Decrease catalyst costs by regeneration, analysis and sorting

Mar-2012

Use of regenerated catalyst can be maximised by careful sampling and analysis of spent catalyst to construct a reactor contamination profile

Reducing hydrocarbons in SWS acid gas

Oct-2016

Measures to minimise the level of hydrocarbons in sour water and thereby protect the efficiency of the sulphur plant.

Cracking hydrocarbon feedstock with a heavy tail

Mar-2013

The introduction of a vapour/liquid separation step allows for the efficient removal of a heavy tail from the furnace convection section

Strategies for increasing production of light cycle oil

Oct-2009

Refineries should consider several strategies, including recycle and enhanced catalyst activity, to increase LCO output from the FCCU while minimising ...

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 ...

Stop gas leaks from compressor packings

Apr-2015

A new piston rod sealing technology based on a pressurised oil barrier can eliminate a significant source of gas leaks from reciprocating compressors.

Designing for sulphur removal and storage: part 1

Apr-2010

Selection of technologies for the sulphur block must serve legislative demands and the efficient operation of upstream processes

Practical flare gas recovery for minimising flaring

Apr-2015

Flares play a critical role as a safety device in refineries, and in most oil and gas producing or processing facilities.

FCC product fractionation for maximum LCO

Jul-2017

For increased production of diesel over gasoline, maximising recovery of LCO from the FCC reactor can be part of the scheme

Isokinetic nozzles for steam sampling

Nov-2016

The proper design of a sampling system is critical for a sample that is representative of the stream to be measured.

Crude oil cargo selection and time frame of LP optimisation

Jul-2010

Combinatorial selection is the most rigorous and theoretically correct method of crude oil cargo evaluation. Efficient algorithms are key to its imple ...

Improving residue hydrocracking performance

Jul-2011

Trials with a catalyst system for enhanced transfer of hydrogen to asphaltenes show reduced sediment formation and fouling in ebullated-bed residue hy ...

Delayed coking: valves make the difference

Jan-2009

Traditional manual methods of coke drum unheading are labour intensive, costly to maintain, expensive to repair and carry inherent risk for personnel on ...

Tray technology 
enhances extraction

Oct-2007

A case study involving the revamp of two rotating disc contactors in aromatics service highlights the most important design considerations for enhancing ...

Risks of accumulated sulphur in sulphur recovery units

Apr-2014

While recovering sulphur in an SRU depends on condensation of sulphur, its unintended condensation and accumulation can present problems.

Cuba’s oil: due for development

Apr-2017

Cuba’s ambitions for energy self-sufficiency require major investment in the nation’s oil reserves and refining industry

Vacuum unit pressure control

Sep-2006

Operational issues such as higher heater duty and column pressure must be weighed against avoiding residue entrainment in HVGO

The hazards of fired heater flooding

Nov-2020

Heater flooding is a serious and potentially dangerous condition which must be dealt with properly and quickly.

Sharing the load: proper control methods for parallel refrigeration compressors

Jan-2015

Parallel refrigeration machines have been in use for decades in the LNG industry primarily for the Phillips Cascade LNG process which utilises parallel ...

Capture and convert - handling mercaptans in hydrocarbon streams

Dec-2008

With the development of increasingly difficult hydrocarbon streams, mercaptans emerge as a major nuisance. The removal and conversion of mercaptans is ...

Improving refinery distillation operations

Apr-2008

The outline of a route map or staged approach to unit process improvement follows similar steps to those taken when installing advanced controls on a ...

A cheaper way of alkylating propylene and amylenes

Oct-1997

The authors describe how propylene and amylenes can be alkylated using much less sulphuric acid catalyst

Role of fired heater safety systems

Jul-2013

A fully automated burner management system operating as a SIS for burner control can meet minimum safety targets, improve system availability and lower ...

Valuable liquids from refinery gases

Oct-2012

With appropriate treatment schemes, refinery off-gases can be valuable sources of olefins and hydrogen

Simulating and monitoring H2 plant operations

Oct-2012

A computer program was developed to enable a refinery to monitor its hydrogen production daily to foresee potential operating problems

Tube rupture in a natural gas heater

Feb-2016

Dynamic simulation supports the use of a pressure safety valve over a rupture disk in the event of a tube rupture

Developments in H2S scavenging

Jun-2018

Advances in the application of triazine scavengers have significantly 
improved process efficiencies.

