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Enhancements in Ethylene Oxide/Ethylene Glycol manufacturing technology
Aug-2017
The markets for ethylene oxide (EO) and ethylene glycol (EG) continue to see attractive growth. This means that at least one or two new plants will need ...
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Catalyst stripper improves FCC unit performance
Jul-2012
Stripper internals with improved mass transfer characteristics improve the performance of an FCC unit
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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
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Design challenges for future CO2 pipelines
Apr-2009
Overview of some design issues that need to be considered when planning, engineering and constructing pipelines to transport CO2 in its supercritical state ...
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Choosing the proper regulator for high-purity applications
Feb-2008
Regulators are highly technical, highly specialised fluid-handling components. So, the next time you need one please do not just grab one out of the supply ...
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Enhanced sulphur recovery from lean acid gases containing COS and mercaptans
Apr-2010
Claus configurations are available for more effective sulphur recovery from lean acid gas containing significant concentrations of organic sulphur com ...
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Submerged combustion vaporisers for LNG distribution facilities
Apr-1997
Submerged combustion vaporisers, used to vaporise LNG stored under low temperature, are ideal for peak shaving and base load facilities
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Impact of low-sulphur bunkers 
on refineries
Mar-2009
Proposed IMO global sulphur specifications on bunker fuels market and options available to reduce fuel oil sulphur are reviewed
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Heat exchange reforming in gas synthesis
Mar-2012
An exchange reformer design offers a very high reforming temperature and the option to reduce primary reformer size
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Estimating silicon accumulation in coker naphtha hydrotreaters
Mar-2012
Improved sampling and analysis of silicon in the feed enable a significant gain in the cycle life of coker naphtha hydrotreater catalysts
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Chemical analysis in amine system operations
Jul-2013
The array of contaminants that can disrupt the operation of alkanolamine systems needs to be precisely characterised and analysed
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Jul-2006
Issues to consider for extending the turnaround schedule of a delayed coking unit. Theory behind coke drum failure is discussed, with detailed solutions ...
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Bitumen processing: crude unit revamps
Jul-2011
The ability to process bitumen offers a competitive advantage, but revamps of crude and vacuum units to process bitumen require significant changes
to ...
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Efficiency factors in natural gas fired steam boilers
Jul-2020
A study to obtain maximum operating efficiency from a set of refinery steam boilers.
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The ART of trapping silicon and arsenic
Feb-2013
In an effort to lower costs and improve refining margins, refiners often look for opportunities to purchase lower cost crudes or other feedstocks
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FCC reactor design: 
part II
Jan-2009
In part I, reaction kinetics, cracking chemistry, pressure balance, catalyst and vapour residence times, and fluidisation were considered. In part II, ...
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Advances in delayed coking heat transfer equipment design
Nov-2008
The delayed coking process is used to crack heavy oils, normally vacuum residue, into more valuable light liquid products, with less valuable gas and solid ...
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More petrochemicals with less capital spending
Sep-2020
Even in nations with exceptional dependence on transportation fuels like Brazil, better integration with petrochemicals production is essential for re ...
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Gas and fire detection in a tankage area
Apr-2015
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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Medium-sized hydrogen plants based on convection reforming
Feb-2009
Topsoe offers clients flexible and tailor-made solutions for hydrogen production by integrating catalyst and technology. The integrated approach ensures ...
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Myth of high cutpoint in dry 
vacuum units
Apr-2014
Accurate measures of true boiling point cutpoints are essential to correctly evaluate vacuum unit performance
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Artificial intelligence for refiners
Jan-2019
First define the problem, then artificial intelligence can be the way forward to higher operational efficiencies.
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Fifty years of CCR platforming
Jan-2021
Professionals in the oil and gas industry today may not remember when gasoline was sold in multiple grades that included fuels containing tetraethyl l ...
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Tail gas catalyst performance: part 2
Dec-2014
The second part of a two-part account of time and temperature effects on tail gas catalyst performance gives a background to reaction modelling and pilot ...
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Conversion of syngas to diesel
Apr-2008
An overview of Fischer-Tropsch technologies for the production of diesel from syngas using a variety of feedstocks
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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 ...
