Most Recent

• Sustainable technology for cleaning a crude preheat exchanger network

  Aug-2019

  (White Paper) - Mitigating environmental impacts, saving time and reducing costs: cleaning a heat exchanger network using a renewable cleaning agent
  

• 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.

• Troubleshooting a heavy crude topper

  Jul-2019

  Thorough troubleshooting revealed the primary cause of a heavy crude topper’s poor availability: desalter operation. A comprehensive revamp resolved ...

• Revamping a bitumen heating system

  Jul-2019

  A redesigned oil based heating system for bitumen storage and sales saves energy and eliminates customer complaints.

• Problems in processing discounted crudes Part 2: crude and vacuum columns

  May-2019

  Project costs must be considered to fully understand whether or not an opportunity crude really does deliver on savings.

• The power option

  Apr-2019

  With the market for high sulphur fuel oil under pressure, refiners with delayed cokers can instead opt for higher value power and steam generation.

• Problems in processing discounted crudes Part 1: definition and crude preheat

  Feb-2019

  Project costs must be considered to fully understand whether or not an opportunity crude really does deliver on savings.

• Flexible upgrading of heavy feedstocks

  Feb-2019

  Adding tailor-made options for upgrading heavy crudes to existing assets can adapt refineries to changes in market conditions and regulatory demands.

• Front end filtering of unconventional oil

  Jan-2019

  Processing unconventional oils requires technologies such as electrostatic separation to handle higher amounts of filterable solids.

• Tray revamp restores crude column performance

  Jan-2019

  Retrofitting the packed top section of a crude atmospheric tower with high capacity trays improved separation efficiency

• Online monitor slashes biocide dosage (TIA)

  Nov-2018

  In many systems, fouling and deposits are a serious problem which results in shutdowns, cleaning actions and unexpected costs for the customer.

• Opening the crude flexibility window: automation manages threats in real time

  Sep-2018

  By increasing the volume of quality data, refiners can automate the correct addition of chemical additives to respond to variations in unit performanc ...

• Maximising CDU performance

  Mar-2018

  Scalable simulation of crude unit operations enables refineries to build increasingly rigorous models to enhance performance

• Preventing ammonium salt fouling and corrosion

  Jan-2018

  Best practices and opportunities to reduce the risk of salt deposition and damage

• Wastewater treatment for challenging crudes

  Jan-2018

  A new organic polymer treatment has enabled refiners to more effectively process a variety of opportunity crudes

• Silencing hammering in a condenser system

  Dec-2017

  Detailed analysis leading to correct diagnosis meant that only minor equipment changes were needed to cure severe hammering in a naphtha splitter.

• Controlling contaminants in vacuum gasoil

  Nov-2017

  How revamps can increase VDU capacity and reliability while controlling contaminant levels to acceptable limits.

• Oil recovery from tank sludge

  Nov-2017

  Thorough tank cleaning means removing all of the sludge and restoring the vessel’s full storage capacity.

• Model predictive control of a distillation unit

  Jul-2017

  In a coordinated plant process, particular attention must be paid to control of individual columns.

• Best practice desalting Part 1: crude flexibility window

  Jul-2017

  A replacement programme of desalter treatment chemistry transformed the operation of crude units struggling to meet performance targets

• Troubleshooting crude column constraints

  Jul-2017

  Multiple limitations to operating capacity were identified and resolved during a column turnaround

• Correcting vacuum column design flaws

  Apr-2017

  Conventional design practices have been proven inadequate when maximising diesel recovery and gas oil cut point

• Balanced distillation equipment design

  Feb-2017

  Fouling resistance and efficiency requirements for distillation equipment are balanced and optimised for reliable unit performance.

• Turnarounds deliver process improvements

  Nov-2016

  An extended unit shutdown is relatively rare and an opportunity to take every advantage to improve performance.