ARTICLES
-
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
-
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
-
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 ...
-
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
-
Cost estimating for turnarounds
Jan-2012
Cost estimates for refinery turnarounds can lack accuracy, but lessons learned from capital project estimating could improve matters
-
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 ...
-
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
-
Oct-2005
Fundamental design considerations influencing diesel and vacuum gas oil (VGO) recovery when revamping existing or designing grassroots crude units. By ...
-
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
-
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 ...
-
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
-
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 ...
-
Main fractionator water wash systems
Sep-2006
When properly designed and operated, main fractionator wash water systems can remove salt with little upset
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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
-
Oct-2004
Installation of vortex tube clusters in crude unit preflash drums has eliminated foam carry-over, increasing diesel and atmospheric gasoil product yie ...
-
Jan-2006
Cost-effective exchanger network solutions need to rely on more than just pinch technology if they are to be successful
-
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
-
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 ...
-
Bulk separation of gas-liquid mixtures
Apr-2011
Effective gas-liquid separation is increasingly important to produce high-quality products from feedstocks of decreasing quality
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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
-
Maximising stripping section performance
Aug-2021
The design of a crude unit stripping section affects diesel and gasoil yields, energy usage, and unit reliability.
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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.
-
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 ...
-
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.
-
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 ...
-
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.
-
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
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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.
-
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 ...
-
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
-
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
-
Using pinch technology in operations?
Sep-2013
Pinch Technology is a well established concept, and a tool used to optimise waste heat recovery and design efficient heat integration schemes in a wide ...
-
The keys to successfully revamping a fired heater: how to maximise value
May-2022
Fired heaters are facing scrutiny because they contribute to the global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). For refineries and ...
-
Correcting vacuum column design flaws
Apr-2017
Conventional design practices have been proven inadequate when maximising diesel recovery and gas oil cut point
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
Capital priorities in the downstream industry
Aug-2022
Margins opportunities in chemicals and biofuels dominate long-term investments.
-
Safety in turnaround power services
Jul-2022
Renting power systems during a turnaround or unexpected shutdown must take into account the health and safety of contractors and plant personnel working ...
-
Accelerating reactor cool down prior to turnaround
Jul-2022
The post-pandemic demand for transportation fuels and petrochemicals requires higher process complexity.
-
Revamp of a methanol wash column
Jun-2022
Installation of high performance trays and internals enabled a successful revamp for a syngas purification process.
-
Using future rows capacity to debottleneck fired heaters
Jun-2022
Opportunistic usage of the future row provision can lead to a multitude of benefits, provided the refiner knows what they are looking for during the r ...
-
Producing renewable liquid products from different lipid feedstocks (TIA)
Jun-2022
The refining landscape is shifting dramatically, and refiners are looking to adapt. This process often involves revamps or retrofits of existing asset ...
-
The keys to successfully revamping a fired heater: how to maximise value
May-2022
Fired heaters are facing scrutiny because they contribute to the global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOx). For refineries and ...
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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.
-
Impact of not integrating capex in shutdowns
Jan-2022
Capital projects must comply more with detailed practices and principles.
-
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 ...
-
Don’t let furnace emissions derail your expansion project
Nov-2021
Predicting emissions prior to actual furnace design is not just a mathematical calculation
-
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 ...
-
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.
-
Maximising stripping section performance
Aug-2021
The design of a crude unit stripping section affects diesel and gasoil yields, energy usage, and unit reliability.
-
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 ...
-
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 ...
-
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.
-
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.
-
Upgrading a vacuum distillation tower (TIA)
Feb-2021
Reliable and efficient vacuum towers are key to ensuring optimal performance and yield.
-
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 ...
-
Effective preparation for turnarounds
Dec-2020
Defining the objectives, planning thoroughly and ensuring operator readiness will increase the likelihood of a successful turnaround.
-
Hydrocracker revamp lifts product flexibility
Nov-2020
How an innovative moving bed technology enabled a major refinery to improve residue conversion and crude flexibility.
-
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.
-
Reciprocating compressor solutions for refineries
-
Tri block, double block and bleed valve from ZWICK
-
Refining India Conference 10- 11 October 2022
-
Atlas Copco Expander Compressors
-
Hydrotreating and hydrocracking catalysts
-
Get an overview of your Unit Lifecycle
-
Digital Refinery
-
BASF Refinery Solutions on LinkedIn
-
Watlow’s thermal systems optimize your refinery
-
New fired heaters
-
Compressors for demanding applications
SPONSORS