically the best choice for higher viscosity liquids. In many
instances theyre utilized for low flow rates at a high pressure. Many chemical
injection pumps tend to be positive displacement types due to the need for a
low flow rates into high pressure systems.

Axial Flow Pump: Axial flow pumps are also sometimes called
propeller pumps. This type of pump is typically chosen to achieve
very high flow rate with very low head pressure.

Fig 4.3 Axial flow pump

Screw pump: A screw pump is a positive displacement pump that uses
several screws to move liquid along the screws axis. A three spindle screw
pump is often used to pump high pressure viscous fluids. Three screws drive
the pumped liquid forth in a closed chamber and as the screws rotate in
opposite directions the pumped liquid moves along the screws spindles.
18

Fig 4.4 screw pump

Gear pump: A gear pump uses the meshing of gears to pump fluid by
displacement. They are one of the most common types of pumps for
hydraulic fluid power applications. Gear pumps are also widely used
chemical installations to pump high viscosity fluids.

Fig 4.5 Gear pump

19

4.2 Centrifugal pump

INTRODUCTION:
Despite all the care in operation and maintenance, engineers often face the
statement the pump has failed i.e. it can no longer be kept in service.
Inability to deliver the desired flow and head is just one of the most common
conditions for taking a pump out of service. There are other many conditions
in which a pump, despite suffering no loss in flow or head, is considered to
have failed and has to be pulled out of service as soon as possible. These
include seal related problems (leakages, loss of flushing, cooling, quenching
systems, etc), pump and motor bearings related problems (loss of lubrication,
cooling, contamination of oil, abnormal noise, etc), leakages from pump
casing, very high noise and vibration levels, or driver (motor or turbine)
related problems.
The list of pump failure conditions mentioned above is neither exhaustive nor
are the conditions mutually exclusive. Often the root causes of failure are
the same but the symptoms are different. A little care when first symptoms
of a problem appear can save the pumps from permanent failures. Thus the
most important task in such situations is to find out whether the pump has
failed mechanically or if there is some process deficiency, or both. Many
times when the pumps are sent to the workshop, the maintenance people do
not find anything wrong on disassembling it. Thus the decision to pull a pump
out of service for maintenance / repair should be made after a detailed analysis
of the symptoms and root causes of the pump failure. Also, in case of any
mechanical failure or physical damage of pump internals, the operating
engineer should be able to relate the failure to the process units operating
problems. The fact of the matter is that there are three types of problems
mostly encountered with centrifugal pumps:
a. design errors
b. poor operation
c. poor maintenance practices

20

 WORKING MECHANISM OF A CENTRIFUGAL PUMP

A centrifugal pump is one of the simplest pieces of equipment in any process
plant. Its purpose is to convert energy of a prime mover (a electric motor or
turbine) first into velocity or kinetic energy and then into pressure energy of a
fluid that is being pumped. The energy changes occur by virtue of two main parts
of the pump, the impeller and the volute or diffuser. The impeller is the rotating
part that converts driver energy into the kinetic energy. The volute or diffuser is
the stationary part that converts the kinetic energy into pressure energy.
Generation of Centrifugal Force
The process liquid enters the suction nozzle and then into eye (center) of a
revolving device known as an impeller. When the impeller rotates, it spins the
liquid sitting in the cavities between the vanes outward and provides centrifugal
acceleration. As liquid leaves the eye of the impeller a low-pressure area is
created causing more liquid to flow toward the inlet. Because the impeller blades
are curved, the fluid is pushed in a tangential and radial direction by the
centrifugal force.

