September 2014

One of the most important factors in determining a refinery’s profitability is its ability to access low-cost feedstocks. This is not to be confused with survivability. Some uneconomic refineries..

Slurry-phase combi-crackers are able to process a much wider range of feeds—including those with very high levels of metals, asphaltenes and sulfur—that cannot be economically upgraded in fixed-bed or ebullated-bed reactors, which makes this process ideal for upgrading oil sands.

A number of strategies can be applied to increase the overall product selectivity to middle distillates.

As refining market trends continue to support increased demand for H2, its availability and cost are critical for many refiners, creating a tough environment for securing reliable, efficient and environmentally-friendly H2.

Crude oils from tight formations are relatively light, low in concarbon, and contain different contaminants. They have high naphtha and distillate yields, lower vacuum gasoil (VGO) content and almost ..

Personal exposure risks associated with hydrogen sulfide (H2S) historically have been a concern during the refining, storage and transportation of hydrocarbons. Recently, with the surge in production,..

The global hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI) is transforming beyond typical technical and management forms. This industry is making progress, and it is achieving more sustainability practices. Suc..

The terms surveillance and monitoring for reciprocating compressors can be used interchangeably. With few exceptions, the monitoring and/or surveillance tasks are assigned to the unit operators. They ..

Ammonia production using hydrogen (H2)-rich offgases is an established method, but it is practiced only in a handful of plants. The dynamics of new feedstocks in the petrochemicals industry coupled wi..

An ethylene plant’s main purpose is to convert hydrocarbon feedstock, usually natural gas liquids or naphtha, into a “cracked gas” that contains ethylene and other higher value products..

Emergency depressurization is a safety provision designed to release gas from a high-pressure system during emergency situations, such as a fire. An overview of cold depressurization is provided, including factors affecting the temperature profiles and critical factors considered while performing the study.

The global hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI) has long been challenged with applying expertise consistently throughout the organization. Demographic trends and new technological advances promise to..

BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy 2014 showed total global refining capacity of just under 95 MMbpd. The top five countries with the highest refining capacities are the US, China, Russia, India and Japan. Combined, these countries account for nearly 45 MMbpd of capacity, which represents almost half of the world’s total refining capacity.

Gulf Publishing Company’s second annual GTL Technology Forum was held from July 30–31, 2014, in Houston, Texas. Speakers and attendees shared insight on gas processing technology developments, project economics and business challenges, with a focus on GTL processing technologies.

The refining business in the Middle East (ME) is very different. The average utilization rates in the ME generally run at maximum and regularly exceed 90%. Also, unlike other regions, refining margins..

The US, which a decade ago was considered an aging has-been in oil and gas production, now leads the globe in production, and a growing bucket of these crudes is light and sweet.

The Colonial Pipeline connects refineries primarily on the US Gulf Coast with customer service markets across the southern and eastern US. In 2010, Colonial’s 5,500-mi pipeline was transporting a..

You may always have left scaffolding and access-to-work questions to an outside contractor to make the final decisions. But plant safety and timely work completion are everybody’s business. As a ..

The U.S. has seen a dramatic change in energy production in just a relatively short period. Crude oil output has increased by about 55% in the last five years, according to data from the Energy Inform..

A bump in the US economy triggered strong gasoline use. Debottlenecking of pipelines allow more US midcontinent crude to reach US Gulf Coast refineries, which operated at the highest utilization rates..

Future fuels must have a unique “drop-in” capability. They must also be compatible with present vehicle engines and fungible within the distribution system. Finding alternatives to corn-base..

Boron technology mitigates metals contaminationAlthough tight oil has changed the landscape of North American refining, resid-type feeds continue to play a key role in the global FCC market, with arou..

IChemE awards highest professional honor to Shell The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) awarded its highest honor to Shell in recognition of the company’s worldwide skills and profession..

Brendan Bechtel will become president, COO and a member of the board of directors of Bechtel Group, Inc. He will report to Bill Dudley, the company’s CEO. Mr. Bechtel, son of Chairman of the Boar..

Find the right flowmeter for measuring flare and combustor gas Fox Thermal Instruments’ technical white paper, “Flare and Combustor Gas Measurement: Applications, Regulations and Challe..

Company responds to demand for green remediation solutions Reterro, Inc., is doubling the size of its system fleet for onsite earth cleaning. The fleet uses the Reterro Principle, which removes hydroc..

Demand for transportation fuels will continue to increase over the next 15 to 25 years. These fuels will still be primarily based on crude oil. Developing nations are driving growing demand for energy..

Fundamentals suggest that the industry business climate for most downstream engineering and construction companies (E&C) will remain strong for the foreseeable future.