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Featured Discussion Buzz926
TARUN JOSHI
Hey, we are using MFA HITEC 6560 to gasoline. I would like to know the appropriate time to add this chemical. Is it can be added before sampling or after getting product approved.
Mar 29, 2018 08:41 pm
Tomer
Hello,
I'm chemical engineer working in a petroleum refinery. We have a visbreaking(Thermal cracking) unit in our refinery. For a constant Furnace outlet temperature, we were suffer from high viscosity of the feed to the visbreaker and we have difficulty to find the source if it is the unit itself or some unit/stream upstream the visbreaker' as someone deal with something like this? also We would like to know, what type of Vacuum residue feed is desirable for Visbreaker unit, to attain good conversion and higher ratio of viscosity between feed and bottoms?
in addition, Does the visbreaker conversion will influence the viscosity ratio of feed and bottom?
Mar 25, 2019 01:50 pm
Deepthi Komalan
I have read the two blogs on LP modeling :How Smart Refiners Value Crude by optimization specialist Robert &LP Results :Garbage in Equals Garbage out by Mr Ralph Laurel.The blog was quite informative.I have started working with PIMS LP model.Can anyone help me with the techniques of LP modeling ?
Apr 02, 2019 10:13 am
MaT
Greetings all,
I hope one of you can help me with the following: we batch different products on a pipeline coming in to the plant. In particular, we have several bullets where we route the propane/gasoline transmix to. The transmix is stored in the bullets at 180 to 225 psi. I am evaluating cost effective ways to separate the propane from the gasoline. I believe that if I make a pressure cut to below 180 psi, I should be able to vaporise the propane. Once the pressure inside the bullet builds, I should be able to move vapors out of the bullet which will lower the pressure inside and the the vapors should build again until most of the propane is out. I am wondering if anyone has tried this or if my assumptions are incorrect?
Thanks in advance for the feedback.
Aug 11, 2017 12:22 pm
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Jared L: MaT, what is your end game? Do you intend on further processing the "gasoline" to make it... More MaT, what is your end game? Do you intend on further processing the "gasoline" to make it on-test product or is your desire to simply flash the propane and try to recover both products as pure commodities to use? Your idea will recover a fair amount of propane, but where is it going? are you simply going to vaporize it for burning? You'll need to be careful about it acting as a refrigerant as you reduce the pressure. As for the gasoline, you'll never be able to get all the LPG out to meet RVP spec in the manner that you propose. How do you have propane and gasoline mixed on the same pipeline in the beginning? Refineries have distillation columns to serve the purpose of what you are trying to achieve. Less
Aug 13, 2017 04:20 am
Chris
Is it possible to extract products from Atmospheric Residue without using vacuum? If yes, what are the pros and cons?
Why do we superheat steam and desuperheat it directly afterwards? Desuperheated steam will go to steam header.
Jun 10, 2018 02:43 am
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Robert K: Anything is nearly possible, but not necessarily efficient. Vacuum distillation is used to reduce... More Anything is nearly possible, but not necessarily efficient. Vacuum distillation is used to reduce heat load, so the con to separating atmos resid is lots of energy spent and dollars wasted in designing enough theoretical steps to separate the products. There are many reasons to superheat steam (prevent condensation in downstream process, carry more energy per lb, reduce contaminants) and many reasons to desuperheat (achieve higher efficiency of heat transfer). Less
Jun 17, 2018 12:34 pm
David Broadbent
I recall hearing that the number of refinery fires in the USA had not been significantly different for the ten years since Texas City than for the ten years prior. Can anyone confirm that or point me toward a reference please.
Aug 19, 2018 12:55 pm
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Robert: David, i think you have received misinformation. All refineries in the US are significantly... More David, i think you have received misinformation. All refineries in the US are significantly different after the Texas City event. Process Safety Management (PSM) is a significant focus area for industry today, and other safe work processes and practices have been implemented. A simple example is the relocation of many work-places outside of process unit blast radius zones. Another example is the use of different pre-commissioning procedures. A third example is implementation of work hour limits to manage workforce fatigue. The list continues... Less
Sep 10, 2018 12:35 pm
VISHVEDEEP BHAT
Any good books or online courses for someone trying to get into the field of refinery economics , planning, investment studies ?
May 28, 2019 04:51 am
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RL Moderator: Vishvedeep, there are a number of courses and conferences offered in our Events calendar. Some of... More Vishvedeep, there are a number of courses and conferences offered in our Events calendar. Some of them are specific to blend optimization, but there are some general refining economic courses. Additionally, there are other courses offered by consulting houses like IHS and Woodmac. Less
Jun 07, 2019 04:36 am
Clement Adu-Addae
Please I am taking up a course in Waste tyres to oil. Please I want to know the products obtained from the pyrolytic process. and I also know that these products can be refined, so I want to know the refined products and also when put these refined products together, what the final product will be.
thank you for helping me.
Jul 13, 2019 05:36 pm
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Augusto: Pyrolysis products are not highly stable and require substantial treatment to turn into finished... More Pyrolysis products are not highly stable and require substantial treatment to turn into finished products in a refinery - typically hydrotreating. You'll generally produce middle distillate products. Less
Jul 28, 2019 08:08 am
Desulphurization Processes
I am working with a group in developing a modular refinery in a light oil region of Canada. We have a low sulphur content in our raw product and are looking to explore other opportunities for desulphurization of the diesel and other materials outside of a HydroTreater. Does anyone have experience in this field, or know of cost effective options?
Aug 20, 2018 11:43 pm
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Timothy K: Do you intend on selling the diesel product as a finished transportation fuel? If so, then you... More Do you intend on selling the diesel product as a finished transportation fuel? If so, then you don't have any other options aside from a hydrotreater due to the difficulty of removing sulfur compounds to meet regulations. Less
Sep 10, 2018 12:29 pm
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News Updates1429
Lee Taylor
The future of oil and gas
OVER the next 25 years oil demand will increase from 88m barrels a day to 99m, mainly to fill Asian petrol tanks, if planned energy policies around the world continues much as they are today. Over nine-tenths of the additional oil will come from the Middle East and North Africa, according to the International Energy Agency’s latest edition of the World Energy Outlook. The organisation reckons that the region will require $2.7 trillion of investment in exploration and production to provide the oil. Even in the Middle East, where oil is relatively easy to extract, it will be harder to get out of the ground. Average extractions costs there will increase from just over $12 a barrel in 2011 to more than $15 in 2035, as production increases by more than 17m b/d. Costs will go up far more elsewhere as high prices encourage oil producers to go after oil that is trickier to come by. The greatest leap will come in Latin America as pricey deepwater oil grows in importance.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/11/focus-1
Nov 15, 2011 12:59 pm
Lee Taylor
Tar sands and the environment
Keystone cop-out
Once again, Barack Obama seems to have found a way to annoy everyone
http://www.economist.com/node/21538775
Nov 17, 2011 02:55 pm
Lee Taylor
Shale gas in Europe and America
Fracking here, fracking there
Europe will have trouble replicating America’s shale-gas bonanza
Nov 28, 2011 02:28 pm
Marco Lopez
Asian demand and margins strong as shown in S. Korea
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/23/oil-korea-idUSL4E7MN14T20111123
* Crude imports at 82.97 mln bbls vs 76.64 mln bbls yr ago* Crude runs at 80.95 mln bbls, up 5.5...
Nov 23, 2011 03:58 am
Allan Chang
Minister of Energy in SA showing concerns over the increasing frequency and severity of unplanned refinery shutdowns - how interesting.
Nov 12, 2011 06:10 pm
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Kesava Rao: SA has always had a keen interest in security of supply - it is good that they take interest in... More SA has always had a keen interest in security of supply - it is good that they take interest in trying to keep refineries reliable. Less
Nov 12, 2011 06:41 pm
Marco Lopez
Platts recently published a pretty good article explain reasons for the last widening of the Brent-WTI ARB
Feb 14, 2012 07:32 pm
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Thomas Holz: My prediction: If Obama wins the election, he will then endorse Keystone since the Environmental... More My prediction: If Obama wins the election, he will then endorse Keystone since the Environmental lobbyists are no longer a threat. How can any rational person wish to forego a step towards" foreign" oil independence by turning away Canadian crude availability??? Less
Feb 14, 2012 10:18 pm
Marco Lopez
Its very clear to me that US North East refiners are headed down a nasty slope, but this article also makes me wonder about the view the companies such as PBF have for their northeast refineries
Dec 28, 2011 08:23 pm
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Joseph Kale: We've historically seen refineries being purchased during downturned economic cycles and then run... More We've historically seen refineries being purchased during downturned economic cycles and then run for a profit when margins increase. PBF may be making the wise choice of investing when labor and resources are relatively cheap. We saw a few refineries being picked up on the cheap in early 2000 - later to reap the rewards a few years later. Less
Dec 30, 2011 08:36 am
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Monika Takalkar
Lots of chatter recently about poor refining margins offsetting the gains of Upstream partners in vertically integrated companies. While there has been a rash of de-integration - there is still value to be demonstrated by those who are integrated. Refineries have cyclical earning cycles and that is something proven by history.
Jan 25, 2012 10:49 pm
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Joseph Kale: Tempering corporate exposure and market volatility is the driver behind vertical integration.... More Tempering corporate exposure and market volatility is the driver behind vertical integration. there's a reason why some of the major IOCs do what they do. Less
Jan 25, 2012 11:21 pm
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KOKI Zheizer: Busco trabajo soy ingeniero de sistemas Busco trabajo soy ingeniero de sistemas Less
Jan 27, 2012 02:45 am
Robert Beaulieu
the recent news about Keystone is coming earlier than I thought. Would have expected controversial items to subside until after the elections.
Mar 21, 2012 04:48 pm
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Marco Lopez: I am think the high price of gasoline has picked up the political rhetoric, who can come out... More I am think the high price of gasoline has picked up the political rhetoric, who can come out seeming like they are pro high gas prices? Less
Mar 22, 2012 06:13 am
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Jeff Hazle: Republicans think this is a winner for them so they're going to do their best to keep the issue... More Republicans think this is a winner for them so they're going to do their best to keep the issue in front of voters. Recently announced Administration actions are aimed at dialing the issue down. I expect that it will continue to be a campaign issue just because the Republicans won't abandon it voluntarily. Less
Mar 28, 2012 06:31 am
Joseph Kale
could the future expansion of the KM condensate P/L proposal be anticipation of additional Canadian dilbits coming to the US gulf? http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/article/Kinder-Morgan-to-build-new-facility-2403435.php
Dec 17, 2011 12:31 am
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Dae-Ha Choi: Diluted bitumen. these heavy canadians need to be diluted so that they are pumpable via pipeline... More Diluted bitumen. these heavy canadians need to be diluted so that they are pumpable via pipeline to end customers (i.e. like refineries). Less
Dec 18, 2011 10:51 am
Stuart Daphne
doesn't appear that Environmentalists looked at the bigger picture on opposing Keystone. the pipeline will be built regardless - why not send the crude to refineries that will upgrade the crude in the most efficient manner possible (as opposed to refining it in China where regulatory restrictions are more lax)!
Obama Administration Rejects Keystone XL Pipeline: Not In National Interest - Forbes
The Obama Administration decided to reject TransCanada's project to extend the Keystone pipeline...
Jan 20, 2012 12:02 am
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Stuart Daphne: This is a real loss for American workers - so much job creation that could have occurred. This is a real loss for American workers - so much job creation that could have occurred. Less
Jan 21, 2012 01:32 am
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Emily Wilson: I don't think we've heard the last of this just yet I don't think we've heard the last of this just yet Less
Jan 24, 2012 12:20 pm
Giridhar Bodke
i am not sure that i understand the economic drivers behind increased Kazakstan refinery capabilities. Does economies of scale on refined product outweigh simplicity of just exporting crude?
Kazakh Oil Refining To Increase In Kazakhstan
http://caspionet.kz/eng/business/Kazakh_oil_refining_to_increase_in_Kazakhstan_1323320117.html
According to the ‘KazMunaiGas’ national company, Kazakhstan produces over 80 million tons of...
Dec 07, 2011 10:49 pm
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Eric Fryatt: Don't forget that not all refineries necessarily need to make money. They can be built to keep... More Don't forget that not all refineries necessarily need to make money. They can be built to keep jobs in the country and increase GDP. Why would a country allow the crude to be refined in another country when they could have all the economic benefits of a refinery in their country. From a political standpoint exporting products make a lot of sense. Less
Dec 15, 2011 06:55 am
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Anna Popova: Kazakhstan has a preferential rail tarif for crossing Russia, they take crude to Estonia and... More Kazakhstan has a preferential rail tarif for crossing Russia, they take crude to Estonia and export from there using large vessels to go the US. They can export small bunches to Western Europe from there that may be real fun business. Less
Nov 28, 2012 03:40 am
Christopher Paterson
Hello. Wondering if anyone knows the details into what caused the fire/ explosion at that Venezuelan refinery?