Fig 4.6 Liquid flow path inside a centrifugal pump

21

Conversion of Kinetic Energy to Pressure Energy

The key idea is that the energy created by the centrifugal force is kinetic
energy. The amount of energy given to the liquid is proportional to the velocity
at the edge or vane tip of the impeller. The faster the impeller revolves or the
bigger the impeller is, then the higher will be the velocity of the liquid at the
vane tip and the greater the energy imparted to the liquid.
This kinetic energy of a liquid coming out of an impeller is harnessed by
creating a resistance to the flow. The first resistance is created by the pump
volute (casing) that catches the liquid and slows it down. In the discharge
nozzle, the liquid further decelerates and its velocity is converted to pressure
according to Bernoullis principle. Therefore, the head (pressure in terms of
height of liquid) developed is approximately equal to the velocity energy at
the periphery of the impeller expressed by the following well known formula

This head can also be calculated from the readings on the pressure gauges
attached to the suction and discharge lines. Pump curves relate flow rate and
pressure (head) developed by the pump at different impeller sizes and
rotational speeds. The centrifugal pump operation should conform to the
pump curves supplied by the manufacturer.
One fact that must always be remembered: A pump does not create
pressure, it only provides flow. Pressure is a just an indication of the amount
of resistance to flow.
22

A handy formula for peripheral velocity is:

GENERAL COMPONENTS OF CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS

Fig 4.7 General components of Centrifugal Pump

23

A centrifugal pump has two main components:

I. A rotating component comprised of an impeller and a shaft
II. A stationary component comprised of a casing, casing cover, and bearings.
The general components, both stationary and rotary, are depicted in Figure
4.7. The main components are discussed in brief below. Figure 4.8 shows
these parts on a photograph of a pump in the field.

Fig 4.8 General components of a Centrifugal Pump

Stationary Components
Casing
Casings are generally of two types: volute and circular. The impellers are
fitted inside the casings.
1. Volute casings build a higher head; circular casings are used for low
head and high capacity. A volute is a curved funnel increasing in area
to the discharge port as shown in Figure 4.10. As the area of the crosssection increases, the volute reduces the speed of the liquid and
increases the pressure of the liquid.

24

Fig 4.9 Cut-away of a pump showing volute casing

One of the main purposes of a volute casing is to help balance the hydraulic
pressure on the shaft of the pump. However, this occurs best at the
manufacturer's recommended capacity. Running volute-style pumps at a
other capacity than the manufacturer recommends can put lateral stress on
the shaft of the pump, increasing wear-and-tear on the seals and bearings,
and on the shaft itself. Double- volute casings are used when the radial
thrusts become significant at reduced capacities.
2. Circular casing have stationary diffusion vanes surrounding the
impeller periphery that convert velocity energy to pressure energy.
Conventionally, the diffusers are applied to multi-stage pumps.
The casings can be designed either as solid casings or split casings.
A Solid casing implies a design in which the entire casing including the
discharge nozzle is all contained in one casting or fabricated piece.
A split casing implies two or more parts are fastened together. When the
casing parts are divided by horizontal plane, the casing is described as
horizontally split or axially split casing. When the split is in a vertical plane
perpendicular to the rotation axis, the casing is described as vertically split
25

or radially split casing. Wear rings act as the seal between the casing and
the impeller.
Suction and Discharge Nozzle
The suction and discharge nozzles are part of the casings itself. They
commonly have the following configurations.
1. End suction/Top discharge - The suction nozzle is located at the end of,
and concentric to, the shaft while the discharge nozzle is located at the
top of the case perpendicular to the shaft. This pump is always of an
overhung type and typically has lower NPSHr because the liquid feeds
directly into the impeller eye.
2. Top suction Top discharge nozzle-The suction and discharge nozzles
are located at the top of the case perpendicular to the shaft. This pump
can either be an overhung type or between-bearing type but is always a
radially split case pump.

FIG 4.10 Suction and Discharge Nozzle Locations

3. Side suction / Side discharge nozzles- The suction and discharge
nozzles are located at the sides of the case perpendicular to the shaft.
This pump can have either an axially or radially split case type.

26

Seal Chamber and Stuffing Box

Seal chamber and Stuffing box both refer to a chamber, either integral with or
separate from the pump case housing that forms the region between the shaft and
casing where sealing media are installed. When the sealing is achieved by means of
a mechanical seal, the chamber is commonly referred to as a Seal Chamber. When
the sealing is achieved by means of packing, the chamber is referred to as a Stuffing
Box. Both the seal chamber and the stuffing box have the primary function of
protecting the pump against leakage at the point where the shaft passes out through
the pump pressure casing. When the pressure at the bottom of the chamber is below
atmospheric, it prevents air leakage into the pump. When the pressure is above
atmospheric, the chambers prevent liquid leakage out of the pump. The seal
chambers and stuffing boxes are also provided with cooling or heating arrangement
for proper temperature control. Figure B.06 below depicts an externally mounted
seal chamber and its parts.

