Equipment Names
1. ABSORBER - A tower or column in which contact is caused between rising gases
and falling liquid so that part of the gas may be taken up by the liquid. For
example, a Gas Plant has a tower that absorbs butane and propane from the gases
charged to it.
2. ABSORPTION OIL - The oil used in an absorption tower, usually in the range of
kerosene or heating oil.
3. ACCUMULATOR - A vessel for the temporary storage of a liquid or gas, usually
used for collecting sufficient material for a continuous charge or reflux.
4. ATMOSPHERIC TOWER - A distillation column operated at nearly atmospheric
pressure.
5. ATOMIZER - A nozzle device used to break fuel oil into a fine spray so that the
oil may be brought into more intimate contact with the air in the combustion
chamber.
6. BAFFLE - A partial restriction, generally a plate located to change the direction,
guide the flow or promote mixing within the equipment in which it is installed.
(Example - heat exchanger).
7. BAROMETRIC CONDENSER - Equipment for maintaining a partial vacuum on
a refinery tower or steam turbine by condensing the vapors from it by direct
contact with sprayed water.
8. BARREL - A standard unit of measurement of liquids in the petroleum refining
industry. It contains 42 U.S. standard or 35 Imperial gallons at 60 °F.
9. BATTERY - A series of stills or boilers operated as a unit.
10. BATTERY LIMITS - The outer boundaries of the area assigned to a unit or
battery.
11. BLANK OFF - To place a metal disk between pipe flanges so that flow is halted or
prevented. A safety measure during shutdowns or when welding or working inside
a vessel.
12. BLEEDER - A connection consisting of a nipple and a valve located at a high or
low spot in a line or vessel. Used for sampling, drawing off gas, water, etc.
13. CATALYST - A material which will increase or decrease the speed of a chemical
reaction without changing its own chemical identity.
14. CHANNELING - Flow through process equipment where most of the fluid, due to
poor distribution, coking, etc., flows through certain portions of the bed or
equipment, bypassing other portions.
15. CHARGE - Feedstock to a refinery processing unit.
16. CHECK VALVE - A valve which permits fluids to flow in only one direction by
automatically closing when the flow attempts to reverse.
17. CUT - A petroleum fraction obtained by distillation.
18. CYCLONE - A cone-shaped vessel for separating solids or liquids from a gas.
