As an associate chemical engineer at PetroSync Corp, I have had the opportunity to engage in several process optimization tasks. One of my memorable projects involved optimizing an existing crude oil distillation process.
The system was initially running inefficiently, with high operational costs and low yields per batch. To address this, I worked with our team to apply lean manufacturing principles and process simulations using tools like ChemCAD. We identified several areas for improvement, especially the excessive energy consumption during the heating phase and the inefficient separation process. We upgraded the process with a new heat exchanger, improving energy recovery, and utilized an optimal flash distillation technique to enhance separation efficiency.
After these alterations, operational costs decreased by about 12%, and crude oil yield increased from 78% to 90%. This experience emphasized to me the importance of continuous process optimization in any industrial setting.