Firewater Pressure Surge Controls

Customer: Oil and Gas Customer

Project Type:Multi-Discipline engineering effort including civil, mechanical and electrical upgrade to an aging firewater system.

Project Scope: A large refinery located on an island in the Caribbean Sea was experiencing failures in its firewater systems and undertook an effort to identify areas of potential failure, and design solutions for these areas of concern.

Matrix Technologies performed process engineering and design to meet the front-end loading (FEL) 2 and FEL 3 criteria for the pressure surge controls system. Matrix determined the root cause of failure of existing piping system, evaluated civil and structural infrastructure, reviewed new material specifications with the customer, and developed a cost estimate of over sixty thousand feet (60,000’) of firewater mains, construction planning, and replacement prioritization.

Matrix evaluated and verified the findings of the hydraulic surge modeling, developed process design, and refined preliminary engineering to facilitate selection of the best pressure surge control option. Matrix developed PFDs to reflect the chosen surge control developed the process design package.

Matrix determined the site utility demand for the surge control solution and worked with the customer to coordinate new loads with available supply. Matrix issued a hydraulic surge modeling report in FEL 3 and revised the system P&IDs to document the surge control solution. The process design package was completed and plan drawings were developed to communicate the required modifications.

Engineering Challenges: The refinery was an large site, and was very old, so documentation was lacking and the potential areas for failure were numerous.

Products and Technologies Used: Civil Modeling

Project Outcome: The customer had a solid plan and budget for implementation of the upgrades, which could then be executed in a prioritized fashion.