Sep 02, 2012 01:30 pm
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Girish Bramhane: I saw a recent presentation indicating that ignition source was a vehicle passing-by I saw a recent presentation indicating that ignition source was a vehicle passing-by Less
Sep 24, 2012 10:48 pm
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Kirk Walztoni: ...that and the fact that it leaked for days and they were utilizing the trade winds as their... More ...that and the fact that it leaked for days and they were utilizing the trade winds as their safety system... Less
Oct 04, 2012 02:21 pm
Giridhar Bodke
seems like the republican party is rather clever in combining Keystone Pipeline construction to payroll tax bill. anyone agree that this is a good move for the american people or not? http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501707_162-57341949/gop-embraces-showdown-over-oil-pipeline-tax-cuts/
Dec 13, 2011 07:26 pm
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Karen Teich: I'm just not understanding why there is even government intervention I'm just not understanding why there is even government intervention Less
Dec 13, 2011 08:54 pm
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Stuart Daphne: From discussions that i've had with work and non-work colleagues, majority of people that I know... More From discussions that i've had with work and non-work colleagues, majority of people that I know (industry or not) are in favor of the p/l since it's creating jobs. And also, it's keeping the oil on OUR continent instead of shipping elsewhere and making us more reliant on other oil. Less
Dec 13, 2011 09:37 pm
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Coker Discussions on Coker.com
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FCC Discussions on CatCracking.com
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SRU and Amine Discussions
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Refinery Strategies727
Mike Smith
NOCs seem to be advantaged when doing JVs with other NOCs. Will this ultimately push IOCs out of the way?
Works Begins On Joint Chinese-Venezuelan Oil Refinery In Southern China - The Washington Post
CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela and China are teaming up to build an oil refinery in...
Apr 28, 2012 11:41 am
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Phil Johnston: NOCs do not have the talent stability to keep operating things smoothly. Until they develop that... More NOCs do not have the talent stability to keep operating things smoothly. Until they develop that bench strength, IOCs will need to stay around for a while. Less
Apr 28, 2012 05:29 pm
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Stuart Daphne: NOCs have different business drivers than profitability alone. Gov subsidies and other... More NOCs have different business drivers than profitability alone. Gov subsidies and other pro-society factors will underpin NOC behavior, so there's a bit of non-compete space. Less
Apr 29, 2012 03:49 pm
Thomas Holz
I wasn't aware that mandates were made to increase refinery resid cracking capabilities to a set percentage of crude capacity.
Aug 28, 2012 11:16 pm
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Jeff Hazle: This article refers to Japanese regulations that require fuels producers to reduce their capacity... More This article refers to Japanese regulations that require fuels producers to reduce their capacity in proportion to the reduction in domestic demand. (http://www.petrolworld.com/asia-headlines/japan-cosmo-oil-to-close-sakaide-refinery.html) That strikes me as anti-competitive. It's interesting compared to US approach where refineries are taking advantage of excess capacity and low natural gas prices to export fuels. Less
Nov 27, 2012 06:39 am
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Ifeanyi Udenze: Hmmmm sounds like are one.searching for refinery mandates to sell crude.lienced to do so,with... More Hmmmm sounds like are one.searching for refinery mandates to sell crude.lienced to do so,with confirmable proofs.kindly contact me via email on ifeanyiudenze@rocketmail.com Less
Apr 25, 2013 06:49 pm
Stuart Daphne
could a new topping refinery in Mid-Con work? the next bubble in the US market will be all of the support going out to Bakken with booming housing, retail, etc...
Feb 08, 2012 10:25 pm
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Mike Smith: Bakken is relatively light crude with ~5% resid content. The small amount of fuel oil can be... More Bakken is relatively light crude with ~5% resid content. The small amount of fuel oil can be sold locally. I wouldn't be surprised if future plans had the resid back-blended into crude and sold as a heavier grade as well. Less
Feb 08, 2012 10:49 pm
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Robert Beaulieu: The Bakken situation is another see-saw discussion between people wanting job growth and... More The Bakken situation is another see-saw discussion between people wanting job growth and environmentalist seeking preservation of land. surely the retail boom out there will match the need for commercial growth as the fields get developed. the question is how much opposition will arise to it all? Less
Feb 11, 2012 02:50 pm
Anna Popova
Hi all! Would really appreciate some help... We know that metals could be removed in a pretreatment step before the heavy crude oil enters processing streams. Question is could someone come up with the sample refineries where this is being done?
Apr 19, 2013 06:03 am
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Anna Popova: Emily, thank you! Just saw your responce for some goofy reason. How can one see by refinery... More Emily, thank you! Just saw your responce for some goofy reason. How can one see by refinery configutation if the streams for naphta, distillate and gasoil are inddeed being treated? can you come up with some exmaples of European refineries that do that, please? Less
May 23, 2013 03:54 am
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Emily Wilson: Anna, since Euro fuels specs require low emissions, it's likely that majority of the refineries... More Anna, since Euro fuels specs require low emissions, it's likely that majority of the refineries have naphtha and distillate hydrotreaters to meet the sulfur specs. If you can access the refinery configuration, you just have to see if there is a hydrotreater on the product streams (but surely there will be). As for gasoil, you will have to see the conversion technology. If a refinery has a gasoil hydrocracker, then the gasoil is being treated in the first stage of the HCU. If the refinery has a FCC, it will either have a FCC feed hydrotreater ahead of the unit, or a post-treater (Gasoline Hydrotreater). If the FCC does not have a pre-treater, then the metals are falling out in the FCC catalyst. Hope this helps. Less
May 26, 2013 02:46 pm
Marco Lopez
Wow, seems like Valero CEO has it figured out. Maybe building the biggest baddest coker isn't economic as it once was, short sighted or forward thinking?
Mar 13, 2012 03:20 pm
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Leslie Washington: Seems like we can definitely see some view points emerging in downstream. #1 Do nothing (major... More Seems like we can definitely see some view points emerging in downstream. #1 Do nothing (major integrateds) #2 Invest in domestic crude capabilities #3 Invest like you always did with Major heavy crude capacity Less
Mar 17, 2012 09:12 am
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Jeff Hazle: There was, IMO, a good paper at the AFPM Annual Meeting on the economics of various resid... More There was, IMO, a good paper at the AFPM Annual Meeting on the economics of various resid conversion options. AM-12-75 by Larry Wisdom of Axens. You should be able to find it in the on-line store at afpm.org next month. Less
Mar 28, 2012 06:46 am
Mike Smith
i'm not a refinery guru or anything, but how does a major refinery expansion not provide more product to the market? Analyst argue that diverting crude from Midwest to Gulf Coast decreases gasoline supply?????
U.S. Refinery Upgrade Benefits Questioned - UPI.com
Major expansions to a refinery in Texas mean substantially more oil production but that won't...
Jun 05, 2012 10:12 pm
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Vaduganathan murugaiyan: The news says very clearly that they shifting the crude from gasoline oriented refinery to Diesel... More The news says very clearly that they shifting the crude from gasoline oriented refinery to Diesel oriented refinery due to market condition and the economics. Now the global diesel demand is overtaking the MOGAS and ofcourse the Diesel price is better than the MOGAS. So the refiners will improve their GRM by Diverting the VGO to Hydrocracker than sending to FCC or RFCC. All depends of market absorption, Refinery GRM and the configuarion etc. Hence the expanded refinery slate may not in proportion to previous slate due to above discussed points. Less
Jul 11, 2012 12:59 am
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Kirk Walztoni: It may say that they are shifting crude from gasoline oriented refineries, but that viewpoint... More It may say that they are shifting crude from gasoline oriented refineries, but that viewpoint doesn't take into account the key bet in the expansion--that Canadian Crude supplies are increasing. Also, it fails to acknowledge the transportation advantage that midwest refiners have over gulf coast refiners with this crude. Less
Jul 27, 2012 02:21 pm
Rachel Jones
As a long time FCC engineer, I was shocked to hear about someone thinking FCC technology is dead. But I'm glad I'm not the only one that doesn't agree
Jan 22, 2012 01:02 pm
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GIJO VIJAYAN: I am Gijo here, I worked in the world's largest Refinery and saw the comple construction and... More I am Gijo here, I worked in the world's largest Refinery and saw the comple construction and installation of one of the biggest FCCU units, reactor and re-generator were the biggest in the world, hard to say , if it an outdated technology. Less
Feb 16, 2012 08:05 am
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Process Troubleshooting35126
Abed
In the standpipe of regenerated catalyst we recorded drops in density, peaks from 500 Kg / m3 to120 Kg/ m3 affecting the temperature and pressure in reactor, these peaks during 10 to 20 sec and reproduced each 2 hours.
What are the consequences of these peaks, and how to remedy?
Nov 07, 2016 05:23 am
Yaron Nimrod
What is considered "best practice" if you discover a storage tank floating roof partially or completely submerged in the liquid stored in the tank, i.e. naphtha or gasoline?
Jan 08, 2017 08:21 am
Bronson Shavitz
do many refiners have success with online spalling for delayed cokers?
Dec 30, 2011 09:18 am
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Stuart Daphne: We have mixed success - but often times we'll need to have a full decoke on alternating cycles We have mixed success - but often times we'll need to have a full decoke on alternating cycles Less
Dec 30, 2011 07:44 pm
Darrell Gallup
Hello Everyone, I have just joined RefinerLink. I worked for Texaco, Unocal and Chevron for 32 years. I am consulting part-time on chemistry and engineering. Most of my experience is in upstream, but I've also worked in downstream, primariy in water treatment. I have developed processes to remove mercury, arsenic and selenium from wastewater, which are currently in use at a couple of refineries. Also, in refineries, I have worked on mercury management and processing crude oils laden with mercury. I provide a mercury training course that has been given in Indonesia, with more to follow in other locations. If anyone needs assistance in my areas of expertise, I will be pleased to hear from you. www.thermochem.com
Feb 28, 2012 02:52 pm
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Karen Teich: Hi Mr Gallup, besides mercury training do you have any generic water treatment training... More Hi Mr Gallup, besides mercury training do you have any generic water treatment training materials. I'm a new process engineer in a refinery and I find the water chemistry side a bit mysterious. Less
Mar 04, 2012 09:23 am
Mustafa goren
How far can you decrease the H2S content of H2 gas (20%vol H2S) with just only caustic washing?
Apr 08, 2012 05:29 pm
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Majid Mazrouei: It's better to use a gas sweetening systems like Amine loop or PSA facilities. It's better to use a gas sweetening systems like Amine loop or PSA facilities. Less
Jul 09, 2012 11:44 am
Eng.Ahmed Makhlouf
Dear:all
in NHT and middle distillates hydro treating Conventional units, why in NHT the hydrogen recycle gas is mixed with hydrocarbon before the main furnace but in middle distillates hydro treating unit the hydrogen recycle gas is mixed with hydrocarbon after the main furnace
Thanks
Aug 17, 2015 10:49 pm
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Stephen Allenson: There are many distillate hydrotreater designs that have hydrogen introduced ahead of the... More There are many distillate hydrotreater designs that have hydrogen introduced ahead of the furnaces. NHTs have H2 introduction before furnaces & pre-heat exchangers to minimize fouling of pre-heat exchangers since olefins and diolefins may be present in NHT feed. Distillate stocks have lower tendency to foul in pre-heat exchangers. Less
Aug 20, 2015 10:47 pm
Pankaj Kr Roy
Presently I am working as plant manager of crude & vacuum distillation unit . We are processing Assam crude ( indigenous ) low sulfur crude having API 29 & sulfur content is 0.24 wt%.
During the normal crude processing , the desalter brine oil content is 40ppm( max), but when we process slop 5-7m3/hr with 400 m3/hr of crude , the brine become blakish & oil content increase to 1-2% which aggravated our slop inventory problem in ETP.
Even after increasing demulsifier dosing rate, there is no improvement. Sometime dealter transformer also got tripped due to short circuit of electrode. Anybody has any solution over the discussion forum.
May 05, 2016 11:20 pm
Mohamed Awad
Dear members of this group ,
i am facing an unusual problem of fouling in vacuum column top section and i am trying to develop a solution for the ongoing problem , i am looking for any advice or insights or even prior experience with similar problems , any contributions are highly welcomed .
