ARTICLES
-
Loss into gain in high capacity trays - Part 1: excursion
Jun-2016
Systematic troubleshooting diagnosed and solved two complex and independent problems that limited the capacity of an atmospheric crude distillation to ...
-
Converting two columns into one
Nov-2017
Dividing wall column technology can be tailor-made to meet specifications for product quality with less utility consumption and lower capital costs
-
Analysis of hydrate conditions and property predictions in acid gas injection systems
Oct-2009
This paper will focus on the hydrate formation conditions for acid gas mixtures commonly found in acid gas injection systems. Many studies have analysed ...
-
Staged FCCU main fractionator revamp
Oct-2008
A refinery column is debottlenecked in steps to address operational concerns and strategic goals. Understanding the site specific operational nuances and ...
-
Loss into gain in high-capacity trays Part 2: reverse vapour cross flow chanelling
Aug-2016
Systematic troubleshooting diagnosed two complex problems that limited the capacity of an atmospheric crude distillation tower
-
Steady-state simulators are developing a dynamic personality
Mar-2006
Process simulators have been used for years to design and model actual operation of all types of different plant processes.
-
Improving hydrotreater reactor performance
Jul-2008
Case study of a kerosene hydrotreater shows that combining new and old technologies - a unique inlet diffuser with Raschig rings - can significantly improve ...
-
Using continuous helical flow to reduce fouling
Mar-2021
It would not be an understatement to say that fouling is one of the most costly recurring problems in hydrocarbon processing, and that it hits process ...
-
Managing heat efficiently - The manufacture of plate-fin heat exchangers
Jun-2017
The most complex task for manufacturers of plate-fin heat exchangers is the process of brazing. Millions of brazing joints are required to ensure that ...
-
Demystifying the zero entrainment myth for vacuum column flash zones
Apr-2009
One of the recurring questions about refinery vacuum tower operation is the issue of flash zone entrainment and the operation of the wash section.
-
Apr-2013
To save project costs, the distillation towers for a new refinery were designed to meet process design objectives using best available technology
-
Flow maldistribution in shell and tube heat exchangers
Dec-2019
Old designs of shell and tube heat exchangers need to be revamped to develop uniform flow distribution in the inlet header and mitigate tube-side foul ...
-
Utilising the checkerwall as a 
static mixer to improve SRU 
process performance
Oct-2010
A little more than a decade ago, as Blasch Precision Ceramics began to steadily grow their hex head ferrule business, they began to field requests from ...
-
Designing trays for selective gas treating
Oct-2010
Field data from eight gas treating plants show how tray design parameters can be selected to improve contactor performances
-
Putting a better spin on combustion
Jul-2013
How the incorporation of a mixing checkerwall can increase acid gas enrichment plant capacity, eliminating the need for additional train
-
Savings using divided wall columns
Jan-2019
Divided wall columns can provide substantial energy and capital cost savings compared to conventional distillation methods.
-
Replacing a corroded column with packing internals
Jul-2018
A corroded column was replaced with a new column equipped with high capacity packing. The cross sectional area is less than half that of the original.
-
Choosing tower internals for LNG, shale gas and tail gas treating
Mar-2013
It is well known that for best performance, tail gas treating requires the utmost in selectivity. Shale gas often contains a small amount of H2S in a much ...
-
Optimising heat recovery in a heat exchanger network
Apr-2022
Maintaining equal heat capacity flow rates for heat sink and source provides maximum heat recovery from an exchanger network.
-
Using process simulators will make your plant more productive and efficient
Mar-2005
The use of process simulators to model plant operations can provide a plant hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in increased production and lower ...
-
Identifying very small 
equipment leaks
Jan-2008
Very small leaks in feed/effluent exchangers can be identified using chemical tracing. This online technique can detect leaks as low as 5.0 ppm, avoiding ...
-
Packed bed performance analytics
Jun-2018
Advanced analytics introduce a numerical and easily understood approach to tower gamma scanning.
-
Process safety time for fired heaters
Dec-2020
Cases illustrate the actions needed to avoid hazards occurring when the supply to a fired heater is disturbed.
-
Some myths about mechanical cleaning
Aug-2018
Because it has long been the only option when unit cleaning becomes unavoidable, the true cost of mechanical cleaning has been overlooked.
-
Dynamic simulation to estimate 
tower relief
Jan-2019
When applied in the correct circumstances, dynamic analysis can help avoid unnecessary scope and project delays.
-
Increasing deisobutaniser capacity
Oct-2006
Insight into procedures and details involving a distillation revamp can be gained by looking at a project carried out on a deisobutaniser unit separating ...