Gases: identifying hazards and mitigating risks

Feb-2012

Although critical for the operation of refineries and petrochemical plants, industrial gases can be associated with a spectrum of possible hazards and ...

Understanding FCC feeds and benefits to refinery operation

Apr-2015

In this work, over one hundred FCC feed samples, originating from diverse geographic locations and consisting of assorted FCC refinery streams, were a ...

Sulphidation corrosion in a claus waste heat boiler

Aug-2021

Simulation enabled a refiner to avoid potentially dangerous operating conditions in a sulphur recovery unit.

Optimise hydrocracker operations for maximum distillates

Apr-2012

Estimation of an accurate operating window for a hydrocracker enables refiners to minimise yields of light ends and maximise diesel production

RFCC units set new standard for propylene production

Oct-2012

RFCC units are being commissioned and operated to convert hydrotreated and straight-run resid to high levels of propylene

Metathesis for maximum propylene

Apr-2006

Using metathesis technology to process refinery-based C4 feedstocks can maximise propylene. The economic advantages of flow schemes using alpha-olefins ...

Value maximisation in FCC units using multispecialty catalyst formulation

Feb-2023

Increasing propylene yields while reducing bottoms production.

Gasifying coke to produce hydrogen 
in refineries

Jul-2012

Coke gasification to produce hydrogen for hydroprocessing is more capital intensive than steam methane reforming, but not so vulnerable to natural gas ...

Simplifying hydrogen production

Jun-2017

Catalyst systems developed for the purification and reforming sections of the hydrogen plant target significant barriers to efficient production.

Realities of heat flux in fired heaters

Nov-2020

Uneven radiant heat flux distribution is a major cause of poor reliability in refinery fired heaters.

Challenges of heavy crude processing

Oct-2012

A review of upgrading options and refinery configurations to process heavy crudes profitably. Refiners have long faced a major dilemma when designing refineries ...

Stripping sour water: the effect of heat stable salts

Oct-2012

Mass transfer rate-based simulation models sour water stripping and assesses the distribution of ammonia in conventional amine treating systems

Acid gas treatment upgrade for Qatargas

Jul-2016

Upgrading acid gas treatment at the world’s largest LNG facility safeguards the plant’s design capacity and its ability to process increasingly sour ...

SOx and NOx emission abatement in the FCC

Feb-2018

The complexities of sulphur and nitrogen species formation in the FCC call for tailor made catalyst additive chemistry to limit formation of polluting ...

IIoT in energy optimisation

Dec-2020

Leveraging IIOT concepts leads to a reduction in energy consumption and improved refining margin

Refiner’s role in upgrading plastic waste

Sep-2022

Plastic consumption is projected to skyrocket in the coming decades for packaging, automobiles and construction, increasing to 1, 231 million tonnes in ...

Catalyst technologies for improved FCC yields

Nov-2017

Boron based nickel passivation enables refiners to reduce contaminant hydrogen and coke production and improve FCC yields.

Advances in residue hydrocracking

Mar-2018

Recent developments in ebullated bed hydrocracking technology target high residue conversion and high quality products.

Electrification and medium voltage process heater systems

Feb-2022

Decarboniation efforts worldwide, led both by industry leaders and legislation, have increased efforts to shift fossil fuel use to renewables. One way ...

Reducing hydrocarbons in SWS acid gas

Oct-2016

Measures to minimise the level of hydrocarbons in sour water and thereby protect the efficiency of the sulphur plant.

Turnaround at a crude unit

Jan-2022

Improvements in performance and energy efficiency were achieved during the turnaround of a crude distillation unit.

Choosing a neutralising amine corrosion inhibitor

Jul-2004

A review of physical and chemical properties of commonly used amine-based corrosion inhibitors. The authors highlight the relative strengths and weaknesses ...

Improving the distillation energy network

Oct-2013

Energy-efficient design applied to the refit of a distillation unit was achieved through optimisation between the distillation column and heat network ...