Spent sulphuric acid regeneration (SAR) process

May-2012

Several chemical processes utilise concentrated sulphuric acid as a catalyst or dehydrating agent, in which the acid becomes “spent”; ie, weakened ...

Catalytic reforming options and practices

Apr-2010

Design and practice in catalytic reforming is evolving to meet refinery challenges, including lower gasoline pool benzene content and increased demand ...

Coker naphtha hydrotreating

Jan-2008

Highly exothermic olefins saturation and silica contamination can occur when hydrotreating coker naphtha.

Removal of chloride compounds

Apr-2003

A review of the use of chloride guard beds to treat liquid phase and gas phase streams to prevent operational problems from hard-to-detect organic chlorides, ...

Pre-reformer catalyst in a hydrogen plant

Apr-2020

Good operation following recommended practice with technical support highlight the successful performance of a pre-reformer catalyst.

Understanding FCC feeds and benefits to refinery operation

Apr-2015

In this work, over one hundred FCC feed samples, originating from diverse geographic locations and consisting of assorted FCC refinery streams, were a ...

Predicting catalyst lifetime

Jul-2013

A simulation model compares accurately with actual operating data to provide reliable predictions of catalyst lifetime in naphtha reforming

Troubleshooting a FCC unit

Mar-2012

The source of a fouling problem in a FCC CO boiler was identified by systematic analysis of fresh catalysts, additives and equilibrium catalysts

Mercury removal in hydrocarbon streams

Mar-2009

The presence of mercury in refinery hydrocarbon streams results in detrimental effects, including catalyst poisoning, corriosion and safety issues

Residue desulphurisation and conversion

Apr-2006

The current market forces that presage a boom in resid hydrotreatment are examined along with recently reported progress in technology

Chloride removal in refineries

Mar-2011

A review of catalytic removal of chlorides from refinery streams and a critique of current analytical techniques for estimating chloride content

Meeting Euro IV fuel specifications

Jan-2006

Pretreating technology and special catalysts can help refiners meet the current and forthcoming European environmental regulations and improve their FCCU ...

HCN emissions in fluid catalytic cracking

Apr-2013

Increased attention to refinery emissions of hydrogen cyanide requires detailed understanding of its formation and conversion in the FCC regenerator

Catalyst filling in a fixed bed tubular reactor

Apr-2017

A reactor filling methodology ensures even reactant distribution and pressure drop

Maximise ethylene gain and acetylene selective hydrogenation efficiency

Mar-2013

Third-generation stabilised front-end selective acetylene hydrogenation catalysts provide high selectivity, low sensitivity to CO swings and slow deac ...

What is sintering in relation to catalyst deactivation and how can it be avoided? (PTQ Q&A)

Oct-2020

Response to a question in the Q3 2020 issue of PTQ

Choosing a selective hydrogenation system

Oct-2002

Data has shown the effectiveness of palladium catalyst for the removal of diolefins and acetylenes in steam cracking as well as catalytic cracking

On-demand propylene from naphtha

Jun-2017

A new catalytic process targets economic production of propylene from naphtha at relatively low capital and operating costs

Interpreting FCC equilibrium catalyst data

Apr-2018

Regular Ecat and fines analysis provides information to support optimum performance from the FCC.

Refinery fuel gas in steam reforming hydrogen plants

Mar-2012

Fuel gas is an attractive feedstock for hydrogen production, but appropriate catalysts and temperature control are needed to address high olefin leve ...

Understanding cloud point and hydrotreating relationships

Feb-2013

As the distillate markets allow for increased distribution worldwide, refiners need to be more aware of the additional product specifications that can ...

Refining refiners’ spent catalysts

Mar-2013

Spent catalyst is the raw material for a recycling operation that delivers fresh catalyst and specialist metals

Minimising FCC slurry exchanger fouling

Jan-2008

A case study shows when to expect reductions in slurry / FCC preheat exchanger duty from a variety of factors, including organic and inorganic-based f ...

Advances in residue hydrocracking

Mar-2018

Recent developments in ebullated bed hydrocracking technology target high residue conversion and high quality products.

Comparison of thermal cracking and hydrocracking yield distributions

Sep-2011

Obtaining the maximum performance from existing residua upgrading equipment is achieved by maximum asset utilisation.

Optimising FCC economics against changing market dynamics

Mar-2023

CO promoters are a frequently overlooked parameter for better control of afterburning, as demonstrated in a case study amidst a changing platinum group ...