Fig 4.11 Parts of a simple Seal Chamber

27

o
Gland: The gland is a very important part of the seal chamber
or the stuffing box. It gives the packing or the mechanical seal the
desired fit on the shaft sleeve. It can be easily adjusted in axial direction.
The gland comprises of the seal flush, quench, cooling, drain, and vent
connection ports as per the standard codes like API 682.
o
Throat Bushing: The bottom or inside end of the chamber is
provided with a stationary device called throat bushing that forms a
restrictive close clearance around the sleeve (or shaft) between the seal
and the impeller.
o
Throttle bushing: refers to a device that forms a restrictive close
clearance around the sleeve (or shaft) at the outboard end of a
mechanical seal gland.
o
Internal circulating device : refers to device located in the
seal chamber to circulate seal chamber fluid through a cooler
or barrier/buffer fluid reservoir. Usually it is referred to as a pumping
ring.
o
Mechanical Seal: The features of a mechanical seal will be
discussed later.
Bearing housing
The bearing housing encloses the bearings mounted on the shaft. The
bearings keep the shaft or rotor in correct alignment with the stationary
parts under the action of radial and transverse loads. The bearing house
also includes an oil reservoir for lubrication, constant level oiler, jacket
for cooling by circulating cooling water.

28

 Rotating Components
1. Impeller
The impeller is the main rotating part that provides the centrifugal
acceleration to the fluid. They are often classified in many ways.
o Based on major direction of flow in reference to the axis of
rotation
xial flow
Mixed flow
o Based on suction type
Single-suction: Liquid inlet on one side.
Double-suction: Liquid inlet to the impeller symmetrically
from both sides.
o Based on mechanical construction (Fig ure B.07)
Closed: Shrouds or sidewall enclosing the vanes.
Open: No shrouds or wall to enclose the vanes.
Semi-open or vortex type.

29

Fig 4.12 Impeller types

Closed impellers require wear rings and these wear rings present
another maintenance problem. Open and semi-open impellers are less
likely to clog, but need manual adjustment to the volute or back-plate
to get the proper impeller setting and prevent internal re-circulation.
Vortex pump impellers are great for solids and "stringy" materials but
they are up to 50% less efficient than conventional designs. The
number of impellers determines the number of stages of the pump. A
single stage pump has one impeller only and is best for low head
service. A two-stage pump has two impellers in series for medium head
service. A multi-stage pump has three or more impellers in series for
high head service.
Wear rings : Wear ring provides an easily and economically renewable
leakage joint between the impeller and the casing. clearance becomes
too large the pump efficiency will be lowered causing heat and
vibration problems. Most manufacturers require that you disassemble
the pump to check the wear ring clearance and replace the rings when
this clearance doubles.
2. Shaft
The basic purpose of a centrifugal pump shaft is to transmit the
torques encountered when starting and during operation while
30

supporting the impeller and other rotating parts. It must do this job with
a deflection less than the minimum clearance between the rotating and
stationary parts.
Shaft Sleeve : Pump shafts are usually protected from erosion,
corrosion, and wear at the seal chambers, leakage joints, internal
bearings, and in the waterways by renewable sleeves. Unless otherwise
specified, a shaft sleeve of wear, corrosion, and erosion- resistant
material shall be provided to protect the shaft. The sleeve shall be sealed
at one end. The shaft sleeve assembly shall extend beyond the outer
face of the seal gland plate. (Leakage between the shaft and the sleeve
should not be confused with leakage through the mechanical seal).

Fig 4.13 A view of a shaft sleeve

Coupling: Couplings can compensate for axial growth of the shaft and
transmit torque to the impeller. Shaft couplings can be broadly
classified into two groups: rigid and flexible. Rigid couplings are used
in applications where there is absolutely no possibility or room for any
misalignment. Flexible shaft couplings are more prone to selection,
installation and maintenance errors. Flexible shaft couplings can be
divided into two basic groups: elastomeric and non-elastomeric.

