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Installing a power recovery system on FCC or RFCC units
Jan-2010
Full examination of the design options and operating issues related to the installation of a PRS on a FCC or RFCC unit will increase energy efficiency ...
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Control of foaming in amine systems
Sep-2007
Amine solutions foam. Solution foaming causes plant upsets. It is the disengagement or break time that differentiates normal, desirable froth from undesirable ...
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Operating vacuum distillation ejector systems
Oct-2016
Best practices and opportunities to deliver reliable ejector system performance and reduce performance risk.
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Enhancing heat transfer in Texas Towers
Oct-2009
Retrofit technology enhances heat recovery in feed-effluent exchangers, increases throughput, reduces furnace load and provides cost benefits
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Conversion of natural 
gas to liquid fuels
Apr-2009
Companies aiming to bring gas to liquids projects to the 
commercial stage have encountered variable success
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Optimised hydrogen production by steam reforming: part I
Jan-2012
Modelling optimisation of process and design parameters for minimising natural gas consumption in hydrogen production by steam reforming
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Dynamic simulation: a tool for engineering problems
Oct-2012
Dynamic simulation can be used to solve engineering problems that require an 
in-depth understanding of transient processes
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Oct-2005
Fundamental design considerations influencing diesel and vacuum gas oil (VGO) recovery when revamping existing or designing grassroots crude units. By ...
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Metathesis: refinery and ethylene plant applications
Jul-2001
With the demand for propylene now exceeding that for C4s, the authors see the integration of the metathesis process in FCC units and steam crackers as ...
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Residue desulphurisation and conversion
Apr-2006
The current market forces that presage a boom in resid hydrotreatment are examined along with recently reported progress in technology
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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
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Reducing benzene 
in gasoline
Jul-2008
Cost-effective solutions for the reduction of benzene in gasoline, particularly with regard to MSAT II requirement
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Overcoming high conductivity in process condensate
Jan-2014
Analysis of design and operations enabled a refiner to eliminate contaminants from hydrogen plant process condensate by installing a high pressure str ...
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The challenges of crude blending - Part 2
Jun-2016
The second part of a two-part article details the importance of crude selection and blending strategies to prosper in a low cost yet volatile market.
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Chloride removal in refineries
Mar-2011
A review of catalytic removal of chlorides from refinery streams and a critique of current analytical techniques for estimating chloride content
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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 ...
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Mitigating fouling in the caustic tower
Oct-2013
Comprehensive analysis of foulants in an ethylene plant’s caustic tower led to the identification of an effective treatment programme
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Meeting Euro IV fuel specifications
Jan-2006
Pretreating technology and special catalysts can help refiners meet the current and forthcoming European environmental regulations and improve their FCCU ...
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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 ...
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Managing vanadium from high metals crude oils
Sep-2003
Improvements in process and equipment design with regard to crude unit and delayed coker distillation column performance can reduce metals content
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Safe removal of polymeric deposits
Jan-2015
Damaging polymeric fouling of internals can be cleaned in situ by safe 
chemical treatments. Butadiene polymer formation is not an unusual problem ...
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Jul-2019
Building a good time series model is the primary requirement for generating good oil price forecasts.
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HCN emissions in fluid catalytic cracking
Apr-2013
Increased attention to refinery emissions of hydrogen cyanide requires detailed understanding of its formation and conversion in the FCC regenerator
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Preventing ammonium salt fouling and corrosion
Jan-2018
Best practices and opportunities to reduce the risk of salt deposition and damage
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Carbon capture options for refiners
Mar-2012
An outline methodology identifies the most appropriate way to achieve a refinery’s carbon capture goal
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Transition to net zero: steps to decarbonise the oil refining industry
May-2022
A review of the solutions being employed by oil refineries to reduce their Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions.
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Achieving 95% direct CO2 reduction for hydrogen plants
Jun-2022
Decarbonisation solutions targeting existing refinery hydrogen plants enable refiners to achieve long-term CO2 capture while minimising site space requirements ...
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Start-up and shutdown issues in sulphur processing
Nov-2020
Knowing the limitations of the sulphur unit and what may occur during start-ups and shutdowns helps to prevent damage.
