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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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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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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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Understanding FCC feeds and benefits to refinery operation
Apr-2015
In this work, over one hundred FCC feed samples, originating from diverse geographic locations and consisting of assorted FCC refinery streams, were a ...
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Jul-2013
A simulation model compares accurately with actual operating data to provide reliable predictions of catalyst lifetime in naphtha reforming
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Pre-reformer catalyst in a hydrogen plant
Apr-2020
Good operation following recommended practice with technical support highlight the successful performance of a pre-reformer catalyst.
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Co-processing alternative feedstocks through the FCC
Apr-2023
Decarbonise your FCC by co-processing alternative feedstocks, and enhance the incorporation of biogenic carbon in products.
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Mar-2012
The source of a fouling problem in a FCC CO boiler was identified by systematic analysis of fresh catalysts, additives and equilibrium catalysts
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Mercury removal in hydrocarbon streams
Mar-2009
The presence of mercury in refinery hydrocarbon streams results in detrimental effects, including catalyst poisoning, corriosion and safety issues
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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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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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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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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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Choosing a selective hydrogenation system
Oct-2002
Data has shown the effectiveness of palladium catalyst for the removal of diolefins and acetylenes in steam cracking as well as catalytic cracking
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Maximise ethylene gain and acetylene selective hydrogenation efficiency
Mar-2013
Third-generation stabilised front-end selective acetylene hydrogenation catalysts provide high selectivity, low sensitivity to CO swings and slow deac ...
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Refinery fuel gas in steam reforming hydrogen plants
Mar-2012
Fuel gas is an attractive feedstock for hydrogen production, but appropriate 
catalysts and temperature control are needed to address high olefin ...
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Catalyst filling in a fixed bed tubular reactor
Apr-2017
A reactor filling methodology ensures even reactant distribution and pressure drop
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Minimising FCC slurry exchanger fouling
Jan-2008
A case study shows when to expect reductions in slurry / FCC preheat exchanger duty from a variety of factors, including organic and inorganic-based f ...
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Comparison of thermal cracking and hydrocracking yield distributions
Sep-2011
Obtaining the maximum performance from existing residua upgrading equipment is achieved by maximum asset utilisation.
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Understanding cloud point and hydrotreating relationships
Feb-2013
As the distillate markets allow for increased distribution worldwide, refiners need to be more aware of the additional product specifications that can ...
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On-demand propylene from naphtha
Jun-2017
A new catalytic process targets economic production of propylene from naphtha at relatively low capital and operating costs
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Dealing with mercury in refinery processes
Jul-2010
The effects of mercury contamination on operations, and its treatment, are emerging issues for refiners
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Maximising premium distillate by catalytic dewaxing
Feb-2011
Advances in technology for catalytic dewaxing of distillates by isomerisation provide improved activity
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Interpreting FCC equilibrium 
catalyst data
Apr-2018
Regular Ecat and fines analysis provides information to support optimum performance from the FCC.
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Optimising FCC economics against changing market dynamics
Mar-2023
CO promoters are a frequently overlooked parameter for better control of afterburning, as demonstrated in a case study amidst a changing platinum group ...
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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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Refinery’s performance confirms catalyst testing
Jun-2021
Commercial results from a naphtha reformer are a close match with data from micro-pilot plant tests.
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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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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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Pilot plant studies of hydrotreating catalysts
May-2020
Studies of catalysts for hydrotreating lubricant base oil delivered similar results from conventional and high throughput pilot plants
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Hydrocracker revamp lifts product flexibility
Nov-2020
How an innovative moving bed technology enabled a major refinery to improve residue conversion and crude flexibility.
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Rejuvenated catalysts optimise refinery margins in high severity ULSD applications
Jun-2022
Rejuvenated catalysts compare well with fresh catalysts for performance in high pressure ULSD applications with added cost savings.
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Minimising unwanted coke formation in FCC operations
Apr-2023
Design and operating practices to minimise the amount and effects of unwanted coke formation in FCC operations.
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Jan-2008
Highly exothermic olefins saturation and silica contamination can occur when hydrotreating coker naphtha.
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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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Tools for FCC unit troubleshooting
Nov-2022
Strategies, resources, and technology can help to rapidly identify potential operational problems in FCC units targeted for upgrading and optimisation ...
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On-demand propylene from naphtha
Jun-2017
A new catalytic process targets economic production of propylene from naphtha at relatively low capital and operating costs
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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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Pre-reformer catalyst in a hydrogen plant
Apr-2020
Good operation following recommended practice with technical support highlight the successful performance of a pre-reformer catalyst.
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FCC catalyst boosts bottoms upgrade
Nov-2020
A combination of novel matrix technologies in a new FCC catalyst increased bottoms upgrading of residual feeds and improved profitability.
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What type of catalyst do we need for low pressure hydrotreating of middle distillates?
Feb-2021
Responses to a question in the Q1 2021 issues Q&A Feature
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Navigating environmental complexities at pace
Nov-2022
Revamping existing hydrogen plants can provide a significant and lasting impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions towards net zero.
