RefComm ’15: Presenters target more production, less risk in refining

With refining as the most profitable segment of the energy industry, this week's RefComm Galveston 2015 Conference focused on how to continue operating profitably and safely.  

Held from May 4 through May 8, the conference examined how to deal with unexpected surprises at the unit level; shifts in refined product demand; fluctuations in feedstock blends; and concerns about environmental regulations driving limited capital expenditures.

Topics were discussed under the meeting’s three major themes: delayed coking, cat cracking and shale processing.    

A common theme among the various presentations and discussions was how operation of primary units has changed significantly from just a few years ago. For example, one of the meeting’s cat cracking sessions focused on maximizing LCO in parallel with shifting the diesel-to-gasoline product ratios, affecting FCC catalyst selection and recycle strategies. 

Meanwhile, in the shale and light tight oil sessions, engineers in attendance expressed concerns about processing blends of LTOs with asphaltenic crudes. While these blends provide compelling margins opportunities, the problem is dealing with the crude incompatibility and its effect on everything from fouling pre-heat exchangers to main fractionator overhead corrosion, to catalyst contamination. 

One interesting issue surfacing over the week-long event was that while throughput volumes of certain cat crackers and cokers have stagnated (or actually declined), linked downstream fractionation requirements have expanded to meet market demand for sharper cuts. 

The 430+ delegates in attendance wanted to know how to make these changes without reducing run-lengths --- considering the uptick in corrosion and fouling documented in the crude unit/desalter and into the FCC gas plant and hydrotreating assets. 

Many of the 100+ exhibitors and sponsors provided details to the mechanical and metallurgical improvements available to critical valves, actuators, etc., exposed to higher severity operating conditions. Other suppliers emphasized cost-effective solutions for dealing with under-automation in plants that have typically been operating at over 91% utilization rates for the past couple of years. 

One of the most supportive themes at RefComm training classes and breakout sessions was the importance on developing employee stewardship at the unit level and throughout the refinery.