Why an Industrial Fluid System’s Routing Matters More in Alberta, Canada

When designing facility layouts for oil and gas operations and petrochemical refineries, it is critical to consider industrial fluid systems’ routing, especially in locations like Alberta, Canada. With careful planning and use of prefabricated panels and assemblies, there can be many short-term and long-term benefits.

In the short term, making use of as many prefabricated panels as possible allows ease of implementation during the construction phase or prior to a planned shutdown while cutting down on field labour and saving time in a project’s schedule. In the long term, a well-designed facility with standardization across fluid systems associated with rotating equipment, gas distribution systems, and sampling systems can provide superior consistency and maintainability.

Benefits of Prefabricated Panels and Assemblies for Industrial Fluid Systems’ Routing

Rotating equipment, gas distribution systems, and sampling stations are some of the most important equipment for operations in any industrial facility. 

Rotating equipment relies on seal flush systems to protect mechanical seals from damage and prevent seal failure which could result in significant downtime. Gas distribution systems depend on gas panels to reduce the pressure from the gas cylinder in order to deliver the gas to the point of use at the correct flow rate and pressure for a specific application. Grab sampling systems and fast-loop sampling systems are required to inform processes within an operation and can be used to provide quality control for process fluids, plant water, gas supplies, and refined products. 

Thus, seal flush systems, gas panels, and sampling systems should be considered during key project planning stages to promote well-designed industrial fluid systems’ routing.

Rotating Equipment

Mechanical seals account for nearly 40% of pumping equipment failures. Mechanical seal failure can be the result of inadequate lubrication to seal faces or poorly configured seal flush systems. Considering the importance of reliable pumping equipment in oil and gas facilities and petrochemical refineries, seal flush systems should not be an afterthought. Instead, it should be in the front-end planning and scope development phase of a project.

Industrial fluid systems’ routing is critical when choosing a seal support system and when planning tubing, piping, connections, and instrumentation locations. Selecting an appropriate seal support system is important for all rotating equipment but becomes more pressing when dual mechanical seals are at play. Selecting the right buffer/barrier fluids for dual mechanical seals is vital in cold weather applications to ensure proper flow rates and pressures even when the fluid is operating at lower temperatures.

Within any seal flush system design, measures should be taken to optimize flow and reduce the likelihood of leakage. The number of connections should be minimized, as any connection can be considered a potential leak point. U-shaped tubing can be implemented to eliminate unnecessary connections. Flange adaptors and extended male connectors can be used to reduce the number of threaded connections, as threaded connections pose a higher risk of leaking.

Instrumentation, such as flow meters, pressure gauges, and thermometers, should be considered early in project planning. Proper instrumentation can confirm process efficiency and can allow personnel to be proactive. For example, an increased temperature can indicate impeded flow or inefficient cooling. Appropriate instrumentation allows issues like this to be detected early to prevent mechanical seal damage or failure.

Gas Distribution Systems

Gas distribution systems are widely used in many petrochemical facilities and biotechnology facilities to deliver gas to laboratories, analyzers, or process equipment. Gas panels for distribution systems are the primary pressure control point and must reduce the pressure from a gas cylinder to deliver the gas to the point of use at the correct flow rate and pressure for a specific application.

Standardization of gas distribution systems and their associated subsystems, such as gas panels, can greatly simplify operation and maintenance procedures across a facility to reduce the risk of operator error and promote safe operations.

Pressure regulator selection plays heavily into gas routing characteristics and components selection for gas panels. Single-stage regulators typically show minimal droop with varying flow rates but experience a supply pressure effect. Dual-stage regulators typically yield minimal supply pressure effects but show a steeper slope in droop. Droop is the reduction of outlet pressure experienced by pressure-reducing regulators as the flow rate increases. So as the flow increases, the outlet pressure drops. It becomes a balance of forces.

Sampling Stations

Continuous and grab sampling stations are key to make informed decisions regarding the process and maintain quality control within a facility. Pressure, temperature, phase, and chemical composition of process fluid all affect sampling system design and materials of construction.

Routing within a sampling system is vital for obtaining representative samples. Dead legs can be a significant problem for sampling systems. If not properly managed, they can lead to misrepresentative samples or corrosion which may threaten piping integrity over time. Thus, dead legs should be minimized wherever possible in sampling systems and a proper purging mechanism should be implemented.

Similar to gas panels, standardization of sampling stations across a facility promotes ease of maintenance and can ensure that the sampling procedure is easily repeatable for facility personnel.

Look to Fluid Systems Experts for Optimal Routing

The design of industrial fluid systems’ routing can reduce costs and time spent during the maintenance phase of oil and gas and petrochemical facilities. Investing in quality prefabricated designs upfront not only saves time and money on field labour, but also provides a baseline for reliable, safe, and efficient pumping, gas distribution, and sampling operations.

With over 50 years of experience providing industrial fluid system solutions, Edmonton Valve & Fitting has extensive knowledge of solving local challenges in central and northern Alberta. Our local Field Advisors are readily available for consultations to analyze your design and process conditions and suggest solutions to help optimize industrial fluid systems’ routing. All of our fluid systems are locally fabricated and tested to ensure proper functionality and quality prior to delivery.