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Choosing a neutralising amine corrosion inhibitor
Jul-2004A 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-2007Proper 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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An atmospheric crude tower revamp
Jul-2005Overall gas oil yield was maintained with heavier crudes due to a crude tower revamp. The revamp allowed for a crude heater outlet temperature reducti ...
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Maximisation of VGO through deep-cut distillation for refinery margins
Jan-2011Appropriate choice of crude and/or crude oil blends as feedstock and a vacuum tower revamp enable higher production of vacuum gas oil
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Why vacuum unit fired heaters coke
Oct-2004A description of the internal workings of vacuum heaters and the causes of coke formation within them
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Diesel and VGO recovery
Oct-2005Fundamental design considerations influencing diesel and vacuum gas oil (VGO) recovery when revamping existing or designing grassroots crude units. By ...
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Entrainment issues in vacuum column flash zones
Jan-2010For a vacuum tower to operate effectively, the flash zone and the wash section must work together to provide the best possible feed quality to the sections ...
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Designing the CDU/VDU for opportunity crudes
Oct-2012New units for processing heavy crudes should not be designed using conventional practices or run length will be short, and product yields and quality ...
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Improving the distillation energy network
Oct-2013Energy-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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Improved conceptual process design avoids revamp scope growth
Mar-2002For grassroots design, defining project scope is a straightforward exercise. Grassroots projects can follow optimum execution procedures for engineering ...
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Consider retrofits to handle high-viscosity crudes
Mar-2004In 2000, ConocoPhillips’ refinery in Sweeny, Texas, began processing 16° API gravity blends of extra-heavy crude oils, including Merey 16 and BCF 1 ...
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Revamping atmospheric crude heaters
Sep-2007Revamp of an atmospheric crude unit heater suffering from coking caused by asphaltene precipitation resulted in an increased heater run length
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Increasing crude unit preheat
Jan-2006Cost-effective exchanger network solutions need to rely on more than just pinch technology if they are to be successful
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Identifying poor heat exchanger performance
Sep-2007Identifying root causes of poor crude unit debutaniser reboiler performance and low-cost solutions that help meet exchanger original design conditions
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Foam control in crude units
Oct-2004Installation of vortex tube clusters in crude unit preflash drums has eliminated foam carry-over, increasing diesel and atmospheric gasoil product yie ...
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Future of opportunity crudes processing
Oct-2011Five critical drivers help refiners remain profitable and sustain long-term business goals while processing relatively inexpensive, low-quality crudes
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Vacuum unit performance
Oct-2012Inaccurate feed characterisation and process modelling errors are major contributors to poor performance in a vacuum unit as refiners switch to heavier ...
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Vacuum unit pressure control
Sep-2006Operational issues such as higher heater duty and column pressure must be weighed against avoiding residue entrainment in HVGO
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Myth of high cutpoint in dry vacuum units
Apr-2014Accurate measures of true boiling point cutpoints are essential to correctly evaluate vacuum unit performance
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Preventing ammonium salt fouling and corrosion
Jan-2018Best practices and opportunities to reduce the risk of salt deposition and damage
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Bitumen processing: crude unit revamps
Jul-2011The 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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Vacuum unit troubleshooting
Sep-2003Case studies show how accurate field-measured differential pressure can be interpreted incorrectly when troubleshooting refinery vacuum columns
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Evaluating opportunity crude processing
Oct-2006Is processing opportunity crudes for every refiner? Technical challenges and economic benefits from processing high-acid crudes and bottom-of-the-barrel ...
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Reducing vacuum tower pressure
Apr-2015To create a better vacuum the vapour load to the ejector has to be reduced
Most Popular
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Choosing a neutralising amine corrosion inhibitor
Jul-2004A 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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Revamping crude towers for quality and yield
Nov-2016A successful revamp of distillation towers for increased diesel quality and yield depended on reliable design and accurate assembly
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An atmospheric crude tower revamp
Jul-2005Overall gas oil yield was maintained with heavier crudes due to a crude tower revamp. The revamp allowed for a crude heater outlet temperature reducti ...
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Flue gas heat recovery through the acid dew point
Jul-2019Polymer based heat exchange technology enables more heat recovery from flue gas by addressing acid corrosion issues.
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Flexible upgrading of heavy feedstocks
Feb-2019Adding tailor-made options for upgrading heavy crudes to existing assets can adapt refineries to changes in market conditions and regulatory demands.
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Myth of high cutpoint in dry vacuum units
Apr-2014Accurate measures of true boiling point cutpoints are essential to correctly evaluate vacuum unit performance
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Consider retrofits to handle high-viscosity crudes
Mar-2004In 2000, ConocoPhillips’ refinery in Sweeny, Texas, began processing 16° API gravity blends of extra-heavy crude oils, including Merey 16 and BCF 1 ...
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Loss into gain in high capacity trays - Part 1: excursion
Jun-2016Systematic troubleshooting diagnosed and solved two complex and independent problems that limited the capacity of an atmospheric crude distillation to ...
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Troubleshooting vacuum systems
Oct-2016Case histories of refinery vacuum tower problems solved are gleaned from five decades of experience.
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Foam control in crude units
Oct-2004Installation of vortex tube clusters in crude unit preflash drums has eliminated foam carry-over, increasing diesel and atmospheric gasoil product yie ...
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Problems in processing discounted crudes Part 2: crude and vacuum columns
May-2019Project costs must be considered to fully understand whether or not an opportunity crude really does deliver on savings.
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Problems in processing discounted crudes Part 1: definition and crude preheat
Feb-2019Project costs must be considered to fully understand whether or not an opportunity crude really does deliver on savings.
