ARTICLES
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Understanding basic principles of flow calculations
Mar-2008
Valve size often is described by the nominal size of the end connections, but a more important measure is the flow that the valve can provide.
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Managing fouling in refinery networks
Jul-2015
Modelling heat exchanger and other networks enables the use of dynamic fouling models in performance assessment and predictive studies
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Spent sulphuric acid regeneration (SAR) process
May-2012
Several chemical processes utilise concentrated sulphuric acid as a catalyst or dehydrating agent, in which the acid becomes “spent”; ie, weakened ...
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Processing high TAN crude: part I
Jan-2010
Huizhou, which is the first refinery for processing 100% high TAN crude, started up in 2009. This article describes the challenges of an opportunity crude ...
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Hydrogen generation for modern refineries
Jan-2009
With increasing demand for diesel, more stringent product specifications for cleaner fuels, reduced fuel oil demand and the economic advantages in processing ...
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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
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Naphtha catalytic cracking for propylene production
Mar-2013
Investment in on-purpose propylene production technology based on naphtha-based feedstock is taking on various process configurations
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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 ...
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A novel approach to cleaning furnace coils
Jul-2013
A modified pigging operation aims to greatly reduce the time required for coke removal from furnace coils
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High-purity propylene from refinery LPG
Apr-2012
A case study and financial analysis show that investment opportunities for refiners exist with the expected future high price of propylene
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Catalytic reforming options and practices
Apr-2010
Design and practice in catalytic reforming is evolving to meet refinery challenges, including lower gasoline pool benzene content and increased demand ...
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Oil/water separation technologies
Apr-2013
Where stable emulsions cannot be removed mechanically, the application of demulsifiers, coagulants and flocculants accelerates the separation process
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Optimising sweep gas flow in a flare header
Oct-2012
How to calculate the minimum flow of flare header sweep gas needed to maintain safe conditions
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Improved hydrogen yield in catalytic reforming
Jan-2013
A process step that sends higher-boiling C6 hydrocarbons to light tops isomerisation delivers an increase in hydrogen production from naphtha catalytic ...
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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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Calculating column relief loads
Apr-2010
Conventional, steady-state and dynamic simulation techniques are compared in a study of relief loads for failure modes applied to a distillation colum ...
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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 ...
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Jan-2008
Highly exothermic olefins saturation and silica contamination can occur when hydrotreating coker naphtha.
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Apr-2003
A review of the use of chloride guard beds to treat liquid phase and gas phase streams to prevent operational problems from hard-to-detect organic chlorides, ...
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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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Alarm floods and plant incidents
Jul-2012
Alarm floods and their contribution to industrial incidents can be controlled successfully through all process states
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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 ...
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Crude overhead system design considerations
Jul-2007
Proper crude unit overhead system design is important when building a new unit or revamping an existing one to process different crudes
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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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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
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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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Managing fouling in refinery networks
Jul-2015
Modelling heat exchanger and other networks enables the use of dynamic fouling models in performance assessment and predictive studies
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Experimental phase balance assessment for duplex stainless steel welded pipe
Jan-2018
This paper discusses the assessment of weld metal ferrite content in duplex stainless steel pipe welded at a 45˚angle
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Delek brings refineries into synchronised digital maturity
Jul-2020
Since the company was founded in the early 2000s, the business strategy at Delek US Holdings, Inc. has focused on rapid growth through acquisition of downstream ...
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Computation of heat conduction in welding of thick wall reactor vessels
Sep-2017
The welding of reactors in refinery is complex due to various phase formation during and after welding. Each phase was unique with success of welding lies ...
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CCS from refinery emissions: CO2 purity must be analysed and controlled
Jun-2020
One of the most promising measures to decarbonise refinery operations is carbon capture and storage (CCS) from existing combustion processes, such as process ...
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IMO 2020 - Maritime CEMS and refinery changes
May-2020
For several years, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has stipulated low levels of sulphur emissions close to densely populated coastal areas, ...
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Hydrogen SMR energy efficiency optimisation
May-2020
Steam methane reformers (SMR) are the most common hydrogen production technique in the oil and gas industry.
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Environmental monitoring and management in the downstream oil and gas sector
Apr-2020
Keeping it clean, keeping it green. Ground water, rain water run-off and effluent. Contaminated soil replacement in spillage areas, excavated soil disposal ...
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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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Hydrogen – making the move from industrial gas to fuel
May-2020
Our sun creates energy through the fusion reaction of hydrogen to form helium: that’s been going on for millions of years.
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Improved hydrogen yield in catalytic reforming
Jan-2013
A process step that sends higher-boiling C6 hydrocarbons to light tops isomerisation delivers an increase in hydrogen production from naphtha catalytic ...
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Molecular management for refinery-petrochemical complexes
Aug-2020
Designing a digital twin for process simulation of an integrated complex enables enhanced molecular management to deliver higher margin.The future comprises ...
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Modelling ethane absorption in MEA solution
Jun-2018
Solving foaming problems related to absorption of hydrocarbon and feed contaminants by amine solution.
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Steam reforming natural gas containing higher hydrocarbons
Apr-2013
A method is described for estimating reformed gas composition in a primary reformer when the feed is a natural gas containing higher hydrocarbons
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Nov-2020
The global climate change and the needed GHG emission reduction, as well as increasing awareness of the circular economy have pushed towards thinking about ...
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Minimise amine losses in gas and liquid treating
Jun-2018
Even with incomplete information, a systematic approach can be used to identify the source of amine losses and the action needed to reduce them.
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Jan-2008
Highly exothermic olefins saturation and silica contamination can occur when hydrotreating coker naphtha.
