(109a) FRI Experimental Unit - Evaluation and Upgrade

The experimental Unit of Fractionation Research Inc is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and includes a low-pressure and a high-pressure distillation column. Each has its own reboiler and its own condenser. Piping links the two reboilers; other piping links the condensers. For the last 15 years, neither column could be operated above a reboiler duty of 17 MMBtu/hr. Over the last two years, most of the equipment items comprising the Unit were evaluated. No significant safety concerns were found. Process bottlenecks and inefficiences were identified. Capital spending addressed both. It is now possible to run each column at a reboiler duty of 23 MMBtu/hr. The next generation of trays and packings can be evaluated - once they are invented. The final cost of the upgrade was far less than what was originally budgeted.