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Correcting vacuum column design flaws
Apr-2017Conventional design practices have been proven inadequate when maximising diesel recovery and gas oil cut point
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Oil recovery from tank sludge
Nov-2017Thorough tank cleaning means removing all of the sludge and restoring the vessel’s full storage capacity.
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Vacuum unit troubleshooting
Sep-2003Case studies show how accurate field-measured differential pressure can be interpreted incorrectly when troubleshooting refinery vacuum columns
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Asphalt quality prediction and control
Oct-2014With knowledge of heavy vacuum gasoil cut-point and asphalt density, asphalt quality can be inferred
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Reducing vacuum tower pressure
Apr-2015To create a better vacuum the vapour load to the ejector has to be reduced
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Operating vacuum distillation ejector systems
Oct-2016Best practices and opportunities to deliver reliable ejector system performance and reduce performance risk.
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Balanced distillation equipment design
Feb-2017Fouling resistance and efficiency requirements for distillation equipment are balanced and optimised for reliable unit performance.
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Troubleshooting crude column constraints
Jul-2017Multiple limitations to operating capacity were identified and resolved during a column turnaround
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Model predictive control of a distillation unit
Jul-2017In a coordinated plant process, particular attention must be paid to control of individual columns.
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Controlling contaminants in vacuum gasoil
Nov-2017How revamps can increase VDU capacity and reliability while controlling contaminant levels to acceptable limits.
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Opening the crude flexibility window: automation manages threats in real time
Sep-2018By increasing the volume of quality data, refiners can automate the correct addition of chemical additives to respond to variations in unit performanc ...
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Improving the distillation energy network
Oct-2013Energy-efficient design applied to the refit of a distillation unit was achieved through optimisation between the distillation column and heat network ...
Most Recent
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Fouling and cleaning analysis of a heat exchanger network
Dec-2019Analysis of a complex heat exchanger network employs a digital twin model to establish a programme for fouling and cleaning.
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Improving level control in desalters to aid in use of opportunity crudes
Sep-2019Refineries are a complex set of various operating units designed to process crude oil into refined products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuels and feedstocks ...
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Sustainable technology for cleaning a crude preheat exchanger network
Aug-2019Mitigating environmental impacts, saving time and reducing costs: cleaning a heat exchanger network using a renewable cleaning agent.
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Flue gas heat recovery through the acid dew point
Jul-2019Polymer based heat exchange technology enables more heat recovery from flue gas by addressing acid corrosion issues.
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Troubleshooting a heavy crude topper
Jul-2019Thorough troubleshooting revealed the primary cause of a heavy crude topper’s poor availability: desalter operation. A comprehensive revamp resolved ...
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Revamping a bitumen heating system
Jul-2019A redesigned oil based heating system for bitumen storage and sales saves energy and eliminates customer complaints.
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Problems in processing discounted crudes Part 2: crude and vacuum columns
May-2019Project costs must be considered to fully understand whether or not an opportunity crude really does deliver on savings.
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The power option
Apr-2019With the market for high sulphur fuel oil under pressure, refiners with delayed cokers can instead opt for higher value power and steam generation.
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Problems in processing discounted crudes Part 1: definition and crude preheat
Feb-2019Project costs must be considered to fully understand whether or not an opportunity crude really does deliver on savings.
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Flexible upgrading of heavy feedstocks
Feb-2019Adding tailor-made options for upgrading heavy crudes to existing assets can adapt refineries to changes in market conditions and regulatory demands.
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Front end filtering of unconventional oil
Jan-2019Processing unconventional oils requires technologies such as electrostatic separation to handle higher amounts of filterable solids.
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Tray revamp restores crude column performance
Jan-2019Retrofitting the packed top section of a crude atmospheric tower with high capacity trays improved separation efficiency
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Online monitor slashes biocide dosage (TIA)
Nov-2018In many systems, fouling and deposits are a serious problem which results in shutdowns, cleaning actions and unexpected costs for the customer.
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Opening the crude flexibility window: automation manages threats in real time
Sep-2018By increasing the volume of quality data, refiners can automate the correct addition of chemical additives to respond to variations in unit performanc ...
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Maximising CDU performance
Mar-2018Scalable simulation of crude unit operations enables refineries to build increasingly rigorous models to enhance performance
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Preventing ammonium salt fouling and corrosion
Jan-2018Best practices and opportunities to reduce the risk of salt deposition and damage
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Wastewater treatment for challenging crudes
Jan-2018A new organic polymer treatment has enabled refiners to more effectively process a variety of opportunity crudes
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Silencing hammering in a condenser system
Dec-2017Detailed analysis leading to correct diagnosis meant that only minor equipment changes were needed to cure severe hammering in a naphtha splitter.
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Controlling contaminants in vacuum gasoil
Nov-2017How revamps can increase VDU capacity and reliability while controlling contaminant levels to acceptable limits.
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Oil recovery from tank sludge
Nov-2017Thorough tank cleaning means removing all of the sludge and restoring the vessel’s full storage capacity.
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Model predictive control of a distillation unit
Jul-2017In a coordinated plant process, particular attention must be paid to control of individual columns.
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Best practice desalting Part 1: crude flexibility window
Jul-2017A replacement programme of desalter treatment chemistry transformed the operation of crude units struggling to meet performance targets
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Troubleshooting crude column constraints
Jul-2017Multiple limitations to operating capacity were identified and resolved during a column turnaround
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Correcting vacuum column design flaws
Apr-2017Conventional design practices have been proven inadequate when maximising diesel recovery and gas oil cut point
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