Erwin Rommel - Shell
Kevin Kleinhenz - Motiva Enterprises
Dennis Schmude - Koch Glitsch
How do you control a flooded tower? That’s really a misleading question. A flooded tower is out of control, thus by definition the issue is not flooded but how to operate as close to flooding conditions are possible if that makes money. This opens up a whole area of troubleshooting. Why is it flooding? Is it vapor rate or liquid down the column from a bad heat balance operation tied to a gas plant or a water flood in the column?
Panelists are Keith Kleinhenz a refinery process engineer [at Motiva], Dennis Schmude a refinery applications distillation specialist [with Koch-Glitsch] and Erwin Rommel a 17 year FCC operator [at Shell]. They each provide a unique perspective on how to manage the issues.