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Simulation model increases 
visbreaker conversion
Jan-2011
Introduction of advanced analytical monitoring, chemical treatment and process optimisation has raised the profitability of a visbreaker unit
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Flue gas heat recovery through the acid dew point
Jul-2019
Polymer based heat exchange technology enables more heat recovery from flue gas by addressing acid corrosion issues.
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Oil-to-chemicals: new approaches
Jul-2020
A review of developments and trends in the expanding business of oil-to-chemicals.
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Planning a turnaround that fits
Jan-2021
A risk based work selection process screens worklist items to ensure they are justified for risk reduction or financial benefit as part of a turnaroun ...
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Catalytic reforming in the biorefinery
Mar-2021
Optimum production of hydrogen in the reformer enables profitable production of diesel range biofuels by hydrotreating residual oils.
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High efficiency contaminant removal - Improving new and existing acid gas sweetening processes
Nov-2022
Gas sweetening processes using amine solvents are often challenged to meet productivity and reliability targets due to the impact of solid and liquid contamination. ...
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Combating green oil formation in a CCR reformer
Jul-2013
The addition of a chloride adsorber guard bed solved a refiner’s issues with contamination affecting a CCR reformer’s rich gas compressor
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Seismic design of structural steel pipe racks
Nov-2011
Structural steel pipe racks are structures in petrochemical, chemical and power plants that support pipes, power cables and instrument cable trays. Occasionally, ...
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Jun-2020
Petcoke gasification. The chemistry of gasification fits somewhere between combustion and pyrolysis. Combustion is a high temperature reaction in an excess ...
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Precision Comparison Case Study – HDXRF® vs ICP (IP 501 & IP 621)
Jul-2020
As petroleum professionals continue to refine their production processes, products such as crude oil, residual fuel oils, and VGO can contain higher concentrations ...
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Making innovative catalysts to trigger a reaction in chemical, gas and refining processes
Aug-2020
When you are creating high-quality petrochemical end products, you must first trigger a reaction.
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Capturing carbon dioxide from refinery streams
Aug-2020
Using hydrogen manufacturing units to demonstrate the relative benefits of technologies for capturing carbon from low and high pressure streams.
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Managing the life cycle of coke drums
Sep-2020
Coke drums have finite lives. Understanding where they are in their life cycle is key to managing spending on repair or replacement
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Oct-2020
Response to a question in the Q3 2020 issue of PTQ
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When replacement in-kind gives performance that isn’t: a vibration case study
Dec-2020
This story starts with a familiar scenario for a fluidised catalytic cracking unit (FCCU); a 30 year old waste heat boiler (WHB) had become a maintenance ...
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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.
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Feb-2021
Responses to a question in the Q1 2021 issues Q&A feature
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A smart approach to tank dewatering
Jun-2021
A tank dewatering technology using smart sensors is designed to reduce hydrocarbon losses and raise the quality of crude supplies to the refinery without ...
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Acid gas fired reheater control
Jun-2021
Operating as close as possible to the stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio is advised for acid gas fired reheaters.
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Catalyst switch solves NOx removal issues
Jun-2021
Changing to a corrugated honeycomb design from a pellet type for catalytic NOx reduction of a furnace’s flue gas stream overcame a series of operational ...
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Impact of chlorides on fluid catalytic cracking
Aug-2021
Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) is an important conversion process in many refineries. It produces transportation fuels, including gasoline and diesel precursors, ...
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Desalter chemical programmes for opportunity crudes
Nov-2021
Opportunity crude processing can present many challenges including incompatibility, high calcium and tramp amines.
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Resolving low slide valve differentials and catalyst circulation problems
Nov-2023
Troubleshooting catalyst circulation problems that lead to unscheduled shutdowns and reduced income.
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Technical solutions for hydrotreating
Nov-2023
Revamps and turnarounds allow time to upgrade hydroprocessing units to make refineries both profitable and sustainable
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Transforming refinery opportunities through FCC
Oct-2023
Pursuing a sustainable path for recycled and renewable feedstocks.