-
Mar-2007
In amine sweetening units, the heat of absorption and VOC and BTEX solubility have been found to vary significantly with acid gas loading, as well as with ...
-
Key factors in selecting refractories for the hydrocarbon processing industry
Mar-2007
Longer campaigns, higher temperatures, and more oxygen all add up to increased wear and tear on process vessels and equipment and make proper material ...
-
Improving hydrotreater reactor performance
Jul-2008
Case study of a kerosene hydrotreater shows that combining new and old technologies - a unique inlet diffuser with Raschig rings - can significantly improve ...
-
Composition variety complicates processing plans for US shale gas
Oct-2008
This article reviews which gas processing technologies are appropriate for the variety of US shale gas qualities being produced and planned to be prod ...
-
Staged FCCU main fractionator revamp
Oct-2008
A refinery column is debottlenecked in steps to address operational concerns and strategic goals. Understanding the site specific operational nuances and ...
-
Improving VGO hydrotreater operation
Jan-2009
A practical, industrial data-derived tool can give refiners confidence in simulating the actual benefits of additional hydrogen for improved VGO hydrotreater ...
-
An evaluation of general “rules of thumb” in amine sweetening unit design and operation
Mar-2010
Many “rules of thumb” are widely used in the design and operation of amine sweetening units. These rules have been developed over the years and most ...
-
Tray hydraulic operating regimes 
and selectivity
Apr-2010
Tray hydraulics is discussed in terms of froth and spray operating regimes, and possible impacts on selectivity are pointed out by reference to performance ...
-
Improving performance through low-cost modification of tower internals
Jul-2010
Low-cost revamps of tower internals improve production from existing assets with a payback period of less than a year
-
Utilising the checkerwall as a 
static mixer to improve SRU 
process performance
Oct-2010
A little more than a decade ago, as Blasch Precision Ceramics began to steadily grow their hex head ferrule business, they began to field requests from ...
-
Combination mechanical slurry conditioning and filtration
Apr-2012
A novel definition of combination filtration provides process engineers with a framework for analysing operating bottlenecks
-
Putting a better spin on combustion
Jul-2013
How the incorporation of a mixing checkerwall can increase acid gas enrichment plant capacity, eliminating the need for additional train
-
Structured packing in a CO2 absorber
Oct-2014
Solvent regeneration is the biggest energy consumer in an amine treating unit but efforts to minimise energy consumption should be made cautiously
-
Reflux in a gas dehydration plant
Oct-2014
Gas dehydration by adsorbent processes may lead to the damaging regeneration reflux phenomenon during adsorbent regeneration
-
Debottlenecking an FCC gas concentration unit
Jan-2018
Component trapping by physical carry-over of water can cause capacity bottlenecks that are not easily predicted
-
Dynamic simulation to estimate 
tower relief
Jan-2019
When applied in the correct circumstances, dynamic analysis can help avoid unnecessary scope and project delays.
-
Getting the best out of your hydrocracker unit with new Equiflow® internal reactors (ERTC)
Jan-2019
In today’s complex environment, refineries and petrochemical plants around the world are on the lookout for advanced solutions to help them reach operational ...
-
Analysis, active filtration unlock guard vessel stability (ERTC)
Jan-2019
For the first time in years, they did not need jackhammers to unload the guard vessel. It was another short cycle, and there was another crust layer.
-
Spherical catalyst carriers with unprecedented size uniformity (ERTC)
Jan-2019
An increased demand for small diameter (less than 4 mm) spherical catalyst carriers led to the development of Saint-Gobain NorPro’s Accu® Spheres.
-
Jul-2019
The availability of devices capable of creating an image of the infrared radiation emitted by an item of process equipment such as the CO2 absorber in ...
-
Installation of a new flue gas tunnel design concept and resulting operation
Oct-2019
Conventional tunnels incorporate physical features that constrain design efficacy resulting in non-uniform flue gas flow both along the length of the tunnels ...
-
High octane isomerates from light naphtha
Feb-2020
Dividing wall column distillation is an energy efficient, cost effective alternative to conventional distillation for delivering high octane products from ...
-
Cleaning heater convection tubes
Feb-2020
Fired heater tubes are difficult to clean, but a sequence of operations can remove unwanted material from the tubes’ external surfaces and raise the ...
-
Apr-2013
To save project costs, the distillation towers for a new refinery were designed to meet process design objectives using best available technology
-
Troubleshooting a C3 splitter tower Part 1: evaluation
Oct-2014
Distillation trays are prone to channelling and multi-pass maldistribution in large diameter towers. Multichordal gamma scanning is key for solving such ...
