Chemical Engineering May 2022 - 30

The author instructed removing the dirt that covered
the underground pipes. Sure enough, there was an incorrect
pipe connection underground (Figure 2) that
was overlooked by the construction inspectors. As a
result, the cooling water flowed backwards through
the condensers and the meter.
Being underground,
no one suspected this. Fortunately, this issue was
identified before hydrocarbons were introduced. It was
the one flowmeter and a top-notch instrument engineer
that made all the difference.
The takeaway: A good doctor does not disbelieve an
instrument. It may be trying to tell you something. You
do not need to trust it, but listen to it. Always thoroughly
check out suspicious readings.
■
Edited by Dorothy Lozowski
About the Tower Doctor
" The Tower Doctor " is the honorary title bestowed upon
the author of this article in 2002 by Richard Darton, professor
of Engineering in Oxford University and chair of
the European Distillation Network. " When a tower is not
well, " says Darton, " people call Henry to diagnose the
illness and find a remedy. He arrives with his doctor's
bag, examines the patient-tower, measures its temperature
and pulse, gets radiography to get an inside look.
Then comes his diagnosis and cure. Towers treated by
Henry mostly get better very quickly. "
Being son to two medical doctors who were
blessed with phenomenal diagnosis ability, the author
aspired to live up to this special honorary title. Like
with medical doctors, some illnesses were a struggle
to diagnose, others were easier. All were exciting. This
column will reminisce through some of the more entertaining
cases. They may not have seemed entertaining
at the time, but looking back at them, they
leave unforgettable memories and raise a smile or
two. One great aspect of being a tower doctor, one
gets to work with and learn from some of the greatest
engineers and operators that contributed so much to
the chemical industry. We hope that this column can
pass some of the fun, excitement and lessons learned
to future troubleshooters and tower doctors.
Author
Henry Z. Kister is a senior fellow and the director of fractionation
technology at Fluor Corp. (3 Polaris Way, Aliso Viejo, CA;
Phone: 949-349-4679; Email: henrykister@fluor.com). He
has over 35 years of experience in design, troubleshooting,
revamping, field consulting, control and startup of fractionation
processes and equipment. Kister is the author of three
books, the distillation equipment chapter in Perry's Handbook,
and over 130 articles, and has taught the IChemE-sponsored
" Practical Distillation Technology " course more than 530 times
in 26 countries. A recipient of several awards, Kister obtained
his B.E. and M.E. degrees from the University of New South
Wales in Australia. He is a member of the NAE, a Fellow of IChemE and AIChE, and
serves on the FRI Technical Advisory and Design Practices Committees.
For more on distillation, see Kister, H. Z., Gas Trapping can Unsettle
Distillation Columns, Chem. Eng., pp. 47-55, April 2022.
For details visit adlinks.chemengonline.com/82581-14
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