Browse Editions : 2015
Title Author Edition
Determining safety distance in process design

Renato Benintendi, Angela Deisy Rodriguez Guio and Samuel Marsh, Amec Foster Wheeler

2015 / Q1

Safety distance determination is a key design issue that may have a dramatic impact on a refinery construction project
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Troubleshooting a C3 splitter tower Part 2: root cause and solution

Henry Z Kister, Fluor

Brian Clancy-Jundt and Randy Miller, PetroLogistics

2015 / Q1

Distillation trays are prone to channelling and multi-pass maldistribution in large diameter towers.  Multichordal gamma scanning is used for solving such problems
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Optimisation of a diesel hydrotreating unit

Jose Bird, Valero Energy Corporation

2015 / Q1

A model based on operating data is used to meet sulphur product specifications at lower DHT reactor temperatures with longer catalyst life
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Monitoring and controlling emissions in Europe

Stephen Harrison, Linde Gas

2015 / Q1

Implementing the EU's Industrial Emissions Directive calls for quality and consistency in technologies for monitoring and controlling emissions
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High sulphur recovery with ease of operation

Michael Heisel, ITS Reaktortechnik

Frank Bela and Jorge Pena Lopez, Worley Parsons

Aurelio Sagardi-Rivera and Miguel Rendon-Sagardi, Pemex

2015 / Q1

A process performing sulphur recovery and tail gas treatment in two catalytic reactor units exceeded guaranteed recovery limits from start-up
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Safe removal of polymeric desposits

Marcello Ferrara, Taeyong Kim and Cristina Ferrara, ITW Technologies

2015 / Q1

Damaging polymeric fouling of internals can be cleaned in situ by safe chemical treatments
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Hydrotreating challenges and opportunities with tight oil

Bob Leliveld and Hiroshi Toshima, Albemarle Catalysts

2015 / Q1

Tight oil's contaminant and cold flow challenges require appropriate catalyst treatment systems
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Reducing reactor turnaround time

Josef Felser and George Karl, Bayernoil Refinery GmbH

Ian Baxter and Gary Welch, CatTech International Ltd

2015 / Q1

A refinery uses catalyst passivation technology for safer and more efficient turnarounds
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Monetise off-gases for low cost ammonia

V K Arora, Kinetics Process Improvements

2015 / Q1

Cheaper ethane supplies present an opportunity for ammonia production using cracker off-gases
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Business value of hydrocarbon production accounting

Luis Rodriguez, ANCAP

2015 / Q1

The gains that a refiner made by implementing an enterprise-wide hydrocarbon accounting system were both financial and cultural
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Interface measurement for product quality

Ingemar Serneby, Emerson Process Management

2015 / Q1

Refinery product quality often depends on how products separate.  Accurate gathering of data about the interface levels within vessels is therefore crucial.
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Zeolite membranes for xylenes separation

Rakan Bilaus, Saudi Aramco

2015 / Q1

Zeolite membrane separation in p-xylene production exhibits low energy demand, low capital cost and compact unit size
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Catalyst testing for hydrocracking and hydrotreating

Jochen Berg, Tilman Sauer, Christopher Federsel, Sascha Vukojevic, Philipp Hauck, Florian Huber and Alfred Haas, hte GmbH

2015 / Q1

High throughput experimentation techniques enable performance testing of commercial catalysts with real feedstocks such as deasphalted oil
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Dynamic simulation of process controls

Sepehr Sadighi and S Reza Seif Mohaddecy, RIPI

2015 / Q1

Simulation of a catalytic naphtha reformer confirmed the accurate performance of control instrumentation
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Hydrogen transfer and ZSM-5 in maximising propylene

Bart De Graaf, Mehdi Allahverdi, Charles Radcliffe, Martin Evans and Paul Diddams, Johnson Matthey Process Technologies.

