When the cooling water flow to the condenser is lost, what happens to the tower?

Loss of feed is not an abnormal condition for distillation tower operation. The tower operation can continue to operate normally.

	a)	True
	b)	False

Which of the following is an abnormal condition in a distillation tower, which may necessitate shutdown of the tower?

	a)	Tower bottom level sight glass hazy
	b)	Top product flow indicator shows erratic values
	c)	Loss of cooling water to condenser

When the reflux pump trips during normal operation, the reflux drum level continues to increase and eventually the condenser is flooded. What happens after this situation?

	a)	The cooling effect of the condenser increases, causing the tower pressure to decrease
	b)	The cooling effect of the condenser increases, causing the tower pressure to increase
	c)	The cooling effect of the condenser decreases, causing the tower pressure to increase
	d)	The cooling effect of the condenser decreases, causing the tower pressure to decrease

Wrong

The correct answer is: The cooling effect of the condenser decreases, causing the tower pressure to increase

When the reflux pump trips during normal operation, the reflux and the top product flows stop. The tower temperature:

	a)	Decreases
	b)	Increases
	c)	Stays the same

When the reflux pump trips during normal operation, you must:

	a)	Start the backup reflux pump
	b)	Try to fix the tripped pump while continuing the operation without the reflux pump
	c)	Commence emergency shutdown immediately

Wrong

The correct answer is: Start the backup reflux pump

When the reflux pump trips during normal operation, the liquid flow in the tower:

	a)	Increases
	b)	Decreases
	c)	Does not change

Wrong

The correct answer is: Decreases

When the reflux pump trips during normal operation, the control valve of the reflux flow controller:

	a)	Opens fully
	b)	Closes fully
	c)	Stays in the same position

When the reflux pump trips during normal operation, the reflux and the top product flows stop. The tower temperature:

	a)	Decreases
	b)	Increases
	c)	Stays the same

Wrong

The correct answer is: Increases

When the reflux drum level transmitter fails, the tower may be upset. The corrective action is to:

	a)	Operate the associated automatic controller in manual mode
	b)	Continue operating the associated automatic controller in automatic mode
	c)	Start the shutdown operation

When the reflux drum level transmitter fails by incorrectly sending a level signal much lower than the real level during normal operation, the reflux drum level controller acts to increase the level. The actual level as seen through the field level sight-glass of the reflux drum is:

	a)	Same as the level shown in the control room
	b)	Lower than the level shown in the control room
	c)	Higher than the level shown in the control room

When the feed to the tower is lost, a shutdown operation is not required in many cases. The corrective action is to:

	a)	Reduce the bottom and top product flows
	b)	Place the tower in total reflux mode
	c)	Reduce the temperature and pressure to minimize the impact of the feed loss

Wrong

The correct answer is: Place the tower in total reflux mode

When the feed to the distillation tower is lost, it can be detected by:

	a)	Feed flow low alarm
	b)	Lifting of the tower safety valve
	c)	Loss of cooling water to the condenser
	d)	Reflux pump trip

Wrong

The correct answer is: Feed flow low alarm