September 2005

Archive

Special Report: Refining Developments

Maximize propylene yields
Gonzalez, J., Imhof, P., Rautainen, E., Albemarle Catalysts BV

New developments in FCC additives and catalyst management increase C3 make

Consider modifying your refinery to handle heavy opportunity crude oils
Harji, A., Rodwell, M., Fluor Canada Ltd.; Henderson, R., Fluor Corp.

To process high-sulfur crudes, refiners must retrofit older processing units to capitalize on 'dirty' feedstocks

Optimize turnaround projects
Buckner, E., Foster Wheeler North America

Effective planning can eliminate surprises during shutdown and construction

Global refining industry trends: the present and future
Swaty, T. E., Shaw stone & Webster

The energy market is global and interdependent; thus, all regions are tied together on crude oil and transportation fuels

Oil refiners' gathering storm: Help is on the way
Lifschultz, D. K., Genoil Inc.

Heavy oil upgrading could be key in calming the potentially dangerous turbulence generated by the global heavy oil/ light oil imbalance

Insert flexibility into your hydrogen network – Part 1
Ludwig, K., Morris, P., Patel, N., Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

Advancements in refinery hydrogen management, technology and utility network can optimize existing and new systems

Consider using reverse jet scrubber technology for FCC offgases
Beardemphl, S., Holly Corp.; Meyer, F. S., Wibbenmeyer, L. K., Monsanto Enviro-Chem Systems, Inc.

Installing this technology helped a refinery meet its air and particulate emissions

Fine-tune FCC operations for changing fuels market
Anderson, L. R., Shaw stone & Webster; Gauthier, T., IFP; Ross, J., Axens North America; Roux, R., Axens

New technology improves FCC performance and operational reliability

Upgrade FCC-feed hydrotreating
Bailor, J., KBC; Sayles, S., KBC Advanced Technologies, Inc.

New study indicates that optimized pretreatment of FCC streams can yield clean, direct blending streams for gasoline and diesel

Upgrade alkylation for refining environment
Dunham, D., ConocoPhillips Co.

Changes to blending specifications will require refiners to use more alkylate to maintain octane levels and driveability indexes

Computer Technology

Easy way to transform nomographs and charts into a computer program
Barampouti, E. M., Mahnken, G., Mai, S., Vlyssides, A., National Technical University of Athens

These steps can make the resources more useful

Heat Transfer

High temperature air combustion for steam reformers
Blasiak, W., Yang, W., Division of Energy and Furnace Royal Institute of Technology

This novel technology can reduce facility NOx emissions

Piping

Changes in process piping code ASME B31.3 for 2004
Kannappan, S., ABI Enterprises, Inc.

The revisions and how they impact piping system design are highlighted

Columns

HP Control: Recent trends in control
Friedman, Y. Z., Petrocontrol

As you know, Zak Friedman has taken over writing this column. Zak had a column prepared for this issue, but the company he interviewed declined permission to publish it (Zak wouldn't let them make it ..

HP Reliability: Unreliability, engineers and lawyers
Bloch, Heinz P., Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

I have often engaged in litigation support. To me, litigation support is a term meaning one might occasionally choose to work for law firms that pay engineers to relate how and why machines function a..

HP Integration Strategies: Can metrics reveal automation as a 'profit maker'?
Hill, D., ARC Advisory Group

For the past decade or more, manufacturing has been fixated on three things: reduced costs, reduced headcounts and eliminating poor-performing businesses. No wonder that automation metrics, if availab..

HPIn Europe: Little-reported statement that changes everything
Wright, Tim L., Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

As far as I can see, the G8 Communiqué on Climate Change, Energy and Sustainable Development (the summit was held July 6 – 8 in Perthshire, Scotland) changes just about everything we do. You..

