(210a) “We Don’t Expect It to be a Problem”: Best Practices in Pilot Plant Start up

“We Don’t Expect It to Be a Problem”:

Best Practices in Pilot Plant Start Up

Richard Palluzi

Richard P Palluzi LLC

72 Summit Drive

Basking Ridge, NJ 07920

rpalluzi@verizon.net

908-285-3782

Start up of pilot plants and laboratory units is often much more difficult and challenging then imagined. The lack of advance planning and failure to recognize the common problem areas usually results in a much longer and harder start up then necessary. This presentation will highlight some of the major concerns and suggest some appropriate safeguards and guidelines. Proposed topics include:

• Differences from process start ups and how that gets one in trouble
• The critical need for advance planning to minimize the effort and identify problem areas
• Design reviews for start up issues to eliminate needless problems and improve the design for start up efficiency
• Developing a start up sequence listing all the required tasks
• Realistic estimates of start up resources to arrange the help you need or evaluate the effect of limitations
• Developing a start up schedule that is both realistic and trackable
• Setting up a start up team to maximize success
• Commonly overlooked start up problems
  • Calibration
  • Novel equipment
  • Flushing Leak Testing