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World’s biggest sulphur forming site
Jul-2014
The Habshan Sulphur Granulation Plant, located about 16km southeast of the existing Habshan Gas Complex in Abu Dhabi, is about to be the world’s largest ...
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Introduction to cylinder valves and regulators
Aug-2010
Gases are 'slippery' and they behave with 'Brownian motion' - that is, they fill every corner of every space and try to go everywhere.
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Dividing wall technology in distillation columns
Feb-2020
Increased throughput required the revamp of a gasoline unit. Space constraints and strict product requirements led to dividing wall column technology as ...
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Characterising and tracking contaminants in opportunity crudes
Jan-2014
The specific properties of contaminants in opportunity crudes affect the selection of crude slates for existing facilities and the design of revamps and ...
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Selecting the “Best” fired heater
Jun-2013
Fired heaters are extensively used in the chemical process industry to heat process fluids and generate steam. Typically, fired heaters consume the largest ...
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Impact of bitumen feeds 
on the FCCU: part I
Jul-2008
The impact of processing bitumen-derived feeds on FCC operations and product yields is assessed, and the capital investments required to process varying ...
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Developments in hydrotreating catalyst
Sep-2016
How a second generation hydrotreating catalyst was developed for high pressure ultra-low sulphur diesel units and hydrocracker pretreaters.
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Catalyst passivation for safer, more efficient turnarounds
Apr-2018
Eliminating inert entry for catalyst changeout in a hydrocracker. Since hydrotreating and hydrocracking were introduced to the refining industry in the ...
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Hydrocracking catalyst and processing developments
Jul-2009
Improvements to hydrocracking catalyst activity and selectivity at various operational and feedstocks conditions are discussed
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Jan-2009
Design considerations for clean diesel hydrotreating. Critical issues are 
discussed when designing a hydrotreating facility to produce diesel fuel ...
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Advances in a catalyst cooler technology
Oct-1999
In this article reliability and flexibility of operation is assessed, and commercial experience of the technology in over 20 FCC units is discussed
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Producing propylene 
glycol from biomass
Mar-2009
Process and catalytic considerations for producing propylene glycol from glycerin-derived biomass sources are compared to current conventional sources, ...
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Developments in cyclone technology improve FCC unit reliability
Jul-2010
Developments in FCC cyclone technology reduce problems of abrasion that cause unscheduled unit shutdowns
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Using cold boiler feed water for energy recovery
Jan-2012
Feeding membrane deaerated cold boiler feed water to appropriate units will enable waste heat to replace substantial steam duty in a refinery
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Consolidation of refinery control rooms
Jan-2012
Migration of a refinery’s DCS provided an opportunity to reconfigure and consolidate the control rooms and operational management system
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Crude unit start-ups: the results of a 
high liquid level
Sep-2003
Pressure-measurement techniques can avoid the dangers of rapidly changing flow rates and levels during start-up
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Maximising distillate production from the FCC unit
Jul-1998
In the heating oil season, many refiners switch from a gasoline to a distillate mode of operation of the FCC unit, to increase light cycle oil yield
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Reciprocating compressors in a hydrogen plant
Aug-2016
A hydrogen producer chose moderate speed reciprocating compressors for its natural gas feed and hydrogen product services.
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Unconventional crude oil selection and compatibility
Mar-2011
Crude selection and compatibility considerations are a critical part of a successful refinery operation. Constantly changing quality conventional and unconventional ...
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Estimation of heat losses from process piping and equipment
Apr-2010
An accessible predictive tool calculates surface heat losses from refinery piping and equipment. The most important part of the energy management strategy ...
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COS and mercaptans removal from gases
Apr-2023
Challenges with removing trace sulphur species can be better understood and resolved with a new kinetic model validated by plant data in its ability to ...
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Oct-2004
A review of caustic treating technologies useful in the removal of volatile sulphur from sour light crudes
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ZSM-5 additive maximises propylene
Apr-2015
Multi-stage phosphorus treatment improves ZSM-5 zeolite stabilisation and creates more propylene producing acid sites.
