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Optimisation of a diesel hydrotreating unit
Jan-2015
A model based on operating data is used to meet sulphur product specifications at lower DHT reactor temperatures with longer catalyst life
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Oct-2016
Software based on the latest international codes enables straightforward design of storage tanks in a range of load conditions
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Simulation of bitumen upgrading processes
Apr-2013
Two bitumen upgrading processes currently used in the Canadian oil sands industry were investigated using modelling and simulation techniques
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Mercaptans removal from gases by absorption into amines and caustic
Mar-2014
A mass transfer rate-based model of the absorption process is used to discuss quantitatively the ease and extent of removal of methyl through n-butyl mercaptans ...
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Jul-2015
Computational fluid dynamics was used to analyse the performance of side entry mixers in large crude tanks
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Mar-2007
In amine sweetening units, the heat of absorption and VOC and BTEX solubility have been found to vary significantly with acid gas loading, as well as with ...
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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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Simulating crude units with preflash
Nov-2016
Process simulation offers a cost effective way of testing ideas to improve yield and energy performance.
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Distribution of HCN in sour water systems
Apr-2014
Hydrogen cyanide is commonly present in refinery gases. Because of its low volatility and to some extent its acidity, it travels through amine and sour ...
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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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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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Dynamic simulation: a tool for engineering problems
Oct-2012
Dynamic simulation can be used to solve engineering problems that require an in-depth understanding of transient processes
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Optimising safety relief and flare systems
Apr-2011
Understanding the behaviour of refinery units by dynamic modelling of emergencies enables the prediction of realistic relief loads
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Revamping the hydrogen generation unit
Apr-2014
Hydrogen plants can be modified for higher production by employing innovative process schemes
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Jan-2014
HCN has far reaching effects on amine system performance. After hydrocarbon contamination, its presence is one of the primary reasons refinery amine systems ...
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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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A comparison of physical solvents for acid gas removal
Mar-2008
Physical solvents such as DEPG (Selexol or Coastal AGR), NMP or N-Methyl-2- Pyrrolidone (Purisol), Methanol (Rectisol), Propylene Carbonate (Fluor Solvent) ...
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Using APC in refinery energy systems – develop your own solutions
Oct-2013
Advanced Process Control (APC) has been used extensively to assist in operating refinery and petrochemical processes smoothly, safely and profitably.
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Accurate prediction of tower relief
Apr-2014
A comparison of conventional and dynamic simulation methods applied to a project to debottleneck a deisobutaniser
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Protecting compressors with dynamic simulation
Apr-2014
Dynamic simulation supports reliable operation of compressor installations to deliver maximum plant availability and productivity
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Crude column relief mitigation
Oct-2011
Mitigation of plant-wide relief loads can greatly improve the safety of the plant, reduce flaring and be used as the basis for building smaller relief ...
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Overcoming tight emulsion problems
Oct-2014
A refiner’s trials of a membrane coalescence mechanism were scaled up to plant level and delivered significant product recovery from tight aqueous e ...
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Retrofitting a glycol contactor to prevent carryover
Oct-2013
A revamp of glycol contactor column internals, following CFD studies, resolved problems with gas production caused by glycol carryover
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FCC catalyst optimisation in response to rare earth prices
Oct-2011
Lower levels of rare-earth catalyst formulations offset higher raw material costs, but refiners must consider the effects on catalyst performance and ...
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Improved performance of the Benfield-HiPure process using process simulation
Oct-2013
Natural gas processing plants are an essential part of the energy industry, providing clean burning fuels and valuable chemical feedstock.
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Monitoring and simulation resolves overhead corrosion
Mar-2016
Online corrosion monitoring in tandem with simulation modelling identified the root cause of corrosion in a crude unit overhead
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SRU simulation getting the properties right
Aug-2016
Reliable, predictive simulation software for SRUs requires recognition of many of the unique properties and behaviours of sulphur.
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Data operations transform fuels value
May-2019
A refiner applied advanced analytics to develop techniques for processing opportunity crudes which minimise negative effects on the plant.
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Mercaptans removal from gases by absorption into amines and caustic
Mar-2014
A mass transfer rate-based model of the absorption process is used to discuss quantitatively the ease and extent of removal of methyl through n-butyl mercaptans ...
