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

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

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 ...

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

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 ...

Cost estimating for turnarounds

Jan-2012

Cost estimates for refinery turnarounds can lack accuracy, but lessons learned 
from capital project estimating could improve matters

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

Diesel and VGO recovery

Oct-2005

Fundamental design considerations influencing diesel and vacuum gas oil (VGO) recovery when revamping existing or designing grassroots crude units. By ...

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 ...

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 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 ...

Main fractionator water wash systems

Sep-2006

When properly designed and operated, main fractionator wash water systems can remove salt with little upset

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 ...

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 ...

Foam control in crude units

Oct-2004

Installation of vortex tube clusters in crude unit preflash drums has eliminated foam carry-over, increasing diesel and atmospheric gasoil product yie ...

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

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

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 ...

Increasing crude unit preheat

Jan-2006

Cost-effective exchanger network solutions need to rely on more than just pinch technology if they are to be successful

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 ...

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 ...

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

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 ...

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

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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

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 ...

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.

FCC unit revamps at minimum cost

Oct-2016

Selective modifications for FCC unit revamps can deliver the best return 
on investment

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 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 ...

Correcting vacuum column design flaws

Apr-2017

Conventional design practices have been proven inadequate when maximising diesel recovery and gas oil cut point

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 ...

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 ...

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

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

Revamping a hydrocracker’s overhead condenser

Jul-2015

A stepwise approach solved seasonal issues affecting plans to increase a hydrocracker’s capacity

Successful turnaround planning

Dec-2019

Discussion of five key components in planning and executing a successful turnaround.

Revamping a crude distillation unit

Feb-2020

A revamp project aimed to increase process safety and reduce high energy consumption in a CDU. It also delivered better product separation and higher diesel ...

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 ...

Delayed coking: valves make the difference

Jan-2009

Traditional manual methods of coke drum unheading are labour intensive, costly to maintain, expensive to repair and carry inherent risk for personnel on ...

Troubleshooting crude column constraints

Jul-2017

Multiple limitations to operating capacity were identified and resolved during a column turnaround