Chemical Engineering August 2023 - 42

Engineering Practice
Standard Operating Procedures are Critical
for Boiler and Steam Operations
An overview on the importance of standard operation procedures (SOPs) and
how to write them
Kelly Paffel
Inveno Engineering, LLC
T
oday, it is necessary to have
standard operating procedures
(SOPs) for steam and
condensate systems, boilers,
deaerators and even steam process
units (Figure 1). An SOP is a set of instructions
or steps that someone follows
to complete a job safely, prevent
premature failures due to improper
startup or shutdowns, and maximize
operational and system performance.
SOPs are important because they
memorialize key steps in processes
and avoid problems. Having plant
personnel start up a steam system
without an SOP and assuming that
the result will be positive is just being
hopeful. A boiler or steam system
contains a large amount of stored
energy. Having a problem occur during
startup and releasing that uncontrolled
energy can pose a major safety
risk and hurt the plant operation.
Moreover, if a person were to interview
10 people, as our engineering
team has done, on how to properly
start up a pressure-reducing
station, they are likely to hear 10 different
answers.
SOPs also improve consistency.
Take, for example, how a plant trains
new staff members how to start up a
boiler. Having a lead employee teach
a new employee is not very effective,
because people typically retain less
than 42% of the instructions. This
leaves new staff members assuming
how to do a task. Assuming is risky
when dealing with steam, which can
cause major damage in the event of
an uncontrolled release. Therefore,
it is important to write SOPs for all
processes that an individual or group
performs, including starting a steam
line, shutting down a steam process,
testing a boiler, repairing a valve,
controlling a steam control valve,
and even tuning a PID (proportional
integral derivative) controller.
42
FIGURE 1. An SOP is important for properly maintaining a steam-supply system
FIGURE 2. An SOP will help ensure the proper operation of a boiler plant
For instance, the SOP for testing
steam traps can be 48 pages long to
ensure that everyone performs tests
correctly and consistently, so the
test results are extremely accurate.
SOPs can also reduce costly
problems. As an example, rootcause
analysis shows that a significant
percentage of premature
failures in the steam system result
from improper startup that causes
water hammer, damaging the components
in the steam system. Production
issues at startup often result
from the fact that no one is given an
SOP on how to properly vent air or
ensure that condensate is properly
removed from the system. Air in the
steam system is detrimental to process
operations.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
AUGUST 2023

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Chemical Engineering August 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering August 2023

Chemical Engineering August 2023 - Intro
Chemical Engineering August 2023 - Cover1
Chemical Engineering August 2023 - Cover2
Chemical Engineering August 2023 - 1
Chemical Engineering August 2023 - 2
Chemical Engineering August 2023 - 3
Chemical Engineering August 2023 - 4
Chemical Engineering August 2023 - 5
Chemical Engineering August 2023 - 6
Chemical Engineering August 2023 - 7
Chemical Engineering August 2023 - 8
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Chemical Engineering August 2023 - Cover3
Chemical Engineering August 2023 - Cover4
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