ARTICLES
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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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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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Improving the distillation energy network
Oct-2013
Energy-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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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.
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Challenges of heavy crude processing
Oct-2012
A review of upgrading options and refinery configurations to process heavy crudes profitably. Refiners have long faced a major dilemma when designing refineries ...
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Troubleshooting steam ejectors
Oct-2014
Some causes and practical solutions concerning problems with refinery steam vacuum ejectors
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Enhancing heat transfer in Texas Towers
Oct-2009
Retrofit technology enhances heat recovery in feed-effluent exchangers, increases throughput, reduces furnace load and provides cost benefits
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Tube rupture in a natural gas heater
Feb-2016
Dynamic simulation supports the use of a pressure safety valve over a rupture disk in the event of a tube rupture
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Why vacuum unit fired heaters coke
Oct-2004
A description of the internal workings of vacuum heaters and the causes of coke formation within them
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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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Mitigation of heat exchanger fouling
Oct-2012
Detailed analysis of potential contributors identifies the root cause of fouling in naphtha hydrotreater feed-effluent exchangers
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Air pre-heater improves energy efficiency
Apr-2014
A corrosion resistant air pre-heater enables valuable heat recovery from corrosive and fouling refinery flue gas streams
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Process improvements in the direct hydration of olefins to alcohols
May-2014
Synthetic alcohols produced by direct hydration have wide application in the process industries as solvents, in the production of cosmetics and as intermediates ...
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Consider retrofits to handle high-viscosity crudes
Mar-2004
In 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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Advances in delayed coking heat transfer equipment design
Nov-2008
The delayed coking process is used to crack heavy oils, normally vacuum residue, into more valuable light liquid products, with less valuable gas and solid ...
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Heat recovery from corrosive flue gas
Apr-2015
For improvements to energy efficiency in the petrochemical industry, waste heat recovery from corrosive flue gas is the most cost effective source to ...
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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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Improving heat transfer in reboilers and condensers
Mar-2016
Guidelines and experience on how to deal with a loss of condensing or reboiling capacity
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Passivation of ethylene cracker transfer line heat exchangers
Jul-2009
Case study based on fours years of applying DEHA-based passivation treatment technology to the TLEs of Egyptian Petrochemicals’ ethylene crackers
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Improving FCCUs: bottoms system upgrades
Jul-2003
A review of process flow scheme fundamentals and basic equipment operating and design principles that have improved unit operating profitability through ...
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Driving down costs in hydrogen production
Mar-2013
An optimised hydrogen plant design achieves the right balance of minimising both Capex and Opex costs, while meeting the specific objectives of the end ...
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High efficiency zero export steam reforming
Sep-2016
Development of a new hydrogen production technology based on steam methane reforming.
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Heat integration projects for refining processes
Oct-2013
Heat integration projects can deliver substantial savings, but they require detailed simulation and case-specific heat integration analysis
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Optimising steam systems: part II
Jul-2010
A second article on steam system optimisation addresses steam at point of use and good engineering practice to remove and return condensate
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Applying pinch technology to energy recovery
Oct-2013
A pinch technology-based study of heating and cooling of material streams in a large-scale olefins plant identifies major opportunities for energy sav ...
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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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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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Process safety time for fired heaters
Dec-2020
Cases illustrate the actions needed to avoid hazards occurring when the supply to a fired heater is disturbed.
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Understanding the value of arc flash management and mitigation for large electric process heaters
Jun-2022
While larger medium voltage process heaters are relatively new in hydrocarbon processing, the safety issues surrounding medium-voltage equipment are well ...
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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.
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Improving hydrotreater performance with welded plate heat exchangers
Jul-2020
Pressure has never been higher on refiners to improve the efficiency of their energy-intensive processes.
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Boosting tube-side heat transfer
Jun-2021
Tube insert technologies can improve heat exchanger performance by enhancing tube-side heat transfer coefficients in two-phase applications.
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Heat exchanger fouling analytics
Sep-2020
Modelling the effects of fouling on the performance of heat exchangers and its impact on product values as well as energy losses
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Crude preheat train fouling and fix-up
Nov-2022
Rigorous modelling of crude preheat train exchangers allows for fouling progression of the heat exchangers to be monitored throughout the crude unit run ...
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Achieving Fit for 55 emission reduction targets by 2030
Feb-2023
Options available to oil refineries in reducing CO2 emissions while providing a clearer vision on possible roadmaps.
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Heat recovery solves carbon capture issues
Mar-2021
Flue gas heat recovery at the fired heater overcomes major drawbacks to the successful operation of an amine based carbon capture plant.
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Designing steam heat exchangers and tracing systems
Jun-2021
Fundamentals must be considered when designing an industrial steam system to avoid premature failure or under-performance.
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Use of tube inserts in fired heaters
May-2022
In 1896 Whitham reported the successful use of twisted tapes (originally called retarders, and now also called turbulators) to increase heat transfer in ...
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Tube rupture in a natural gas heater
Feb-2016
Dynamic simulation supports the use of a pressure safety valve over a rupture disk in the event of a tube rupture
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Troubleshooting steam ejectors
Oct-2014
Some causes and practical solutions concerning problems with refinery steam vacuum ejectors
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Increase duty in tube side condensers
Jul-2020
A retrofit is shown to improve several aspects of tube side condensation processes.
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Oct-2020
Responses to a question in the Q3 2020 issue of PTQ
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Use of CFD modelling to improve burner design and operation
Dec-2020
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling can be used as an efficient and low-cost alternative to improve the design and operation of a new burner.
