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

Vacuum unit pressure control

Sep-2006

Operational issues such as higher heater duty and column pressure must be weighed against avoiding residue entrainment in HVGO

Bitumen processing: crude unit revamps

Jul-2011

The ability to process bitumen offers a competitive advantage, but revamps of crude and vacuum units to process bitumen require significant changes
to ...

Myth of high cutpoint in dry 
vacuum units

Apr-2014

Accurate measures of true boiling point cutpoints are essential to correctly evaluate vacuum unit performance

Revamp process design — optimum crude unit product yields

Jul-1997

Designing a new crude unit is an unconstrained process, limited only by capital
investment targets, while revamping an existing unit to optimise ...

Stabilisation 
of asphaltenes

Jan-2009

Asphaltenes can plug refinery equipment and can decrease or stop production. Stabilisation of asphaltene particles is an efficient and cost-effective way ...

Dividing wall technology in distillation columns

Feb-2020

Increased throughput required the revamp of a gasoline unit. Space constraints and strict product requirements led to dividing wall column technology as ...

Crude unit start-ups: the results of a 
high liquid level

Sep-2003

Pressure-measurement techniques can avoid the dangers of rapidly changing flow rates and levels during start-up

Troubleshooting crude column constraints

Jul-2017

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

Optimising preflash for light tight oil processing

Jul-2015

For a crude unit handling light tight oil feedstock, a semi-preflash column can deliver significant advantages in energy saving, capacity gain and revamp ...

Strategies for improved naphtha processing

Oct-2013

To take advantage of dilbit from Alberta and light oils from shale formations, refiners must develop a strategy for processing additional naphthas and ...

Designing a crude unit heat 
exchanger network

Oct-2012

Preheat train design for heavy Canadian crudes can be very challenging, requiring an approach not normally required with other crudes

Enhancing energy efficiency in the CDU

Apr-2015

Revisiting your crude distillation unit may expose hidden potential for major energy savings

A balanced approach to vacuum tower flash zone/wash section design

Sep-2010

Revamping an existing vacuum column to operate at a higher feed rate, higher flash zone temperature, lower pressure, and different feed stock characterisation ...

Vacuum pressure control: impact on profitability

Jul-2001

Optimisation of flash zone pressure and temperature can improve feedstock quality to downstream units

Deep-cut vacuum unit design

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

VDU vacuum system revamp

Jan-2013

Revamping a VDU’s vacuum system delivered operational improvements in a refinery, but also led to safer and more efficient handling of non-condensed ...

Troubleshooting vacuum systems

Oct-2016

Case histories of refinery vacuum tower problems solved are gleaned from five decades of experience.

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

Online cleaning of an integrated distillation unit

Oct-2013

Online cleaning technology was validated during a scheduled turnaround at the second largest refinery in Poland.

Heat integration projects for 
refining processes

Oct-2013

Heat integration projects can deliver substantial savings, but they require detailed simulation and case-specific heat integration analysis

Flow metering vacuum tower bottoms

Oct-2011

A clamp-on ultrasonic flow meter can make flow measurement at the bottom of vacuum distillation towers more reliable

Towards a zero gasoline production refinery: part 2

Oct-2013

Refinery configurations can suit various processing objectives, such as variations to the propylene-to-ethylene ratio and production of middle distillates ...

CFD study of a VDU feed inlet device and wash bed

Oct-2009

Analysis of vapour velocity profiles at the entry to the wash zone of a VDU column enables a higher feed rate and improved output quality

Energy-efficient vacuum systems

Apr-2013

Case analysis of the techniques available to reduce energy consumption in vacuum systems reveals the potential for cost savings

Planning to counter economic turbulence

Sep-2020

Synchronising engineering and planning models should be a key aim to support the resilience and agility needed for economic recovery

Pre-turnaround scans enable better critical path planning

Sep-2020

Tru-Scan™ and Tru-Grid™ Scan results help determine whether to enter a particular column during the turnaround outage or remove it from the critical ...

ThruVision™ scans are the next step to investigate liquid maldistribution

Sep-2020

ThruVision™ technology allows for a complete understanding of liquid distribution, saving days of production losses and massive costs of a unit shut ...

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.

Processing lower cost crudes with greater confidence and improved reliability

Dec-2020

For more than 100 years, it has been understood in the petroleum refining industry that certain crude oils or, more accurately, crude oil fractions contain ...

Our desalting rate drops away quickly when we use heavier feeds. What is the problem here?

Feb-2021

Responses to a question in the Q1 2021 issues Q&A Feature

Upgrading a vacuum distillation tower (TIA)

Feb-2021

Reliable and efficient vacuum towers are key to ensuring optimal performance and yield.

Reducing FCC main fractionator operating risks

Mar-2021

Analysis of an FCC main fractionator upset and follow-up revamp showed that removal of the HCO wash section did not impact operations or product quali ...

Amine anomaly in a mild hydrocracker

Jun-2021

Simulation and operational changes help to crack the riddle of frequent amine carry-over from a high pressure amine absorber.

Premature foam-flood in an amine absorber: Part 2

Jan-2022

Troubleshooting and hydraulic analysis identified vapour channelling in fixed valve trays as the root cause of premature foam-flooding in a high pressure ...

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 ...

Fouling in VDU ejector systems

Feb-2023

Review of critical ejector-condenser interplay, with an overview of fouling in VDU ejector systems, including a case study where fouling impacted a refiner's ...

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 ...

Focused revamp increases diesel and HVGO recovery

Jul-2023

Refiners have the best opportunity to maximise return through identification of creative solutions during a focused capital revamp.

Optimising fouled distillation units

Nov-2023

Case studies discuss optimisation strategies and enhanced distillation unit performance against fouled conditions.

Preventing ammonium salt fouling and corrosion

Jan-2018

Best practices and opportunities to reduce the risk of salt deposition and damage

Problems in processing discounted crudes Part 1: definition and crude preheat

Feb-2019

Project costs must be considered to fully understand whether or not an opportunity crude really does deliver on savings.

Enhancing energy efficiency in the CDU

Apr-2015

Revisiting your crude distillation unit may expose hidden potential for major energy savings

Correcting vacuum column design flaws

Apr-2017

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

Troubleshooting crude column constraints

Jul-2017

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

Loss into gain in high capacity trays - Part 1: excursion

Jun-2016

Systematic troubleshooting diagnosed and solved two complex and independent problems that limited the capacity of an atmospheric crude distillation to ...

Oil recovery from tank sludge

Nov-2017

Thorough tank cleaning means removing all of the sludge and restoring the vessel’s full storage capacity.

Identifying the root cause of underperforming ejector systems

Nov-2022

Underperforming ejector systems illustrate the importance of the long air baffle, its proper operation, and how to quickly identify problems when they ...

Mitigating overhead corrosion and reducing downstream costs

Jan-2022

A combination of onstream measurements, closed-loop control, and corrosion measurement enabled significant reductions in caustic addition rates and FCC ...

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