2022 Horizons Symposium

Michael Lyon
Heat Transfer Consultant
DuPont

Michael Lyon’s, Heat/Mass Transfer Consultant, primary role includes the design and troubleshooting of heat exchangers in support of world-wide manufacturing facilities. His secondary roles include process and hydraulic modeling, as well as distillation column/scrubber operation. Lyon earned a BS in Bioengineering from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA. He joined the DuPont Corporate Engineering organization upon graduation, where he gained experience in heat exchanger design, operation, and troubleshooting from leading company experts. After two years in the role, Lyon moved to a plant site to coordinate reviews of all site relief devices and PSM equipment, in addition to serving as the lead process engineer for an operating unit. After two years of plant experience, he transferred back to his original role in corporate engineering as a heat transfer specialist. His expertise includes thermosiphon reboilers, tubeside condensers, and the application of first principles to solve nontraditional heat transfer problems.

ABSTRACT

Cooling water is a site utility that generally receives little attention when it works, but can cause plant shutdowns or operational nightmares when it doesn’t. In the modern era, plant sites are more reliant than ever on vendor expertise and recommendations for water treatment, but miscommunication and a lack of site expertise can often cause cooling system problems to accumulate over time. Cooling water treatment programs generally focus on three key concerns: corrosion prevention, fouling prevention, and microbial control. Case studies and examples highlighting each of these concerns will be presented to highlight the difficulties that can be caused by improperly-maintained cooling water. The root cause of each case will be discussed, along with suggested best practices for preventing future issues.