My problem is periodic formation of solid fouling in the top section of the tower despite of operating at relatively low temperatures (Tray temperature 185 C ) and low Pressures (-0.955 kgf/cm2) , i assumed that cracking or coking at this conditions is highly unlikely (correct me if i am wrong) and i assume that the problem might be caused by phase separation of asphaltenes entrapped in light hydrocarbons .... is there any way to exactly determine the problem , what kind of lab tests can be done ? any one faced similar problems in vacuum columns?
Thanks for your time and consideration
Best Regards
Mar 17, 2017 03:21 am
Marco Lopez
Achilles heel of our refineries are the utility systems
http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL4E7MN15L20111123
Nov 23 (Reuters) - ConocoPhillips reported a co-generation unit shutdown due to an upset at its...
Nov 23, 2011 03:59 am
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Doug Knapke: In what way? Operating costs. Reliability? Both? In what way? Operating costs. Reliability? Both? Less
Dec 08, 2011 07:08 am
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Mausumee Jena: I would have to say Reliability is the bigger issue. Most utility systems are not relatively... More I would have to say Reliability is the bigger issue. Most utility systems are not relatively expensive to operate, but since they are supporting systems - little money goes into preventative maintenance. It's difficult putting a value to utility systems until one breaks. Less
Dec 10, 2011 12:37 am
Charles Sutton
does anyone here have any experience with Alky Split Olefin Feed Technology? what are pros/cons that we should consider if pursuing?
Feb 26, 2012 11:35 am
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Mike Smith: In agreement with Mr. Bodke, we don't see such strong drivers to increase Alky capacity these... More In agreement with Mr. Bodke, we don't see such strong drivers to increase Alky capacity these days either. Most of the times we don't even have our Cat full on feed. Less
Feb 26, 2012 10:16 pm
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Keith Bowers: There can be a significant savings on acid consumption for an H2SO4 unit. Propylene has optimum... More There can be a significant savings on acid consumption for an H2SO4 unit. Propylene has optimum octane barrel yields at lower acid strength than butlyenes so one can 'cascade' acid from C4 reactors to C3 reactors, thus almost getting 'free acid'. C3 alkylation also works well at warmer temperatures so refrigeration load is much reduced. Less
Mar 18, 2012 08:00 am
Phil Johnston
You guys gave me great advice on the torch question. I'm wondering if i can graciously receive help on my rare earth dilemma. We all know that RE prices have launched into the stratosphere. I'm looking at a reformulation, but how can I really trust the yields that my vendors are suggesting. We've had mixed experience in the past, so i'm looking for outside perspective.
Jun 04, 2012 10:23 pm
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Chris Steves: How to properly evaluate catalyst performance projections can be more art than science,... More How to properly evaluate catalyst performance projections can be more art than science, especially if you are relying on the catalyst vendors. To qualitatively evaluate the projection, find out who else is using that catalyst blend and see if you can talk to that refiner about their experience, and how well the catalyst performed in comparison to the projection. If you want to take more time and spend more money to evaluate different vendors, then you can do pilot plant testing with your feedstock and different catalyst samples to verify the projections. This testing will take time and cost money though, so many choose not to go that route. If you want to do the testing, Refining Process Services does this kind of testing (as well as some of the major oil companies). Less
Jun 05, 2012 10:27 am
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Allan Chang: Sometimes you gotta spend money to make money. The difference between an optimized catalyst... More Sometimes you gotta spend money to make money. The difference between an optimized catalyst formulation and an unoptimized one can cost you $ millions per year. I'm sure that the pilot plant tests cost far less, so it's worth the time and effort IMO. Less
Jun 05, 2012 09:37 pm
Robert Beaulieu
Does anyone have any experience with fluctuating mercaptan results in delivered crudes? I am specifically interested in the kerosene cut. We are receiving new crude deliveries that have widely varying kero mercaptans, thus putting a strain on our jet treating systems.
Jun 18, 2012 12:23 am
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Chris Steves: Not sure if you are seeing fluctuating jet mercaptan results from crude to crude, or all from the... More Not sure if you are seeing fluctuating jet mercaptan results from crude to crude, or all from the same type of crude that you are receiving. If from the same crude, then you either have something else being mixed in at the crude source or the field is changing at the source - something your crude traders should look into with the producer. Fluctuating kero mercaptan from crude to crude is not unexpected, and obviously you need to plan carefully to make sure you can adequately treat that material and maintain finished jet quality. Less
Jun 18, 2012 05:07 am
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Mrityunjoy Khound
While changing over heat exchangers from one to its stanby(both in parallel),whether the hot media should be introduced first or the cold media? Normally,we feed the cold media from the outlet side after the exchanger is put on warm up for some time,in order not to allow the overall outlet temperature of the cold media to fall drastically.
Aug 08, 2012 12:33 am
1 people
like this
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Charles Sutton: You should minimize the rate and amplitude of thermal cycling for any equipment that you put into... More You should minimize the rate and amplitude of thermal cycling for any equipment that you put into or taking out of service. When putting a cold exchanger into service, our practice is to also introduce the colder media first and then the hotter process fluid. Less
Aug 28, 2012 11:31 pm
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V Sridhar: While changing over,the basic function of maintaining the temp on both sides should be ensured.... More While changing over,the basic function of maintaining the temp on both sides should be ensured. The sequence will be -->Crack open cold inlet & outlet to establish the flow -->Once satisfied with the flow,crack open the hot in & out keeping a watch on the overall condition -->Once steady,slowly increase cold fluid flow followed by hot fluid flow and correspondingly throttling the hot/cold flow of earlier exchanger -->Once hot fluid is totally isolated in the earlier exchanger,allow cold fluid flow for few mnts before totally isolating the same Less
Oct 07, 2013 10:10 am
SANTOSH KHOPADE
Hydro treating reactor diffrential pressure high? how to control it to sustain plant load!
Jun 28, 2014 10:58 pm
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Nasir Hussain: Following options will also help you to reduce the reactor differential pressure; 1. Feed filter... More Following options will also help you to reduce the reactor differential pressure; 1. Feed filter also plays an important role. If feed filter are working properly then Reactor differential pressure will be under control. Normally, up to 25 micron size particles are removed by the feed filters. 2. Feed Gas flow also takes part in reactor differential pressure. Use the option of compressor spill back or compressor load or reduce RPM (Centrifugal Compressor) to optimize the gas flow to minimum required flow. So that Hydrogen to Hydrocarbon ratio is within required range. 3. Use maximum straight run diesel or lighter feed and avoid heavy cracked feed. For details; https://thepetrosolutions.com/forums/topic/high-differential-pressure-issues-with-diesel-hydrotreating-unit/#post-256 Best Regards, Nasir Hussain Less
May 25, 2020 06:44 am
Salah Bawadi
Crude Oil Tank is full with oil and not moving for period of three months; what is the impact on the Tank?
Feb 19, 2016 09:23 pm
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Charles Henson: Salah, are you inquiring about the physical aspects of the tank or the commercial implications?... More Salah, are you inquiring about the physical aspects of the tank or the commercial implications? Physically, nothing should happen to these tanks, assuming that the crude is not highly viscous and has decent cold flow properties. There are many types of tanks that store crude for long periods of times (think about the Strategic Petroleum Reserves). As for commercial impacts, these tanks/vessels get tied up for a long period of time and start to affect cost of moving/storing other commodities. Less
Feb 21, 2016 09:53 pm
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Joshua: It depends on what type of crude is in the tank. If you have a viscous crude or low API crude,... More It depends on what type of crude is in the tank. If you have a viscous crude or low API crude, then you may have difficulty pumping the tank out. If you have a mix of crudes in the tank, then you may have some stratification, which will create issues when you try to process the crude in the Atmos column (assuming that you cannot mix the tank before feeding). Less
May 10, 2016 09:43 pm
Abed
Hello How to control the evolution of reactor temperature during FCC start-up and what are the consequences of a sudden rise in reactor temperature on the refractory lining.
Mar 12, 2017 02:03 pm
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Joshua: Slow and steady. Slow and steady. Introducing feed and increasing at rates slowly and steadily so... More Slow and steady. Slow and steady. Introducing feed and increasing at rates slowly and steadily so that exotherms can be managed with the heat balance of your unit. Temperature runaway can always cause damage to any portion of any unit due to uneven heating, fast rates of metal expansion, or excessive temperatures. Refractory lining can slough off. Less
Mar 12, 2017 02:04 pm
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Michael Edwards: You mention refractory. There are two different rates of heat-up. After a turnaround with... More You mention refractory. There are two different rates of heat-up. After a turnaround with extensive refractory repair of Reactor / Regen & piping, or the initial startup for that matter, heat-up rate must be controlled per the recommendations of the refractory advisers (the refrac company, the refrac installers, third-party mech advisers, and/or your own in-house experts). X degrees per hour max, hold at Y temperature min for Z hours min, repeat until oil-in temperature is achieved. But if only minor repairs, or a brief shutdown for other reasons, a faster rate will be allowed, normally subject to expansion issues and lining-up the rest of the unit (Main Column and Gas Plant, tankage, etc). Reactor reactions are net endothermic. Regen combustion is of course exothermic. So careful control of the Regen cat temperature (air fired heater, then adding torch oil) and circulation rate to reactor are vital to avoid sudden jumps on Reactor side. If for example, too much torch oil (or feed, after oil-in) is permitted without compensating increase in Regen air rate, the coke on Regen cat will build up. A panicked response of quickly boosting air rate guarantees very rapid Regen cat temperature, and even reduced cat circulation may not prevent damage to Reactor (and Regen, and piping) refractory. Less
Mar 14, 2017 08:37 pm
Chinmoy banerjee
How does introduction of steam prevents the formation of coke in cracking operations?
Oct 24, 2013 06:16 pm
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Syamantakdhar: I guess you are referring to Delayed Coking Operations. Steam increases the velocity through the... More I guess you are referring to Delayed Coking Operations. Steam increases the velocity through the coils and hence the residence time inside the furnace coils decreases. Thus the chances of secondary cracking also decreases exponentially. Less
Nov 13, 2013 09:50 am
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Andrea laudonia: Hello Mr. Banerjee. I am a technical engineer and I work for a company in the oil& gas. We have... More Hello Mr. Banerjee. I am a technical engineer and I work for a company in the oil& gas. We have studied the management of steam (or better boiling feed water) in cracking furnace obtaining also good results. The injection of boiler feed water increase the vaporization in the furnace increasing turbolence and reducing the deposition of coke particles on the tubes wall. The result is a reduction of fouling build up. Moreover for coking plant the result is also to move reaction to coke drum (as desired from refinery) instead for Visbreaking unit with Soaker it can be useful to move reaction to the Soaker. In any case there is an optimal value of boiler feed water because with a too high boiler feed water (or steam) a dangerous vapour/liquid pattern could be reached. Best Regards Andrea Laudonia Less
Dec 10, 2013 03:40 am
Leslie Washington
demonstration of importance of catalyst selection and hardware improvements to improve overall yield performance
Dec 19, 2011 07:22 pm
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Goldentriumph: Now that you are so well equipped, you are ready to embark on the systematic journey. There are... More Now that you are so well equipped, you are ready to embark on the systematic journey. There are two major stages in the troubleshooting process. The first stage is identifying the issue. The second stage is performing the actual repair (or taking other steps that identifying the issue has made clear). To identify the issue, you must: Gather information. Verify the issue. Try quick fixes. Use appropriate diagnostics. Perform a split-half search. Use additional resources to research the issue. Escalate the issue (if necessary). After you have identified the issue, you must: Repair or replace the faulty item. Verify the repair by testing the product thoroughly. Inform the user of what you have done. Complete administrative tasks (yes, really). We will review these processes in detail in the following sections of this lesson. First, we'll give you the overview in chart form. General Troubleshooting Flowchart Keeping the steps of the troubleshooting process straight is sometimes difficult for new technicians. Apple has produced a General Troubleshooting Flowchart that you can use as a reference. Less
Dec 28, 2016 12:55 am
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Sandra Wong
I'm having a debate with a co-worker about flash blending. I see in my plant data that I am able to affect the flash of a rundown by changing the back-end distillation. My co-worker suggests that this isn't possible. Data says otherwise, so any thoughts?
Jun 04, 2012 11:17 pm
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Kirk Walztoni: Ron--my experience is the same--flash does blend to a point, especially with heavier components... More Ron--my experience is the same--flash does blend to a point, especially with heavier components like Jet/Diesel. Less
Jul 28, 2012 02:25 pm
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Aureliano buendia: Flash point is determined by the initial points of the components. The corrections caused by the... More Flash point is determined by the initial points of the components. The corrections caused by the back-ends are very limited. Process simulators data are not very reliable for flash point calculations. Less
Aug 05, 2012 11:41 pm
Sandra Wong
how much octane loss is expected across a selective hydrogenation unit (SHU)?