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SOx and NOx emission abatement in the FCC
Feb-2018
The complexities of sulphur and nitrogen species formation in the FCC call for tailor made catalyst additive chemistry to limit formation of polluting ...
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Continuous removal of contaminants from amine solutions
Oct-2011
A continuous purification system overcomes amine degradation and the formation of corrosion-promoting heat stable amine salts
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Shale crudes and FCC: 
a mismatch from heaven?
May-2014
Weighing the effects that the processing of shale oils has on FCC unit operation, such as iron poisoning of FCC catalysts.
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Hydrotreating challenges and opportunities with tight oil
Jan-2015
Tight oil’s contaminant and cold flow challenges require appropriate catalyst treatment systems
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The petrochemistry of paraxylene

Feb-2015
Understanding the basics of the paraxylene manufacturing process.
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Tube alloy degradation in a steam cracking furnace
Apr-2015
Understanding catalytic coke growth mechanisms to better predict and optimise furnace service times with tube alloy degradation
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Hydrogen transfer and ZSM-5 in maximising propylene
Apr-2015
Used at high concentrations to maximise propylene from the fluid catalytic cracking unit, ZSM-5 strongly influences a complex matrix of reactions.
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Maximising profitability with FCC feeds from opportunity crudes
May-2015
Case studies show how to achieve optimal monetisation value with opportunity feeds through operating strategies, innovative catalysts and technical st ...
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Feb-2016
An understanding of process basics and fouling mechanisms enables increased run length in problem columns.
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The challenges of crude blending - Part 1
Feb-2016
Declining crude prices encourage more spot purchases that save costs, but mixing different grades can create headaches for refiners.
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Monitoring and simulation resolves overhead corrosion
Mar-2016
Online corrosion monitoring in tandem with simulation modelling identified the root cause of corrosion in a crude unit overhead
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Impact of light tight oils on distillate hydrotreater operation
Apr-2016
Addressing the range of challenges brought to diesel and jet production by light tight oil processing
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Jun-2016
Purification and dispersion strategies applied to hydroprocessing catalyst can improve reactor performance
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Direct oxidation sulphur recovery process for very lean acid gas applications
Jun-2016
Due to higher demand in desulphurisation and new environmental regulations, Companies need to find robust and efficient technologies while considering ...
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SRU simulation getting the properties right
Aug-2016
Reliable, predictive simulation software for SRUs requires recognition of many of the unique properties and behaviours of sulphur.
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Integrated design for gas processing
Oct-2016
An integrated approach to designing process line-up delivers a range of economic, process and environmental benefits.
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Apr-2017
Finite element analysis can be employed to improve the safety and quality of old or new designs and troubleshoot problems in the field
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Nov-2017
Collaboration between technical and project teams enabled the fast-track replacement of an FCC unit
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Nov-2017
A line-up featuring ebullated bed hydrocracking delivers full conversion of bitumen, including production of premium diesel fuel
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Opening the crude flexibility window: enhancing crude unit capabilities
Mar-2018
Innovative online analysers help refiners to mitigate crude unit threats in real time and provide new insights into existing problems.
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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.
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Claus waste heat boiler economics Part 1: process considerations
Feb-2019
The design of the waste heat boiler has a critical role to play in determining process operations, reliability and economic performance in the sulphur ...
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Technology selection for a natural gas plant
May-2019
Selecting equipment for a sulphur block requires balancing technical performance and costs, as well as local conditions and regulations.
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New catalysts for low and medium pressure hydrotreating
May-2019
A catalyst platform provides higher performance in middle distillate hydrotreating applications with limited hydrogen, difficult feedstocks and severe ...
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Jul-2019
New catalyst technologies and technical service support helped a refiner overcome difficulties with VGO conversion.
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Operational challenges in sour water stripping
Jul-2019
How to keep a sour water stripper at optimum performance between shutdowns.
