ARTICLES
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Understanding centrifugal compressor performance
Apr-2002
In a connected process system, expensive changes to the compressor and driver can be avoided with system debottlenecking modifications
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Centrifugal compressor operations
Jul-2004
The wet gas compressor is used as an example in this article reviewing compressor performance, operating conditions and basic control philosophy
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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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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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Cost estimating for turnarounds
Jan-2012
Cost estimates for refinery turnarounds can lack accuracy, but lessons learned from capital project estimating could improve matters
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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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Options for CO2 capture from SMR
Oct-2014
As CO2 capture from steam methane reforming becomes increasingly important, the economics of retrofit for recovery from process gas streams need to be ...
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Oct-2005
Fundamental design considerations influencing diesel and vacuum gas oil (VGO) recovery when revamping existing or designing grassroots crude units. By ...
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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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An atmospheric crude tower revamp
Jul-2005
Overall gas oil yield was maintained with heavier crudes due to a crude tower revamp. The revamp allowed for a crude heater outlet temperature reducti ...
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Managing vanadium from high metals crude oils
Sep-2003
Improvements in process and equipment design with regard to crude unit and delayed coker distillation column performance can reduce metals content
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FCC fundamentals: turnaround best practices
Apr-2009
Basic procedures and activities are presented for the unit engineer and other support personnel, designed to ensure a successful and safe FCC turna ...
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Main fractionator water wash systems
Sep-2006
When properly designed and operated, main fractionator wash water systems can remove salt with little upset
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FCC gas concentration unit stripper revamp
Jul-2007
Unit charge rate and reactor conversion were increased by the elimination of stripper column flooding. Chemical-grade propylene specifications were me ...
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Entrainment issues in vacuum column flash zones
Jan-2010
For a vacuum tower to operate effectively, the flash zone and the wash section must work together to provide the best possible feed quality to the sections ...
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Reactor effluent air cooler safety through design
Oct-2013
Quality-controlled replacement of carbon steel with Duplex 2205 for revamps can increase the service life and reliability of the REAC in the high-pressure ...
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Stepwise simulation of vacuum transfer line hydraulics
Oct-2009
A stepwise hydraulic calculation determines the pressure profile of a vacuum transfer line by linking the hydraulic model to process simulation result ...
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Safe removal of polymeric deposits
Jan-2015
Damaging polymeric fouling of internals can be cleaned in situ by safe chemical treatments. Butadiene polymer formation is not an unusual problem in ...
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Identifying poor heat exchanger performance
Sep-2007
Identifying root causes of poor crude unit debutaniser reboiler performance and low-cost solutions that help meet exchanger original design conditions
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Oct-2004
Installation of vortex tube clusters in crude unit preflash drums has eliminated foam carry-over, increasing diesel and atmospheric gasoil product yie ...
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Jan-2006
Cost-effective exchanger network solutions need to rely on more than just pinch technology if they are to be successful
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Revamping atmospheric crude heaters
Sep-2007
Revamp of an atmospheric crude unit heater suffering from coking caused by asphaltene precipitation resulted in an increased heater run length
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Accurate front-end scope definition: the key to a successful revamp project
Mar-2014
One of the characteristics of a mature industry such as petroleum refining, particularly in the U.S., is that many capital projects are facility revam ...
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Distributor design and testing
Oct-2006
A new main fractionator designed to separate a range of feed streams incorporates multiple layers of structured packing and a slurry section. Flow testing ...
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Online cleaning and decontamination of a butadiene unit
Apr-2010
Chemical treatment by closed-loop recirculation reduced cleaning time for a butadiene unit turnaround from a typical 20 days to 24 hours
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Revamping crude towers for quality and yield
Nov-2016
A successful revamp of distillation towers for increased diesel quality and yield depended on reliable design and accurate assembly
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Maximising stripping section performance
Aug-2021
The design of a crude unit stripping section affects diesel and gasoil yields, energy usage, and unit reliability.