Boosting mild hydrocracking performance

Aug-2020

Optimising its mild hydrocracking operations using new catalyst developments enabled a refinery to meet more complex targets for fuel quality.

Enhancing flexibility in two-stage hydrocrackers

Aug-2022

Shifting markets and refined product priorities compels refiners to find the flexibility for shifting from middle distillate to naphtha for petrochemical ...

Refinery’s performance confirms catalyst testing

Jun-2021

Commercial results from a naphtha reformer are a close match with data from micro-pilot plant tests.

Catalytic answer to a steam cracking challenge

Apr-2021

Rapid growth in steam cracker capacity has encountered a developing problem — contamination of opportunity naphtha feed by carbon disulphide.

Navigating environmental complexities at pace

Nov-2022

Revamping existing hydrogen plants can provide a significant and lasting impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions towards net zero.

Minimising unwanted coke formation in FCC operations

Apr-2023

Design and operating practices to minimise the amount and effects of unwanted coke formation in FCC operations.

Hydrocracker revamp lifts product flexibility

Nov-2020

How an innovative moving bed technology enabled a major refinery to improve residue conversion and crude flexibility.

Rejuvenated catalysts optimise refinery margins in high severity ULSD applications

Jun-2022

Rejuvenated catalysts compare well with fresh catalysts for performance in high pressure ULSD applications with added cost savings.

Pilot plant studies of hydrotreating catalysts

May-2020

Studies of catalysts for hydrotreating lubricant base oil delivered similar results from conventional and high throughput pilot plants

What is sintering in relation to catalyst deactivation and how can it be avoided? (PTQ Q&A)

Oct-2020

Response to a question in the Q3 2020 issue of PTQ

Pre-reformer catalyst in a hydrogen plant

Apr-2020

Good operation following recommended practice with technical support highlight the successful performance of a pre-reformer catalyst.

FCC catalyst boosts bottoms upgrade

Nov-2020

A combination of novel matrix technologies in a new FCC catalyst increased bottoms upgrading of residual feeds and improved profitability.

More from the barrel

Apr-2021

An alumina-supported catalyst for ULSD production or hydrocracking pretreat provides longer catalyst cycles, higher throughput, and better product qua ...

Transition to net zero: steps to decarbonise the oil refining industry

May-2022

A review of the solutions being employed by oil refineries to reduce their Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions.

Tools for FCC unit troubleshooting

Nov-2022

Strategies, resources, and technology can help to rapidly identify potential operational problems in FCC units targeted for upgrading and optimisation ...

Coker naphtha hydrotreating

Jan-2008

Highly exothermic olefins saturation and silica contamination can occur when hydrotreating coker naphtha.

Role of FCC process and catalysts in the energy transition

Aug-2022

In the evolving circular economy, proper leveraging of FCC technology and operations can deliver value for refiners in the decades going forward.

Reducing NOx emissions from an FCC unit (TIA)

Aug-2018

Refinery processes account for a considerable share of the overall emissions of air pollutants in Europe. The Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) is the ...

Oil-to-chemicals: new approaches

Jul-2020

A review of developments and trends in the expanding business of oil-to-chemicals.

What type of catalyst do we need for low pressure hydrotreating of middle distillates?

Feb-2021

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

Automating catalyst evaluation (TIA)

Nov-2019

Accurate evaluation of catalysts performance is an important step in optimising catalytic refinery processes with respect to product yields, run length, ...

Making innovative catalysts to trigger a reaction in chemical, gas and refining processes

Aug-2020

When you are creating high-quality petrochemical end products, you must first trigger a reaction.

Catalyst switch solves NOx removal issues

Jun-2021

Changing to a corrugated honeycomb design from a pellet type for catalytic NOx reduction of a furnace’s flue gas stream overcame a series of operational ...

Recovering silicon poisoned catalyst

Nov-2021

Silicon poisoning usually spells the end for hydrotreating catalysts, but a rejuvenation process can extend the effective life of silicon trap catalys ...

Can pyrolysis oil unlock greater plastic circularity?

Apr-2025

(White Paper) - Combining pyrolysis and vapour-phase catalytic upgrading offers lower temperature and energy requirements, higher yields, and optimised ...

Control points during the lifecycle of precious metal catalysts

Mar-2025

(White Paper) - Key contractual factors can greatly influence metal value returns for precious metals spent catalysts.

More and more petroleum ...