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Increasing efficiency of catalytic reformer unit fired heaters
Oct-2023
Application of ceramic coating on CRU heater tubing and refractory avoids oxidative scale formation, significantly lowering fuel consumption and CO2 f ...
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Advancements in retrofits for existing NGL recovery plants
Oct-2023
Better plant performance is achieved using proven retrofit techniques to upgrade a gas subcooled process or older plant with more recent retrofit tech ...
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27 years of reliable sulphur removal
Oct-2023
LO-CAT® technology is a liquid reduction-oxidation (redox) process that uses catalyst in an aqueous solution to convert hydrogen sulphide into elemental ...
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Pioneering gas analysis and empowering a sustainable future with Servomex
Oct-2023
In a world driven by technological advancements and an ever-increasing demand for environmental consciousness, the importance of accurate gas analysis ...
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Control corrosion in refineries and petrochemical plants
Oct-2023
Formation of a water-resistant organic film barrier stops electrochemical corrosion on metal surfaces.
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Evaluating purchased feedstocks for hydrocrackers and hydrotreaters
Sep-2023
Over the years in my career, I came to respect traders who could locate, negotiate, and purchase cheap feedstocks. The good traders seemed like sharks ...
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A systems approach at work to solve electrification challenges at scale
Sep-2023
Industrial organisations can push decarbonisation forward by shifting process heater systems from fossil fuel-burning to electric. This kind of electrification ...
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Spent caustic treatment and reuse
Sep-2023
Advances in environmentally friendly technologies, such as spent caustic treatment technologies, are key to the industry’s transition towards environmental ...
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Mitigating hazards ensuring worker safety in refining and petrochemical plants
Sep-2023
Safety in refining and petrochemical plants is crucial, as these workers deal with dangerous chemicals. The employees in this industry also handle equipment ...
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Proactively preventing reactor runaway events
Aug-2023
A quantitative method for selecting emergency actions could prevent hydrocracker reactor temperature excursion and runaway while avoiding flaring.
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Improve energy efficiency of your hydrocracking unit
Aug-2023
Reduced fuel firing in HCU product fractionators enables higher diesel yields and improved product properties while reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
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Structured catalyst reactor system for steam methane reforming
Aug-2023
Results from pilot plant test programme confirm significant advantages and value creation. Steam methane reforming is the predominant and most widely used ...
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Practical considerations for the design of adsorbent beds
Jul-2023
Refineries have to achieve outstanding reliability and in order to obtain this, they must ensure they optimise the lifetime of molecular sieves. Oil and ...
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Managing wear in severe services
Jul-2023
Wear in valves is an important concern for plant owners and operators. Particular materials can extend the lifetime of components used in the oil and gas ...
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Jul-2023
How to get around the shortage of chemical supplies affecting the production of purified water
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Fast response to the urgent need for a wastewater solution
Jul-2023
How mobile water treatment suppliers can help oil refinery and petrochemical firms protect licence to operate and reduce environmental impact during rapid ...
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Ensuring business continuity of ageing plants
Jul-2023
Effective strategies for maintenance and emergency situations and how production security can be at risk if water treatment fails.
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Refineries can reduce leak repairs by monitoring emissions
Jul-2023
Cutting oil refinery leak repair times by 80 percent through game-changing fixed, continuous emissions monitoring.
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Innovations in industrial zeolite mesoporisation deliver robust catalytic benefits in hydrocracking
Jul-2023
As the key value generator in many established refineries, increasing the output towards desired fractions in a hydrocracker is a major commercial and ...
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Advanced thermoplastic polymer supports processing of harsh chemicals
Jul-2023
The proprietary NeXRing in VICTREX PEEK polymer from Sulzer Chemtech is ideal for supporting the processing of harsh chemicals, thanks to its high temperature ...
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Debottlenecking product recovery using product pair distillation: Part II
Jul-2023
Advantages of using a thermodynamically efficient method to debottleneck existing distillation trains using fewer columns than traditional methods.
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Reducing emissions while increasing refinery margin
Jul-2023
A chemical heat pump that absorbs energy inside industrial waste heat has the potential to reduce pressure on refinery margin by fluctuating gas, electricity, ...