-
Structured packing in a CO2 absorber
Oct-2014
Solvent regeneration is the biggest energy consumer in an amine treating unit but efforts to minimise energy consumption should be made cautiously
-
Wastewater stripper fouling cured
Jul-2014
Sulzer was contacted by two separate refiners who noted a continued fouling problem and short run lengths on their wastewater strippers. The configuration ...
-
Selective control for a total reflux column
Jul-2014
Operating problems with a de-ethaniser column led to the development of a new strategy for an advanced process control system
-
Tray design for high load applications
Jul-2014
Distillation is an essential separation technology in refineries, gas processing, and the chemical industries. Internals for distillation columns can be ...
-
Accurate prediction of tower relief
Apr-2014
A comparison of conventional and dynamic simulation methods applied to a project to debottleneck a deisobutaniser
-
Removing salts and contaminants in glycol regeneration
Apr-2014
A new process combining candle filters and pressure plate filters enables more glycol to be safely recovered from natural gas than by conventional met ...
-
Gas chromatography trends and troubleshooting in petrochemical analysis (part 1)
Mar-2014
Gas chromatography (GC) is at the fore in the petrochemical sector as an analytical method that can be applied across a broad range of applications.
-
Minimising transfer line vibrations
Oct-2013
Computational fluid dynamics was used effectively to solve start-up problems in a transfer line
-
Retrofitting a glycol contactor to 
prevent carryover
Oct-2013
A revamp of glycol contactor column internals, following CFD studies, resolved problems with gas production caused by glycol carryover
-
Online cleaning of an integrated distillation unit
Oct-2013
Online cleaning technology was validated during a scheduled turnaround at the second largest refinery in Poland.
-
Refining/petrochemical integration: a new paradigm
Sep-2013
The global trend in motor fuel consumption favours diesel over gasoline. There is a simultaneous increase in demand for various petrochemicals such as ...
-
Improving reaction furnace performance with the Blasch VectorWall mixing checkerwall
Sep-2013
Operators of large refractory lined combustion chambers, whether used as primary reaction furnaces, thermal oxidisers in tail gas units or miscellaneous ...
-
Putting a better spin on combustion
Jul-2013
How the incorporation of a mixing checkerwall can increase acid gas enrichment plant capacity, eliminating the need for additional train
-
Sour water strippers: design and operation
Apr-2013
Simpler, more cost-effective sour water stripper designs can outperform more generally accepted designs in the refining industry
-
Apr-2013
To save project costs, the distillation towers for a new refinery were designed to meet process design objectives using best available technology
-
Choosing tower internals for LNG, shale gas and tail gas treating
Mar-2013
It is well known that for best performance, tail gas treating requires the utmost in selectivity. Shale gas often contains a small amount of H2S in a much ...
-
Modular design of smaller-scale GTL plants
Jan-2013
Modularisation is opening up opportunities for GTL plants to monetise small-scale natural gas deposits both on- and offshore
-
Comparison of ideal stage and mass transfer models for separation processes
Apr-2012
The design and optimisation of separation processes is carried out using process simulators that utilise various calculation approaches. Two techniques ...
-
Combination mechanical slurry conditioning and filtration
Apr-2012
A novel definition of combination filtration provides process engineers with a framework for analysing operating bottlenecks
-
High-performance trays alone do not guarantee performance improvements
Apr-2012
A high-performance tray does not determine the effectiveness of the whole column. Other distillation equipment plays a vital role in a column revamp
-
Optimised reactor internals for a hydroprocessing unit
Apr-2012
Optimised distributor and quench box design can improve catalyst performance and unit reliability
-
Tray revamp for demethaniser ethane recovery
Oct-2011
As a first step in an ethane extraction plant’s operational improvement plan, a 
tray revamp was performed to improve both tray efficiency and ...
-
Oct-2011
Ring distributors are a simple yet effective means of improving air/steam distribution within the FCC unit
-
Dividing wall column technology as a way of removing benzene from refinery gasoline streams
May-2011
The primary separation method in the petrochemical industry is distillation, or fractionation, which is an energy-intensive process.
-
BASF Refinery Solutions on LinkedIn
-
Evonik Catalysts. Let's make a difference
-
Axens SAF Solutions
-
VectorWall two-stage SRU mixing system
-
Becht fired heaters services
-
Vacuum Systems
-
AMETEK Process Instruments Refinery Solutions
-
Level and density in resid hydrocracking processes
-
Most advanced fired heater convection section cleaning robot
-
Valves and Pumps for the Energy Industry
SPONSORS