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  • 4 simple ways to convert turnarounds into profitable tower upgrade opportunities

    With planned outages commonly occurring at intervals of 2-5 years, a refinery turnaround is a prime opportunity to replace column and separator internals with the newest available technology. Planning for an outage with a “replacement-in-kind” strategy will address lost performance from refinery equipment due to normal wear and tear. However, most column internals can be upgraded for higher capacity, more flexibility, or greater efficiency at close to the same cost ...

  • About Axens

    Axens is a group providing a complete range of solutions for the conversion of oil and biomass to cleaner fuels, the production and purification of major petrochemical intermediates as well as all of natural gas' treatment and conversion options. The offer includes technologies, equipment, furnaces, modular units, catalysts, adsorbents and related services. Axens is ideally positioned to cover the entire value chain, from feasibility study to unit start-up and follow-up throughout ...

  • Anti-fouling trays maximize coker main fractionator profitability

    The Coker Main Fractionator is systematically subjected to harsh operating conditions that can lead to deteriorating efficiency and performance due to coking and fouling. Poor reliability results in loss of profitable coking margins for the refinery. The main fractionator vapor feed from the coke drum overhead is characterized by a tendency for further cracking, as well as the presence of fine coke particles carried from the drums. The hottest zones of the column (bottom quench, ...

  • Axens overview

    Axens is a group providing a complete range of solutions for the conversion of oil and biomass to cleaner fuels, the production and purification of major petrochemical intermediates as well as all of natural gas' treatment and conversion options. The offer includes technologies, equipment, furnaces, modular units, catalysts, adsorbents and related services. Axens is ideally positioned to cover the entire value chain, from feasibility study to unit start-up and follow-up ...

  • Beyond the column: Sulzer ESR

    New bypass line between diesel draw-off line to side stripper, new bypass valve, incl. update of P&ID, piping isometrics and pipe

  • Caustic tower revamp

    A customer contacted Sulzer to increase capacity while improving the CO2 removal in the existing CO2 absorption column of their ethylene plant. This was the third revamp for this particular column and continued improvements can be hard to find. A proper caustic tower design requires a proper understanding of CO2 absorption with caustic. CO2 + 2NaOH Na2CO3 + H2O Sulzer replaced the conventional random packing with NeXRing and modified the operating parameters to match the ...

  • Channel baffles: improving efficiency on trays with low vapor loading

    Sour water strippers, wastewater benzene strippers, or any other column that operates with low vapor rates often have active areas that are easily oversized for the actual operating vapor traffic. For optimum tray efficiency, good contacting of the liquid flowing across the tray deck with the vapor flowing up through the tray orifices is critical. Channel baffles are a very straight-forward design modification that improve vapor/liquid contact, increasing tray efficiency in low ...

  • Diagnostics™ Leak Study Optimise Ammonia Synthesis Loop

    How can Tracerco help optimise performance in my ammonia synthesis loop? If you are trying to determine why the ammonia synthesis line is not performing as efficiently as expected, a series of tracer tests can be carried out for troubleshooting the different processing loops of ammonia synthesis and converter lines. Tracerco Diagnostics™ Leak studies have proven invaluable in identifying potential areas or locations of leakage within an ammonia synthesis processing loop, converter, ...

  • Droplet Separators (Demister)

    For many decades, VFF droplet separators have been successfully used in a large variety of applications and design forms — up to 18 m in diameter. Wire mesh droplet separators (Demister) are used for the removal of small liquid droplets (aerosols) from exhaust gases, exhaust air and steam. VFF’s portfolio includes a wide range of practical experience in the following applications and devices: - Absorbers - Seawater desalination equipment - Washers - Sulphuric acid plants - ...

  • DURANIT® Maximum compression strength for maximum operational safety

    When using catalyst supports, a high degree of operational safety through stability and homogeneity of the support material is an important factor for the customer. The specially developed manufacturing process from VFF means that the compression strength of the Duranit® X500 inert balls is significantly higher than that of comparable products. The mean compression strength of the 1“ balls is well above 1000 kg, guaranteeing VFF customers an unsurpassed level of operational ...

  • DuraTop® Covering layers for catalyst beds for more efficiency.

