Refining
Good, bad and ugly process burner flames
As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) maximum achievable control technology (MACT) fired heater inspection program, the authors’ company has inspected nearly 1,000 heaters since the program started in 2015. These inspections have revealed all types of flames—the good, bad and ugly. Here, good is defined as no changes are needed; bad is defined as changes are needed where the conditions are not likely dangerous; and ugly is defined as immediate changes are needed because the conditions are potentially dangerous.
Hydrocarbon Processing Awards 2020—FINALISTS
This special section details all finalists within each category for the fourth annual <ital>HP</ital> Awards. The winners will be announced on Oct. 1.
Driving FCCU value through fresh and flushing catalyst activity modeling
Refiners are continually challenged to maximize economic gain in the face of cost pressures and plant operating constraints. The fluidized catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) plays an integral role in the optimization of the facility. FCC catalyst is often one of the largest budget items in the refinery. Therefore, the balance between FCCU performance and catalyst costs has a significant impact on refinery profitability.
Taking back what’s yours: Extractive desulfurization minimizes octane loss in FCC naphtha hydrotreating
Generating octane barrels has always been a tough road for refiners. In 2020, this road got a lot tougher with olefin saturation and octane destruction being collateral damage as refiners strive to achieve the sulfur limit in the gasoline pool.
Catalytic processes operation during downturns in aromatics complexes
Paraxylene production is a highly cyclical business that is subject to changes in the global economy and dependent on feedstock costs, alternative dispositions for aromatics, utilities costs and plant locations, among other factors. With the large PX capacity added by recently started crude-to-chemicals complexes and the expected impact of the economic recession on commodities demand, many aromatics complexes face a significant slowdown in the coming months or, possibly, years.
Conventional FCC to maximum propylene production
Fluid catalytic cracking is one of the most important conversion processes used in refineries. This process converts heavy petroleum fractions into lighter, higher-value products, such as gasoline, propylene and others.
Shape the refinery of the future through integration—Part 1
The negative impact of fossil fuels on the environment has become widely accepted, and our global society has begun to focus on alternative fuels. The pollution of the local, regional and global environment has become a primary concern.
Business Trends: Autonomous operations in process manufacturing—Part 1
Progress in the driverless car segment has served to illuminate one of the major future goals in industrial and process manufacturing: autonomous operations in process plants—in other words, the autonomous plant. While AO for process plants has received interest from the process automation and control industry, limited serious discussion has taken place in the process operations and IT domains.
Industry Perspectives: Save the date: Hydrocarbon Processing’s Top Projects Awards
Over the past several years, <ital>Hydrocarbon Processing</ital> has honored the feats of capital project excellence with its Top Projects Awards. The winners and nominees encapsulate important contributions to the global hydrocarbon processing industry, whether that is through significant capital intensity, diversifying product offerings or adding a significant amount of refining and/or petrochemical processing capacity.
Digital: Five best practices for adopting new digital technologies in the HPI
There is much discussion and information about digital transformation, but many HPI companies are taking a different approach to integrating new digital technologies and to differentiate themselves from their peers, and are seeing truly transformative business results. HPI digital technology leaders reveal the following five best practices.
- China's Wanhua Chemical starts operation at new east China cracker 4/4
- Brookfield Infrastructure announces the acquisition of Colonial Enterprises for $9 B 4/4
- PBF restarts some units at Martinez refinery after February fire; fire-damaged units remain shut 4/4
- Japan to curb gasoline prices from June to cushion U.S. tariff blow 4/4
- Evonik presents innovative "Debonding on Demand" concept for more sustainable bonding 4/3
- Oil, gas and refined product imports exempted from Trump’s sweeping tariffs 4/3