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Dec-2020
Remotely cleaning furnace tubes slashed the cost of hydrogen production for a refiner.
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Cut time, costs and complexity with the integrated capabilities of an F4T controller
Nov-2021
Many of today’s complex industrial heating systems have several devices to ensure continuous operations and efficient performance. The application may ...
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Feb-2024
A new approach to the costly problem of biofilm formation in refinery and petrochemical operations.
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Heat storage in solar power plants
Jun-2020
Avoiding freezing and leakage: optimal thermal management for the use of molten salt in solar thermal power plants with concentrated radiation
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Heater experts solve common problems with IR thermography
Dec-2020
Many owner operators in the oil/gas and petrochemical industry know infrared (IR) thermography is a pillar of any robust inspection program. At Becht Fired ...
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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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Reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in fired heaters
Feb-2023
A global inventory of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions recently published by One Earth suggests that global cumulative emissions could be reduced by up ...
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Five common causes of refractory failure and how to fix them
Dec-2024
All process heaters operate at high temperatures and are constructed with process tubes inside a refractory-lined enclosure, which is heated by radiant ...
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Vacuum heater operational cycle improvement study
Oct-2024
Coke formation creates short vacuum heater runs. Controlling film temperature and oil residence time can help reduce coke formation rate inside radiant ...
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Role of spiral heat exchangers in refineries (RI 2024)
Sep-2024
Nexson is a French company based in Garchizy in the Nièvre region. Aware of environmental issues, the company helps manufacturers optimise their manufacturing ...
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Getting to grips with electrification
Jun-2024
Demand flexibility, predictive load management and the future of plant efficiency.
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Steam methane reformer tube lifecycle improvement best practices
May-2024
Reformer tube life assessment can be done via online monitoring, non-destructive testing, and tube harvesting with historical operating, monitoring, and ...
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Global manufacturing has entered a new data-driven era
May-2024
Is the heat treatment industry keeping pace with the essential new digitalisation of systems in businesses to ensure growth and survival.
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Electric heaters for greener, more efficient thermal systems
Mar-2024
Process heating is a critical part of any hydrocarbon processing. Traditionally, this heating has been done by burning fossil fuels (natural gas), but ...
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Feb-2024
A new approach to the costly problem of biofilm formation in refinery and petrochemical operations.
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Adding CHP to refinery power infrastructures
Feb-2024
CI scores and delivered economic impact at downstream facilities improve when adding CHP units to increase electrical and thermal efficiency.
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Refractory detection system and floating roof protection
Feb-2024
New refractory detection system monitors skin temperatures in Claus or thermal oxidisers as well as SMRs, gasifiers, and emissions from floating roof ...
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Olefin purification: Why selecting the right adsorbent matters
Nov-2023
Removing difficult-to-detect contaminants helps minimise adsorbent reactivity while avoiding side reactions and excessive heat release.
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Restoring fired heater furnace heat transfer efficiency
Nov-2023
Convection section cleaning of process heaters at an Egyptian facility achieved more than 90% treating of all tube and surface areas. Inefficient heat ...
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Benefits of spiral and welded plate heat exchangers (RI 2023)
Nov-2023
Nexson is a French company based in Garchizy in the Nièvre region. Aware of environmental issues, the company helps manufacturers optimise their manufacturing ...
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Enhancing profitability using high-efficiency heat exchangers (RI 2023)
Nov-2023
Alfa Laval has been in the refinery industry for more than 40 years, with more than 3,000 high-efficiency heat exchangers installed worldwide. The company’s ...
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Increasing efficiency of catalytic reformer unit fired heaters
Oct-2023
Application of ceramic coating on CRU heater tubing and refractory avoids oxidative scale formation, significantly lowering fuel consumption and CO2 f ...
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A systems approach at work to solve electrification challenges at scale
Sep-2023
Industrial organisations can push decarbonisation forward by shifting process heater systems from fossil fuel-burning to electric. This kind of electrification ...
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Electric process heaters and decarbonisation in hydrocarbon processing
Apr-2023
Processing and refining hydrocarbons ultimately requires the use of high heat for a number of critical steps, and heaters based on fossil fuels have traditionally ...
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Energy saving with tube inserts for heat exchangers
Apr-2023
When it comes to fouling in crude oil preheat trains, tube inserts can maximise heat transfer and reduce heat exchanger fouling, with an average six-month ...
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Reducing fuel usage in the midst of a new gas demand reduction plan
Feb-2023
Processing facilities, including refineries, power plants and petrochemical complexes, are soon likely to be feeling the effects of Europe’s latest Gas ...
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Preventing corrosion resulting from renewables conversion
Feb-2023
Many oil and gas companies are repurposing refineries to produce renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel, and other renewable biofuels and products. ...
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How refineries are saving time and money protecting assets
Feb-2023
The oil and gas industry is seeing a rise in demand and is taking vital steps to avoid disruption in production by preventing corrosion in process vessels, ...
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Reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in fired heaters
Feb-2023
A global inventory of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions recently published by One Earth suggests that global cumulative emissions could be reduced by up ...
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Achieving Fit for 55 emission reduction targets by 2030
Feb-2023
Options available to oil refineries in reducing CO2 emissions while providing a clearer vision on possible roadmaps.
-
Crude preheat train fouling and fix-up
Nov-2022
Rigorous modelling of crude preheat train exchangers allows for fouling progression of the heat exchangers to be monitored throughout the crude unit run ...
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Three steps to optimise fractionator performance with plate technology
Oct-2022
The refining industry has dealt with various challenges throughout its history, but the current pressure from a range of factors, such as energy optimisation, ...
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