ARTICLES
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Myth of high cutpoint in dry 
vacuum units
Apr-2014
Accurate measures of true boiling point cutpoints are essential to correctly evaluate vacuum unit performance
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Chemical analysis in amine system operations
Jul-2013
The array of contaminants that can disrupt the operation of alkanolamine systems needs to be precisely characterised and analysed
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Cuba’s oil: due for development
Apr-2017
Cuba’s ambitions for energy self-sufficiency require major investment in the nation’s oil reserves and refining industry
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Analysis method for determining bound and free alkanolamines in HSS contaminated solutions
Jul-1990
A conductometric titration method has been developed to determine the true available alkanolamine in solutions used for H2S and CO2 removal from refinery ...
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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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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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Nov-2017
A line-up featuring ebullated bed hydrocracking delivers full conversion of bitumen, including production of premium diesel fuel
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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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Processing shale oil in an FCC unit: 
catalyst and profit optimisation
Aug-2015
Adjustments in base catalyst, use of ZSM-5 additives and metal traps enable efficient processing of paraffinic and heavy crude in the presence of metals ...
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Designing a crude unit heat 
exchanger network
Oct-2012
Preheat train design for heavy Canadian crudes can be very challenging, requiring an approach not normally required with other crudes
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Strategies for improved naphtha processing
Oct-2013
To take advantage of dilbit from Alberta and light oils from shale formations, refiners must develop a strategy for processing additional naphthas and ...
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Light tight oil crude comparison
Mar-2015
The production method for Eagle Ford and Bakken is via fracturing of the tight or shale formations in two different North America regions. Crude from the ...
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Jan-2013
Poor-quality crude oils and strict environmental regulations promote the use of technologies that favour energy savings and environmental protection
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Oct-2005
Process modelling and equipment know-how are needed to design deep-cut vacuum units that operate reliably at high temperature and low pressure
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Upgrading residues for high levels of distillate production
Oct-2009
A slurry hydrocracking reactor technology demonstrates a high level of conversion of vacuum residues to distillate and gasoline
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Mitigating corrosion from naphthenic acid streams
Jan-2003
The authors describe how crude and side-cut analysis, laboratory and field data lead to strategies for managing high severity operating conditions needed ...
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Advances in residue upgrading technology
Apr-2002
A combination of mature technology and innovative catalyst design and process improvements provide the flexibility to upgrade heavier feeds
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Canadian crude processing challenges
Jan-2008
Vacuum unit design influences liquid volume yields, run length, product 
yield and product quality when processing bitumen crude oils
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Profiting with FCC feedstock diversity
Jul-2006
Gasoline sulphur-reduction catalysts and additives can provide additional options and flexibility while maximising refinery profitability
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The importance of using pilot plant testing for FCC catalyst selection
Aug-2013
In the EMEA region, over 65% of refineries perform catalyst testing prior to selecting FCC catalysts for their units.
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Reducing sulphur oxide emissions from the FCC unit
Feb-2010
Application of a SOx-reduction additive enabled a refiner to meet a pressing requirement to reduce emissions from its FCCU
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Zero and low rare earth FCC catalysts
Oct-2011
Blends of rare earth-free and rare earth-based catalysts for resid feed FCC applications have maintained and even improved performance
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Elimination of refinery sour gases and trace components
Jul-2007
Case study concerning elimination of sour gases and trace components from gasification gases. The objective is to produce pure hydrogen for hydrotreating ...
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Hydrocarbon removal from amines demonstrated experience
Mar-2006
Bringing amine system contaminants down to low levels has reduced operational problems. Several large operating facilities are now using the latest technology ...
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Unique qualities of Canadian bitumen and synthetic crudes
Jan-2010
As production of Canadian bitumen and synthetic crude oil expands, North American refinery feed slates enter new territory in terms of crude oil quali ...
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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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Improved stripper efficiency raises upgrader production
Jun-2016
Revamping a heavy oil upgrader’s steam stripping tower increased tray efficiency and achieved record throughput.