HP Impact: HPImpact: LDPE markets expand despite replacement technology challenges
Weirauch, Wendy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Technology developments continue to redefine state-of-the-art products and processes in the polyolefins industry. Second-generation LLDPE resins represent the greatest challenge for the LDPE industry ..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Analyst questions 'unrealistic' oil and gas demand forecasts
Weirauch, Wendy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Suggestions that oil consumption will grow up to 120 million bbl per day by 2020 and that automobile and airline traffic will increase at extraordinary rates are futile and damaging to policy makers. ..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Clean air for Europe 'back on track,' says Commission
Weirauch, Wendy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Key environmental strategies with far-reaching implications for the process industries will be unveiled this month after all, according to the European Commission. This means that a clean air and ma..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Public/ private plant security partnership endorsed by NPRA
Weirauch, Wendy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

The National Petrochemical & Refiners Association (NPRA) recently told a US Senate Committee examining the role of the federal government in chemical facility security that it does not oppose reasonab..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Specialty plastic additives demand to increase 2.6%/yr
Weirauch, Wendy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

In value terms, consumption of specialty plastic additives will grow 4.6%/yr to $6.8 billion. Gains will result from increasing plastics demand, especially polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and an improved ou..

HP Innovations: HPInnovations

Satellite images streamline large-scale plant projects In 2002, Marathon Oil Company purchased an interest in the Alba field, offshore Equatorial Guinea. The field is estimated to be Equatorial Guin..

New Developments

Electric failsafe valve actuators Quarter-turn and linear Skilmatic SI electric valve actuators reportedly provide both modulating and two-position control for failsafe o..

HP Construction: North America
Jackson, Kim M., Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

CB&I has a lump-sum turnkey EPC contract with Valero Energy Corp. to engineer and construct a new amine regeneration unit (ARU), a sulfur recovery unit (SRU) and a new tail gas treating unit (TGTU) ..

HP Construction: South America
Jackson, Kim M., Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Repsol YPF (RYPF) is selecting UOP LLC technology for a new CCR Platforming unit to be installed at the RYPF Complejo Industrial Ensenada (CIE) in Ensenada, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Included in the ..

HP Construction: Europe
Jackson, Kim M., Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Bayer Antwerp N.V. and Shell International Research Maatschappij BV have a licensing agreement. This enables Shell to implement Double Metal Cyanide (DMC) technology to produce polyether polyols using..

HP Construction: Middle East
Jackson, Kim M., Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd. (FWEL), a Foster Wheeler Ltd. subsidiary, has a front-end engineering and project management services contract with Saudi Aramco for the Khurais full-field development in Sa..

HP Construction: Asia-Pacific

Clough Ltd. and its joint venture partners, collectively known as Kellogg Joint Venture – Gorgon, [Kellogg Brown and Root (30%), Clough (20%), JGC (30%) and Hatch (20%)] have signed a front-end e..

Free Literature

ANSI chemical process pumps Dean Pump's pH series, the benchmark used in developing the ANSI/ ASME B73.1 process pump standard in 1958, reportedly continues to meet and e..

HP In Brief: HPIn Brief
Weirauch, Wendy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

  At last: US has energy bill US lawmakers have finally a..

HP Impact: HPImpact: High differentials in prices benefit refining margins
Weirauch, Wendy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

It seems like an oxymoron to argue that high crude prices improve refinery economics. But, this time, it holds true in the framework of a new plateau rather than a cycle. A recent analysis by Fereidun..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Global spending on LNG infrastructure to exceed $73 billion by 2010
Weirauch, Wendy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Contractual relationships and structures of some modern LNG (liquefied natural gas) supply chains is growing increasingly complex. International oil and gas companies, national oil companies and utili..

Misc

HPImpact: Debate continues over ethanol use vs. actual energy savings

WENDY WEIRAUCH, MANAGING EDITOR       Comments? Write: WW@HydrocarbonProcessing.com Turning plants..

Africa
Jackson, Kim M., Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has a contract from La Societe Pakistan Maroc Phosphore, S.A., Morocco, a joint venture between Groupe Office Cherifien des Phosphates (OCP) and Fauji Group, Pakistan. Th..