| Pub. Date | :August, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Product Name | : The IUP Journal of Operations Management |
| Product Type | : Article |
| Product Code | : IJOM30821 |
| Author Name | : Venkata Ravi Ram Pinninti and Vijaya Bhaskar Krovvidi |
| Availability | : YES |
| Subject/Domain | : Management |
| Download Format | : PDF Format |
| No. of Pages | : 13 |
Many processes like power and petrochemical use demineralized (demin) water as the process fluid. Extensive use of demin water meant emergence of specialist vendors. Modular engineering design allows user-industries to purchase packages from such specialist vendors. High risk of process shutdown or underperformance due to inadequacy of demin water results in significant over-design, resulting in sub-optimal chemicals consumption and higher total lifecycle costs. Six Sigma is a set of tools successfully deployed across sectors for process and cost optimization. Case studies facilitate an understanding of complexities of real-world solutions. This paper discusses a real-world application of Six Sigma methods like DMAIC and Pareto Analysis to optimize the demin plant. Successful optimization resulted in 42% savings in chemicals, 46% reduction of process O&M costs and 42% increase in demin water output. This successful optimization case study would help practicing engineers and academics in reducing O&M costs in demin plants using Six Sigma methodologies.
For many processes like thermal power generation, refineries and petrochemical industries, demineralized water is the process fluid. Processes cannot proceed without demineralization of water. This extensive use of demin water in processes also implies specialization is achieved in the water treatment industry. Modularity of engineering