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Apr-2011
Gasification technologies deliver steam, hydrogen and power from low-value refining residues and petcoke
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Apr-2006
An examination into the feedstock and process conditions where solvent deasphalting is the most appropriate technology for upgrading residue
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Cuba’s oil: due for development
Apr-2017
Cuba’s ambitions for energy self-sufficiency require major investment in the nation’s oil reserves and refining industry
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Nov-2017
Thorough tank cleaning means removing all of the sludge and restoring the vessel’s full storage capacity.
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Processing high TAN crude: part I
Jan-2010
Huizhou, which is the first refinery for processing 100% high TAN crude, started up in 2009. This article describes the challenges of an opportunity crude ...
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Jan-2017
In 2016, global growth should fall to 3.1% before rising back up to 3.4% in 2017 according to IMF’s latest estimations. Long-term perspectives in industrialised ...
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Improving FCC catalyst performance
Mar-2006
Higher volumes of heavier feeds can be processed with additives designed to enhance base catalyst effectiveness. Deactivation and dehydrogenation problems ...
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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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FCC flue gas scrubber alternatives: part I
Jul-2009
The merits of combining additives and barrier filters as a cost-effective and highly efficient way of meeting SOx, NOx and particulate matter emissions ...
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Chemical analysis in amine system operations
Jul-2013
The array of contaminants that can disrupt the operation of alkanolamine systems needs to be precisely characterised and analysed
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New process arrangements for upgrading heavy oils and residua
Jan-2014
Simulation studies reveal increased gasoline and diesel production from extra-heavy oil by means of RFCC and hydrocracking units with a mild hydrogenation ...
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Processing high TAN crude: part II
Jan-2011
Huizhou, which is the first refinery for processing 100% high TAN crude, started up in 2009. This article describes the challenges of an opportunity crude ...
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Diverting low-sulphur heavy stocks for fuel oil production
Apr-2011
Studies enabled a refinery to divert low-value product stocks into higher-value products and preserve crude throughput levels
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Future of opportunity crudes processing
Oct-2011
Five critical drivers help refiners remain profitable and sustain long-term business goals while processing relatively inexpensive, low-quality crudes
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Revamping crude and vacuum units to process bitumen
Apr-2015
Revamping crude and vacuum units to process dilbit can involve extensive equipment replacement as well as major changes to the crude preheating scheme
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Estimating bitumen viscosity for revamps
Oct-2014
Accurate viscosity data for dilbit and its heavy residues define the scope of revamps required to process the feed in crude and vacuum units
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Oct-2012
Inaccurate 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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Aug-2019
Analysing desalter performance and improving crude blending capacity with multi-phase instrumentation and control.
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Crude overhead system design considerations
Jul-2007
Proper 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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Has the time for partial upgrading of heavy oil and bitumen arrived?
Oct-2009
Partial or field upgrading of heavy oil produces transportable synthetic crude oil and eliminates the need for diluents for transportation to refiners
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Sulphur recovery from lean 
sour gas streams
Nov-2013
Gas streams are often treated with amine or membrane systems to meet specifications before the gas can be sent to a pipeline or used in a fuel gas system. ...
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Elimination of refinery sour gases and trace components
Jul-2007
Case study concerning elimination of sour gases and trace components from gasification gases. The objective is to produce pure hydrogen for hydrotreating ...
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Maximise yields of high-quality diesel
Jun-2012
Global growth in distillate demand has driven refiners to investigate ways to increase middle distillate yields. Figure 1 shows the diesel-gasoline spot ...
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Higher margin from the bottom of the barrel
Jul-2017
Treating slurry oil in an electrostatic precipitator helps refiners increase production and profits and reduce environmental impact when processing heavier ...
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Crude fingerprinting and predictive analytics
Jul-2017
Predictive modelling technology has been developed to predict the behavioural characteristics of crude oils and their blends
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Building robust hydroprocessing operations
Jun-2017
Advances in catalyst technology enable refiners to maximise profitability by processing opportunity crudes and running heavier feeds.