    DuraTop® special reformed packings are used among other things for covering catalyst beds. DuraTop® special reformed packings can be added onto the top ball layer or even replace the top ball layer. As the top layers on the catalyst beds DuraTop® special reformed packings offer the following advantages: - low pressure drop because of large free-gap volume - good pre-distribution of the liquid and gaseous media, even before they reach the catalyst bed, due to open internal ...

  • Effective water removal creates extra capacity in your absorber-stripper

    Free or soluble water carrying over from the FCC or Coker Main Fractionator overhead systems can cause foaming problems and flooding in the Absorber-Stripper columns. Column designs that incorporate effective water removal can free-up capacity for valuable naphtha or LPG production. The Problem Even with bulk water removal in the overhead knockout drums or high pressure receivers, water carryover can go hand-in-hand with capacity creep. Higher charge rates can create superficial ...

  • Expertise beyond the column LPG Treating

    DC Coalescer™. Composite two-material design with very different surface free energies — typically metal and plastic. This simple principle offers notable advantages over conventional, single medium alternatives. The combination of both high and low surface energies gives effective separation irrespective of which phase is dispersed. The rate of coalescence is significantly increased.

  • FCC Main Fractionator Coking

    One common cause for coking is poor vapor distribution. Packing selection in the Slurry P/A section is critical to ensure good distribution and reliable performance. Mellagrid™ combines the performance of Mellapak™ with the robustness of traditional grid. Resists coking and fouling due to its smooth surface and geometrical. Better de-entrainment and separation efficiency than traditional grid. Efficient dissipation of temperature. Excellent mechanical strength.

  • Fractional crystallization

    Why crystallization? Why Sulzer? Driven by the need to reduce energy consumption and to cope with new feedstocks, the chemical industry is striving to more and more improve process efficiency. Whether it’s oil-based, bio-based or from recycling streams, Sulzer develops the right purification solutions to address the market requirements. Why use crystallization? - It makes the purification of close boilers possible when other technologies fail — therefore allowing ultra-high ...

  • Gain 5-10% efficiency with this simple 4-pass tray revamp

    The design of 4-pass trays can be complex. It not only requires a close evaluation of the mechanical design but also the process response to that design at various flow rates. The balancing of the fluid flows across the tray can have a substantial effect on the tray performance, namely efficiency. Many existing columns are operating with older 4-pass designs. While some of these are well designed, others could use some improvement. Since 4-pass trays always involve a fairly ...

  • Gas/Liquid separation technology

    Sulzer is a major player in the field of gas/liquid and liquid/liquid separation technology, offering a full range of innovative products and related services. Our commitment to development of technology, combined with application knowhow and consistent fabrication standards ensures that a well-engineered solution is available for most separation problems. Our expertise gained from hundreds of successful installations in a broad spectrum of applications ensures that the best ...

  • Green design practices: focus on efficiency

    Green design is more than recycling scrap materials or calculating carbon footprints. It minimizes negative environmental impact through skillful design and operating practices to produce efficient, better-functioning processes. Because green practices reduce resource requirements, in many cases, they can also improve the profitability of the entire process. One of the most effective ways to make a process greener is to focus on column efficiency. Distillation is an energy ...

  • Important tray design features that improve column operating reliability

    How often does Maintenance personnel open a column during a shutdown and find tray panels fallen without any obvious damage? How about tray valves stuck in the bottoms pump suction? While the initial reaction may be to blame faulty installation where the hardware was not properly tightened, the answer often lies in the design of the tray. Reliable column designs need to produce on-spec products at the design capacity, while operating with energy usage at a minimum. For this to ...

  • Improve fouling resistance in your wastewater benzene stripper

    Benzene stripper columns, built so that refineries can meet the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP), operate with several unique conditions – low vapor rates, high liquid loads, and a high tendency toward fouling make designing well-balanced, effective internals difficult. The Problem: Two Refinery Case Studies Sulzer was contacted by two separate refiners who noted a continued fouling problem and short run lengths on their wastewater strippers. ...

  • Improve separation in your column by increasing the number of trays

    Refiners often face revamp challenges when trying to improve separation within an existing column. Improving diesel recovery from gas oil, splitting benzene precursors from naphtha reformer charge, or simply minimizing product overlaps after capacity creep can all be difficult when limited by a fi xed existing tower height. For these cases, revamp solutions that increase the number of theoretical stages by adding trays to an existing column or a section of a column pay large dividends. ...