Jul 04, 2012 10:51 pm
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Vaduganathan murugaiyan: I agree with Dae-Ha Choi the octane loss due to undesired olefin saturation depends of... More I agree with Dae-Ha Choi the octane loss due to undesired olefin saturation depends of hydrogenation severity and the Bromine number of the Feed. Less
Jul 11, 2012 12:27 am
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Jose Ortiz: I have seen from 1 to 3 units in octane loss (basis: 95 RON) because of SHP issues like low... More I have seen from 1 to 3 units in octane loss (basis: 95 RON) because of SHP issues like low hydrogen flow, high total sulfur in rafinate stream, etc. Less
Aug 22, 2012 02:17 pm
Kirk Walztoni
What limits on asphalt rundown temperature does your refinery utilize?
I remember reading an article (that I now can't find) describing the safety concerns of oxides on the roof and hot asphalt vapors creating a flamable vapor space.
Oct 04, 2012 02:19 pm
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Evelyn Baker: In addition to the safety concerns on running too hot, you should keep in mind the operational... More In addition to the safety concerns on running too hot, you should keep in mind the operational risk of running down too cold and setting up the line. We typically operate with a temperature buffer above the pour point. Less
Oct 05, 2012 10:01 pm
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Nasir Hussain
Does any one faces the problem of Diesel/kerosene salt dryers, drain line blockage problem? The intensity of this problem increases in the winter season.
Mar 17, 2014 01:23 am
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Nasir Hussain: Sometimes operation of Diesel Coalescer upstream of the Salt Drier can also affect the drain... More Sometimes operation of Diesel Coalescer upstream of the Salt Drier can also affect the drain line. If all the corrosion parcticles/material is picked up by the Coascer then you will have lower blockage problem. If theses are not picked up in Coascer theses will settle down at the bottom of the Drier then evantually, will chock the Jhonson screen. Blackish sludge at the bottom drain line of Drier can been seen along with salt. Best Regards, Nasir Hussain www.thepetrosolutions.com Less
May 25, 2020 06:16 am
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Nasir Hussain: Https://thepetrosolutions.com/forums/topic/diesel-kero-salt-dryer-drain-line-choking-blockage/ Https://thepetrosolutions.com/forums/topic/diesel-kero-salt-dryer-drain-line-choking-blockage/ Less
May 25, 2020 06:26 am
Abed
I work in RFCC unit and we have a daily analysis of solid deposit in the slurry, which should not exceed 1.6 g/l . In the recent period this value reaches 10 g/l. What could be the reason for this rise?
Aug 25, 2016 06:51 am
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Mohd: This could be cycle oil circulation the wash system to be increase to flush any cat , then you... More This could be cycle oil circulation the wash system to be increase to flush any cat , then you have to interduce naphtha in the riser (startup naphtha) to increase the cat circulations if any lumps of carbon or refractory stucks can be removed .if increase more and your unit/downstream facility can not handle plan for shutdown with well prepared team somthing unexpected things. regards Less
Feb 12, 2017 12:48 am
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Arnold: Indeed cyclone issue is likely, closely monitor your PSD. when you see that number increasing... More Indeed cyclone issue is likely, closely monitor your PSD. when you see that number increasing rapidly without changes in the fresh PSD, your cyclone most likely has a hole. Less
Mar 23, 2017 07:29 am
Karen Teich
What's the purpose of support balls in a catalyst bed? What are the critical components in selection and load volume?
Dec 14, 2011 07:30 pm
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Nilesh Anand: Karen, you should note that support is not only applied at the bottom, but also at the top of... More Karen, you should note that support is not only applied at the bottom, but also at the top of catalyst beds. As much as you don't want catalyst migrating out of the reactor vessel, you want it to remain stable at entrance as well. On the top of the bed, not only can support keep the bed from moving, but also there are designs to minimize particulate build up (i.e. pipe scale) and also help with guarding the main bed against impurities (i.e. metals). Less
Dec 18, 2011 11:18 am
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Richard Rhead: I don't know any technical papers on catalyst support materials-ceramic balls. As mentioned they... More I don't know any technical papers on catalyst support materials-ceramic balls. As mentioned they provide a valuable service in loaded beds--hold down, prevent migration, or flow distribution. While they might seem a minor part of a loading--going cheap may not necessarily be a suggested option, just make sure you get what you need. Cheap ceramic balls may not have the necessary strength or can survive thermal cycles without breaking and causing problems. Management would not be happy is saving some money on ceramic balls causes the loss of more expensive catalyst containment or the need to go in and reload a vessel because of support material problems. Less
Dec 22, 2011 08:44 pm
Charles Sutton
Can anyone give me a range of what good recovery looks like in a FCC DeEthanizer? What about a DeIsobutanizer (nC4/iC4 separation)?
Apr 24, 2012 10:58 pm
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Richard Rhead: For FCC Gas Cons I have seen typically ~90% C3 recoveries (+/- 2%). Partly a function of the... More For FCC Gas Cons I have seen typically ~90% C3 recoveries (+/- 2%). Partly a function of the design recovery--probably could improve slightly but might be casing $ of better C3 recovery with $$ or utilities. As per the de-isobutanizer this again would be a design basis for the column--set by product requirements and other factors. Less
May 18, 2012 09:43 pm
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Evelyn Baker: I would say ~95% is my experience with FCC unsat gas plants. DIBs range from 95 - 98%. I would say ~95% is my experience with FCC unsat gas plants. DIBs range from 95 - 98%. Less
Aug 07, 2012 09:50 pm
Phil Johnston
I have had a lot of recent debate about the most effective/optimal torch oil to use in our FCC. Some of the older operators insist that using feed is good. I am trying to convince them that cycle oil is better. Any supporting thoughts out there?
May 07, 2012 10:06 pm
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Richard Rhead: Only use feed when you are starting up because there won't be any HCO available. But then switch... More Only use feed when you are starting up because there won't be any HCO available. But then switch over to HCO. The regenerator (heat balance) doesn't care where the heat comes from. HCO has already been cracked once while feed has the option of going to the riser for product value upgrading--if you burn this in the regenerator you have lost this potential value upgrade. The few numbers I have seen showed HCO had slightly lower metals content than the feed--right or wrong I was taught that all metals in the torch oil lay down on the catalyst so why not use something lower in metals--otherwise you are beating up on the catalyst faster than necessary. Less
May 18, 2012 09:36 pm
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Tim Swaty: Feed is the most expensive oil to use as touch oil. You need BTU's an fuel oil, if available is... More Feed is the most expensive oil to use as touch oil. You need BTU's an fuel oil, if available is the best source. Less
May 24, 2012 07:28 pm
Karen Teich
I've just been tasked with monitoring the refinery LPG system. Where should I being? It all seems like a big mess of little molecules floating around. Any suggestions on important areas to focus?
Jun 04, 2012 08:15 pm
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Dae-Ha Choi: A little of a tangent, but I think one opportunity that many overlook is to improve the purity of... More A little of a tangent, but I think one opportunity that many overlook is to improve the purity of their fuel gas systems. specifically, there are inerts (i.e. N2) and other low BTU content (i.e. H2) that really consume space. there is plenty of opportunity to reduce H2 content in fuel gas and limit how much tramp N2 gets into the system. Less
Jun 07, 2012 12:04 am
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Charles Sutton: If your refinery has a coker, i say start there. Cokers are notorious for having poor design in... More If your refinery has a coker, i say start there. Cokers are notorious for having poor design in LPG recovery sections. Also, most coker engineers don't pay attention to distillation since they focus so much on the drums and furnaces. Less
Jun 07, 2012 11:48 pm
Joseph Kale
What is the buffer that your refineries maintain on PSV settings? We have had a recent hazop review and some thoughts have surfaced on reducing buffer to 10% from our typical 15%.
Jun 18, 2012 12:25 am
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Phil Johnston: Looks like some companies have different risk band tolerances related to PRDs. Looks like some companies have different risk band tolerances related to PRDs. Less
Jul 29, 2012 10:01 pm
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GOVIND RAM: It has to set based on Fluctuation band of Pressure, consequences of Pressure release( To... More It has to set based on Fluctuation band of Pressure, consequences of Pressure release( To Flare/open ) and properties of released material etc. Otherwise 5-15 % range is normal for depending on system like Pilot operated or Spring loaded etc. Another critical thing is accuracy of periodic testing system for PSVs and in case of doubt, normally higher side cushion is kept. Less
Aug 16, 2012 01:33 am
Jack Minneboo
How do polluted aircooled coolers affect your refining process? We offer Chemicalfree cleaning, wich can improve the effectiveness of your coolers from 20 to 80 percent.
Check http://www.acc-team.org/
Jan 06, 2012 03:15 am
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Wibo Lievense: A limitation is that the fan should be switched off and it should not be freezing. So this... More A limitation is that the fan should be switched off and it should not be freezing. So this cleaning operation should be scheduled in spring. Less
Jan 14, 2012 08:15 am
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Jack Minneboo: Problems don't usually arise in winter freezing conditions do tehey, we also clean when systems... More Problems don't usually arise in winter freezing conditions do tehey, we also clean when systems are in full production, no prob! Less
Jan 14, 2012 03:54 pm
Evelyn Baker
What is the best troubleshooting book that people can recommend for new process engineers?
Apr 29, 2012 03:51 pm
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Tommy Chavez: The background to my long missive is that we higher engineers from solid schools, good gpa's etc.... More The background to my long missive is that we higher engineers from solid schools, good gpa's etc. so they are solid technically. Where they struggle is structuring thier efforts, leveraging and coordinating resources, navigating the organization, and prioritizing their time to effectively identify and address the most important issues. Less
May 05, 2012 06:29 pm
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Lionel sheikboudhou: Try also the books from Joe Bonem about "Problem solving for process operators and specialists" Try also the books from Joe Bonem about "Problem solving for process operators and specialists" Less
Jun 09, 2012 08:42 pm
Nilesh Anand
do people meet success for dealing wit packed bed reactor filled with catalyst. we have pressure limit issues on routine basis and would like help.
Dec 23, 2011 12:14 am
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Robert Beaulieu: You still need to resolve the root cause of the issue. are you having oxygen ingression? do you... More You still need to resolve the root cause of the issue. are you having oxygen ingression? do you have gum pre-cursors in your feed? are you operating your furnaces in dew-point? are you getting scale sloughing? i'm sure that your catalyst samples give some indication on what causes the fouling, so explore that more. Less
Dec 23, 2011 02:28 pm
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Randy Lee: If you're still dealing with the issue online, you can do a finite element analysis to better... More If you're still dealing with the issue online, you can do a finite element analysis to better understand your equipment pressure drop limitations. Often times reactor internals are conservatively rated and can handle higher DPs than originally rated (say 50-80 psi higher). This can buy you extended runlength. Less
Dec 24, 2011 10:51 am
Sandra Wong
is there a difference between measuring cutpoint from endpoint? all of the engineers and operators talk about endpoint, but on occasion i hear someone say cutpoint. how do you distinguish?
May 11, 2012 02:21 pm
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Tim Swaty: Cut points are not endpoints. A cut point is based on the volumetric yield of a distillation... More Cut points are not endpoints. A cut point is based on the volumetric yield of a distillation unit and the TBP distillation curve of the feed to the tower. End points are usually based on an ASTM distilllation curve generated by a specific heat input to a lab batch distillation. Most young refinery process engineers seem to be confused. The yield accountants are baffled. Less
May 24, 2012 07:26 pm
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Sandra Wong: Thank you all for the continued help. This is extremely useful!! Thank you all for the continued help. This is extremely useful!! Less
May 25, 2012 10:13 am
Lazer Gnanatheepam
can anyone share the exact purpose of using superheated steam for crude atmospheric distillation for stripping.
Sep 26, 2012 02:31 am
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Doug Harrison: Steam reduces the partial pressure of hydrocarbon in the tower thereby improving relative... More Steam reduces the partial pressure of hydrocarbon in the tower thereby improving relative volatility of components enhancing separation by boiling off light components. Less
Mar 13, 2013 07:42 am
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Seçil Uzun: Hi, I also want to ask one question. Let's say, the bottom part of atmospheric distillation... More Hi, I also want to ask one question. Let's say, the bottom part of atmospheric distillation tower operates at 350oC, and we are giving the superheated steam to the column at around 420-430oC. However, we want to decrease the temperature of superheated steam to 400oC for example but still it is superheated steam of course. Can it has any effect to distillation of the products or quality of the produts to decrerase the temperature a little bit? Less
Dec 11, 2015 02:47 am
Mrityunjoy Khound
Has anyone carried out hydrogen balance over a hydrogen generation unit?