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Troubleshooting instability in a debutaniser tower
Dec-2019
Successful diagnosis and remediation of premature flood in a debutaniser tower demonstrate the value of good diagnosis for solving tower problems econ ...
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Stepwise simulation of vacuum transfer line hydraulics
Oct-2009
A stepwise hydraulic calculation determines the pressure profile of a vacuum transfer line by linking the hydraulic model to process simulation result ...
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An atmospheric crude tower revamp
Jul-2005
Overall gas oil yield was maintained with heavier crudes due to a crude tower revamp. The revamp allowed for a crude heater outlet temperature reducti ...
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Improving turnarounds and operations with online cleaning
Sep-2020
Case histories illustrate the financial and operational gains achieved by replacing mechanical cleaning with online, closed-loop operations. The conventional ...
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Modelling ensures a successful revamp
Nov-2020
Pre-turnaround computational modelling built confidence in the benefits of introducing design changes to a FCC regenerator revamp.
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Planning a turnaround that fits
Jan-2021
A risk based work selection process screens worklist items to ensure they are justified for risk reduction or financial benefit as part of a turnaroun ...
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Dividing wall revamp boosts octane and throughput
Jun-2021
Dividing wall column technology reduces energy and capex, but increasingly contributes to higher revenues from better products, as in this application ...
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FCC petrochemicals production at minimum capex
Nov-2021
Adapting FCC gas concentration unit design using dividing wall technology delivers high purity petrochemicals at significantly lower capital cost.
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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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Planning for a refinery turnaround
Jan-2019
A consistent approach, coupled with an aligned team, leads to successful preparation at the front end of a turnaround.
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Centrifugal compressor operations
Jul-2004
The wet gas compressor is used as an example in this article reviewing compressor performance, operating conditions and basic control philosophy
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Refining/petrochemical integration: a new paradigm
Sep-2013
The global trend in motor fuel consumption favours diesel over gasoline. There is a simultaneous increase in demand for various petrochemicals such as ...
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Reactor effluent air cooler safety through design
Oct-2013
Quality-controlled replacement of carbon steel with Duplex 2205 for revamps can increase the service life and reliability of the REAC in the high-pressure ...
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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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Premature foam-flood in an amine absorber: Part 1
Nov-2021
Troubleshooting and hydraulic analysis identified vapour channelling in fixed valve trays as the root cause of premature foam-flooding in a high pressure ...
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Understanding centrifugal compressor performance
Apr-2002
In a connected process system, expensive changes to the compressor and driver can be avoided with system debottlenecking modifications
-
Cost estimating for turnarounds
Jan-2012
Cost estimates for refinery turnarounds can lack accuracy, but lessons learned from capital project estimating could improve matters
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FCC unit revamps at minimum cost
Oct-2016
Selective modifications for FCC unit revamps can deliver the best return on investment
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Slug catcher debottleneck protects downstream processing (TIA)
Aug-2020
Effective separation of oil and gas from different impurities in upstream operations is a matter of paramount importance. All downstream activities and ...
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Correcting vacuum column design flaws
Apr-2017
Conventional design practices have been proven inadequate when maximising diesel recovery and gas oil cut point
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FCC gas concentration unit stripper revamp
Jul-2007
Unit charge rate and reactor conversion were increased by the elimination of stripper column flooding. Chemical-grade propylene specifications were me ...
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Use of non-abrasive ceramic materials in the FCCU
Oct-2017
Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) technology has been a part of the petroleum industry since it was introduced in the US in 1942 to help feed the voracious ...
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Revamp cat feed hydrotreaters for flexible yields
Nov-2016
Revamping a cat feed hydrotreater to a flexible mild hydrocracker can be the most attractive economic option for adjusting the gasoline to diesel rati ...
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The keys to successfully revamping a fired heater: how to maximise value
May-2022
(White Paper) - Fired heaters are facing scrutiny because they contribute to the global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). ...
