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Chemical Engineering vocabulary · Plant Equipment and Operations

Start-up

Meaning in chemical engineering, with examples

/ˈstɑːrtʌp/nounCore term

In chemical engineering, start-up means: The process of bringing a unit or plant from a shut-down state to normal operating conditions, following a written procedure step by step.

In Turkish: devreye alma, işletmeye alma, çalıştırma

How it is used

Used in operations, safety and project planning. Start-ups are planned, delayed, completed and reviewed, and many incidents happen during start-up and shutdown. As a verb it is written as two words: 'we start up the unit'.

Example sentences

  1. The start-up was delayed because the furnace burners would not light.

  2. Follow the start-up procedure exactly and log every step.

Common collocations

  • start-up procedure
  • plant start-up
  • cold start-up
  • after start-up
  • start up the unit
  • commissioningThe stage after construction when equipment and systems are checked, flushed, tested and run with water or inert materials to prove they work before real start-up.
  • shutdownStopping a unit or plant, either in a planned and controlled way or suddenly because of a fault or safety system action.
  • steady stateThe condition in which temperatures, pressures, flows and compositions at every point in a process stay constant over time.
  • purgeTo clear a vessel or pipe of air, flammable gas or toxic material by flushing it with an inert gas such as nitrogen, or with steam, before opening it or starting it up.

More terms: Plant Equipment and Operations

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