Oct 05, 2012 01:49 pm
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Shehab Baity: Could you send me the molecular model to baitysh@gmail.com thank you Could you send me the molecular model to baitysh@gmail.com thank you Less
Mar 10, 2013 08:18 am
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Mrityunjoy Khound: Shehab: can you elaborate on molecular model so that i can proceed. Shehab: can you elaborate on molecular model so that i can proceed. Less
Jul 09, 2013 09:27 am
Mustafa goren
In your refinery, is there a treatment of hydrogen unit PSA off gas to recover H2 and remove CO2??
Feb 17, 2012 02:04 am
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Mustafa goren: Yes, totally agree, the recovery of H2 may not be a single aim. Recovery of CO2 as liquid may be... More Yes, totally agree, the recovery of H2 may not be a single aim. Recovery of CO2 as liquid may be the case to be worth of money. Less
Apr 02, 2012 03:27 pm
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Ahmed Alshaikh: Yes we do have PSA in the refinery I work in and it is used to purify high H2 gases up to 99.99%... More Yes we do have PSA in the refinery I work in and it is used to purify high H2 gases up to 99.99% purity. The H2 is then used for Hydrocracker, DHT, and catalyst regeneration in CCR. Less
Apr 02, 2012 10:14 pm
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Refinery Optimization1652
Godstand Aimiuwu
Please how do I simulate a diesel hydrotreater in Aspen HYSYS. The only case I have is for NHT.
May 22, 2020 09:31 pm
Leif Forer
Has anyone heard of running vacuum gas oil produced from plastic scrap as cracker feed? I read two papers on VGO production via pyrolysis of plastic scrap and found a couple companies that are supposedly producing plastic-derived VGO as cracker feed.
Nov 29, 2014 07:00 pm
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Eric Vetters: I visited a demonstration plant of a plastic to oil facility. At the time they had sold one... More I visited a demonstration plant of a plastic to oil facility. At the time they had sold one truck load of product to a refiner. The product is very waxy, so cracks easily but will make lower octane gasoline, although with low volumes a refinery would be likely to run, they would probably not see much impact. Plastics like PVC are supposed to be screened out and not go through the PTO process, but I would want to have specs on max chlorides in the oil to reduce the risk, and I would test the oil before I processed it. Less
Apr 09, 2015 10:17 am
Kacem ouadenni
Hi, Regarding the use of advanced control in refineries, is it better to use it at the refinery's debut, or after a certain time? and why?
thank you
Jan 28, 2018 10:30 am
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Eric Barnes: Better to build into the refinery and use from the beginning to begin using the data and having... More Better to build into the refinery and use from the beginning to begin using the data and having longer historical data to utilize. Just have to have judgement on when the data is normalized enough to be truly useful. Less
Mar 02, 2018 03:48 pm
Mohammed Ziauddin
Hi. I am working in one of SABIC affiliate co having Ethylene Crackers. I want to know the world best practices in Running Ethylene Plant to achieve highest Production at Optimum cost without compromising with EHSS records. Myriad Thanks in anticipation.
Feb 23, 2016 09:00 am
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James P Norton: Mohammed, The subject matter is pretty broad and will be difficult to summarize in a bulletin... More Mohammed, The subject matter is pretty broad and will be difficult to summarize in a bulletin board format. Is there something specific you are interested in learning about, or is there a particular starting point for a discussion? Less
Feb 23, 2016 08:45 pm
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Mohammed Ziauddin: Dear James. Thanks for your initiation towards my querry. I want to know what must be ensured to... More Dear James. Thanks for your initiation towards my querry. I want to know what must be ensured to run plant at designed capacity utilising most optimum quantities of raw materials and utilities consumption without compromising with EHSS requirements. Less
Feb 24, 2016 12:03 pm
Chinmoy banerjee
Please can any i tell me what is the difference between products obtained through atmosphere distillation and vaccum distillation??
Sep 02, 2013 06:59 pm
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B s rawat: There is no difference in fundamentals.........you vapourise the liquid and subsequently... More There is no difference in fundamentals.........you vapourise the liquid and subsequently condense the vapours to collect distilled liquid ....... a method of purification or fractionating the liquid mixture into various components in order of their boiling points .....boyls ,charles and rault's laws apply ...... in Vacuum distallation as the name implies you vapourise the high boiling liquid mixtures under reduced pressures to prevent cracking so that the boiling points of liquids also reduces as per charles law and you are able to distil over high boiling liquids into distillates to produce diesel components, lubricant base oils or feedstocks for secondary conversion processes such as hydroprocessing, isodewaxing, paraffin wax manufacturing , catalytic cracking processes etc ......in nut-shell vacuum distillation is value addition to residue/ non distillable liquids left as a non volatile residue under atmospheirc conditions .During atmospheric distillation conducted on a crude oil to produce LPG, Naphtha , petrol, aviation turbine fuel , kerosene and diesel component. Less
Sep 11, 2013 10:36 pm
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MIRGHADERI: Basically no difference.some lighter products is obtained from cdu,some heavier from vdu . Basically no difference.some lighter products is obtained from cdu,some heavier from vdu . Less
Jun 27, 2014 02:52 am
Mustafa goren
Have you ever seen a steam generator between two hydrocracker reactors or do you have in your refinery?
Mar 05, 2012 03:27 pm
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Susheel moudgil: For 2 reactor in series, the quench, through recycle gas, between the two reactor can be... More For 2 reactor in series, the quench, through recycle gas, between the two reactor can be partially reduced and used by a process exchanger or steam generator but will have issues with respect to 1.) close control of the 2nd reactor inlet temperature. 2.) It being very high diff exchanger, a tube failure can have catastrophic effect. Less
Jun 13, 2013 02:50 am
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Feridon: One of our areas of activity is recycling unusable wastes which are created during the operations... More One of our areas of activity is recycling unusable wastes which are created during the operations of ion-free water production units. In order to produce boiler feed-water most petroleum, chemical and industrial complexes use ion exchangers to deionize raw water and some amount of unusable waste is created during every cycle of producing ion-free water. Our institute after conducting comprehensive investigations and studies on a waste-recycling project has managed to develop a system which is capable of recycling about 93% of waste in the shortest time and with the lowest cost. The recycled waste can be used again and will consequently save a considerable amount of water consumed in petroleum, chemical and industrial complexes. If ion exchangers are used to produce ion-free water in the complexes affiliated with your country and in case you have not yet come up with a solution to recycle their wastes, we would like to extend our cooperation with you through installing and operating the above-mentioned new system. Advantages of our new design: a) Low cost in supplying materials b) Easy installation and operation c) Recycling about 65% of all waste in the first phase in the shortest period of time. d) Recycling about 72% of all waste in the second phase requiring more time than the previous phase. (Total: about 93% of all waste is recycled.) e) Significant savings in water consumption for water power plants, refineries and chemical-industrial complexes Less
Mar 30, 2016 04:25 am
Mark
We are doing a project for our automotive class. We are comparing winter and summer blends of gasoline. I have found that butane is the major hydrocarbon in winter blend because it is more volatile (RVP rating of 52 psi). Is this correct? We are making a ball and stick model to show the major component in that winter blend. I am having trouble finding the major hydrocarbon (I think it is a type of FCC gasoline) for summer blend. What hydrocarbon (structural formula) would I use to represent the summer blend gasoline?
Oct 29, 2014 12:10 pm
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Mark Jackson: Thanks for your replys. What actually makes winter gasoline more volatile then? Is it because it... More Thanks for your replys. What actually makes winter gasoline more volatile then? Is it because it has more butane? Are the hydrocarbons of summer blend "heavier" thus slower to turn to vapor? Less
Nov 05, 2014 04:59 am
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Rick: Mark, you are correct in that winter gasoline is more volatile because of higher butane content.... More Mark, you are correct in that winter gasoline is more volatile because of higher butane content. The majority of the blend components between summer and winter gasoline is exactly the same. The primary difference is more butane during winter. It is not accurate to say that it is slower to turn to vapor, but rather the heavier components have lower propensity to turn to vapor at a given temperature and pressure. Less
Nov 06, 2014 10:49 pm
Andrew G
Hi, this is Andrew from a refinery in the MED. We are having a discussion between plannificators mates about 5% ASTM cutting point in a distillation unit. We want to know the economic impact of the improvement in the quality of the cut in the 4rd extraction and we dont now exactly how to evaluate that. Waht do you think about? Regards!
Dec 10, 2015 11:22 am
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Bob Snell: Andrew -- If you are talking about a distillation process regardless of the design pressure,... More Andrew -- If you are talking about a distillation process regardless of the design pressure, there will always be trade-offs between quality of cuts and energy consumption. I remember when energy cost was relatively high and there were many encon projects to cut cost. One of the items was to minimize distillation tower pressure. That did in fact reduce operating cost, but at the expense of cut point quality and end point quality( 5% and 95%). Even at $40/Bbl you need to quantify the impact of energy consumption on higher tower pressure and the relationship with cut point quality. That will include the energy impact of pumparounds and pumparound rates. Regards, Bob Snell Less
Dec 16, 2015 06:57 am
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Keithbowers: I am going to guess you are referring to the 'distillation overlaps' in the vacuum distillation... More I am going to guess you are referring to the 'distillation overlaps' in the vacuum distillation tower 'cuts' in a 4 column crude distillation unit---1) preflash, 2 Atmospheric,3 Gas oil, 4) vacuum This is a problem to be solved using the refinery LP model linked with the process simulation model for the unit. The 'quality' characteristics CAN be significantly degraded if the 'separation' between some fractions is poor. For instance, poor separation between the vacuum bottoms and the heavy gas oil can result in 'carry-over' of metals and residual materials unsuitable for catalytic upgrading. In a like fashion, leaving 'lighter' components in the cut going to catalytic cracking results in profit loss as the light material 'takes up capacity' in the FCCU, and mixes it with lower quality olefinic materials which will need hydro-processing, while the 'virgin' material may not need that additional (and costly) hydro-treating. Those 'sloppy cuts' can result in large economic potential losses caused by 'downgrading' of the slop and redundant processing costs and 'lost' capacity. I use the qualifiers 'may' and 'can' because each refinery has intrinsic constraints and capabilities that differ from any other. The refinery LP model is the best tool for quantifying the lost economic potential from non-optimum fractionation. Many refiners use 'swing cuts' representing the 'overlap' or 'slop' between cuts (with appropriate quality descriptors for that pseudo cut) and allow the LP optimizer to select the optimum disposition of that 'slop between cuts' that we call 'overlap.'. The use of 'swing cuts' in the LP model also helps determine the optimum TBP cutpoints for the crude distillation units. Optimum 'cuts' can often increase profitability by several $millions a year (in a 100,000 BPD refinery. Less
Dec 26, 2015 09:03 pm
Distillate vs Gasoline seasonal turnaround
Hi guys,
I came cross a few refinery questions. I was hoping that you guys could help me out or tell me where to look.
1. When a refinery switch from gasoline to distillates to prep for the winter, how long does it take?
2. What process does it typically involve?
3. Does it have to shut down any production while making these seasonal changes?
4. After it is all done, what is the gain in distillates and loss in gasoline?
Thank you guys so much!
Best,
Brian
Jul 12, 2016 06:44 am
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Gasoline guru: Brian, it is not too common for refiners to change turnaround schedules that often. Some... More Brian, it is not too common for refiners to change turnaround schedules that often. Some companies will take the chance to move around schedules to take advantage of market conditions, but many large companies would rather minimize distractions and disruptions. Planning a major turnaround is a big deal that requires complex coordination. It's not that easy to move a planned turnaround date and re-align all of the necessary contractors to be able to execute a safe and timely completion of the work. Again, some companies will take the risk and move around a turnaround date, but there are many that will not take that chance. Less
Aug 07, 2016 06:27 pm
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Tony Evans: Good communication between planners and ops dept is crucial, use of refinery specific LP good... More Good communication between planners and ops dept is crucial, use of refinery specific LP good practice, 24 hours change around no problem, no down time. Generally in UK switches between summer and winter gasoline / diesel will pivot around RVP economics, and cold properties of distillates, plus maximising/minimising kero yields. Naphtha 90% generally holds for both seasons, but kero will work on freeze point, and flash point. Diesel will hinge on cloud point and distillation to keep within specs. Less
Mar 14, 2017 09:58 pm
Abed
Hello,
In FCC unit we want to change the catalyst supplier, my questions are as follows: -
If we must change completely the catalyst (50 tonnes between regenerator and reactor), or may simply make extra? what are the considerations to make in this case?
Thank you for answering me.