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Jan-2006
How much CO2 can a refinery release into the atmosphere? This is one of the many challenges facing refineries when it comes to reducing CO2 emmisions
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Maximise olefins through catalytic cracking Indmax FCC process
Apr-2008
The primary purpose of the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process historically has been to convert low-valued, heavier petroleum streams into gasoline, ...
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Desalting heavy Canadian crudes
Oct-2012
Effective desalting requires large desalters and attention to all variables associated with good desalter performance
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A refinery’s journey to energy efficiency
Mar-2016
Identifying a series of areas for improvement transformed the energy performance of a refinery with a 60-year history
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Apr-2017
Predictive analytics is an evolving technology with many potential applications in and gains for the process industries
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Crude oil sourcing: price and opportunity
Apr-2017
Sourcing crudes for the best refining margin needs to be supported by a detailed procurement strategy.
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Dividing wall columns for gas plants
Jul-2018
Uniting two unit offerings into one column shell can lead refiners to improve the profitability of their gas plants.
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Controlling film temperature in fired heaters
Jan-2013
Film temperature control is critical to the successful design of fired heaters, especially for heaters employed in upgrading heavy feedstocks
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Maximising ethane in liquids crackers
Jan-2013
Economics for energy and feedstock supply favour ethane feed cracking, but plant constraints must be examined rigorously before maximum ethane feeds are ...
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Planning for a refinery turnaround
Jan-2019
A consistent approach, coupled with an aligned team, leads to successful preparation at the front end of a turnaround.
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Avoiding unplanned reactor shutdowns
Feb-2019
In hydroprocessing operations, prevention is better than just dealing with the effects of corrosion and fouling problems.
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Understanding centrifugal compressor performance
Apr-2002
In a connected process system, expensive changes to the compressor and driver can be avoided with system debottlenecking modifications
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Choosing quench interbed technology
Jan-2010
A design for hydroprocessing interbed internals favours separate mixing of gas and liquid phases before contacting of the two phases occurs
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Choose the right hose: a practical guide to hose selection
Mar-2013
The right hose keeps your process performing safely and cost effectively. The wrong hose could undermine your process, put personnel at risk and compromise ...
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Predicting middle distillate properties
Apr-2019
Development of on-stream correlation models to predict cloud point, flash point and freezing point and increase production of on-spec jet fuel using a ...
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FCC gasoline desulphurisation for Tier 3 sulphur compliance
Sep-2017
FCC gasoline desulphurisation is used widely in refineries around the world. It is growing in importance because of new regulations that require sulphur ...
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Crude oil vapour pressure testing
Jan-2012
Vapour pressure testing is an important safety check in the transport, storage and blending of crude oil
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Myth of high cutpoint in dry 
vacuum units
Apr-2014
Accurate measures of true boiling point cutpoints are essential to correctly evaluate vacuum unit performance
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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 ...
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The ART of trapping silicon and arsenic
Feb-2013
In an effort to lower costs and improve refining margins, refiners often look for opportunities to purchase lower cost crudes or other feedstocks
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High efficiency zero export steam reforming
Sep-2016
Development of a new hydrogen production technology based on steam methane reforming.
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Dec-2016
Feed containing fines, in-organic matter, sludge, rust etc. can cause excessive pressure drop build-up issues in hydroprocessing reactors.
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Centrifugal compressor operations
Jul-2004
The wet gas compressor is used as an example in this article reviewing compressor performance, operating conditions and basic control philosophy
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Using pinch technology in operations?
Sep-2013
Pinch Technology is a well established concept, and a tool used to optimise waste heat recovery and design efficient heat integration schemes in a wide ...
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Recovery of ammonia from sour gases and conversion to valuable products
Oct-2022
Sour gases generated from a two-stage sour water stripping unit (SWSU) comprise mainly two types of waste stream: an H₂S-rich stream and an NH₃-rich ...
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DWC technology for improved separation and reduced CO2 emissions
Oct-2022
The two most important challenges today’s refinery and petrochemical industries are facing from a sustainability point of view are reducing carbon footprints ...
