John M. Campbell | Current News

Three Simple Things to Improve Process Safety Management

Clyde Young — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:21:35 GMT

Processes are designed to run in a “normal” mode. No process is really stagnant and throughout the life cycle of a process, changes will be made. When defining “normal”, some tolerance should be built in to allow a range of operating conditions for operators to work within. When changes to operating parameters, or the equipment in the process are required, these must be evaluated and approved. Any effective process safety management system will contain an element to deal with Management of Change (MOC).
In this Tip of the Month, we look at how to deal with the challenges of managing changes to insure process safety. This TOTM is an excerpt of a paper presented by JMC Instructor/Consultant, Clyde Young at the 2008 Mary K. O’Connor Process Safety Symposium. This TOTM continues where the February 2009, TOTM left off.

To learn more about this Tip and past Tips of the Month, visit JMC Tip of the Month.

SPE PetroBowl 2009

Jeanne Callard — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:48:04 GMT

PetroSkills sponsored the 8th Annual PetroBowl Championship held at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, October 5, 2009. The winning team was the University of Texas at Austin, beating Missouri University of Science and Technology in the final round. Students spent a grueling day testing their knowledge about the oil and gas industry as well as the history of SPE. The PetroBowl consisted of 16 student chapter teams from all over the world, the highest number ever to compete in this event.
During the awards ceremony, the University of Texas student team was presented with the silver trophy and a check for USD 2,500 from EnCana. The students on the University of Texas team were Kelli Rankin, Michael Sykes, Nathan Taylor, and Sanzhar Zharkeshov, captain. This event was hosted by the SPE Gulf Coast Section Young Professionals Program and sponsored by PetroSkills. A reception following the event was sponsored by EnCana.

Picture is Rankin, Sykes, Zharkeshov, Taylor

Considering the effect of crude oil viscosity on pumping requirements

Dr. Mahmood Moshfeghian — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:51:28 GMT

In the August 2009 Tip of the Month (TOTM), it was shown that pumping power requirement varies as the crude oil °API changes. Increasing °API or line average temperature reduces the crude oil viscosity. The viscosity reduction caused higher Reynolds number, lower friction factor and in effect lowered pumping power requirements. Since the objective of the August 2009 TOTM was to study the effect °API and the line average temperature have on the pumping power requirement, the effect of crude oil viscosity on pump performance was ignored and in the course of calculation a constant pump efficiency of ? =0.75 was used for all cases. In this TOTM, we will consider the crude oil viscosity effect on a selected centrifugal pump performance. The Hydraulic Institute Standards procedures and the guideline presented in the August 2006 TOTM written by Honeywell were applied to correct the pump efficiency.

To learn more about this Tip, please click here.

How to Tune the EOS in your Process Simulation Software?

Dr. Mahmood Moshfeghian — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:05:09 GMT

Process simulation computer programs are excellent tools for designing or evaluating gas processing plants, chemical plants, oil refineries or pipelines. In these simulation programs, most of the thermodynamic properties are calculated by an equation of state (EOS). However, none of the equations of state is perfect and often some sort of tuning must be done prior to their applications. Some tuning is already done by researchers and has been embedded in the data base of these simulation programs. In dealing with non-standard or complex systems, the user should check the validity and accuracy of the selected thermodynamic package (i.e. EOS) in the simulation programs prior to attempting to run the desired simulation. Often the users find that tuning is required. This can be done by performing a series of vapor liquid equilibria (VLE) calculations such as dew point, bubble point or flash calculations and comparing the results with the field data or experimental data. If the accuracy is not within acceptable range, then the EOS should be tuned to improve its accuracy.

In this tip of the month (TOTM), we will demonstrate how the binary interaction parameters are tuned in a simulation program to improve the accuracy of a selected EOS. For this purpose, we will demonstrate how the accuracy of the bubble point pressure prediction of a ternary system of carbon dioxide, pentadecane, and hexadecane can be improved.

To learn more about this Tip and past Tips of the Month, visit the Tip of the Month.

How sensitive are crude oil pumping requirements to viscosity?

