STS AIChE Virtual Lunch & Learn

Join STS-AIChE for a virtual Lunch & Learn event, hosted by Burns & McDowell.

Date: Wednesday, April 24th

Time: 11:30PM - 1:00PM

Location: Virtual (register below)

Registration

Presentation

Dividing wall columns – Basics, Applications and Case Studies

Abstract

Dividing-wall-columns, or DWCs have been around for decades, and offer a wide variety of benefits that make them highly lucrative – combining the functionalities of two (or more) columns into one, lower energy consumption, lower equipment count, and smaller plot space requirements. All these factors make them an almost no-brainer for any process unit.

Yet, they have not been implemented in the oil and gas industry at a scale that they deserve. Reasons could be manifold – complexity in simulating, design challenges related to tower internals, mechanical challenges in retro-fitting an existing column into a DWC, flexibility required by operations to process multiple feeds and products, etc. And then there are psychological barriers where conservative owner/operators are reluctant to try a new technology as something exotic or fancy. It is not until factors like operating costs, plot space, and/or government policies become prohibitive, that DWCs begin to look like an attractive option or solution.

The presentation will introduce Dividing-wall-columns to the attendees, how they differ from conventional columns, various types of DWCs, their benefits and possible applications. We will conclude with a few case studies involving real-life projects and their performance after implementation.

About the speaker: Amit Kanda

Amit Kanda is the Director of Engineering at DWC Innovations in Houston, TX. He has over 20 years of experience in process design, engineering, and technology, and has designed process units for refineries, petrochemical and chemical plants – including aromatic extraction units, ISOM units, hydrotreaters, splitters, and Gas Plants, etc. He has worked on both grass-roots and revamp projects for clients in North America, Middle-east, and Asia.

Amit started his career in operations, where he spent three years, then came to United States to study process design. Amit graduated with a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago in 2006 and has since worked for companies like Fluor, KBR, and GTC Technology. He joined DWC Innovations in 2020 and has since collaborated with Mr. Manish Bhargava in the field of advance distillation techniques, with special emphasis on Dividing-wall-Columns.

DWC innovations has quickly established itself as the leader in dividing-wall-column design and have successfully licensed multiple columns across refineries and petrochemical sectors in South Asia region.

Amit has written several papers for magazines like Hydrocarbon Processing and Hydrocarbon Engineering, and holds multiple patents in the field of dividing-wall-columns. Amit lives with his wife and two sons in the Houston area.