(5c) Troubleshooting Styrene Column

EB/SM splitter column is a critical component of styrene monomer (SM) unit. Two case studies will be presented.

Case Study #1: Products quality of an EB/SM splitter column gradually reduced. Feed to the EB/SM splitter column as well as SM unit throughput had to be lowered accordingly. As a corrective measure, client decided to replace the column packing.

This case study demonstrates recovery of EB/SM splitter efficiency & capacity via plant test run. Results from the troubleshooting efforts will be presented.

Case Study #2: Shortly after a planned turnaround, top product quality of EB/SM splitter column dropped abruptly. To maintain product qualities, the EB/SM splitter column feed rate as well as SM unit throughput were subsequently reduced.

Plant survey was conducted to assess root cause(s) of the packing efficiency reduction.

This case study demonstrates the importance of data collection, reconciliation, and interpretations. After implementing simple “fixes”, the EB/SM splitter column efficiency recovered fully and the SM unit design capacity was attained.