31

Elastomeric couplings use either rubber or polymer elements to achieve

flexibility. These elements can either be in shear or in compression. Tire
and rubber sleeve designs are elastomer in shear couplings; jaw and pin
and bushing designs are elastomer in compression couplings.
Non-elastomeric couplings use metallic elements to obtain flexibility.
These can be one of two types: lubricated or non- lubricated. Lubricated
designs accommodate misalignment by the sliding action of their
components, hence the need for lubrication. The non- lubricated
designs accommodate misalignment through flexing. Gear, grid and
chain couplings are examples of non-elastomeric, lubricated couplings.
Disc and diaphragm couplings are non-elastomeric and non- lubricated.

Auxiliary Components
Auxiliary components generally include the following piping systems
for
the following services:
o Seal flushing , cooling , quenching systems
o Seal drains and vents
o Bearing lubrication , cooling systems
o Seal chamber or stuffing box cooling, heating systems
o Pump pedestal cooling systems
Auxiliary piping systems include tubing, piping, isolating valves, control
valves, relief valves, temperature gauges and thermocouples, pressure gauges,
sight flow indicators, orifices, seal flush coolers, dual seal barrier/buffer fluid
reservoirs, and all related vents and drains. All auxiliary components shall
comply with the requirements as per standard codes like API 610 (refinery
services), API 682 (shaft sealing systems) etc.
4.3 Understanding Centrifugal Pump Performance Curves
The capacity and pressure needs of any system can be defined with the help
of a graph called a system curve. Similarly the capacity vs. pressure variation graph
for a particular pump defines its characteristic pump performance curve.

32

Fig 4.14 Typical system and pump performance curves

The pump suppliers try to match the system curve supplied by the user with a
pump curve that satisfies these needs as closely as possible. A pumping
system operates where the pump curve and the system resistance curve
intersect. The intersection of the two curves defines the operating point of
both pump and process. However, it is impossible for one operating point
to meet all desired operating conditions. For example, when the discharge
valve is throttled, the system resistance curve shift left and so does the
operating point.
Developing a system curve
The system resistance or system head curve is the change in flow with respect
to head of the system. It must be developed by the user based upon the
conditions of service. These include physical layout, process conditions, and
fluid characteristics. It represents the relationship between flow and hydraulic
losses in a system in a graphic form and, since friction losses vary as a square
of the flow rate, the system curve is parabolic in shape. Hydraulic losses in
33

piping systems are composed of pipe friction losses, valves, elbows and
other fittings, entrance and exit losses, and losses from changes in pipe
size by enlargement or reduction in diameter.
Developing a Pump performance Curve
A pump's performance is shown in its characteristics performance curve
where its capacity i.e. flow rate is plotted against its developed head. The
pump performance curve also shows its efficiency (BEP), required input
power (in BHP), NPSHr, speed (in RPM), and other information such as pump
size and type, impeller size, etc. This curve is plotted for a constant speed
(rpm) and a given impeller diameter (or series of diameters). It is generated
by tests performed by the pump manufacturer. Pump curves are based on a
specific gravity of 1.0. Other specific gravities must be considered by the
user.
Normal Operating Range
A typical performance curve is a plot of Total Head vs. Flow rate for a specific
impeller diameter. The plot starts at zero flow. The head at this point
corresponds to the shut-off head point of the pump. The curve then decreases
to a point where the flow is maximum and the head minimum. This point is
sometimes called the run-out point. The pump curve is relatively flat and the
head decreases gradually as the flow increases. This pattern is common for
radial flow pumps. Beyond the run-out point, the pump cannot operate. The
pump's range of operation is from the shut-off head point to the run-out point.
Trying to run a pump off the right end of the curve will result in pump
cavitation and eventually destroy the pump.
In a nutshell, by plotting the system head curve and pump curve together, you
can determine:
1. Where the pump will operate on its curve?
2. What changes will occur if the system head curve or the pump performance
curve changes?

