From mechanical completion to guaranteed performance.
Commissioning, start-up, performance guarantee test runs and troubleshooting for distillation and DWC units.
Technical Services
Supporting the unit until it delivers results
The real test of a project starts after construction. Our engineers support pre-commissioning, cold and hot commissioning, start-up and performance guarantee test runs (PGTR), so the unit reaches design throughput, product specifications and energy targets.
Safety and operability reviews, including HAZOP studies, follow recognized industry practice from the Center for Chemical Process Safety.
Why Technical Services Matter
Minor issues during start-up can delay production, put product off-spec or fail a performance guarantee. Technical support is most valuable when the cost of a mistake is highest.
Faster start-up
Fewer delays between mechanical completion and on-spec production.
Guarantees demonstrated
Throughput, product quality, recovery and energy performance verified in performance guarantee test runs.
Root-cause troubleshooting
Flooding, off-spec product, control instability and capacity limits resolved at the source.
The original design team
The engineers who wrote the process design stay with the unit.
What Our Start-up Support Delivers
Our engineers have supported commissioning, start-up and performance guarantee test runs of DWC Prime™ and Dual DWC Prime™ columns through to commercial operation.
What We Do
Technical services from design review before start-up to optimization after it.
Before start-up4
- Review of detailed engineering deliverables
- HAZOP (Hazard and Operability) studies
- Field inspections to verify compliance with licensor requirements
- Operator training programs
Start-up & test runs3
- Commissioning and start-up support, including operating-condition adjustment
- Control tuning and product-quality verification during ramp-up
- Performance guarantee test run planning, execution and data analysis
After start-up2
- Troubleshooting of flooding, off-spec product, utility limits and control instability
- Process optimization for throughput, recovery and energy
Where Clients Use Technical Services
For our own technologies and for conventional units.
DWC Prime™ and Dual DWC Prime™ start-ups
Commissioning, start-up and test runs of dividing wall columns.
Distillation revamps
Start-up and optimization after internals replacement or capacity expansion.
Existing operating units
Troubleshooting, debottlenecking and optimization for operating units, even when we did not design them. Distillation troubleshooting →
Scoped to one milestone — or the whole first year
In every case, the same engineers who supported the original process design remain your point of contact, so lessons learned during detailed engineering are not lost at the handover to operations.
Milestone visit
A short site visit for a specific milestone, such as a HAZOP workshop or the start-up window.
Extended on-call support
An on-call arrangement that follows the plant through its first year of operation.
Commissioning & after
Support through cold and hot commissioning and punch-list closure, and remote troubleshooting after the site team has left.
Where Technical Services Fit
- Feasibility StudyIs the opportunity worth pursuing?
- Basic EngineeringWhat is the preferred process solution?
- FEED PackageWhat will it cost, and how will it be built?
- Detailed EngineeringCan we build it right the first time?
- Technical ServicesDoes it perform as designed?
Questions clients ask
When does technical support start?
Support can begin with the review of detailed engineering deliverables, during commissioning preparation, at start-up, for performance guarantee test runs, or at any point during routine operation.
Do you run HAZOP studies?
Yes. We run or support HAZOP (Hazard and Operability) studies following the Center for Chemical Process Safety methodology, as part of project implementation and operational readiness.
Can you support commissioning and start-up?
Yes. Cold and hot commissioning, punch-list closure, start-up support, control tuning, performance guarantee test runs (PGTR) and remote troubleshooting after the site team has left.
How long can support last?
From a single milestone visit, such as a HAZOP workshop or the start-up window, to on-call support through the plant’s first year of operation.
Do you support units you did not design?
Yes. We troubleshoot, debottleneck and optimize distillation columns and other refinery, petrochemical and chemical units, including those designed by other licensors or contractors.
Is support on-site or remote?
Both. Site visits cover milestones such as HAZOP and the start-up window; remote support covers troubleshooting and optimization afterwards.
Need support during start-up or operation?
Commissioning a new unit, preparing a guarantee test run or troubleshooting an operating column? Talk to the engineers who can get it to design performance.