Jul 17, 2016 06:49 am
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Michael Edwards: Worked for Mobil Oil 20 years, and multiple refineries in 16 years since, most all in FCC units... More Worked for Mobil Oil 20 years, and multiple refineries in 16 years since, most all in FCC units (5.5 years with FCC catalyst vendor as well). Most refineries have much larger FCC inventories, 500 tonnes or more is not unusual. In no FCC, small or large, have I ever seen the existing catalyst first removed and then the new catalyst (from new cat supplier or even same supplier) put in unit. Only instance that would be done - if all the catalyst inventory became very poor activity / quality- lots of very high metals feed suddenly, or allowing regenerator temperature to go well beyond 760-770 C for some extended period of time (longer than hours or few days). Standard practice is to start makeup with new catalyst (again, with same or new supplier), calculate time to replace about 70-75% of total catalyst inventory, then conduct test run to see if performance is better than old cat. At this point of additions, most all the impact of the new catalyst will be seen in comparing material balances vs old one. Much of the remaining old catalyst is very old at that point and contributes negligibly to performance. Less
Aug 03, 2016 11:12 pm
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Joseph Kale
does other see significant changes in crude yields & quality by running crudes shipped by pipeline? are there any who have had success with negotiating price changes as a result?
Mar 05, 2012 09:28 pm
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Mike Smith: I would say that pipeline crudes by definition will always have changing qualities. I would say that pipeline crudes by definition will always have changing qualities. Less
Aug 06, 2012 10:40 pm
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Dae-Ha Choi: Which region are your crudes being shipped from? Which region are your crudes being shipped from? Less
Sep 11, 2012 09:34 pm
Elecs
Gasoline Blending (HOMC+Naphtha) - Can any one share their experience for online analyzer used for RVP, RON+MON+Distillation?
Which one has given best results? Any specific experience?
Thanks for your help
Elecs
Jan 15, 2015 02:34 am
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Ernst Seidl: For crude oil blending ; I did som research for that Application and also did some tests, but in... More For crude oil blending ; I did som research for that Application and also did some tests, but in my opinion with the NIR approach you will get a big challenge in sample preparation. I had success with NMR. Less
Mar 11, 2015 03:54 am
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Deepak kumar: Use TOP NIR technology supplied by ABB. Use TOP NIR technology supplied by ABB. Less
Jun 09, 2015 11:25 pm
Chinmoy banerjee
What is the difference between regular gasoline and straight run gasoline??
Oct 03, 2013 07:01 am
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Rajasekhar: Over the period, Gasoline requirement has increased and so also no. of Gasoline components. Gone... More Over the period, Gasoline requirement has increased and so also no. of Gasoline components. Gone are the days, you can use straight run gasoline. But is good to know all components, their relative costs and limitations. Still, I will say, major component of Gasoline is straight run gasoline, though RON is not the best. among the components, it is cheapest to produce straight . run gasoline. with the hydro theaters, and hydro crackers, best quality of gasoline and diesel is made, but we have to remember , it is expensive. Less
Dec 21, 2014 04:30 am
Rachel Jones
old but still interesting read about H2 management at refineries, what have your refineries done to pull out incremental H2 molecules?
Dec 11, 2011 12:36 pm
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Randy Lee: We have been watching the other side of the equation more - not necessarily the... More We have been watching the other side of the equation more - not necessarily the production/recovery picture, but the consumption/loss side. we now watch our vent valves and try to minimize our losses to our fuel system. H2 is a drag on our heaters. Less
Dec 18, 2011 11:29 pm
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Tony Evans: H2 availability is still a constraint in a lot of refineries, production mostly from reformers,... More H2 availability is still a constraint in a lot of refineries, production mostly from reformers, but with increased low sulphur demand, HTU will suck up all available H2. HGU is a boon. Less
Mar 14, 2017 10:01 pm
Alex Mas
Geeky question. If VGO introduced in a MHCK (Mild Hydrocracker) is afterwards introduced in a HCK would it have better or worse yields than regular VGO?
Feb 20, 2012 06:56 am
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Robert Beaulieu: Alex, thanks for following up and sharing your experience. Alex, thanks for following up and sharing your experience. Less
Aug 06, 2012 11:07 pm
Stuart Daphne
Are there refiners who crack resid in their FCC? We're looking for alternative stock to keep the FCC full as local VGO supply remains tight.
May 25, 2012 10:24 am
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Anna Popova: Stuart, are you still looking for additional feedstocks? Can get some srtaight run for you... or... More Stuart, are you still looking for additional feedstocks? Can get some srtaight run for you... or just see if there is any common interest. Less
Nov 28, 2012 03:58 am
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Career Advice & Retirement Planning39
Engineer
HI...
I've been out of college since 2010. graduated with a chemical engineer degree, but went into the oilfield and I've been there for almost 5 years. i want another job thats within my degree which is in any refinery that will take in a process engineer. can anyone help out how i can get into one. which are asking for 3-10 years of experience which i don't have!! is there another way?
Oct 04, 2015 09:41 pm
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Samuel Gonzalez: You are in tough position. Many company do not want to pay higher salary to worker who do not... More You are in tough position. Many company do not want to pay higher salary to worker who do not have refinery experience. Especially when many upstream company are cutting jobs, you will have high competition. My suggestion is to stay in the current field of work, or accept that you will come into entry level process engineer position with entry pay. Sorry that you don't have much option. This is just my instinct. Less
Oct 27, 2015 06:23 pm
Rico Rawls
I've work in the Oil field industry on the drilling side for 7 years. I don't know anyone who works in refinery, so I came here to ask, "what is an entry level position, in refinery?"
Aug 14, 2012 11:40 pm
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Charles Sutton: Rico - depends if you are coming into the refinery on the technical side or on the operations... More Rico - depends if you are coming into the refinery on the technical side or on the operations side. If your background is an engineer, then unit process engineer or unit mechanical engineer is the most common entry level position. if you are coming in as an unskilled laborer (i.e. not a specific craft), then unit operator is the general entry level position. I can elaborate more on what each entry level position performs if you'd like. Less
Aug 28, 2012 11:33 pm
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Evelyn Baker: Process engineers are the entry level for college graduates. Process engineers are the entry level for college graduates. Less
Aug 29, 2012 10:31 pm
Christopher Paterson
Hello fellow members
I am currently contemplating doing an Oil and Gas MBA and what to know what the general consensus is on if it is worth while and if so which schools are worth looking at. Thanks
Aug 09, 2012 05:12 am
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Christopher Paterson: Thanks, i am currently working for Sasol (CTL) in South Africa. I guess I wanted to make myself... More Thanks, i am currently working for Sasol (CTL) in South Africa. I guess I wanted to make myself more marketable- i would like to remain technical, in which case i agree that an MBA is probably not the best route to pursue. I am also looking into doing an Masters in Oil and Gas engineering to get exposure into upstream operations. I was wondering if these post grad courses are worth while and what weight they carry in the international oil industry? Less
Sep 02, 2012 01:05 pm
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Thomas Holz: Your best option is to just work for an integrated oil company to accomplish the items that... More Your best option is to just work for an integrated oil company to accomplish the items that you've listed above. Many integrated companies swap employees between upstream and downstream to diversity work experience. A diploma is just a piece of paper that says you can be trained. Nothing beats in-person training from working in the field. In my opinion, advanced degrees in the oil industry are not worth the time and effort (unless you want to apply yourself in R&D). Not saying that you cannot advance yourself with an MBA, but most top managers grow themselves by working up through the ranks. Curriculum cannot teach you the Safety and Personnel relationship aspects that are so important to our industry. Less
Sep 02, 2012 04:28 pm
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Recruitment110
Bronson Shavitz
within our industry, what do you all think is the biggest factor on why employees leave for another company?
Jan 01, 2012 07:20 am
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Derrick: From my experience with the major Oil company that I work for is that we recruit people who are... More From my experience with the major Oil company that I work for is that we recruit people who are at the top of their class. These are people who generally speaking usually don't fail. They study and they study and they have great commitment to excel above everyone else. Then life happens and they get recruited by a major company who has a ranking process for it's professional employees. Naturally in a ranking process there is a top, middle, bottom and broken into 1/3's. Many very smart people feel like a failure because they are in the middle or bottom even though everything they have done has been 100% perfect. The process of ranking people in my opinion makes 2/3's of the people not happy and many feel discouraged and leave. But default ranking people fails people who may not have failed at all, just maybe not exceeded beyond the top 1/3. 20 years with the same Oil Company and have seen many bright kids leave for a lesser position and it's a shame. Less
Aug 04, 2016 11:51 am
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Employee Benefits00
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Succession Planning28
Nilesh Anand
Where does your company stand in terms of career development? Do you think succession planning is a priority with your management?
Dec 08, 2011 10:54 pm
Adrian Iacob
Outsourcing has been efficient in your company?
Mar 27, 2012 11:13 pm
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Adrian Iacob: In fact these outsourced companies are parts of the refinery (buildings, machinery and so on)... More In fact these outsourced companies are parts of the refinery (buildings, machinery and so on) together with our refinery employees who performed these operations. Some people from the top and middle management are involved or have interests in these newly formed companies. From the beginning there was a conflict of interests. All this, looks like a huge money laundry. And this is it! . All working procedures have become more complicated.Response time to the problems encountered were increased. Who will be responsible for all maintenance programs (implementation, development,tracking)? From my point of view, outsourcing was the worst decision ever made. Decision which jeopardize the functioning of the refinery and our jobs. Less
Mar 31, 2012 10:46 am
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Safety & Environment617
Joseph Kale
Has anyone had any successful application of an online HF analyzer for measuring acid strength?
Dec 22, 2011 11:46 am
Nilesh Anand
High Temperature Hydrogen Attack: a reminder of what can go wrong when operating outside of equipment rating
One Year After Tragedy, Agency Urges Oil Refineries To Invest In Safety | IWatch News
Government calls on industry to take more aggressive action on refinery safety.
Dec 13, 2011 07:14 pm
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Marco Lopez: There is no reason for those kinds of incidents, its on all of us to prevent incidents There is no reason for those kinds of incidents, its on all of us to prevent incidents Less
Dec 13, 2011 08:35 pm
Saro
Hi,
I want to know the air emission calculation methodology for the liquid waste flaring
Appreciate your response.
Thanks
Dec 04, 2011 01:32 am
2 people
like this
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Kesava Rao: What types of measurements do you have on the flare source - both flowrates and composition wise?... More What types of measurements do you have on the flare source - both flowrates and composition wise? Depending on the quality of your measurements, you can use some of the calc methods included in the reference link: http://www.epa.gov/ttnchie1/conference/ei12/poster/martin.pdf Less
Dec 04, 2011 12:49 pm
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Rachel Jones: I'd also recommend reviewing the basics around flow equations which will help determine the... More I'd also recommend reviewing the basics around flow equations which will help determine the appropriate flow calculations. Less
Dec 04, 2011 02:41 pm
Robert Beaulieu
How are smaller refiners handling the MSATII regulations? Have most invested capital to extract benzene, or are there JV integration opportunities out there for the small guys.
Dec 15, 2011 08:23 pm
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Stuart Daphne: I am aware of a smaller refinery pursuing gasoline Bz reduction on its own via hydrogenation. No... More I am aware of a smaller refinery pursuing gasoline Bz reduction on its own via hydrogenation. No Bz chemicals outlet nearby and conservative strategy to not rely on the credits market. Less
Dec 16, 2011 10:48 am
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Emily Wilson: We're integrated with a chem facility, and thus far it's been mutually beneficial for both... More We're integrated with a chem facility, and thus far it's been mutually beneficial for both parties to extract the benzene. i'm wondering what happens when the chemicals market cycles down - do we just flood the market with benzene? Less
Dec 30, 2011 08:44 am
Ruben Gurule
Shell Refinery Martinez California and Safety are not a match. Read my blog:
http://refineriesandsaftey.blogspot.com/2012/01/safety-and-shell-refinery-martinez-are.html
Jan 22, 2012 09:16 am
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Stuart Daphne: Is this a corporate culture issue or a location-specific one? I would think that a large corp... More Is this a corporate culture issue or a location-specific one? I would think that a large corp such as Shell would have a mgmt rotation program that keeps culture aligned with best company interest. Less
Jan 23, 2012 05:04 pm
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Monika Takalkar: Ruben, it is a blessing that you were not more seriously injured during that incident. I hope... More Ruben, it is a blessing that you were not more seriously injured during that incident. I hope your story supports the cause in increasing awareness in our industry. Less
Jan 25, 2012 10:52 pm
Stuart Daphne
Name the biggest change in refinery safety/operating culture over the past decade
Dec 20, 2011 09:40 pm
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Dae-Ha Choi: Zero flare operations, even for shutdowns and startups Zero flare operations, even for shutdowns and startups Less
Dec 21, 2011 10:45 pm
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TW Hilliard: Similar to what Mr. Choi said, we've seen a significant movement away from using combustion... More Similar to what Mr. Choi said, we've seen a significant movement away from using combustion equipment (flares, TOs) for storage tank maintenance and towards Purgit refrigeration vapor recovery units. The dangers of tank cleaning have been at the front of most of our customers' intentions in the last year or two. Less
Mar 13, 2015 01:45 pm
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LP Modeling Techniques00
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Turnaround & Shutdown Support314
Mike Smith
What is the philosophy of your refinery about turnaround capital? We seem to struggle with adding non-compliance upgrades to our scope due to focus on turnaround costs. Are others in the same boat?