2015 / Catalysis

Used at high concentrations to maximise propylene from the fluid catalytic cracking unit, ZSM-5 strongly influences a complex matrix of reactions
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ZSM-5 additive maximises propylene Carl Keeley, Vasileios Komvokis, Modesto Miranda, David Harris and Jason Smith, BASF 2015 / Catalysis

Multi-stage phophorus treatment improves ZSM-5 zeolite stabilisation and creates more propylene producing acid sites
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Increased activity in FCC pretreat Charles Olsen and Brian Watkins, Advanced Refining Technologies 2015 / Catalysis

Advances in metal chelation techniques deliver higher performance catalysts for FCC pretreat
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Recovering and refining precious metals Bradford Cook and Robert Jacobsen, Sabin Metal Corp 2015 / Catalysis

Some factors to consider when choosing a route for recovering precious metals from catalyst
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Structured catalysts for steam reformers William Whittenberger, Johnson Matthey Process Technologies Peter Farnell, Johnson Matthey Plc 2015 / Catalysis

A foil based catalyst aims to avoid the limitations of ceramic pellet substrates in steam reforming
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Four-stage hydrocracking pretreatment Stefano Melis, Albemarle 2015 / Catalysis

A four-zone approach to hydrocracking pretreatment catalysis aims for greater flexibility in activity, stability, hydrogen consumption and pressure drop
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Revamping crude and vacuum units to process bitumen

Tek Sutikno, Fluor Enterprises

2015 / Q2

Revamping crude and vacuum units to process dilbit can involve extensive equipment replacement as well as major changes to the crude preheating scheme.
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Tube alloy degradation in a steam cracking furnace

Glen A Hay and Ghoncheh Rasouli, Virtual Materials Group Inc

Toshiharu Morishita and Jinichiro Usami, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation

2015 / Q2

Understanding catalytic coke growth mechanisms to better predict and optimise furnace service times with tube alloy degradation
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Overcoming the effects of ammonia in heat exchangers

Marcelo Senatore, Sandvik Materials Technology

2015 / Q2

Forensic testing revealed the mechanism of under-deposit corrosion in exchanger tubes, a problem solved by replacement with hyper-duplex steel
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Enhancing energy efficiency in the CDU

Osman Kubilay Karan and Cansu Iner, Tupras Kirikkale Refinery

2015 / Q2

Revisiting your crude distillation unit may expose hidden potential for major energy savings
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Improving energy efficiency in furnaces

Steve Chernack, Morgan Advanced Materials

2015 / Q2

Developments in refractory materials and design can contribute to reduced heat waste and higher energy savings
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Heat recovery from corrosive flue gas

Bart Van Den Berg, HeatMatrix

2015 / Q2

For improvements to energy efficiency in the petrochemical industry, waste heat recovery from corrosive flue gas is the most cost effective source to exploit
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Best practice in energy efficiency

Ron Beck, AspenTech

2015 / Q2

Energy management software tools provide solutions for energy savings from design through operation
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Advanced process control in FCC and hydrocracking units

Grzegorz Oleszczuk and Marta Dylewska, Honeywell Advanced Solutions

2015 / Q2

Implementation of advanced process control of two major units produced significant savings with short payback times
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Increasing distillate production at least capital cost

Joe Musumeci, Steven W Stupin, Brandon Olson and Carlos Wendler, Ascent Engineering

2015 / Q2

Investing in improvements to the atmospheric crude unit can deliver increased distillate yields with short payback times
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Advances in processing high naphthenic acid crudes

Parag Shah, Mahesh Subramaniyam, James Ondyak, James Noland and India Nagi-Hanspal, Dorf Ketal

2015 / Q2

High naphthenic acid crudes are cheaper and calcium removal aids and corrosion protection methods allow refiners to increase margins with better crude treatment
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Seven rules of sedimentation in hydrocracking

Scott Sayles, Robert Ohmes and Rick Manner, KBC Advanced Technologies

2015 / Q2

Guidelines to mitigate sedimentation fouling in heavy sour crude processing together with case studies illustrating how the improvements are captured
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Catalytic strategies to meet gasoline sulphur limits

Patrick Gripka, Opinder Bhan, Wes Whitecotton and James Esteban, Criterion Catalysts & Technologies

2015 / Q2

Stricter regulations reducing average gasoline sulphur content will require further reduction of FCC gasoline sulphur
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Reducing vacuum tower pressure

Norman Lieberman, Process Improvement Engineering

2015 / Q2

To create a better vacuum the vapour load to the ejector has to be reduced
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Gas and fire detection in a tankage area

