Improving the distillation energy network

Oct-2013

Energy-efficient design applied to the refit of a distillation unit was achieved through optimisation between the distillation column and heat network ...

Flue gas heat recovery through the acid dew point

Jul-2019

Polymer based heat exchange technology enables more heat recovery from flue gas by addressing acid corrosion issues.

Choosing a neutralising amine corrosion inhibitor

Jul-2004

A review of physical and chemical properties of commonly used amine-based corrosion inhibitors. The authors highlight the relative strengths and weaknesses ...

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

Operating vacuum distillation ejector systems

Oct-2016

Best practices and opportunities to deliver reliable ejector system performance and reduce performance risk.

Diesel and VGO recovery

Oct-2005

Fundamental design considerations influencing diesel and vacuum gas oil (VGO) recovery when revamping existing or designing grassroots crude units. By ...

Preventing ammonium salt fouling and corrosion

Jan-2018

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

Maximisation of VGO through deep-cut distillation for refinery margins

Jan-2011

Appropriate choice of crude and/or crude oil blends as feedstock and a vacuum tower revamp enable higher production of vacuum gas oil

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

An atmospheric crude tower revamp

Jul-2005

Overall gas oil yield was maintained with heavier crudes due to a crude tower revamp. The revamp allowed for a crude heater outlet temperature reducti ...

Entrainment issues in vacuum column flash zones

Jan-2010

For a vacuum tower to operate effectively, the flash zone and the wash section must work together to provide the best possible feed quality to the sections ...

Increasing crude unit preheat

Jan-2006

Cost-effective exchanger network solutions need to rely on more than just pinch technology if they are to be successful

Oil recovery from tank sludge

Nov-2017

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

Foam control in crude units

Oct-2004

Installation of vortex tube clusters in crude unit preflash drums has eliminated foam carry-over, increasing diesel and atmospheric gasoil product yie ...

Vacuum unit troubleshooting

Sep-2003

Case studies show how accurate field-measured differential pressure can be interpreted incorrectly when troubleshooting refinery vacuum columns

Simulating crude units with preflash

Nov-2016

Process simulation offers a cost effective way of testing ideas to improve yield and energy performance.

Reducing vacuum tower pressure

Apr-2015

To create a better vacuum the vapour load to the ejector has to be reduced

Designing the CDU/VDU for opportunity crudes

Oct-2012

New units for processing heavy crudes should not be designed using conventional practices or run length will be short, and product yields and quality ...

Evaluating opportunity crude processing

Oct-2006

Is processing opportunity crudes for every refiner? Technical challenges and economic benefits from processing high-acid crudes and bottom-of-the-barrel ...

Identifying poor heat exchanger performance

Sep-2007

Identifying root causes of poor crude unit debutaniser reboiler performance and low-cost solutions that help meet exchanger original design conditions

Future of opportunity crudes processing

Oct-2011

Five critical drivers help refiners remain profitable and sustain long-term business goals while processing relatively inexpensive, low-quality crudes

Vacuum unit performance

Oct-2012

Inaccurate feed characterisation and process modelling errors are major contributors to poor performance in a vacuum unit as refiners switch to heavier ...

Improved conceptual process design avoids revamp scope growth

Mar-2002

For grassroots design, defining project scope is a straightforward exercise. Grassroots projects can follow optimum execution procedures for engineering ...

Consider retrofits to handle high-viscosity crudes

Mar-2004

In 2000, ConocoPhillips’ refinery in Sweeny, Texas, began processing 16° API gravity blends of extra-heavy crude oils, including Merey 16 and BCF 1 ...

Revamping crude towers for quality and yield

Nov-2016

A successful revamp of distillation towers for increased diesel quality and yield depended on reliable design and accurate assembly

Crude to chemicals: Part 2

Feb-2024

Part 1 covered the basics of crude-to-chemicals. Part 2 explains how hydroprocessing technology can be used to convert any crude to chemicals to maximise ...

Optimising cartridge tray installation

Oct-2024

Methodology for tackling site challenges and improving HSE and quality in cartridge tray installations while reducing the overall installation cost and ...

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 ...

Crude to chemicals: Part 1 - The basic concept of crudes

Nov-2023

Reactor platforms with novel heat integration designed around advanced separation techniques and catalyst systems achieve 75% yields from selected cru ...

Maximising stripping section performance

Aug-2021

The design of a crude unit stripping section affects diesel and gasoil yields, energy usage, and unit reliability.

Revamping crude towers for quality and yield

Nov-2016

A successful revamp of distillation towers for increased diesel quality and yield depended on reliable design and accurate assembly

Importance of testing for vacuum ejectors in refinery service

Jun-2022

Efforts should be made to identify and avoid errors in the specification, engineering, and manufacturing of vacuum system equipment before they manifest ...

Crude oil processing scheme for reducing operating costs in the CDU

Feb-2023

Development of crude oil distillation processing schemes to significantly reduce external energy and stripping steam demand.

Flue gas heat recovery through the acid dew point

Jul-2019

Polymer based heat exchange technology enables more heat recovery from flue gas by addressing acid corrosion issues.

Premature foam-flood in an amine absorber: Part 1

Nov-2021

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

Column revamp boosts diesel production

Nov-2020

Revamping the internals of a main fractionator column enabled a refinery to increase its diesel throughput.

Crude logistics scheduling

Jun-2021

Upgraded crude scheduling enabled a refiner to increase its use of opportunity crudes for higher margin.

Crude preheat train fouling and fix-up

Nov-2022

Rigorous modelling of crude preheat train exchangers allows for fouling progression of the heat exchangers to be monitored throughout the crude unit run ...

Debottlenecking product recovery using product pair distillation: Part I

Apr-2023

Advantages of using a thermodynamically efficient method to debottleneck existing distillation trains using fewer new columns than traditional methods ...

De-mystifying vacuum ejector systems

Feb-2023

First-stage inter-condenser design and performance are critical for reliable vacuum system performance.

Design configurations for lowering quenched coke drum venting pressure

Feb-2023

Compare the advantages when installing either an ejector or a water ring compressor for lowering coke drum venting pressure.

An atmospheric crude tower revamp

Jul-2005

Overall gas oil yield was maintained with heavier crudes due to a crude tower revamp. The revamp allowed for a crude heater outlet temperature reducti ...

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.

Anti-fouling additives to improve heavy oil processing

Apr-2023

A continuous pilot testing evaluation shows how magnesium sulphonated-based nano-additive is highly effective in mitigating and reducing upgrader/refinery ...

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 ...

Upgrading a vacuum distillation tower (TIA)

Feb-2021

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