Apr 13, 2012 06:13 pm
1 people
like this
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Robert Beaulieu: I would throw my refinery in the same hat. we don't do a whole lot more than just compliance... More I would throw my refinery in the same hat. we don't do a whole lot more than just compliance projects and in-kind replacements - at least this is what i've observed for the past 7 years. Less
Apr 14, 2012 12:35 am
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Nilesh Anand: I see that we grow refinery. We take improvement with hope to run stronger. I see that we grow refinery. We take improvement with hope to run stronger. Less
Apr 14, 2012 11:15 am
John
Hi all
Forgive me but does anyone have a high level guide on a cold refinery startup? Trying to get a feel of what will be needed and also what happens when a refinery goes cold. Assume all intermediates flushes out and by much left in the units, everything switched off and cold.
Thanks for any help.
Cheers
John
Mar 06, 2015 02:25 am
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Stefan Kmetovic: Hello John: First of all, you need an experienced start-up team which will conduct a PSSR (pre... More Hello John: First of all, you need an experienced start-up team which will conduct a PSSR (pre start-up safety review), prepare the plant for start-up. There are too many issues to be listed here in couple of short sentences. Feel free to contact me. Regards, Stefan Less
Aug 05, 2015 05:46 am
Karen Teich
Hey yall, does anyone have any recommendations for startup support? My hydrotreating unit will be coming out of a turnaround and I'm the start up engineer. This will be my first time doing this. Any suggestions to make sure I can make the most of it?
Jan 10, 2012 08:02 pm
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Sandeep Mehta: Don't hesitate to ask questions or point out things that look questionable. And remember that... More Don't hesitate to ask questions or point out things that look questionable. And remember that instrumentation isn't always accurate. Less
Jan 13, 2012 05:10 pm
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Randy Alexander: Our company, Reactor Resources, offers startup and sulfiding technical service for hydrotreaters... More Our company, Reactor Resources, offers startup and sulfiding technical service for hydrotreaters and hydrocrackers. Our partners have over 200 years of experience in catalysts and sulfiding. Less
Jun 25, 2014 09:57 pm
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Process Safety10
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Refinery Economics, Planning, & Scheduling1659
Babak.dash
do you know about that modeling methods of oil product and blending of those?
Nov 30, 2015 10:16 pm
Timmy
What is the market for Straight Run Gasoline/Naphtha? What is it used for?
Nov 13, 2014 02:33 pm
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Rick: Timmy - there are various uses of SRN depending on the region that you are in. In North America,... More Timmy - there are various uses of SRN depending on the region that you are in. In North America, many refiners use SRN as feedstock for reformer units as this can be a good component for producing hydrogen and creating Reformate, a high octane blendstock. Other refiners may use SRN as direct blendstock if they have octane length. In asia and other geographies, SRN can be use as a petrochemical feedstock. The market for SRN will depend on many qualities. To name a few: naphthalene, aromatics, paraffin, octane, sulfur, benzene, metals. Less
Nov 16, 2014 04:55 pm
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Feridon: One of our areas of activity is recycling unusable wastes which are created during the operations... More One of our areas of activity is recycling unusable wastes which are created during the operations of ion-free water production units. In order to produce boiler feed-water most petroleum, chemical and industrial complexes use ion exchangers to deionize raw water and some amount of unusable waste is created during every cycle of producing ion-free water. Our institute after conducting comprehensive investigations and studies on a waste-recycling project has managed to develop a system which is capable of recycling about 93% of waste in the shortest time and with the lowest cost. The recycled waste can be used again and will consequently save a considerable amount of water consumed in petroleum, chemical and industrial complexes. If ion exchangers are used to produce ion-free water in the complexes affiliated with your country and in case you have not yet come up with a solution to recycle their wastes, we would like to extend our cooperation with you through installing and operating the above-mentioned new system. Advantages of our new design: a) Low cost in supplying materials b) Easy installation and operation c) Recycling about 65% of all waste in the first phase in the shortest period of time. d) Recycling about 72% of all waste in the second phase requiring more time than the previous phase. (Total: about 93% of all waste is recycled.) e) Significant savings in water consumption for water power plants, refineries and chemical-industrial complexes Less
Mar 30, 2016 04:29 am
Suresh Agrawal
Why, When and How to update Fuels Blending Models ?
We all know that blending in a refinery affects the bottom-line severely and it is in the best interest of a refiner to minimize quality giveaways, specs violation, reblends etc. etc. to maintain and/or improve business profitability. In this respect, it is very important to be able to predict the blended quality as accurately as possible. Since blending control is a model based operation, the following question arise:
1. When or how often do we need to update the blending models (parameters, biases, coefficients, etc.) ?
2. What are the mechanism to update models - Biases (grade specifics), non-linear coefficients plus biases ?
3. Do we need to do online or offline after a number of batches so far completed ?
4. How it is updated for linear programming (LP) based blend control and optimization system as compared to Non-linear based blend control and optimization system ?
What are your thoughts and comments on this topic?
Jun 11, 2014 10:24 pm
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Joseph Sachrani: Suresh, blending models should be updated once or twice a year at a minimum, and ideally after... More Suresh, blending models should be updated once or twice a year at a minimum, and ideally after major refinery configurational changes have occurred in the refinery (i.e. turnaround, new unit modifications, or even seasonally). All of the items noted in your first question (i.e. biases, coefficients, etc...) should be tested. The mechanism to update the models will depend on how advanced your refinery technology is. You can simply use lab data to validate blend component quality recursion as a start. After you feel comfortable with the blend component qualities, you will need to then check your blend biases and coefficients. To check blend module accuracy, I suggest that you force blend over 2 dozen recipies in the blend module to validate finished blend properties in the blend module vs measured lab data. You can then use this information to assess how well each of your specifications are matching reality. More advanced refineries have the ability to compare blend module recipe generation with actual blend data and LP analysis simultaneously in an automated fashion. For translating non-linear blend coefficients/vectors to linear programs, i suggest that you linearize the coefficients the best that you can. You need to understand how LPs are utilize and recognize that they are used differently than blend execution tools. This difference defines the limitations of each tool and creates understanding in how and when to use each one. Less
Jun 11, 2014 11:09 pm
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Blender Dave: The real answers are (IMO) far to complex to answer in a single reply. Also many factors and... More The real answers are (IMO) far to complex to answer in a single reply. Also many factors and details are missing to make informed responses. The real best answer is 'It depends" and depends on many things specific to the site. But one point to rememnber, assuming your blend execution includes online analysis for critical properties, then those analyzers will have the single greatest impact on your giveaways, reblends and violations. This isn't intended to reduce the value of prediction models. It is just that those models will have their impact elsewhere in the overal process. Less
Aug 07, 2014 11:20 am
Crude Scheduling
Spiral Scheduling and analytics
Does anyone have any experience with either one of these? Lots of people use crude suite for assay management, but has anyone seen or heard anything about their new tools?
Feb 13, 2015 06:52 am
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Feridon: One of our areas of activity is recycling unusable wastes which are created during the operations... More One of our areas of activity is recycling unusable wastes which are created during the operations of ion-free water production units. In order to produce boiler feed-water most petroleum, chemical and industrial complexes use ion exchangers to deionize raw water and some amount of unusable waste is created during every cycle of producing ion-free water. Our institute after conducting comprehensive investigations and studies on a waste-recycling project has managed to develop a system which is capable of recycling about 93% of waste in the shortest time and with the lowest cost. The recycled waste can be used again and will consequently save a considerable amount of water consumed in petroleum, chemical and industrial complexes. If ion exchangers are used to produce ion-free water in the complexes affiliated with your country and in case you have not yet come up with a solution to recycle their wastes, we would like to extend our cooperation with you through installing and operating the above-mentioned new system. Advantages of our new design: a) Low cost in supplying materials b) Easy installation and operation c) Recycling about 65% of all waste in the first phase in the shortest period of time. d) Recycling about 72% of all waste in the second phase requiring more time than the previous phase. (Total: about 93% of all waste is recycled.) e) Significant savings in water consumption for water power plants, refineries and chemical-industrial complexes Less
Mar 30, 2016 04:28 am
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Kaz: About Spiral. Spiral scheduling tool had just born at the time of your question. and now it's... More About Spiral. Spiral scheduling tool had just born at the time of your question. and now it's getting mature and Showa Shell Yokkaichi refinery - Japanese 250kbd use it as commercial. I switch from Orion. Less
Aug 07, 2018 05:22 am
Brian
Although this is not particularly refinery knowledge, but i thought it was worth a short. I read an article about colonial pipeline outage and that they are moving the gasoline down their distillate line instead. How does this work? I thought the products have to be fungible when products are going through the pipeline. Thanks for your help I appreciate it!
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-gasoline-colonialpipeline-idUSKCN11J2HX
Sep 14, 2016 07:24 am
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Josh: Brian, pipelines can co-mingle different products when they are being shipped. You can have... More Brian, pipelines can co-mingle different products when they are being shipped. You can have gasoline, jet, and diesel being shipped down a single line. They are injected and pumped at a rate that minimize the mixing that occurs between each "batch", however you do have some mixing, that we term "transmix". Fungible products just means that gasoline produced by Refinery X can be mixed with gasoline produced by Refinery Y. The gasoline batches are shipped next to one another so that they can mix and still meet sales spec. Fungible does not mean that you have to have a dedicated pipeline that serves only one product. Less
Sep 14, 2016 10:41 pm
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Ralph Laurel: Brian, you can reference the following blog to understand pipeline shipments more:... More Brian, you can reference the following blog to understand pipeline shipments more: http://www.refinerlink.com/blog/Pipelines_Ship_Refinery_Products_to_Pump/ Less
Sep 14, 2016 10:45 pm
Randy Lee
Can someone tell me if there is such thing as buying benzene credits? I have heard of sulfur credits, but i am not too familiar with benzene. Why would this be used?
Jul 02, 2012 12:00 am
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Sandeep Mehta: The market for benzene credits had been pretty strong so I'd guess it's more than the small... More The market for benzene credits had been pretty strong so I'd guess it's more than the small independents that didn't invest. Less
Jul 07, 2012 08:14 pm
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Jeff Hazle: Information on the Mobile Source Air Toxics rule may be found here -... More Information on the Mobile Source Air Toxics rule may be found here - http://www.afpm.org/policy-position-gasoline-benzene-emissions-reduction/ Less
Jul 17, 2012 07:08 am
Benjamin D
Im looking for a non commercial gasoline blending calculator, preferably excel based. I have been having trouble locating one. I need Octane, RVP, Sulfur, etc. Any Suggestions?
Jul 22, 2016 11:56 am
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Simon jacques: It's a complex linear optimization with multiple Maximas and minimas, you can use the excel... More It's a complex linear optimization with multiple Maximas and minimas, you can use the excel solver. However many components RVP doesn't blend linearly. Even for 3 variables S, API, octane only It's already math-intensive. Gasoline blending is done in often 50-75 components so the process is mathematically intensive. Less
Oct 05, 2016 08:21 pm
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Pavol Fehér: Dear Benjamin, I have developed an own Blending management system for gasoline, diesel and HFO... More Dear Benjamin, I have developed an own Blending management system for gasoline, diesel and HFO blending on the basis of chemical & group/hydrocarbon composition of the available components. The blending formulae from excel sheets I implemented into PIMS, ORION and BLEND-2000 using for planning and scheduling of non-bio & biofuels (E0, E05, E10, B0, B7) and fuel oils (LFO, HFO) production as well as for prediction of the production units´feeds composition and quality in Slovnaft refinery (Slovakia). I use non-linear equations with virtual bonuses enabling blending indexes calculation for non-linear parameters like RON, MON, RVP, CN, low-temperature properties (CP, CFPP, operability), distillation characteristics (E70, E100, E150, D250, D350, D360+), flash point and viscosity at different temperatures of various origin crude oil fractions and their mixtures as well as of crude oil like distillates from waste material processing. Now I am doing on the one-parameter blending formulae development on the basis of the available blend components solubility and mixtures polarity. For further information please do not hesitate to contact me, if you have any inquire (pavol.feher@centrum.sk, M:+421905997222) Pavol Less
Nov 01, 2016 02:53 pm
DarkLord
What is gain/loss in pipeline operations/scheduling and why is it very important- is there any federal reporting to be done? what decisions would one take by looking at the gain loss metrics/trend over a period of time?