34

4.4 Two Basic Requirements for Trouble -Free Operation of

Centrifugal Pumps
Centrifugal pumps are the ultimate in simplicity. In general there are two
basic requirements that have to be met at all the times for a trouble free
operation and longer service life of centrifugal pumps.
The first requirement is that no cavitation of the pump occurs throughout the
broad operating range and the second requirement is that a certain minimum
continuous flow is always maintained during operation.
A clear understanding of the concept of cavitation, its symptoms, its causes,
and its consequences is very much essential in effective analyses and
troubleshooting of the cavitation problem.
Just like there are many forms of cavitation, each demanding a unique
solution, there are a number of unfavorable conditions which may occur
separately or simultaneously when the pump is operated at reduced flows.
Some include:
o Cases of heavy leakages from the casing, seal, and stuffing box
o Deflection and shearing of shafts
o Seizure of pump internals
o Close tolerances erosion
o Separation cavitation
o Product quality degradation
o Excessive hydraulic thrust
o Premature bearing failures
Each condition may dictate a different minimum flow low requirement. The final
decision on recommended minimum flow is taken after careful techno-economical
analysis by both the pump user and the manufacturer.

The consequences of prolonged conditions of cavitation and low flow operation can
be disastrous for both the pump and the process. Such failures in hydrocarbon
services have often caused damaging fires resulting in loss of machine, production,
and worst of all, human life.

35

Thus, such situations must be avoided at all cost whether involving modifications in
the pump and its piping or altering the operating conditions. Proper selection and
sizing of pump and its associated piping can not only eliminate the chances of
cavitation and low flow operation but also significantly decrease their harmful
effects.

36

Chapter 5
VALVES

5.1 What is a valve?

A valve is a mechanical device which regulates either the flow or the pressure of the
fluid. Its function can be stopping or starting the flow, controlling flow rate,
diverting flow, preventing back flow, controlling pressure, or relieving pressure.
Basically, the valve is an assembly of a body with connection to the pipe and some
elements with a sealing functionality that are operated by an actuator. The valve can
be also complemented with several devices such as position testers, transducers,
pressure regulators, etc.
Common Valves Used In BARAUNI REFINERY
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

Diaphragm valve
Gate valve
Check valve/NRV
Plug valve
Ball valve
Globe valve
Needle valve
Butterfly valve

5.2 Gate valve

Gate valves are specifically intended for use in isolation process. They are used
where an uninterrupted flow is required because the gate fully retracts into the
bonnet, creating a minimal pressure drop, when the valve is in open position. it is
used when an straight line flow of fluid and minimum flow restrictions are needed.
gate valves are so named because the part that either stops or allows flow through
the valve acts somewhat like opening and closing of a gate. The gate is usually
wedge-shaped.
37

Fig 5.1 Gate valves

Application in Refinery

Gate valves have an extended use in the petrochemical industry due

to the fact that they can work with metal-metal sealing.
They are used in clean flows.
When the valve is fully opened, the free valve area coincides with
area of the pipe, therefore the head loss of the valve is small.
38

Limitations

This valve is not recommended to regulate or throttling service since

the closure member could be eroded. Partially opened the valve can
vibrate.
Opening and closing operations are slow. Due to the high friction
wear their use is not recommend their use in often required
openings.
This valve requires big actuators which have difficult automation.
They are not easy to repair on site
5.3 Ball valve

Fig 5.2 Ball valve

Ball valve contains a finely machined stainless steel ball with a hole drilled
through the center that pivots in plastic bushing. Like gate valve it is a full flow
valve. The hard steel allows this valve to be partially open without wearing out.
It is a valve that opens by turning a handle attached to a ball inside the valve. The
ball has a hole, or part , through the middle that when the part is in line with both
ends of the valve , flow will occur. When the valve is closed , the hole is
39

perpendicular to the valves , and flow is blocked. The handle position lets you see
the valve position.
Ball valves are durable and usually work to achieve perfect shut off even after years
of disuse. They are therefore perfect chice for shutoff applications.
Applications in Refinery
They are used in steam, water, oil, gas, air, corrosive fluids, and can also handle
slurries and dusty dry fluids. Abrasive and fibrous materials can damage the seats
and the ball surface.
Limitations
The seat material resistance of the ball valve limits the working temperature
and pressure of the valve. The seat is plastic or metal made.
Ball valves are mostly used in shutoff applications. They are not
recommended to be used in a partially open position for a long time under conditions
of a high pressure drop across the valve, thus the soft seat could tend to flow through
the orifice and block the valve movement.