Dr. Mahmood Moshfeghian — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:10:13 GMT

During the life cycle of a crude oil pipeline the properties of transported oil change, because in gathering systems the produced oils come from different wells. New wells may be added or some wells may go out of production for maintenance and repair. Production rates during the life of wells vary, too. In addition the properties of crude oil change during production. Due to seasonal variation, the average line temperature may also change. The viscosity of crude oil is a strong function of API gravity and temperature.

In this TOTM, we will study variation of crude oil °API and the pipeline average temperature and how they effect the pumping requirement. The procedures outlined in the March 2009 TOTM were used to calculate the line pressure drop due to friction. Then assuming 75 % pumping efficiency, the required pumping power was calculated. The change in pumping power requirements due to changes in crude oil °API and line average temperature for a case study will be demonstrated.

To learn more about this Tip and past Tips of the Month, visit JMC Tip of the Month.

Variation of Natural Gas Heat Capacity with Temperature, Pressure, and Relative Density

Dr. Mahmood Moshfeghian — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:28:22 GMT

In this Tip of The Month (TOTM), the variation of heat capacity of natural gases with temperature, pressure, and relative density (composition) will be demonstrated. Then an empirical correlation will be presented to account for these variations. This correlation will be used to estimate natural gas heat capacity for wide ranges of pressure, temperature, and relative density (composition). Finally, the accuracy of the proposed correlation will be discussed.

To learn more about this Tip and past Tips of the Month, visit JMC Tip of the Month.

Doha Lunch and Learn

Andrea Start — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:09:32 GMT

John M. Campbell & Company and PetroSkills will host an interactive workshop, known within the industry as a ‘Lunch and Learn’ session, with the objective to explore training needs specific to your region. Come join us to discuss joint problems and joint solutions for the natural gas companies in Qatar. Invitations are being sent to QP, RasGas, Qatargas, Dolphin and Maersk. There is limited space for this ‘Lunch and Learn’, so sign up early. Topics will range from HSE issues for new hires to replacing expat managers with Qatari professionals. This session sponsored entirely by John M. Campbell and Company and PetroSkills, is designed for those people within your organization that are responsible for training.

Corrosion Monitoring and Inspection – Is There a Difference?

Alan Foster — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:07:14 GMT

To many people involved in the Oil and Gas production and refining industry, the terms monitoring and inspection are used interchangeably when referring to corrosion issues. However, this lack of differentiation can lead to misunderstandings and errors. It is our contention that a clear differentiation is needed and that engineers should strive to use the correct terminology. In order to achieve that differentiation it is necessary to first define these terms ‘corrosion monitoring’ and ‘inspection’. A review of some of the named techniques and methods used in these areas will help to consolidate an understanding of which terms fall into the inspection bracket and which are viewed as corrosion monitoring devices.

To learn more about this Tip and past Tips of the Month, visit JMC Tip of the Month.

And the OTC IPod Drawing Winner is...

Andrea Start — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:19:07 GMT

Thank you for visiting the John M. Campbell and Co. Booth at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston May 4-7. Many of you stopped in to tell us how meaningful Campbell courses have been for you through your careers. Many more of you stopped in to sign up for courses and discuss your training needs.

Over 450 of you signed up to win an 80 KG IPod. As promised, we have drawn a winner. The IPod Winner is …. L. Nixon!

Our next Conference will be the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, Louisiana. Come by and see us in Booth 2240! We will have another coveted prize to offer!

The Sensitivity of k-Values on Compressor Performance

Joe Honeywell — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:14:47 GMT

One of the most important physical properties of a gas is the ratio of specific heats. It is used in the design and evaluation of many processes. For compressors, it is used in the design of components and determination of the overall performance of the machine. Engineers are frequently asked to evaluate a compressor performance utilizing traditional equations of head, power and discharge temperature. While these simplified equations may not give exact results, they give useful information needed to troubleshoot a machine, predict operating conditions, or a long-term trend analysis. The accuracy of the performance information will depend on the proper selection of the ratio of specific heats. This Tip of the Month (TOTM) will investigate the application of the ratio of specific heats to compressors, its sensitivity to the determination of machine performance and give recommendations for improved accuracy.

To learn more about this Tip and past Tips of the Month, visit the JMC Tip of the Month.