  • Improved technology for carbon capture & storage saves capital cost

    Total man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the world today amount to approximately 30 Gigatons per year, with fossil fuel-based power stations contributing in excess of 30% of this total. Carbon Capture is an energy intensive process, buy Sulzer’s specialized technology allows the operator to minimize capital expenditures and at the same time, minimize power output losses that can result from poor designs. High Efficiency Mass Transfer Products Reduce Capital Costs ...

  • Increase capacity in your column with a tray design revamp

    When trying to increase column capacity beyond design rates, an operator may notice loss in separation efficiency or high pressure drop, indicative of either vapor phase or liquid phase hydraulic limitations. An optimized tray design can eliminate hydraulic constraints to provide better column capacity and performance. Common Vapor Constraints to Raising Throughput In systems limited by higher vapor rates (typically lower pressure systems), jet flooding may constrain the column. ...

  • Lube Oil Vacuum Tower revamp

    Pressure drop is a critical operating parameter for Vacuum Towers. A Lube Oil Vacuum Tower with dislodged floating valves was revamped with Sulzer’s high performance MVG™ fixed valves, reducing column pressure drop 15%. V-Grid™ trays offer reliable performance with substantial energy savings and increased run length. V-Grid tray technology: - Lower pressure drop - High efficiency over a wide operating range - Superior mechanical strength - Excellent fouling resis ...

  • Maximizing diesel recovery in your columns

    Increased demand for automotive diesel is challenging refiners to adjust operating strategies to maximize middle distillate production. While some refiners choose to alter catalyst formulations or build new cracking units to increase diesel yields, optimizing the separation between gas oil and distillate in existing columns can be an excellent opportunity with little or no investment. Areas of Opportunity to Optimize Diesel Cuts Diesel streams are drawn from the primary fractionators ...

  • Maximizing light cycle oil recovery in the FCC main fractionator

    Refiners operating FCCU's have adjusted their operating strategies to maximize light cycle oil production to meet the increased demand for automotive diesel. Catalyst formulations and reactor conditions can alter yields, but the refinery cannot take full advantage of the increased LCO recovery without an optimized Main Fractionator operation and design. Sulzer offers several methods of optimizing the separation between light cycle oil and less valuable HCO or slurry with little ...

  • Measuring the level of tower bottoms

    The level measurement in the bottom of any distillation column is a critical measurement task in refineries. Tower internals damage due to the failure of level control technologies for residual bottoms is one of the most common issues in refineries. However, this is not the only way that reliable bottoms level measurements can save costs and increase efficiency in the refining process. In the atmospheric distillation process as well as in vacuum distillation, crude oil is separated ...

  • Minimize recycle and coke carryover with the coker main fractionator washspray header design

    Coker Main Fractionator flash zone design is critical to reliable operation of the column and maintaining product quality. This section commonly experiences problems related to the presence of unstable heavy liquid and carryover of solids. Successful operation often hinges on the design of the wash liquid distributor. Although Sulzer utilizes several styles of wash liquid distributors, this bulletin focuses on the spray header design. The spray distributor design is a careful ...

  • New design features enhance separation performance

    The Shell Schoepentoeter™ is a vane-type inlet device for feeding high momentum gas-liquid mixtures into separators or distillation columns. The Schoepentoeter has two main functions: separating the liquid from the vapor and evenly distributing the vapor in the gas compartment of the vessel. While Schoepentoeters have been recognized as the primary choice of radial inlet device in many separator vessels, performance in distillation columns has been challenged by proponents ...

  • On budget, on time, offline

    Flawless project execution will not prevent a unit shutdown due to selecting the wrong metallurgy for a challenging crude slate. No matter how well it is fabricated and installed, a shell and tube exchanger with cold, high viscosity vacuum resid on the tube side will have poor heat transfer performance. On-time shipping and installation of a too-small desalter will not prevent crude column overhead corrosion if the centerline velocity is overly optimistic for the design crude. A ...

  • Opportunity or Annoyance?