Niyazi Bozkurt, Tupras Kirikkale Refinery

2015 / Gas

A new detection system in a refinery's tankage area has transformed the level of safety in the event of gas leakage and fire
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Gas injection for shale gas recovery

Robin Watts and Kevin Watts, Linde Group

2015 / Gas

Injection of CO2 or N2 is a more effective approach than conventional water and sand fracturing to increase oil and gas production from tight or water sensitive formations
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Modular construction for harsh climates

Thibault Heim, Benoit Mares and Vincent Simonneau, Prosernat

2015 / Gas

Severe Arctic conditions were overcome by the construction of small scale gas processing units in prefabricated modules
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Oxygen enriched sulphur recovery

Zhifang Tang, Zhongfang Nie, Wusheng Huang, Xiaochen Jin, Jianpeng Wu, Jianweiwang and Keng H Chung, Llaoning Huajin Tongda Chemicals

2015 / Gas

Revamping its SRU to oxygen enriched operation increased a refiner's sulphur processing capacity and significantly reduced operating costs
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Linings for sulphur storage tanks

Anna Michael and Juan Lopez Galera, Belzona Polymerics

2015 / Gas

Flexible spray coatings combat the corrosion mechanisms of sulphur stored in steel tanks
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3D scanning corrects design clashes

Tracey Murray, AVEVA

2015 / Gas

A contractor in Nigeria applied 3D laser scanning to overcome design clashes that had led to postponement of planned revamps in a gas platform
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Heat transfer systems in gas processing

Anna Stewart, Dow Oil, Gas & Mining

2015 / Gas

There are many aspects other than temperature to consider when selecting a high temperature heat transfer fluid for gas processing
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Improving CO2 absorber performance in LNG production

Ralph H Weiland and Nathan A Hatcher, Optimized Gas Treating Inc

2015 / Shale

Simulation of deep CO2 removal in LNG and syngas applications, combined with intercooling, maximises effectivenes of piperazine-promoted MDEA solvents
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Light tight oil crude unit fouling root causes and troubleshooting

Gregory Savage and Kailash Sawhney, Nalco Champion

2015 / Shale

Fouling in preheaters, crude furnace and atmospheric tower bottoms exchangers directly impacts throughput and profitability, requiring rigorous evaluation strategies
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Maximising profitability with FCC feeds from opportunity crudes

Alexis Shackleford, BASF

2015 / Shale

Case studies show how to achieve optimal monetisation value with opportunity feeds through operating strategies, innovative catalysts and technical stewardship
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Processing shale oil in an FCC unit: catalyst and profit optimisation

Bart De Graaf, Charles Radcliffe, Martin Evans and Paul Diddams, Johnson Matthey Process Technologies

2015 / Shale

Adjustments in base catalyst, use of ZSM-5 additives and metal traps enable efficient processing of paraffinic and heavy crude in the presence of metals contaminants
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Three steps to successful processing of shale and other opportunity feedstocks

Patrick Truesdale, Emerson Process Management

Didier Lambert, Topnir Systems s.a.s.

2015 / Shale

Careful blending of incoming feedstocks makes it possible to create an input stream to the refinery that is a better match than any crude source on its own
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Emulsion breaker and metal removal technology increases FCC residuum

Kris Kohl, Paul White, Anibal Valle and Jim Trigg, GE Power & Water

2015 / Shale

Frequent and unexpected changes in crude blending properties result in operational and performance challenges from the desalter to the catalytic cracker
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Stop gas leaks from compressor packings

Christian Hold and Tino Lindner-Silwester, Hoerbiger

2015 / Shale

A new piston rod sealing technology based on a pressurised oil barrier can eliminate a significant source of gas leaks from reciprocating compressors
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Managing fouling in refinery networks

Simon Pugh and Edward Ishiyama, IHS Energy

2015 / Q3

Modelling heat exchanger and other networks enables the use of dynamic fouling models in performance assessment and predictive studies
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Dealing with depleting sour gas reserves: Part 1

Marco Van Son and Shashank Gujale, Jacobs Comprimo Sulfur Solutions

2015 / Q3

Depletion of sour gas production in western Canada means that gas plants will have to evaluate their sulphur recovery units for future turndown operation
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Revamping a hydrocracker's overhead condenser