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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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Interpreting FCC equilibrium 
catalyst data
Apr-2018
Regular Ecat and fines analysis provides information to support optimum performance from the FCC.
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Evaluating quickly deactivating catalytic systems (TIA)
Nov-2018
Avantium provides contract research services for high throughput catalysis R&D. For some years now, Avantium has been helping refineries select the best ...
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Automating catalyst evaluation (TIA)
Nov-2019
Accurate evaluation of catalysts performance is an important step in optimising catalytic refinery processes with respect to product yields, run length, ...
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What is sintering in relation to catalyst deactivation and how can it be avoided? (PTQ Q&A)
Oct-2020
Response to a question in the Q3 2020 issue of PTQ
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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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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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Passivating vanadium in FCC operations
Apr-2024
Three in-unit trials demonstrated ability to control various oxidation states of vanadium with strong passivation technology.
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Hybrid catalyst loading reduces fill cost and carbon footprint
Apr-2024
Using rejuvenated catalyst in a hybrid load significantly lowers fill cost and CO2 footprint while providing the performance advantages of latest generation ...
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Economic benefits of presulphurisation technology in an evolving market
Apr-2024
The refining industry is experiencing significant changes. Today, the market is defined by uncertainty and volatility, resulting in major shifts in supply ...
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Incorporating new technology and tools for catalyst development
Apr-2024
Factors affecting advances in catalyst development benefit from a wide range of expertise.
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Experimental study on diesel fuel haziness
Apr-2024
Understanding the exact reasons behind haziness in diesel fuel facilitates quality control strategies.
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Catalyst technology for maximum light olefins and ultra-low emissions
Apr-2024
Bio-derived naphtha-to-olefins technology for today’s refinery and the future’s anticipated renewable fuels and chemicals refinery.
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Catalyst rejuvenation offers circular solution for hydroprocessing catalysts
Apr-2024
Recover the full activity of spent hydrotreating catalyst to ensure their reuse without performance loss.
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Simulating VGO, WLO, and WCO co-hydroprocessing: Part 2
Feb-2024
Economic analysis performed when co-hydroprocessing VGO, WLO, and WCO shows that WLO studied percentages increase hydrocracking unit net profits.
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Hydrogenation technology and catalysts reduce PVC byproducts (TiA)
Feb-2024
Approximately 34 million tons of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are produced annually. A versatile material that is cost-effective to produce, it boasts numerous ...
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Unicracking unit flow scheme optimisation and integration
Nov-2023
How an optimisation and integration approach can assist in maximising refinery margin for a residue upgrading project.
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An economically attractive carbon capture solution for FCC
Nov-2023
Reducing the cost of FCC carbon capture along with increasing FCC throughput and facilitating wider range feedstock processing.
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Precious metal catalyst sampling: Not a trivial pursuit (ERTC 2023)
Nov-2023
Precious metals are likely among the most recycled substances on earth as their value always seems to make it worth someone’s time and effort to retrieve, ...
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Recycling PVC production byproducts can unlock financial and environmental savings (ERTC 2023)
Nov-2023
It is no surprise that polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has near universal appeal, with a staggering 34 million tons produced annually.
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Reducing environmental impact of FCCs with wet gas scrubbers by using SOx additives (ERTC 2023)
Nov-2023
Over the last 80 years, the FCC has played a critical role in the refining industry and continues to adapt to shifting industry conditions. The next opportunity ...
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Nov-2023
On September 13, the European Parliament approved the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation, which increases sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) requirements within ...
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ReNewFine for renewable diesel and SAF: Results of a 20-year partnership in 100% HVO (ERTC 2023)
Nov-2023
Ketjen, a wholly owned subsidiary of Albemarle, launched in January of this year from its headquarters in Houston, Texas. Our solutions support clean energy, ...
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Which future? Using scenario analysis to explore national pathways to decarbonisation (ERTC 2023)
Nov-2023
In 2021, world leaders gathered for COP26 in Glasgow to reaffirm the global commitment to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and limit global warming ...
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Hybrid loading of regenerated and fresh catalyst for a lower carbon footprint (RI 2023)
Nov-2023
Catalysts are typically one of the largest controllable costs for a refiner. Reusing properly regenerated catalysts avoids unnecessary spending and complements ...
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Catalyst testing for renewable fuels and chemicals
Nov-2023
The possibilities and best practices to run renewable feedstocks in high throughput units are presented.
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Identifying high catalyst losses
Nov-2023
Multiple approaches to assessing FCC catalyst losses require an assessment of the unit’s mechanical system’s impact on fluidisation efficiency.
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Enabling safe FCC unit operational changes through ionic modelling
Nov-2023
How ionic modelling assisted in the management of change in FCC unit operations.
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Big changes in the US octane market
Nov-2023
Strategies for enabling higher margin capture in today’s highly volatile crude and product markets.
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Enhancing FCC reliability: The impact of cyclone technology developments
Nov-2023
How optimising cyclone design and implementing advanced internal hardware enhance operational reliability, illustrated with three real-world examples.
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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