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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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 t ...
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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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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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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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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 ...
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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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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
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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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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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Applying relief load calculation methods
Apr-2008
Case study compares dynamic simulation vs conventional unbalanced heat method for relief load calculations in a naphtha hydrotreater, focusing on the strengths ...
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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 ...
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Revamp of a methanol wash column
Jun-2022
Installation of high performance trays and internals enabled a successful revamp for a syngas purification process.
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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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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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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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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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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 ...
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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
-
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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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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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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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 ...
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Capital priorities in the downstream industry
Aug-2022
Margins opportunities in chemicals and biofuels dominate long-term investments.
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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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Debottlenecking product recovery using product pair distillation: Part I
Apr-2023
Advantages of using a thermodynamically efficient method to debottleneck existing distillation trains using fewer new columns than traditional methods ...
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Mitigating FCC gas plant impacts when increasing reactor LPG yields
Apr-2023
Increasing FCC reactor LPG yields at the expense of gasoline increases profitability, but equipment downstream of the converter requires modifications ...
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Improved diesel hydrotreating catalyst loading scheme
Mar-2023
A European refiner used an independent catalyst testing approach to confirm their existing hydrotreating unit’s ability to cope with different LCO blending ...
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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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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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How to cut emissions and fuel and increase capacity in fired heaters
Feb-2023
Fired heaters have the greatest running cost in a refinery or a petrochemical site.
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How to improve energy efficiency, reliability and asset integrity
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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Feb-2023
One of the most overlooked considerations when designing a rigging system is sling angles.
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Reconfiguration of naphtha splitters using divided wall column technology
Feb-2023
Integration of DWCs into existing refining configurations reduces energy consumption and GHG emissions in distillation systems while also lowering operating ...
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Dec-2022
Risk-based Inspection (RBI) has been around the refining and petrochemical industry for many years.
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Keeping your scaffolding under control during a turnaround
Dec-2022
During any Maintenance work or Turnarounds, there will be a need to reach inaccessible areas of the process plant, either for inspection or maintenance ...
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Dec-2022
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Sulzer’s VIEC technology provides the solution with single-stage early separation
Nov-2022
The principle of “easiest first” applies as much in the oil industry as in most other enterprises. This in no more evident than in the state of the ...
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Capital priorities in the downstream industry
Aug-2022
Margins opportunities in chemicals and biofuels dominate long-term investments.
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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 ...
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Accelerating reactor cool down prior to turnaround
Jul-2022
The post-pandemic demand for transportation fuels and petrochemicals requires higher process complexity.
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Revamp of a methanol wash column
Jun-2022
Installation of high performance trays and internals enabled a successful revamp for a syngas purification process.
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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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