Mustafa Goren and Ahmet Bebek, Tupras Kirikkale Refinery

2015 / Q3

A stepwise approach solved seasonal issues affecting plans to increae a hydrocracker's capacity
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Optimising preflash for light tight oil processing

Soun Ho Lee, GTC Technology

2015 / Q3

For a crude unit handling light tight oil feedstock, a semi-preflash column can deliver significant advantages in energy saving, capacity gain and revamp economics.
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Splitting distributed control for a refinery expansion

Peter Helmersson and Sven Winberg, Preem AB

2015 / Q3

A refiner's expansion plan required a second distributed control system, achieved by splitting the original system without a shutdown.
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Cyber security in the refining world

Eric Knapp, Honeywell Process Solutions

2015 / Q3

Protection of industrial control assets requires ongoing risk assessment, well-defined security policies and an aggressive overall strategy
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Countering marine corrosion in instrumentation tube

Andreas Furukrona, Sandvik Materials Technology

2015 / Q3

How super-duplex instrumentation tube overcame severe marine atmospheres at a coastal site
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Energy savings from electric capacity control

Klaus Stachel, Hoerbiger

2015 / Q3

Updated stepless capacity control of reciprocating compressors saved energy and improved process stability at a petrochemicals site
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Revamp of a reciprocating compressor unit

Andreas Hahn, Neuman & Esser

2015 / Q3

A step-by-step guide to the revamp of a reciprocating compressor unit to meet increased hydrogen throughput.
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Advanced turbomachinery controls improve ethylene plant yield

Medhat Zaghloul, Compressor Controls Corp

2015 / Q3

Advanced integrated turbomachinery controls can significantly alleviate the suction pressure dip of a cracked gas compressor, leading to considerable yield improvements
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Mixing in large crude tanks

Janakiramulu Adepu, Rahul C Patil, Ajay Gupta and Asit Kumar Das, Reliance Technology Group

Pravin Potdar, jisna Raghavan and Kannan Srinivasan, Central Technical Services, Reliance Industries Ltd

2015 / Q3

Computational fluid dynamics was used to analyse the performance of side entry mixers in large crude tanks
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Improved feedstocks for ethane crackers

Ron Key, Linde Process Plants

2015 / Q3

Cryogenic recovery technology enables wet shale gas to become a valuable source of liquids for petrochemicals production
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Controlling the dew point of natural gas

Tek Sutikno, Fluor Enterprises

2015 / Q3

Meeting water and hydrocarbon dew point specifications for natural gas without acid gas components
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Testing and experience in FCC catalyst selection

Carel Pouwels, Albemarle Catalysts Company

Ken Bruno, Albemarle Corporation

2015 / Q3

Resolving differences between test results and unit experience in FCC catalyst selection
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Implementing real time optimisation technology

Hamid Ganji, Saeid Shokri, Mahdi Ahmadi Marvast, Sorood Zahedi Abghari and Behrouz Nonahal, Research Institute of Petroleum Industry

2015 / Q3

Modelling implementation of real time optimisation and its potential for increased profitability in refining processes
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Analytics to identify FCC trends

Patrick Christensen, Thomas Garrett, Ahly Rattanakhambay, Wiliam Vukovich and Thomas Yeung, Hydrocarbon Publishing Company

2015 / Q4

Quantitative analysis can help reveal insights and opportunities behind marketing and patenting activities
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Minimising gasoline specification give-away

David Seiver, Valero

2015 / Q4

Minimising the difference between a measured physical property and a critical specification for gasoline can have a significant impact on refinery profitability
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Risk analysis of wired vs wireless communication

Gary Hawkins, Emerson Process Management

Ed Marszal, Kenexis Consulting Corporation

2015 / Q4

Wired or wireless?  The tools and methods of risk analysis can be applied to these communication systems for objective evaluation
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Enhanced heat transfer for improved throughput and energy consumption

Tom Higley, Calgavin

2015 / Q4

Customised revamps of heat exchangers optimise energy use and reduce costs in revamps
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Corrosion and fouling control in process equipment