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A better approach to detailed hydrocarbon analysis with Verified Hydrocarbon Analysis™
Nov-2019
Most refineries rely on Detailed Hydrocarbon Analysis (DHA) to analyse and monitor specific contents of their fuel streams. While this technique has been ...
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An introduction to fouling in fired heaters — Part 2: exterior fouling
Apr-2022
An important fouling mechanism on the fireside is corrosion fouling, especially for oil fired equipment.
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An introduction to fouling in fired heaters: part 1
Apr-2022
Fouling is the accumulation and formation of unwanted materials on the surfaces of processing equipment.
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From bench scale to commercial unit
Apr-2022
A road map for designing and commercialising novel processes
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Optimising heat recovery in a heat exchanger network
Apr-2022
Maintaining equal heat capacity flow rates for heat sink and source provides maximum heat recovery from an exchanger network.
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Corrosion control in ethylene plants
Apr-2022
Treatment concepts for corrosion control in ethylene production by steam cracking of hydrocarbons
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Apr-2022
A vacuum column’s economics can be greatly improved with a low cost modification to the ejector system
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The cost of hydrogen production
Apr-2022
Selecting routes to hydrogen production calls for a balance of environmental impact and cost.
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The role of biofuels in the energy transition
Apr-2022
Overcoming the challenges of coprocessing renewables.
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Hydrogen production with lower carbon emissions
Apr-2022
Evaluating and comparing the potential for carbon incentives in various hydrogen plant configurations.
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Steam ring redesign improves FCC bottoms stability
Apr-2022
Installing a newly designed steam ring in a main fractionator stabilised fluctuations in the flash point of FCC bottoms
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Refinery off-gas in hydrogen production
Apr-2022
An off-gas feed to an SMR unit for hydrogen production is economically and environmentally attractive as long as it is carefully monitored.
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Mar-2022
Improving level control in desalters to aid in use of opportunity crudes
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So long clipboards, data logging is here
Mar-2022
Exploring why data logging is key to bringing heating technologies into Industry 4.0.
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Understanding the factors affecting heat loss
Mar-2022
Understanding the factors that influence heat loss allows design engineers to better calculate the insulation and power needed to heat a product.
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The gauze catalyst for ammonia oxidation — a holistic approach
Mar-2022
The gauze catalyst for ammonia oxidation has a unique position among the catalysts of large-scale chemical industry, since, in contrast to the supported ...
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Mar-2022
OPEC+ relations have become fractious through the coronavirus pandemic, and the inequalities between richer and poorer members could increase
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Mar-2022
As North Sea oil production declines, it is also getting heavier and more sour. How is the quality shift is playing out in global trade flows?
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Mar-2022
Energy transition benchmarks have surged in 2021 and prices are expected to remain highly volatile. Transparency is key in this evolving market.
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Optimising processes and operations for CO2 emissions reduction
Feb-2022
A proactive approach can achieve immediate CO2 emissions reduction with almost no investments while reducing operating costs.
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Electrification and medium voltage process heater systems
Feb-2022
Decarboniation efforts worldwide, led both by industry leaders and legislation, have increased efforts to shift fossil fuel use to renewables. One way ...
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Intelligent FTIR system for efficient fuel analysis
Feb-2022
From the very beginnings of fuel characterisation, infrared spectroscopy was widely applied in the field of fuel analysis. Fuel, be it gasoline, diesel ...
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Mitigating overhead corrosion and reducing downstream costs
Jan-2022
A combination of onstream measurements, closed-loop control, and corrosion measurement enabled significant reductions in caustic addition rates and FCC ...
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Turquoise hydrogen production by methane pyrolysis
Jan-2022
Technologies for methane pyrolysis are at different levels of maturity up to early-stage commercial operations.
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Optimising refinery margins with rejuvenated catalysts
Jan-2022
Rejuvenated catalysts compare well with fresh catalyst for performance and stability, with added cost savings.
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Oxygen enrichment in the petrochemicals industry
Jan-2022
Adding oxygen enrichment to oxidation reactions in the petrochemicals industry offers a reduced carbon footprint, productivity benefits, and cost effi ...