Environment & Safety Gas Processing/LNG Maintenance & Reliability Petrochemicals Process Control Process Optimization Project Management Refining

September 2009

Archive

Special Report: Refining Developments

Smart motor lubrication saves energy
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Many decades of experience confirm the success of oil mist for rolling-element bearings in the operating speed and size ranges found in motors for process pumps. For the past 40 years, empirical data ..

Case 52: Problems with a blocked-in centrifugal pump
Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

The potential for overheating is one of many concerns

Maximize liquid yield from extra heavy oil
BP International Ltd.: Butler, G.  |  Spencer, R.
BP Products North America: Cook, B.  |  Ring, Z.
BP Refining & Petrochemicals GmbH: Rupp, M.  |  Schleiffer, A.

Next-generation hydrocracking processes increase conversion of residues

Consider advanced modeling to control air emissions
Technip USA: Dakshinamoorthy, D.

Computational fluid dynamics methods improve designs for NOx reduction applications

Greenhouse gas emissions: Characterization and management
Exponent, Inc.: Buehler, C.  |  Chan, W. R.  |  Gunaseelan, P.

Proposed federal measures may require that refiners report and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions

Increase the flexibility of your Claus unit
Gas Technology Products Division, Merichem Chemical & Refinery Services LLC: Nagl, G. J.

Novel approach incorporates liquid redox methods to manage refinery sulfur loading

Improve efficiency of furnaces and boilers
INERCO: Canadas, L.  |  Morales, M.  |  Portilla, A.  |  Rodriguez, F.  |  Tova, E.
CEPSA, Process Engineering: Vizcaino, J. L.

Novel 'control' scheme optimizes operations and reliability of combustion units

Residue upgrading: Challenges and perspectives
LUKOIL Neftohim Burgas: Petkov, K.  |  Stratiev, D.

New hydrocracking technology efficiently 'cracks' heavy end cuts for distillates

LNG Developments

Designing the LNG terminal of the future
Vopak LNG Holding BV: Lemmers, S. P. B.

New requirements dictate operational flexibility of the design

Management Guidelines

Effective standardization: Harnessing the power of your organization
KBC Advanced Technologies, Inc.: Smith, K.

Applying these guidelines can effectively leverage economies-of-scale

Refining Developments

'Green up' air and water pollutant control
Siemens Water Technologies: Tarbert, K. R.

Recycling spent activated carbon can offer economic benefits and environmental credits

Rotating Equipment

Applying pumps with variable-speed drivers
Technip Italy: Nardozi, G.

An evaluation carried out for a specific project demonstrated that the technology can result in lower operating and investment costs

Columns

HP Control: Temperature points on main fractionators
Petrocontrol: Friedman, Y. Z.

Main fractionators are distillation columns that handle wide boiling curve feeds, cutting it into several products. Almost every major refinery unit has such a column, all with similar design features..

HP Integration Strategies: Emissions rules demand flexible fuel terminal blending
ARC Advisory Group: Chin, W.

There's no avoiding the inevitable; it's time for terminal owner-operators to get ahead of the fuel blending automation curve. The migration of blending to marketing load terminals, and eventually to ..

HPIn Europe: Refiners' great plans look badly awry in 2009
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Wright, Tim L.

In September 2004, with anticipation of that year's European Refining Technology Conference, I summoned up an image of a ring of refining VPs around the Atlantic basin looking at billion-dollar invest..

HP Innovations

Syngas and power produced from urban waste Rentech, Inc. plans to build a plant in Rialto, California, that will produce ultra-clean synthetic fuels and electric power from renewable waste biomass fee..

HP Construction: North America
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

  The Shaw Group Inc.'s Power Group Maintenance Division has a maintenance, modifications, packaging and small capital construction contract with Lion Copolymer to service its two plants in Geism..

HP Construction: South America
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

  PetroquímicaSuape is building a large pure terephthalic acid (PTA) plant in the Port of Suape, Pernambuco, Brazil. For the project, Aker Solutions is delivering basic and detailed engineer..

HP Construction: Europe
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

  Technip has an engineering, procurement and construction management contract for a "crystal" gas plant project in Etzel, Germany. The contract was awarded by Electricité de France S.A., in..

HP Construction: Middle East
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

  ABB has a contract worth $223 million from Sonatrach for three gas plants in Algeria. Scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2012, the project includes new compressor trains, re-instr..

HP Construction: Asia-Pacific
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

  Samsung Total Petrochemicals Co., Ltd., has selected Merichem Chemicals & Refinery Services' technologies for a heavy-ends byproduct upgrade project at its petrochemical complex in Daesan, Sout..

HP In Brief: HPIn Brief
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

Refining outages and gas prices Refining outages can have varying gasoline price impacts, but gaps in federal data limit understanding of these imp..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Styrenics market hit further by economic downturn
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

From Nexant's latest report, "Styrenics Market Dynamics," the styrenics industry continues to endure difficult market conditions. Over recent years, producers have struggled with a shrinking market ca..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Developing regions increase demand for plastics
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

Developing nations show increased demand for polyethylene (PE) while the global plastic industry struggles, according to Townsend Solutions. The Middle East, Africa, India, Eastern Europe and South Am..

HP Associations: What happened in Reno didn't stay in Reno
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

  Contractors, owners and members of academia met at the Construction Industry Institute (CII) conference July 28–30, 2009, in Reno, Nevada. The..

Misc

Leadership and the art of "issue triage"
Axens: Benazzi, E.

  At Marathon Oil Corp., we bring a positive, disciplined outlook to analysis of our industry and its prospects. This is even more important today because of the current economic turmoil, declin..