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Taking hydroprocessing reactor cooling off the critical path
May-2022
Rapid cool-down of a typical hydroprocessing unit’s recycle gas compressor offgas can be used to cool spent reactor catalyst while avoiding the need ...
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Optimising planned maintenance outages in turnarounds
Apr-2022
Maintenance downtime affects the refiner’s bottom line every hour that production is offline, which is when temporary power suppliers can help a facility ...
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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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Impact of not integrating capex in shutdowns
Jan-2022
Capital projects must comply more with detailed practices and principles.
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Value engineering: a continuous front-end process (ERTC)
Dec-2021
The concept of front-end loading of projects is not new, where robust planning and design early in a project’s lifecycle helps to influence changes in ...
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Don’t let furnace emissions derail your expansion project
Nov-2021
Predicting emissions prior to actual furnace design is not just a mathematical calculation
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Premature foam-flood in an amine absorber: Part 1
Nov-2021
Troubleshooting and hydraulic analysis identified vapour channelling in fixed valve trays as the root cause of premature foam-flooding in a high pressure ...
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FCC petrochemicals production at minimum capex
Nov-2021
Adapting FCC gas concentration unit design using dividing wall technology delivers high purity petrochemicals at significantly lower capital cost.
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Maximising stripping section performance
Aug-2021
The design of a crude unit stripping section affects diesel and gasoil yields, energy usage, and unit reliability.
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Upgrading a vacuum distillation tower (TIA)
Aug-2021
When a major oil refinery in India was constrained by its vacuum tower, it turned to Sulzer Chemtech to find a solution that would not only solve existing ...
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Dividing wall revamp boosts octane and throughput
Jun-2021
Dividing wall column technology reduces energy and capex, but increasingly contributes to higher revenues from better products, as in this application ...
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Taking a holistic approach to a revamp
Jun-2021
If all aspects of a system are carefully examined, even minor changes can lead to large gains in unit performance and profitability.
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Delayed coker revamp for a capacity increase
Mar-2021
Revamping to a three-drum coker arrangement delivered improved product yields, higher throughput, and greater feedstock flexibility.
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Upgrading a vacuum distillation tower (TIA)
Feb-2021
Reliable and efficient vacuum towers are key to ensuring optimal performance and yield.
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Planning a turnaround that fits
Jan-2021
A risk based work selection process screens worklist items to ensure they are justified for risk reduction or financial benefit as part of a turnaroun ...
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Effective preparation for turnarounds
Dec-2020
Defining the objectives, planning thoroughly and ensuring operator readiness will increase the likelihood of a successful turnaround.
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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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High performance internals in severe service
Nov-2020
Application of a severe service grid achieved 10% higher throughput with improved reliability in a vacuum tower revamp.
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Column revamp boosts diesel production
Nov-2020
Revamping the internals of a main fractionator column enabled a refinery to increase its diesel throughput.
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Modelling ensures a successful revamp
Nov-2020
Pre-turnaround computational modelling built confidence in the benefits of introducing design changes to a FCC regenerator revamp.
-
Improving turnarounds and operations with online cleaning
Sep-2020
Case histories illustrate the financial and operational gains achieved by replacing mechanical cleaning with online, closed-loop operations. The conventional ...
-
Slug catcher debottleneck protects downstream processing (TIA)
Aug-2020
Effective separation of oil and gas from different impurities in upstream operations is a matter of paramount importance. All downstream activities and ...
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Revamp raises crude flexibility and profits (TIA)
Aug-2020
Hyundai Oilbank (HDO) has been operating an atmospheric residue desulphurisation (ARDS) unit, producing feed for the RFCC unit, at its Daesan, South Korea, ...
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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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The keys to successfully revamping a fired heater: how to maximise value
May-2022
(White Paper) - Fired heaters are facing scrutiny because they contribute to the global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). ...
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