A novel approach to cleaning 
furnace coils

Jul-2013

A modified pigging operation aims to greatly reduce the time required for coke removal from furnace coils

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

Useful tips for fired heater optimisation

Apr-2012

Model predictive control that is native to the regulatory control processor provides high-speed, redundant and robust control for process fired heater ...

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

Role of fired heater safety systems

Jul-2013

A fully automated burner management system operating as a SIS for burner control can meet minimum safety targets, improve system availability and lower ...

Selecting the “Best” fired heater

Jun-2013

Fired heaters are extensively used in the chemical process industry to heat process fluids and generate steam. Typically, fired heaters consume the largest ...

Practical flare gas recovery for minimising flaring

Apr-2015

Flares play a critical role as a safety device in refineries, and in most oil and gas producing or processing facilities.

Column preheat improvement to debottleneck furnace operation

Apr-2012

Simulation helped to identify and mitigate the root cause of a furnace bottleneck to maximise the removal of light ends in the feed to a preflash colu ...

Visbreaker optimisation: 
a step change

Apr-2009

Optimising visbreakers is not just a matter of monitoring and adding chemicals. Opportunity crudes demand a more integrated approach

Fired capital equipment: key plant components

Oct-2015

Fired capital equipment is an often neglected asset associated with 
plant operations. The global petrochemical and refining industries remain volatile ...

Effect of reactor inlet temperature 
in a hydrotreater

Sep-2018

Solving a problem of pressure drop in a naphtha hydrotreater led to fresh insights into the role of reactor inlet temperature.

Reducing refinery heater revamp costs

Oct-2005

This article discusses the importance of being able to deliver a safe, cost-effective heater revamp, in the shortest possible shutdown

Energy management: raising profitability, reducing CO2 emissions

Oct-2010

Case studies show how lower energy demand via revamps and improved maintenance can save money and abate CO2 emissions in refinery operations

Troubleshooting vacuum unit revamps

Jul-1998

While vacuum unit revamps increase gasoil yield, management is pushing the intervals between turnarounds to four or five years

Avoiding unscheduled shutdowns

Apr-2001

Case studies have demonstrated that correct heater design and consequent performance will determine crude unit run length

Specifications – importance of getting them right

Mar-2003

Faulty equipment specifications sometimes carry unforeseen penalties, with loss of performance. It is the process design engineer’s responsibility to ...

Vacuum unit design effect on operating variables

Jul-2002

To revamp vacuum units, process modelling and equipment design know-how are needed, and the understanding of connected equipment performance can lead to ...

When excess air becomes too much

Jul-2020

Excessive use of excess air impacts operating costs through fuel efficiency, furnace reliability, and stack emissions

Cost efficient revamps in hydrogen plants

Jul-2001

Revamping of existing equipment is often seen as the cheapest and most cost effective solution, but this calls for a thorough knowledge of the plant, its ...

Structured catalyst for steam reforming

Sep-2018

A catalyst system for steam methane reforming for improved heat transfer, pressure drop and catalyst effectiveness.

Managing the molecule: an update on 2005

Jul-2002

An overall look at the opportunities for gas-to-liquids projects in Europe as tighter gasoline and diesel specifications loom

Raising boiler efficiency (TIA)

Apr-2015

When you are processing 100000 b/d or more of crude, reliability is of the utmost importance. There is no justification for unscheduled shutdowns due to ...

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 ...

Efficiency factors in natural gas fired steam boilers

Jul-2020

A study to obtain maximum operating efficiency from a set of refinery steam boilers.

Identifying very small 
equipment leaks

Jan-2008

Very small leaks in feed/effluent exchangers can be identified using chemical tracing. This online technique can detect leaks as low as 5.0 ppm, avoiding ...

A novel approach to cleaning 
furnace coils

Jul-2013

A modified pigging operation aims to greatly reduce the time required for coke removal from furnace coils

When excess air becomes too much

Jul-2020

Excessive use of excess air impacts operating costs through fuel efficiency, furnace reliability, and stack emissions

Evaluating hydrogen rich fuel gas firing

Mar-2021

A sudden shift to hydrogen rich fuel gas firing may not be prudent if a fired heater is not designed for it.

Effect of reactor inlet temperature 
in a hydrotreater

Sep-2018

Solving a problem of pressure drop in a naphtha hydrotreater led to fresh insights into the role of reactor inlet temperature.

Realities of heat flux in fired heaters

Nov-2020

Uneven radiant heat flux distribution is a major cause of poor reliability in refinery fired heaters.

When replacement in-kind gives performance that isn’t: a vibration case study

Dec-2020

This story starts with a familiar scenario for a fluidised catalytic cracking unit (FCCU); a 30 year old waste heat boiler (WHB) had become a maintenance ...

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 ...

Fired capital equipment: key plant components

Oct-2015

Fired capital equipment is an often neglected asset associated with 
plant operations. The global petrochemical and refining industries remain volatile ...

Selecting the “Best” fired heater

Jun-2013

Fired heaters are extensively used in the chemical process industry to heat process fluids and generate steam. Typically, fired heaters consume the largest ...

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

Useful tips for fired heater optimisation

Apr-2012

Model predictive control that is native to the regulatory control processor provides high-speed, redundant and robust control for process fired heater ...

Column preheat improvement to debottleneck furnace operation

Apr-2012

Simulation helped to identify and mitigate the root cause of a furnace bottleneck to maximise the removal of light ends in the feed to a preflash colu ...

Role of fired heater safety systems

Jul-2013

A fully automated burner management system operating as a SIS for burner control can meet minimum safety targets, improve system availability and lower ...

Practical flare gas recovery for minimising flaring

Apr-2015

Flares play a critical role as a safety device in refineries, and in most oil and gas producing or processing facilities.

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

Visbreaker optimisation: 
a step change

Apr-2009

Optimising visbreakers is not just a matter of monitoring and adding chemicals. Opportunity crudes demand a more integrated approach

Raising boiler efficiency (TIA)

Apr-2015

When you are processing 100000 b/d or more of crude, reliability is of the utmost importance. There is no justification for unscheduled shutdowns due to ...

Structured catalyst for steam reforming

Sep-2018

A catalyst system for steam methane reforming for improved heat transfer, pressure drop and catalyst effectiveness.

Troubleshooting vacuum unit revamps

Jul-1998

While vacuum unit revamps increase gasoil yield, management is pushing the intervals between turnarounds to four or five years

Avoiding unscheduled shutdowns

Apr-2001

Case studies have demonstrated that correct heater design and consequent performance will determine crude unit run length

Energy management: raising profitability, reducing CO2 emissions

Oct-2010

Case studies show how lower energy demand via revamps and improved maintenance can save money and abate CO2 emissions in refinery operations

Efficiency factors in natural gas fired steam boilers

Jul-2020

A study to obtain maximum operating efficiency from a set of refinery steam boilers.

Reducing refinery heater revamp costs

Oct-2005

This article discusses the importance of being able to deliver a safe, cost-effective heater revamp, in the shortest possible shutdown

Revamping the sulphur plant

Jul-2020

Expanding the capacity of sulphur recovery and tail gas units requires a thorough review of all plant systems.

Best practices in boiler replacement (TIA)

Nov-2018

When you are processing 100 000 barrels or more of crude in a day, reliability is of the utmost importance. There is no justification for unscheduled shutdowns ...