Berthold Otzisk and Michael Urschey, Kurita Europe

2015 / Q4

Effective chemical treatment programmes can help to prevent plant damage and financial losses arising from corrosion and fouling
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Treatment programme overcomes high TAN problems

Sanjay Dwivedy and Ralph Navarrete, Baker Hughes

2015 / Q4

Processing high TAN crude with low sulphur shale oil presented challenging corrosion problems for a refiner
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Corrosion and fouling: challenges and solutions

Mahesh Subramaniyam, India Nagi-Hanspal, Parag Shah, James Ondyak and James Noland, Dorf Ketal

2015 / Q4

Fouling and corrosion in refineries are complex issues that require appropriate chemistry and a holistic approach
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Fired capital equipment: key plant components

Carl Rentschler, Harald Ranke and Goutam Shahani, Linde Engineering North America

2015 / Q4

Fired capital equipment is an often neglected asset associated with plant operations
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Overcoming clean fuels challenges

George Anderson, Albemarle

2015 / Q4

Improvements in FCC pretreat catalyst systems enable refiners to meet ultra-low sulphur gasoline regulations and increase diesel output
More

Reducing capital cost risk

Ron Beck, AspenTech

2015 / Q4

Understanding the full scope of projects and acting upon the right engineering choices reduces capital risk
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Dealing with depleting sour gas reserves Part 2

Marco Van Son and Shashank Gujale, Jacobs Comprimo Sulphur Solutions

2015 / Q4

Gas plants in western Canada will have to evaluate their sulphur recovery units for future turndown operation as sour gas production falls
More

Optimising natural gas value

Will Shimer, Honeywell UOP

Randy Miller, Honeywell Process Solutions

2015 / Q4

Financial and operating performance in gas processing depends on full integration of automation and process technologies
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Foaming in fractionation columns

Mark Pilling, Sulzer Chemtech USA

2015 / Q4

By understanding the foaming process and its roof causes, steps can be taken to eliminate or minimise the formation of foaming
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How ZSM-5 works on FCC gasoline composition

Bart De Graaf, Mehdi Allahverdi, Martin Evans and Paul Diddams, Johnson Matthey Process Technologies

2015 / Q4

A study of the effct of matrix versus zeolite in the base catalyst on the composition of light and heavy gasoline fractions
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Performance testing of naphtha reforming catalysts

Marius Kirchmann, Alfred Haas, Christoph Hauber and Sascha Vukojevic, hte GmbH

2015 / Q4

High throughput screening of naphtha reforming catalyst under commercially relevant conditions
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Integration of planning processes

M D Pawde and K Vinod, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd

2015 / Q4

A group was established to integrate management processes across all areas of refinery activity to identify opportunities for increasing product values and margin
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FCC profitability assessment via advanced modelling

Sayantan Chatterjee, Cian Carroll, Michael Basden and Kevin Kunz, Shell Global Solutions (US) Inc

Charles Burton, MOTIVA Refining

Steve Nelson, Shell Oil Products US

2015 / Revamps

Process and computational fluid dynamic modelling were applied to validate the technology used in an FCC unit revamp at Shell's Puget Sound refinery
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On-stream refractory measurement

Dave Ferguson and Carl Tipton, Tracerco

2015 / Revamps

Precise assessment of refractory condition can avoid unwelcome discoveries during unit turnarounds
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Energy efficiency in capital projects

Alan Rossiter, Rossiter & Associates

2015 / Revamps

The best economics for energy efficiency improvements occur in new plant designs and major plant expansions
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Low cost revamp to process heavy sour crudes

Chiranjib Haldar and Tanmay Taraphdar, Technip India

2015 / Revamps

A significant improvement in refining margin can be achieved through a low to moderate cost revamp to enable processing of heavy sour crudes
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Laser scanning for revamps

Michael Smith, Intergraph Corp

2015 / Revamps

3D laser scanning as-built refinery structures and post-processing the data provides an accurate starting point for revamp design
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Heat exchanger network retrofit for energy savings

Akram Kamel and Mahmoud Bahy Noureldin, Saudi Aramco

2015 / Revamps

Identifying cost effective energy savings by optimising plant heat integration in the crude preheat section
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