    Price differentials between conventional and opportunity crudes compel refiners to process increasing percentages of lower valued opportunity crude. However, as many refiners have learned the hard way, opportunity crudes are tied to unique processing challenges. Furthermore, existing crude unit configurations may limit high profit opportunity crude to a disappointingly small proportion of the total unit blend. Processing a changing slate of opportunity crudes of varying compositions ...

  • Polymer production technology

    Sulzer Chemtech is the world‘s most renowned supplier of equipment and related solutions in the field of static mixing. The combination of engineering expertise and many years of application know-how enables Sulzer Chemtech to provide global solutions for improved polymer product quality. All Sulzer Chemtech products and services rely on a successful integration of three main competencies: • Static mixing know-how • Piloting & scale up • Process & ...

  • Process technology

    Sulzer Chemtech, a member of the Sulzer Corporation, with headquarters in Winterthur, Switzerland, is active in the field of process engineering, employing 3'000 persons worldwide. Sulzer Chemtech is represented in all important industrial countries setting standards in the fields of mass transfer and static mixing with its advanced and economical solutions. Sulzer Chemtech is organized into four business units, one of which is the Process Technology group. This business unit ...

  • Safeguard packed column efficiency with proper liquid distribution

    Initial liquid distribution directly affects the efficiency of structured and random packing beds. As such, some form of flow test should be conducted to validate distributor performance prior to column startup. Steady state water flow testing is the most common method of testing distributors. It can be conducted in the shop or in the field to verify the design, manufacture and installation. Three Common Types of Liquid Distributor Flow Tests • Liquid Range Test with ...

  • Separator technology reduces refinery operating costs and downtime

    A US refining company contacted us to discuss a separation problem in the feed to an alkylation process. Caustic entrainment from their selective hydrogenation unit was poisoning the hydrofluoric acid catalyst in the alkylation unit. The continuous phase feed to the alkylation unit consisted of ~180m3/hr of mixed C4 hydrocarbons, mainly butanes and butylenes, with varying levels of 10 – 20% caustic solution entrained as a dispersed aqueous phase. Sulzer was commissioned ...

  • Structured grid packing

    Structured grid packings have traditionally been used for high severity services. Grids have a high open area, relatively low surface area, and a robust construction to withstand process upsets and to resist fouling. There are two main types of grids, categorized by structure - conventional grid and corrugated, high-efficiency grid. Developed first, conventional grids have a structure made from vertical members and angled flaps. The simple construct is fouling resistant, but has ...

  • Structured packings for distillation, absorption and reactive distillation

    This brochure was reviewed and supplemented recently. It therefore provides a complete, up‑to‑date overview of packings available from Sulzer Chemtech. Also included is a summary covering the essential column internals and our technical services. More detailed product information, you will find in the following brochures: - Internals for Packed Columns The brochure contains a comprehensive summary of the selection of internals supplied by Sulzer Chemtech, and ...

  • Suspension crystallization technology

    Suspension crystallization technology completes Sulzer‘s existing portfolio of melt crystallization technology consisting of falling film and static crystallization. Based upon careful evaluation of the technologies, our clients can be sure to receive the ideal process for their separation challenge, be it one of our crystallization technologies or even a hybrid process. Suspension crystallization is a highly selective, low energy consuming and solvent-free separation ...

  • Three cost effective ways to strengthen trays against uplift

    Several common operating conditions cause tray damage, including high liquid levels, free water flashing at the bottom of the column, and excessive pressure drop. The result can be an expensive shutdown causing lost production and profit. Increasing tray thickness can be a first approach for strengthening the tray, but this can increase the material cost of the trays by 50% or more. Sulzer commonly uses three simple cost effective alternatives to increase tray strength in new ...

  • Tracerco Diagnostics™ Distribution and Residence Time Studies

    What type of studies does Tracerco provide for reactors and what do they reveal? A Tracerco Diagnostics™ Distribution or Residence Time study provides crucial information to measure reactor performance. They provide valuable information about the residence time and distribution of solids, vapour or liquid at specific operational conditions. Results from the study can assist plant personnel to accurately diagnose integrity problems with internals and determine uniformity of distribution ...

