Maintenance & Reliability
Intensification of sulfur processing units by oxygen enrichment and process flowsheet optimization
The consistent global trend toward improvements in air quality and tighter regulations on emissions, as well as the International Maritime Organization’s shipping regulations, continue to mitigate sulfur levels—not only in conventional transport fuels (petrol and diesel), but also in jet fuels, fuel oils and other heavier distillates.
Reliability: A good time to do reliability upgrading from home
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.
Doing more with less: Extending critical fluid system resources
Fluid system operators are tasked with maximizing value from their systems to enhance plant and refinery operations.
Use CFD modeling to improve burner design and operation
Process heaters are essential pieces of equipment in the refining and petrochemical industry that are used to heat hydrocarbons to a desired temperature.
Alternatives to ladders and platforms for inspection and maintenance of elevated flare tips
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.
Shell improves asset management of instrumentation through digital transformation
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.
Highlights from a maintenance and reliability audit
Staffers in many plants in modern industry are assigned to job functions related to reliability assessment and implementation.
Refinery tower inspections: Discovering problems and preventing malfunctions
A previous survey identified installation mishaps to be one of the top five causes of tower malfunctions.
Water Management: Minimize white rust in galvanized cooling systems
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.
Refining: Despite decline, Group 1 base stocks are here to stay
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.
- Consortium to launch world's first commercialized PET bottle using bio-paraxylene 10/31
- Cepsa becomes Moeve 10/31
- Refiner PBF Energy posts bigger-than-expected 3Q loss as margins collapse 10/31
- Russia's Tuapse oil refinery to resume operations in November 10/31
- Shell's $6-B profit smashes forecasts as LNG offsets weak refining 10/31
- Consortium introduces world's first pharmaceutical bottle partially made with wood-based plastics 10/30