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Ammonia destruction in the reaction furnace
Nov-2016
A study based on reaction fundamentals aids a comparison of the advantages of one-zone and two-zone SRU reaction furnace design in ammonia destruction ...
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SO2 breakthrough under the microscope
Jun-2017
Plant simulation reveals that any breakthrough of sulphur dioxide will cause havoc in the tail gas treating unit.
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Field experience with a Claus furnace checker wall
Jan-2014
A new design of Claus furnace checker wall delivers improved mechanical performance and process flow characteristics.
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Consider multivariate statistical modelling to maximise FCC unit profitability
Nov-2013
Process models(a) and simulation(b) can be used to simulate the fluidised-bed catalytic cracking (FCC) unit process, kinetic or multivariate statistical ...
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Feb-2015
Absorbers become lean-end pinched when the solvent’s capacity for acid gas greatly exceeds the acid gas to be removed. Carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide ...
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Digital twins enhance LNG plant performance
May-2019
Digitalisation technologies offer new and disruptive ways to overcome the challenges of increasing margin, reducing carbon emissions and addressing talent ...
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Real-time total chlorine monitoring to ensure optimal desalter performance
May-2019
Chlorides are always present in raw crude oils and their concentrations vary greatly. Depending on origin, transportation methods, and process conditions, ...
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Where transparency-driven value comes from
Jan-2020
Safe and sustainable operation is a key factor for the profitability of every processing business, such as a petroleum refinery.
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Managing vacuum tower wash beds
Sep-2020
ThruVision™ scans monitor the rate of coking in vacuum tower wash beds to get the most out of bed productivity.
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Simulation of bitumen upgrading processes
Apr-2013
Two bitumen upgrading processes currently used in the Canadian oil sands industry were investigated using modelling and simulation techniques
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Accurate prediction of tower relief
Apr-2014
A comparison of conventional and dynamic simulation methods applied to a project to debottleneck a deisobutaniser
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Predicting corrosion rates in amine and sour water systems
May-2014
A chemistry-based predictive model predicts corrosion rates in specific processing conditions. Corrosion is a ubiquitous problem in gas treating in the ...
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Determining safety distance in process design
Jan-2015
Safety distance determination is a key design issue that may have a dramatic impact on a refinery construction project
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Overcoming tight emulsion problems
Oct-2014
A refiner’s trials of a membrane coalescence mechanism were scaled up to plant level and delivered significant product recovery from tight aqueous e ...
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Tube alloy degradation in a steam cracking furnace
Apr-2015
Understanding catalytic coke growth mechanisms to better predict and optimise furnace service times with tube alloy degradation
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Acidic and basic contaminants in amine treating
Jun-2014
Sources of heat stable salt (HSS) contaminants in amine treating solutions are discussed and their effect on reaction equilibria in acid gas-amine systems ...
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Determine organic and inorganic chlorides in crude oil
Nov-2020
Although all XRF techniques are capable of only total elemental analysis, with some sample preparation, Clora, Clora with Accu-flow, Clora 2XP, and Sindie ...
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Jan-2009
In part I, reaction kinetics, cracking chemistry, pressure balance, catalyst and vapour residence times, and fluidisation were considered. In part II, ...
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Simulation of a visbreaking unit
Apr-2011
Simulation of a commercial visbreaking unit supports optimisation of the unit’s performance. The visbreaking unit utilises vacuum residue as a feed and ...
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Tracking performance degradation in a debutaniser column
Jan-2013
A project applying statistical and data mining techniques to historical operating data identified the root causes of a debutaniser’s poor performanc ...
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Using APC in refinery energy systems – develop your own solutions
Oct-2013
Advanced Process Control (APC) has been used extensively to assist in operating refinery and petrochemical processes smoothly, safely and profitably.
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Nature of errors in machinery diagnostics
Jan-2020
A reliability theory has been developing for almost 70 years, and all the time scientists, engineers and practitioners attempt to point out an instance ...
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Fouling and cleaning analysis of a heat exchanger network
Dec-2019
Analysis of a complex heat exchanger network employs a digital twin model to establish a programme for fouling and cleaning.