  • Tracerco Diagnostics™ Distribution study - FCC stripper

    Uniform distribution of catalyst and steam in a stripper is critical to achieve high stripping efficiency (less carry-down of hydrocarbon products from reactor to regenerator). A failure to effectively remove hydrocarbon from the catalyst will result in a loss of product, lower throughput, and lower catalyst activity due to increased regenerator bed temperature. The Field Test Tracerco was contacted to conduct distribution studies for a leading refiner that was experiencing ...

  • Tracerco PhaseFinder™

    What type of services does Tracerco provide for desalters and what does it reveal? A Tracerco PhaseFinder™ scan of a desalter measures interface levels through the vessel wall between liquid and solids, or between two different types of liquids. A PhaseFinder™ scan of desalter vessels will yield a lot of information about where the various layers of material are located, and the quality of interface between oil and water. A tracer study can be used to measure the oil and ...

  • Tray designs for extreme fouling applications

    Today refiners experience a lot of problems with processing of opportunity or heavy crudes. Such crudes have very high sulfur content and require the addition of amine scavengers before desalting. These amines decompose in the heater and create ammonium chlorides in the presence of water in the top of the crude tower. Dissolved salts start to precipitate and crystallize when the solution becomes saturated and water is vaporized. Such fouling starts to grow below and above trays ...

  • Tru-Grid™ Scan

    What does a Tru-Grid™ Scan do? A Tru-Grid™ Scan of a packed distillation tower provides a density profile of the process inside the tower. The power of the technology is that the scan is done whilst the tower is operating so real-time information about how the tower is performing at that instant is obtained. The scan ‘sees through’ the vessel wall allowing determination of what is happening inside without the need to shut down. The scan produces a density profile of the ...

  • Understanding design and performance of high performance structured packing

    High performance structured packings have been on the market for around 10 years. They continue to gain market share because of their high capacity and excellent efficiency. This is especially true in vacuum tower applications where pressure drop is critical. High performance packings can yield substantial savings in capital and operating costs with increased capacity and lower flash zone pressure and temperature. Packing Design Fundamentals One of the fundamental characteristics ...

  • VFF - your expert for maritime exhaust gas treatment

    For decades, Vereinigte Füllkörper-Fabriken (VFF) has successfully supplied tower packings and internals made of a wide variety of materials worldwide for a wide range of applications in the chemical, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries, in environmental technology, plant construction and other areas. Packing elements for maritime exhaust gas purification Energy-saving measures are becoming increasingly important in the field of exhaust-gas purification. VFF ...

  • VFF Products

    VFF supplies a wealth of column-related products and consultation services for the most diverse applications e.g.: - Absorption - Desorption - Distillation - Extraction - Drying - Cooling - Humidification - Water treatment - Droplet separation (demisters) - Desalination - Heterogeneous catalyst reactors - and much more

  • VFF-NetBall®: High-performance in the shape of a ball

    The VFF-NetBall® a plastic random packing  has been devised by VFF's research and development division and sets new standards in absorption and desorption. Its favourable flow profile, combined with a high specific surface, offers top mass-transfer properties with an extremely high hydraulic load capacity and minimum pressure drop. Its specially designed net structure guarantees high mechanical stability and results in an optimum bed constitution.

  • VFF-Power-Pak®

    The VFF Power-Pak®, a VFF-patent, is a completely newly designed high-performance tower packing in ceramic with a similar profile to structured packings but which retains all the many benefits of random packings. Its innovative shape developed by VFF leads to an extremely low pressure drop with an impressive mass transfer! VFF Power-Pak® is a high-performance random packing designed for maximum capacity. Compared with a conventional random packing with an equivalent rated value ...

  • VFF-Twin-Pak®

    Extremely low pressure drop with best mass transfer. The VFF-Twin-Pak®, a VFF-patent, is an entirely newly developed high-performance metal tower packing with a profile that comes close to the structured packings, while not doing without the numerous advantages of a tower packing. Its form combines an extremely low pressure drop with a convincing mass transfer! The VFF-Twin-Pak® is a high-performance tower packing, predestined for highest capacity. The mass transfer of the ...

  • VSP®-V High performance tower packing with lowest pressure drop

    The VSP-V is the updated version of VFF’s world wide known random packing VSP. The VSP-V offers high performance in plastic with top mass transfer and lowest pressure drop and is easy to handle during column loading and emptying.