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Three steps to optimise fractionator performance with plate technology
Oct-2022
The refining industry has dealt with various challenges throughout its history, but the current pressure from a range of factors, such as energy optimisation, ...
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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 ...
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Enhancing flexibility in two-stage hydrocrackers
Aug-2022
Shifting markets and refined product priorities compels refiners to find the flexibility for shifting from middle distillate to naphtha for petrochemical ...
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Role of FCC process and catalysts in the energy transition
Aug-2022
In the evolving circular economy, proper leveraging of FCC technology and operations can deliver value for refiners in the decades going forward.
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Adsorbent choices help refiners find safer solutions
Aug-2022
For refiners, selection of the proper adsorbent, or combination of adsorbents, is critical to ensure the removal of all contaminants during olefin (such ...
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New graphical procedure to design reactor supports used in industry
Aug-2022
Two reactor models used in gas recovery demonstrate a new design strategy that can lead to significant savings in material cost and engineering design ...
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Capital priorities in the downstream industry
Aug-2022
Margins opportunities in chemicals and biofuels dominate long-term investments.
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A step change in feed nozzle design
Aug-2022
How Shell’s Max Atomisation Feed Nozzle technology can improve FCC unit margins with minimal capital investment, including audited results from three ...
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FCC unit yield improvement with artificial intelligence
Aug-2022
How closed loop neural networks have improved FCC yields via direct control and continuous optimization.
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Stationing an operator at a pressure safety valve bypass
Aug-2022
Caution is recommended before stationing an operator at the PSV bypass for overpressure protection.
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Challenges with carbon disulphide removal in petrochemical naphtha
Aug-2022
Meeting new specifications for removing carbon disulphide in petrochemical naphtha using dividing wall column technology.
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Optimising oil and gas operations - when to decommission or modernise
Aug-2022
To make accurate, timely decisions to maximise the value of their assets today and in the future, refiners and other oil and gas companies need quality ...
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Biofeed co-processing for fuel production
Aug-2022
Comprehensive review of corrosion operating concerns when co-processing renewables and bio-oils through existing hydrotreaters, FCC units, amine units, ...
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Production optimisation for refining and olefins: how best to achieve it
Aug-2022
To suceed, companies must decisively implement production optimisation strategies using the latest AI-driven technologies, like digital twins and prescriptive ...
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Safety in turnaround power services
Jul-2022
Renting power systems during a turnaround or unexpected shutdown must take into account the health and safety of contractors and plant personnel working ...
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Jul-2022
With the introduction of the 4th generation AC Analytical Controls (AC) Reformulyzer M4, group type analysis of finished gasoline and its precursors & ...
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Determination of total sulphur in biofuels from feedstock to endproduct according to ASTM D5453
Jul-2022
Sulphur is a natural component in both crude oil and biobased feedstocks that will be present in diesel and gasoline unless it is removed during the production ...
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AC Analytical Controls productivity center combines full ASTM D86 alternative in a single GC
Jul-2022
Distillation is a method that separates a liquid mixture by boiling and subsequent condensation of the gas phase.
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Jul-2022
The AC Reformulyser is one of the most used analysers worldwide to determine the total aromatic, total olefin, benzene, oxygen content, and oxygenates ...
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Jul-2022
ASTM D6667 is an established test method for the determination of total volatile sulphur in gaseous hydrocarbons and liquefied petroleum gases (LPG). This ...
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Improving accuracy and precision in crude oil boiling point dstribution analysis
Jul-2022
It is not a secret that the most valuable cuts of the crudes are present in the lighter part of them, where primarily gasoline, kerosene, diesel and jet ...
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Jul-2022
In the crude oil value chain, margins are a big deal
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Refineries can choose from different options for distillation of gasoline at atmospheric pressure
Jul-2022
Many refineries use a combination of technologies to efficiently measure and optimise the distillation of crude oil into separate hydrocarbon components, ...
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Steam methane reformer tube lifecycle improvement best practices
May-2024
(White Paper) - Reformer tube life assessment can be done via online monitoring, non-destructive testing, and tube harvesting with historical operating, ...