5.4 Butterfly valve

The development of this type of valve has been more recent than other ones.
A major conviction on saving energy in the installations was an advantage for
its introduction, due its head loss is small. At the beginning they were used in
low pressure installations service, but technologic improvements, especially
in the elastomer field let their extension to higher performances.
As any quarter turn valve, the operative of the butterfly valve is quiet easy.
The closure member is a disc that turns only 90; to be fully open/close.

40

Fig 5.3 Butterfly valve

Advantages
This is a quick operation. Few wear of the shaft, little friction and then
less torque needed means a cheaper actuator. The actuator can be manual, oleo
hydraulic or electrical motorized, with automation available.

41

Butterfly valves geometry is simple, compact and revolute, therefore it is a

cheap valve to manufacture either saving material and post
mechanization. Its reduced volume makes easy its installation. Gate and globe
valves are heavier and more complex geometry, therefore butterfly valve can
result quiet attractive at big sizes regarding other types of valves.
Application In Refinery
Butterfly valves are quite versatile ones. They can be used at multiples
industrial applications, fluid, sizes, pressures, temperatures and connections at
a relative low cost.
Butterfly valves can work with any kind of fluid, gas, liquid and also with solids
in suspension. As a difference from gate, globe or ball valves, there are not
cavities where solid can be deposit and difficult the valve operative.
Limitations
Pressure and temperature are determinant and correlated designing factors. At a
constant pressure, rising temperature means a lower performance for the valve,
since some materials have lower capacity. As well gate, globe and ball valves,
the butterfly valve can be manufactured with metallic seats that can perform
at high pressure and extreme temperatures.

42

5.5 PLUG VALVE

Fig 5.4 Plug valve

Plug valves have a plug as a closure member. Plug can be cylindrical

or conical. Ball valves are considered as another group despite that they are
some kind of plug valve.
Plug valves are used in On/Off services and flow diverting, as they can be
multiport configured.
Advantages
They can hand fluids with solids in suspension.
Lift plug valve type are designed to rise the plug at start valve operation, in
order to separate and protect plug-seat sealing surfaces from abrasion.
Limitations
It require high maintenance cost.
Require more time for maintenance.

43

5.6 GLOBE VALVE

Fig 5.5
A Globe valve may be constructed with a single or double port and plug
arrangement. The double port type is generally used in a CONTROL VALVE where
accurate control of fluid is required. Due to the double valve plug arrangement, the
internal pressure acts on each plug in opposition to each other, giving an internal
pressure balance across the plugs.

44

Advantages
This gives a much smoother operation of the valve and better control
of the process. Some control valves are 'Reverse Acting'. Where a valve
normally opens when the plug rises, in the reverse acting valve, the
valve closes on rising. The operation of the valve depends on process
requirements. Also depending on requirements, a control valve may be
set to open or close, on air failure to the diaphragm.
The Globe valve is used where control of fluid flow or pressure is
required and it can be operated in any position between open and
closed.

5.7 NON RETURNING VALVE

A check valve may be defined simply as a mechanical device typically used to let
fluid, either in liquid or gas form, to flow through in one direction. They usually
have two ports or two openings one for the fluid entry and the other for passing
through it. Often part of household items, they are generally small, simple, and
inexpensive components.
Operational Principal of Check Valve
Check valves are available with different spring rates to give particular cracking
pressures. The cracking pressure is that at which the check valve just opens. If a
specific cracking pressure is essential to the functioning of a circuit, it is usual to
show a spring on the check valve symbol. The pressure drop over the check valve
depends upon the flow rate; the higher the flow rate, the further the ball or poppet
has to move off its seat and so the more it will open.
There are two main types of check valve :
1. The 'LIFT' type. (Spring loaded 'BALL' & 'PISTON' Types).
2. The 'SWING' (or Flapper Type).

