Refining
Utilizing pilot plant operations for new chemical process technology development: A roadmap to scale up success and commercial plant safety
To demonstrate a new chemical process technology (flowsheet, raw materials, product) or improve an existing one, pilot plants are designed and operated at a scale between laboratory benchtop and commercial scale—often with specific goals for operability, product quality, economics and process safety. Identifying where potential safety, technical risks or uncertainties may occur is always a key goal in evaluating a new process.
How important is connected pipework to PSVs?
The purpose of this article is to explain additional process considerations for pipework connected to PSVs, such as isolation valves, layout, orientation, forces and moments.
Review steam system designs to accelerate chemical industry decarbonization
Industrial steam systems range from simple systems comprising a low-pressure single steam user to a complex system with multiple pressure levels, multiple generators and multiple users integrated with an onsite cogeneration facility. This article will present the typical CO2 emissions estimates for chemical and petrochemical facilities and describe options available to reduce these emissions through additional heat integration, fuel switching, and the use of heat pumps and electric boilers.
The attractive market opportunity for synthetic graphite: Graphite as an energy transition material (4)
Given the attractive demand projection, investors must understand the benefits and return on investment for natural and synthetic graphite routes. This article establishes the pros and cons for each, and specifically highlights the emerging opportunity for upgrading and repurposing smaller petcoke units to needle coke units, therefore contributing to fulfilling the rising demand for synthetic graphite.
Utilize a hydrogen reactions lab to optimize renewable fuels processing
Leading technology developers in the refining space are utilizing various catalysts to enhance the adjusted reaction chemistry, but this does not directly address how to optimize hydrogen utilization for the hydrodeoxygenation and isomerization/cracking processing steps. To ensure the right equipment outlay and calibration for these hydrogenation applications, replicating the process in a lab setting can help identify efficiencies and yield improvements for a fraction of the cost that a refiner would incur attempting to achieve that optimization through modifications at commercial scale.
Meet gasoline quality and process safety requirements through new alkylation technologies
The catalytic alkylation process is very attractive to countries with high gasoline consumption and a sizable availability of LPG. This process can produce high-octane gasoline with low levels of contaminants, although there are high capital investment and operational costs associated with this technology.
Case study: Developing mildew-resistant coatings on ethanol tanks
Scientists from the authors’ company determined how best to combat persistent black mildew on aboveground storage tanks by first using a novel strategy to identify it. This discovery led to the identification of coating formulations with superior capacity to prevent mildew growth. The scientists proved the performance of the coatings by conducting field tests involving painting sample patches onto an ethanol storage tank.
Refinery/petrochemical makeup water treatment: A general guide for technical personnel—Part 1
New personnel are often confronted with challenges that require knowledgeable and quick action, which they may have difficulty providing without thorough training. A very important—and sometimes overlooked—unit operation within these facilities is makeup water treatment for steam generators and other processes. Many cases have been documented in which makeup system upsets have led to boiler tube failures that partially or completely shut down unit processes. Parts 1 and 2 (September 2024) of this article serve as a guide for those employees who may be on a steep learning curve when it comes to makeup system understanding.
The effects of cooling water parameters on condenser brass tubes
This work is focused on the effect of cooling water parameters on admiralty brass tubes. The effect of high free chlorine on the corrosion rate of brass tubes has been investigated by scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) and eddy current test (ECT) methods and the laboratory results of the cooling water were determined and discussed. Also, the tendency of the feed water scaling indices that is LSI, PSI & RSI was calculated. The results show that a dezincification corrosion mechanism was observed due to the high-level free chlorine on the admiralty brass tube.
Mexico's new Pemex refinery processes 65,000 bpd of crude in July but no gasoline
Mexican state oil firm Pemex's newest refinery processed some 65,046 bpd of crude oil in July, its first month of operations after multiple delays, and just over 30,000 bpd of diesel and coke.
- Iraqi cabinet approves $4.6-B Basrah-Haditha oil pipeline project 12/31
- China issues 2025 crude quota to Sinochem for eastern China refineries 12/31
- Ukraine hits Russian oil depot in Smolensk region 12/31
- Oil rises on diesel demand boost in sparse holiday trade 12/31
- Stamicarbon awarded licensing, PDP contracts for low-carbon fertilizer plant in Canada 12/30
- Avina Clean Hydrogen to build $820-MM SAF plant in southwest Illinois (U.S.) 12/30