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Tier 3 gasoline from tight oil crudes
Jun-2017
Assessing process schemes to counter loss of gasoline road octane when the crude feed includes tight oil
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Cuba’s oil: due for development
Apr-2017
Cuba’s ambitions for energy self-sufficiency require major investment in the nation’s oil reserves and refining industry
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Jan-2017
In 2016, global growth should fall to 3.1% before rising back up to 3.4% in 2017 according to IMF’s latest estimations. Long-term perspectives in industrialised ...
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The challenges of crude blending - Part 2
Jun-2016
The second part of a two-part article details the importance of crude selection and blending strategies to prosper in a low cost yet volatile market.
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Improved stripper efficiency raises upgrader production
Jun-2016
Revamping a heavy oil upgrader’s steam stripping tower increased tray efficiency and achieved record throughput.
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Decontamination of a crude/vacuum unit (TIA)
Apr-2016
A major oil company wanted to make a final validation of ITW Online Cleaning and ITW Improved Degassing/Decontamination technologies to use them strategically ...
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Monitoring against process problems
Apr-2016
Careful monitoring for preheat exchanger fouling and H2S release during unloading is vital when tight oil blends are processed.
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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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Jan-2016
2015 was highlighted by a crude oversupply of 1.3 million b/d, which played a part in keeping oil prices at a low level, fluctuating between $40 and $60/bbl. ...
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Dealing with depleting sour gas reserves Part 2
Oct-2015
Gas plants in western Canada will have to evaluate their sulphur recovery units for future turndown operation as sour gas production falls.
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Processing shale oil in an FCC unit: 
catalyst and profit optimisation
Aug-2015
Adjustments in base catalyst, use of ZSM-5 additives and metal traps enable efficient processing of paraffinic and heavy crude in the presence of metals ...
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Dealing with depleting sour gas reserves: Part 1
Jul-2015
Depletion of sour gas production in western Canada means that gas plants will have to evaluate their sulphur recovery units for future turndown operat ...
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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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Seven rules of sedimentation in hydrocracking
Apr-2015
Guidelines to mitigate sedimentation fouling in heavy sour crude processing together with case studies illustrating how the improvements are captured.
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Revamping crude and vacuum units to process bitumen
Apr-2015
Revamping crude and vacuum units to process dilbit can involve extensive equipment replacement as well as major changes to the crude preheating scheme
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Light tight oil crude comparison
Mar-2015
The production method for Eagle Ford and Bakken is via fracturing of the tight or shale formations in two different North America regions. Crude from the ...
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Research and development of novel heavy oil catalytic cracking catalyst RCC-1
Jan-2015
With an increasing supply of heavier feedstock for the catalytic cracking unit, the FCC catalyst is required to possess a higher activity and more unobstructed ...
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Estimating bitumen viscosity for revamps
Oct-2014
Accurate viscosity data for dilbit and its heavy residues define the scope of revamps required to process the feed in crude and vacuum units
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Predicting reactive heavy oil process operation
Oct-2014
Characterisation of feed and product yields through component structures for better understanding and prediction of operations
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Enhancing bottoms cracking and 
process flexibility
Oct-2014
Catalyst designed with advanced zeolite stabilisation technology provides selective conversion of heavy FCC feed molecules
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Jul-2014
Recovery factors achieved by improved recovery techniques indicate that crude oil reserves in Alberta’s bitumen sands are the largest on earth
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A few sweet tricks for sour gas
May-2014
Large volumes of acid gas (H2S and SO2-rich gas) are generated from various technologies used to sweeten sour off-gases, or acid gas.
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Catalyst Evolution
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Extensive tray portfolio from Sulzer
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Sabin Metal serves these industries
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Capital Equiplnet
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Europe's largest manufacturer of tower packings
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Valves and Pumps for the Energy Industry
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Combustion control expert paper
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Watlow’s thermal systems optimize your refinery
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Why produce diesel from the vacuum unit?
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Swagelok® Valves
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