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Simulation of Claus unit performance
Nov-2019
Simulating a sulphur recovery unit using a fundamental approach enables the effects of process changes on a host of performance metrics to be reliably ...
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Digitalisation is only scratching the surface
Nov-2019
Digitalisation usually means upgrading a few elements of technology or workflows, leaving a partial digital twin when a holistic approach is needed.
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Best practice for refinery flowsheets
Aug-2019
Refinery-wide flowsheets can demonstrate the true representation of changes in key operating variables and their associated impact on refinery operati ...
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Jul-2019
The availability of devices capable of creating an image of the infrared radiation emitted by an item of process equipment such as the CO2 absorber in ...
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Real-time total chlorine monitoring to ensure optimal desalter performance
May-2019
Chlorides are always present in raw crude oils and their concentrations vary greatly. Depending on origin, transportation methods, and process conditions, ...
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Claus waste heat boiler economics Part 2: mechanical considerations
May-2019
The design of a cost effective waste heat boiler faces many, often opposing factors affecting the performance and reliability of the exchanger.
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Digital twins enhance LNG plant performance
May-2019
Digitalisation technologies offer new and disruptive ways to overcome the challenges of increasing margin, reducing carbon emissions and addressing talent ...
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Data operations transform fuels value
May-2019
A refiner applied advanced analytics to develop techniques for processing opportunity crudes which minimise negative effects on the plant.
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How DEA affects CO2 removal by Hot Pot
Apr-2019
In ammonia production, CO2 removal from synthesis gas is an important processing operation.
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Factors affecting Claus waste heat boiler design and operation
Mar-2019
The Claus Waste Heat Boiler (WHB) is a critical piece of equipment in a Sulphur Recovery Unit (SRU); its fundamental purpose is as a heat transfer device ...
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Claus waste heat boiler economics Part 1: process considerations
Feb-2019
The design of the waste heat boiler has a critical role to play in determining process operations, reliability and economic performance in the sulphur ...
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Hydrocarbon Processing Gas Analysis Magazine - Issue 4 2019
Jan-2019
Accurate, reliable oxygen (O2) measurements are essential in many HP applications, delivering the readings that support process efficiency, safety and ...
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Tray revamp restores crude column performance
Jan-2019
Retrofitting the packed top section of a crude atmospheric tower with high capacity trays improved separation efficiency
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Logistics of personnel movement by elevator
Jan-2019
During a construction project time is money, and that includes time waiting for elevators to the workplace.
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New insights into Claus waste heat boilers
Dec-2018
The real plant performance of a waste heat boiler depends on many factors besides heat transfer.
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An overview of Honeywell’s layered optimisation solution
Nov-2018
Advanced process control (APC) and real-time optimisation (RTO) tools have become necessary technologies for today’s process operating companies to compete ...
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Predictive analytics in incident prevention
Sep-2018
Predictive analytics can support risk management by identifying where failures are likely to occur and what can be done to prevent them.
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Hydrocarbon Processing Gas Analysis Magazine - Issue 3 2018
Jul-2018
Hydrocarbon processing (HP) is one of the most demanding industries in the world. To support customers in facing the challenges of this market, Servomex ...
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Heavy feed characterisation: a molecular approach
Jun-2018
Characterising heavy feeds on a molecular basis, together with kinetic studies, accurately predicts the reactivity of a wide range of vacuum residues.
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Boosting energy efficiency in aromatics processing
Jun-2018
Simulation of a revamped process scheme with improved heat integration indicates big gains through energy savings and emissions abatement.
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Accuracy of measured lean amine H2S loading
May-2018
When solvent regeneration is done robustly the most accurate assessment of lean loadings can be by simulation rather than by measurement.
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Countering hydrate formation in an NGL recovery unit
May-2018
Process modelling can be used to validate data from the plant and identify the most effective approach to process optimisation.
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Mar-2018
Scalable simulation of crude unit operations enables refineries to build increasingly rigorous models to enhance performance
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Mar-2021
(White Paper) Oil and gas operations success hinges on digital transformation. Between diverse business models and fluctuating market and regulatory pressures, ...