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A novel approach to cleaning furnace coils
Jul-2013
A modified pigging operation aims to greatly reduce the time required for coke removal from furnace coils
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Reducing NOx emissions from an FCC unit (TIA)
Aug-2018
Refinery processes account for a considerable share of the overall emissions of air pollutants in Europe. The Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) is the ...
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Jun-2017
There is a good economic case for petcoke slurry as a refinery fuel, but first you need to deal with the rheology
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Refinery protection with gas detection
Apr-2020
Based on several recent M&A transaction valuations it is fair to say that the price tag of a medium-sized, medium-complexity refinery in Europe is in the ...
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Boosting mild hydrocracking performance
Aug-2020
Optimising its mild hydrocracking operations using new catalyst developments enabled a refinery to meet more complex targets for fuel quality.
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Jun-2016
The outlook and opportunities for petrochemicals based on China’s development of shale gas
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Revamping crude towers for quality and yield
Nov-2016
A successful revamp of distillation towers for increased diesel quality and yield depended on reliable design and accurate assembly
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Harnessing the power of a digital platform to increase customer success
May-2021
(White Paper) - Digitalisation has potential benefits across the oil and gas value chain. The InFocus™ Online Platform allows ExxonMobil Catalyst and ...
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Process and catalysis factors to maximise propylene output
May-2021
(White Paper) - Catalyst selection and process design enable a new RFCC unit to maximise propylene production from a range of feeds.
The ... -
Getting the most out of syngas
May-2021
Optimise production and effectively remove CO2 from syngas with the right separation equipment.
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Advances in crude to chemicals
Apr-2021
In mature markets like the US, refineries are revisiting their business models, asset base and technology options. This is due to regional and global changes ...
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Catalytic answer to a steam cracking challenge
Apr-2021
Rapid growth in steam cracker capacity has encountered a developing problem – contamination of opportunity naphtha feed by carbon disulphide.
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Accurate analysis of chlorine in vacuum gas oil and low sulphur fuel oil
Apr-2021
Why measure chlorine in vgo and vlsfo? Vacuum gas oil, more commonly referred to as VGO, is primarily used as a feed for cracking units such as the fluid ...
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Apr-2021
An alumina-supported catalyst for ULSD production or hydrocracking pretreat provides longer catalyst cycles, higher throughput, and better product qua ...
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Why doesn’t a great maintenance process equal great results? - Part 2
Apr-2021
In Part 1 we observed that some of the best results come from organisations with poor maintenance work processes and some organisations with a great work ...
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Driving change across the downstream industry
Apr-2021
Asian Downstream Insights Exclusive Interview with Andy Saunders-Tack, Director, Asia-Pacific and Mel Larson, Strategic Consulting Manager at Becht
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Apr-2021
Fired equipment is a critical part of most refinery process units. Operating at high temperatures and potentially high pressures make these equipment items ...
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Apr-2021
Becht has a team of HF Alky experts that have established and led the alkylation networks and licensing activities for companies like XOM, BP, P66, Shell, ...
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Why doesn’t a great maintenance process equal great results? - Part 1
Apr-2021
Becht has made an interesting observation after working in several facilities: some of the best results come from organisations with poor maintenance work ...
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Optimising information from thickness data
Apr-2021
Thickness measurement data generated through the routine inspection program represents the largest source of data generated in the mechanical integrity ...
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Navigating the greenhouse gas conundrum
Apr-2021
How supply chain ecosystems can meet new renewable growth demands.
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Piping and instrument diagrams: Part 2 Causes and management of change
Apr-2021
It is difficult to categorise or group the many reasons for routine or late changes to a P&ID. Some causes are listed here.
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Critical mass duration for process outages
Apr-2021
Avoid this surprise when determining how long your next process outage will take.
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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 ...
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Mar-2021
Oil and gas operations success hinges on digital transformation. Between diverse business models and fluctuating market and regulatory pressures, every ...
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Evaluating hydrogen rich fuel gas firing
Mar-2021
A sudden shift to hydrogen rich fuel gas firing may not be prudent if a fired heater is not designed for it.
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Mar-2021
A process for wet scrubbing off-gases from the SRU helps preserve neighbourly relations.
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Delayed coker revamp for a capacity increase
Mar-2021
Revamping to a three-drum coker arrangement delivered improved product yields, higher throughput, and greater feedstock flexibility.
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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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Mar-2021
Hybrid modelling combines artificial intelligence and processing expertise to develop accurate models of refining processes.
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Trends and developments in gas analysis
Mar-2021
Technical and digital developments are modernising the way gas analysers are built and used.
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Reducing FCC main fractionator operating risks
Mar-2021
Analysis of an FCC main fractionator upset and follow-up revamp showed that removal of the HCO wash section did not impact operations or product quali ...
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Harnessing the power of a digital platform to increase customer success
May-2021
(White Paper) - Digitalisation has potential benefits across the oil and gas value chain. The InFocus™ Online Platform allows ExxonMobil Catalyst and ...
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Process and catalysis factors to maximise propylene output
May-2021
(White Paper) - Catalyst selection and process design enable a new RFCC unit to maximise propylene production from a range of feeds.
The ...
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Oil and gas water treatment applications
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Follow PTQ and DigitalRefining on LinkedIn
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Processing heavy canadian crude
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Be future forward
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Ball valves for pipelines and refineries
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SSX™ Technology
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Axens on Youtube
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Jet mixers for tank mixing and blending
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Process burners
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FCC catalysts & additives
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FluegasExact 2700 effective combustion analysis
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