May 2020

Archive

Special Focus: Maintenance and Reliability

Refinery tower inspections: Discovering problems and preventing malfunctions
Cardoso, R., Phillips 66; Kister H. Z., Fluor Corp.

A previous survey identified installation mishaps to be one of the top five causes of tower malfunctions.

Highlights from a maintenance and reliability audit
Bloch, Heinz P., Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Staffers in many plants in modern industry are assigned to job functions related to reliability assessment and implementation.

Shell improves asset management of instrumentation through digital transformation
de Leeuw, V., ARC Advisory Group

In May 2019, ARC Advisory Group hosted a meeting of the European Digital Transformation Council (DTC) in conjunction with the ARC Industry Forum in Barcelona, Spain.

Alternatives to ladders and platforms for inspection and maintenance of elevated flare tips
Rastogi, A., Fluor Daniel India Pvt. Ltd.

Flare systems are used in refineries and chemical plants as a last line of defense for the plant by burning all unwanted gases and liquid during any upset or emergency condition.

Process Optimization

Rapid crude yield: Merging DHAFE with HTSD
Ingham, H., Chevron

Rapid crude yield (RCY) combines a detailed hydrocarbon analysis of the front end (DHAFE) with high-temperature simulated distillation (HTSD), creating a true boiling point (TBP) curve for a crude oil sample.

Heat Transfer

Use CFD modeling to improve burner design and operation
Chen, Z., Becht Engineering

Process heaters are essential pieces of equipment in the refining and petrochemical industry that are used to heat hydrocarbons to a desired temperature.

Flow modeling as a tool for WHRU performance optimization
Gupta, A., Petro-Chem Development Co. Inc.; Gentry, M. R., Airflow Sciences Corp.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have become a growing concern for many industrialized countries over the past few years.

Valves, Pumps and Turbomachinery

Doing more with less: Extending critical fluid system resources
Menz, B., Swagelok

Fluid system operators are tasked with maximizing value from their systems to enhance plant and refinery operations.

Causes of reduced or stopped flow in controlled-volume pumps

Controlled-volume (CV) pumps, also known as metering or dosing pumps, are designed to deliver a small quantity of fluid at a precise rate with relatively high pressure.

Process Controls, Instrumentation and Automation

Selecting the right gas analyzer to optimize monitoring of NOx and other emissions
Kamphus, M., Emerson Automation Solutions; Williams, K., Emerson

Combustion processes of all types generate emissions of one kind or another.

Envinronment and Safety

Optimize the design of amine treatment and sulfur recovery
Park, G. W., Kuwait Oil Co.

Sour gas amine treatment and sulfur recovery facilities are required for most integrated refineries that are treating high- or medium-sulfur crudes.

Columns

Editorial Comment: The impact and response of an industry during trying times
Nichols, Lee, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

On behalf of Hydrocarbon Processing, we hope that you and your families and colleagues are healthy and safe during these unprecedented times.

Reliability: A good time to do reliability upgrading from home
Bloch, Heinz P., Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

An experienced writer of technical procedures for many years, “KM” recently gave us a stunning glimpse of the probable volume of “ripe, low-hanging fruit” that still exists in some hydrocarbon processing facilities, ready to be harvested from home.

Maintenance: How to conduct successful turnaround maintenance at refineries
Diacumakos, S., Ingersoll Rand

PricewaterhouseCoopers reports that, since 2014, the oil and gas industry has put off noncritical spending to reduce costs.

Refining: Despite decline, Group 1 base stocks are here to stay
Nadasdi, T., ExxonMobil

Given increasingly stringent automotive specifications and the advent of the International Maritime Organization’s 2020 sulfur regulations, the continued decrease in Group I base stocks demand should come as no surprise for anyone in the industry.

Water Management: Minimize white rust in galvanized cooling systems
Mowbray, M., U.S. Water Services Inc.

Galvanized coatings for cooling tower systems (cooling towers, evaporator tube bundles, etc.) have been used in the industry since the 1950s due to their relatively low cost and long service life.

Industry Perspectives: Work-from-home initiatives: How are you passing the time?
Nichols, Lee, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Often, the editors of Hydrocarbon Processing’s open the channels of dialogue to our global subscribers.

Business Trends
Nichols, Lee, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Rovuma LNG, a JV comprised of ExxonMobil, Eni and China National Petroleum Corp., will likely delay its final investment decision (FID) on the group’s $30-B Mozambique LNG project.

Industry Metrics
Rhodes, Mike, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Refinery margins came under added pressure, affected by the downturn in product consumption inflicted by COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

Global Project Data
Nichols, Lee, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Hydrocarbon Processing’s Construction Boxscore Database is tracking nearly 1,600 projects around the world.

Innovations

BASF has commercially launched Fourtune, a new fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst product for gasoil feedstock.

People

The board of directors of Haldor Topsoe A/S has appointed Roeland Baan as new CEO as of June 1.