45

Fig 5.6 BALL TYPE NRV

Fig 5.7 PISTON TYPE NRV

46

5.8 SAFETY VALVES

A safety valve is a valve mechanism which automatically releases a substance from
a boiler, pressure vessel, or other system, when the pressure or temperature exceeds
preset limits.
It is one of a set of pressure safety valves (PSV) or pressure relief valves (PRV),
which also includes relief valves, safety relief valves, pilot- operated relief valves,
low pressure safety valves, and vacuum pressure safety valves.
PRESSURE SAFETY VALVE OR RELIEF VALVE:

Fig 5.8 Schematic diagram of a conventional spring-loaded pressure relief valve

The relief valve (RV) is a type of valve used to control or limit the pressure in a
system or vessel which can build up by a process upset, instrument or equipment
failure, or fire.
The pressure is relieved by allowing the pressurized fluid to flow from an auxiliary
passage out of the system. The relief valve is designed or set to open at a
predetermined set pressure to protect pressure vessels and other equipment from
being subjected to pressures that exceed their design limits. When the set pressure is
exceeded, the relief valve becomes the "path of least resistance" as the valve is forced
47

open and a portion of the fluid is diverted through the auxiliary route. The diverted
fluid (liquid, gas or liquidgas mixture) is usually routed through a piping system
known as a flare header or relief header to a central, elevated flare where it is usually
burned and the resulting combustion gases are released to the atmosphere.
It should be noted that PRVs and PSVs are not the same thing, despite what many
people think; the difference is that PSVs have a manual lever to open the valve in
case of emergency.
TEMPERATURE SAFETY VALVE:

Fig 5.9 Temperature Safety Valve

Water heaters have thermostatically controlled devices that keep them from
overheating. Both gas and electric water heaters have temperature-limiting devices
that shut off the energy source when their regular thermostat fails
48

Thermostatically controlled gas valves found on most residential gas water heaters
have a safety shutoff built into the gas valve itself. When they react to excessive
temperature, the gas flow to the burner is stopped.
Applications
Vacuum safety valves (or combined pressure/vacuum safety valves) are used
to prevent a tank from collapsing while it is being emptied, or when cold rinse
water is used after hot CIP (clean-in-place) or SIP (sterilization-in-place)
procedures.
Safety valves also evolved to protect equipment such as pressure vessels (fired
or not) and heat exchangers.
The term safety valve should be limited to compressible fluid applications
(gas, vapor, or steam).
Many fire engines have such relief valves to prevent the over pressurization
of fire hoses.
Valve
Ball
Type
Butterfly
Globe
Plug

Application
Other information
Flow is on or off
Easy to clean
Good flow control at high Economical
Good
flow control
Difficult to clean
capacities
Extreme on/off situations
More rugged, costly than ball
valvevalves
Table 5.1 Different

49

Conclusion:As an undergraduate I would like to affirm that this training program is an excellent
opportunity for us to get to the ground level and experience the things that we
would have never gained through going straight into a job. I am grateful to
MALAVIYA NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY JAIPUR and
INDIAN OIL AND CORPORATION LIMITED Barauni for giving me
this wonderful opportunity.
The main objective of the industrial training is to provide an opportunity to
undergraduates to identify, observe and practice how engineering is applicable in the
real industry. It is not only to get experience on technical practices but also to
observe management practices and to interact with fellow workers. It is easy to work
with sophisticated machines, but not with people. The only chance that an
undergraduate has to have this experience is the industrial training period. I feel I
got the maximum out of that experience. Also I learnt the way of work in an
organization, the importance of being punctual, the importance of maximum
commitment, and the importance of team spirit.
The training program spanning six weeks accustomed me with industry sized pumps,
compressors, heat exchangers, maintenance procedures for the machines and various
processing units.
Open discussions with the engineers and supervisors allowed me to get a incisive
knowledge of industrial workouts and the hands-on experience helped me gain
ample of knowledge and experience needed to be successful in a great engineering
challenge, as in my opinion, Engineering is after all a Challenge, and not a Job.

50

References: www.iocl.com

http://tpmclubindia.org/pdf/DAY2/Session6/TPM_Canteen.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6-MaVjepjU
http://valveproducts.net/industrial-valve
http://www.pumpscout.com
http://www.pumpschool.com

51