Mar 12, 2017 02:07 pm
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Tony Evans: Talk to your loss control dept, oil accountants, ask about C&Y. Is your pipeline multi grade,... More Talk to your loss control dept, oil accountants, ask about C&Y. Is your pipeline multi grade, crude? interface losses, pressure sensors to detect theft. Less
Mar 14, 2017 09:45 pm
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Anas Dabbakh: Another aspect you may want to consider is identifying where your hydrocarbon losses happen.... More Another aspect you may want to consider is identifying where your hydrocarbon losses happen. Pipeline is just connecting point A (source of hydrocarbons) to point B (Destination). Your goal is to deliver from A to B with minimal losses. However, since there may be several custody transfer points between A and B, you may not have a clear picture where losses are happening. Unless you establish adequate custody transfer practices along the whole route. One other source of volumetric losses in pipeline transportation are due to molecular shrinkage . Less
Jan 24, 2018 09:49 pm
Robert Beaulieu
We keep talking about overall refinery utilization decreasing, but it's not a fair picture to paint. There have been big refineries coming online, while smaller ones have shut down. In the end, it's all about supply & demand, and what we should keep an eye out for is how much spare capacity we truly have, and in what region.
Jan 06, 2012 11:02 pm
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Kirk Walztoni: Monika is correct, especially because some of the most "complex" units from a Solomon Perspective... More Monika is correct, especially because some of the most "complex" units from a Solomon Perspective are the last ones to fill; e.g. the FCC Less
Jul 28, 2012 02:28 pm
Emily Wilson
I sometimes wonder if refinery managers really get the big picture on the business side of things. Everyone talks about how tank flexibility is a big deal, but no one is willing to put their money where their mouth is!
Jul 12, 2012 12:10 am
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Kirk Walztoni: I'll admit, it is hard to justify tank flexibility, but in my experience I've yet to see a tank... More I'll admit, it is hard to justify tank flexibility, but in my experience I've yet to see a tank flexibility project that hasn't payed back in a year. CV's and jumpovers are move valuable than you can ever justify--provided you don't cross contaminate... Less
Jul 28, 2012 09:22 pm
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Charles Sutton: I'm right there with you Kirk I'm right there with you Kirk Less
Jul 29, 2012 09:47 pm
Emily Wilson
has anyone who uses Orion really see huge benefits that they've claimed? Yes, it has nice features that i didn't really have with my excel workbooks before, but it's a lot of maintenance and i'm not entirely sure that i see the payout on it.
Dec 22, 2011 11:50 am
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Kirk Walztoni: I've used Orion for years and I see a huge benefit over spreadsheet simply in managing crude into... More I've used Orion for years and I see a huge benefit over spreadsheet simply in managing crude into a pipeline fed refinery. I don't think it would have as much value at a cargo fed refinery. Maintenance on Orion is actually quite minimial once you've built it--the only maintenance I see is yield maintenance and/or additional capability adders. Less
Jul 27, 2012 01:30 pm
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Randy Lee: Kirk - interesting observation & distinction between pipeline vs waterborne fed refineries.... More Kirk - interesting observation & distinction between pipeline vs waterborne fed refineries. Ahmed, what do you plan on doing with your M3 product now that they are being sued by AspenTech? Less
Aug 19, 2012 07:54 pm
Dae-Ha Choi
when purchasing VGOs, what specs are most important to your refinery? do you think your commercial folks value gasoil qualities appropriately when making purchases or sales?
Apr 01, 2012 07:32 pm
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Mantrala SastryJagannatha: I find there is lot of scope for improvement of profits in all these units,where I had exposure... More I find there is lot of scope for improvement of profits in all these units,where I had exposure --example the by products generated need to be up graded to market or blend with in scope of cushion,energy conservation, in SRU --marketing as liquid sulfur to sulfuric acid units as joint venture,in hydrogen generation Units - surplus of synthesis gas to be routed to Ammonia Units,In OM&S--- blend need base, check close to specifications --in WAX plant by product foots oil is to be marketed as direct product--- it took very long time for me to persuade them in our refinery since top officials were changing very often Less
Apr 15, 2012 08:36 am
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Wibo Lievense: The nitrogen content has a big contribution to deactivation of the catalyst The nitrogen content has a big contribution to deactivation of the catalyst Less
May 02, 2012 10:12 am
Randy Lee
does anyone discount resid purchases based on concarbon number?
Apr 16, 2012 10:29 pm
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Sandeep Mehta: Most people probably don't... but they should if it's going to a Coker. There should be something... More Most people probably don't... but they should if it's going to a Coker. There should be something in your models to account for CCR since it impacts Coker yields. Less
Apr 30, 2012 05:54 pm
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Tuncer GÖK: I know the this property direct effect on the coke production at Coker Unit. If the one of the... More I know the this property direct effect on the coke production at Coker Unit. If the one of the company want to sell resid They should be care effect on the Coker unit. This means discount should be on the table Because of Coke price is very low then others. Less
Mar 24, 2015 09:17 am
Emily Wilson
Does anyone use scheduling applications to update LP models? I thought the job of process engineers is to help validate the LP, not the schedulers.
May 02, 2012 11:29 pm
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Darren York: When you say, "LP Models", I assume you are referring to a unit sub model representation inside... More When you say, "LP Models", I assume you are referring to a unit sub model representation inside the LP model as a whole. LP unit representations and Scheduling Model unit representations should be synchronized and share the same model structure and yields as much as possible. if that is the case, the scheduling model can be a great source of "real time" (daily) back casting to validate unit yields and stream properties against actuals which will highlight potential areas of improvement for both models. I have used a step wise process from scheduled results to actual performance to demonstrate the feed rate and property bias and then the model bias. If both the scheduling model and LP model share the same model structure and data then this is a great way to get several data points to validate your LP model versus a month average type "back casting." I would not recommend using the scheduling model however, to update or create yields for the LP model. That is better left to simulators which are more rigorous and do a very good job of generating the necessary data to create an effective unit representation. Less
May 30, 2012 09:38 am
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Kirk Walztoni: I'm with Darren--Orion or other volume balance scheduling tools are a great tool to notice when... More I'm with Darren--Orion or other volume balance scheduling tools are a great tool to notice when there is a bias in the model, but not great for updating models. This takes mass balance info, which the unit process engineer should handle. Less
Aug 06, 2012 06:23 am
Brian
Hi guys, I am trying to understanding the economics of gasoline blending and how the final price is derived. For instance, I know we blend normal butane, reformate and etc. with FCC and straight run gasoline, but do you guys have the break down of the percentage (for both summer and winter blend) of the makeup and the corresponding general cost of each component ? This way, I get to visualise how everything adds up. Thank you so much and I really appreciate your help! -Brian
Oct 18, 2016 06:53 am
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Pavol: Dear Brian, the economics of different gasoline products production I calculate on the basis of... More Dear Brian, the economics of different gasoline products production I calculate on the basis of cost needed for 1 RON / MON increase. For further information please do not hesitate to contact me, if you have any inquire (pavol.feher@centrum.sk, M:+421905997222) Best regards, Pavol Less
Nov 01, 2016 03:07 pm
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SoNu SiNgH: Very good information. You can read here an article TOP 700 refineries supply oil products to... More Very good information. You can read here an article TOP 700 refineries supply oil products to the world. https://www.sonusinghyoutube.ml/2019/02/top-700-refineries-supply-oil-products.html?m=1 Less
Feb 11, 2019 02:17 pm
Mrityunjoy Khound
What r the major crude types in the world today? And how pricing of them differ from one another?
Jul 27, 2012 07:57 am
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Emily Wilson: Yes, qualities may drive the majority of the value for the feedstock, but don't forget about... More Yes, qualities may drive the majority of the value for the feedstock, but don't forget about logistics constraints. Many times logistics constraints impact feedstock valuation as much as the quality aspects!! Less
Dec 02, 2012 10:34 pm
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Miscellaneous1946
Garrison Barrilleaux
I am an engineering student at Texas A&M University and I am working on a project sponsored by the National Science Foundation to learn about refining.
For this project I could really benefit from speaking with process engineers with experience with a crude unit as well as roles involved with planning and economics.
Can anyone help? A short 10/15 minute phone conversation would be very helpful.
Oct 24, 2016 07:46 am
David Schwedel
Our small refining process produces a BTX mixture, however, we are not set up to separate these in our plant configuration. Our initial Annual production will only be: 40K tons of Benzene, 52K tons toluene, and 17K tons of toluene. We were originally going to rail this down to Texas refiners where they are set up to make the separations and use/sell the end products - however, it makes more sense to keep it closer to the MT and WY markets. Would any of the refineries in WY, UT, or ND have an interest in taking the batch and doing the separations on their end? Or am I "barking up the wrong tree here"?
Jan 03, 2017 10:02 am
Swati rakshe
In a male dominated field, I am encouraged by the steps that many companies are taking to promote female career advancement in petrochemical industries.
Nov 06, 2011 04:25 pm
Mike Smith
with gasoline and distillate prices being volatile to one another in the US over the past couple of years, what structural price relationship do we expect for 2012 between the two? Also, what are factors that you think will influence this (barring natural disasters)?
Jan 01, 2012 07:16 am
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Randy Lee: Asian distillate demand growth and continuous decline in US gasoline demand should structurally... More Asian distillate demand growth and continuous decline in US gasoline demand should structurally keep distillate prices above that of gasoline for the near term Less
Jan 01, 2012 08:04 am
Adrian Iacob
Do you developed a contracting strategy for a typical refinery operation? Where is the limit for in-house/outsource decision?
May 05, 2012 10:09 am
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Evelyn Baker: We surely do that. Our strategy is a balance between Opex, Personnel Index, and need to maintain... More We surely do that. Our strategy is a balance between Opex, Personnel Index, and need to maintain good succession planning. Outsourcing is good for keeping costs down, but bad for knowledge retention. Less
May 05, 2012 02:39 pm
Kyra berman
Can anyone suggest where I can find a Refinery that provides a on site tour in Texas?
Sep 09, 2015 10:30 am
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Steve B: Kyra, most refineries in the US provide site tours as part of their local community information... More Kyra, most refineries in the US provide site tours as part of their local community information day. It will be unlikely that you will be able to schedule a refinery tour randomly unless you are a special interest group or have a high profile public event. I suggest you contact your closest refinery to find out when their community day occurs. Less
Sep 20, 2015 11:01 am
Ben
Hello there! I'm trying to find some information for when and how long refineries in the USA will be conducting their fall maintenance/outages. Is there a webpage someone can share with me to see this schedule and the potential loss of crude input? I didn't see anything on the EIA website...
Thanks for your help!
Ben
Sep 17, 2015 04:41 am
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Rick: Ben, this is proprietary and sensitive information, so there shouldn't be easy access to this... More Ben, this is proprietary and sensitive information, so there shouldn't be easy access to this material. Each company maintains a list from their own intelligence. Maintenance contractors also know schedules, but should know better than to divulge information. Less
Sep 18, 2015 12:41 pm
MarcMittleman
We are searching for buyers of large consistent quantities of bulk transformer insulating mineral oil from obsolete electrical equipment. Tanker quantities or rail car only.
More information available upon request.
Origin Ontario and Midwestern Canada.
Nov 02, 2015 02:25 pm
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Jed Chytka: Dear Marc, Can you supply large quantities of Diesel for export? Dear Marc, Can you supply large quantities of Diesel for export? Less
Dec 11, 2016 01:57 am
Ty Williams
Hi, RL Community Members, History is being made and many of you have dedicated your life's work to the Refinery industry. Today, Meridian Energy Group Inc., is building The Davis Refinery, the first high conversion, greenfield refinery built in the U.S. since 1976.
It's also the very first refinery in history that Individuals such as yourself have the opportunity to come aboard as an early shareholder and reap the financial benefits that many of the Institutional & Wall Street Investors have received for years, from the profits of refinery stocks. If you are an Accredited Investor and work in the Refinery sector this is your personal invitation to own a part of history and profit greatly from it.
To take advantage of this invitation email ty.williams@meridianenergygroupinc.com with your contact information or contact him directly at 949-860-1706, Note: There is a limited amount of stock available at $5 per share and it's available on a first come first serve basis. Take a moment and perform your due diligence by visiting refinery site: http://davisrefinery.com/ and corporate site: https://www.meridianenergygroupinc.com/
Oct 21, 2016 10:59 am
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Terri vaughns: Hello012...etc!good job and god bless Hello012...etc!good job and god bless Less
Nov 18, 2016 03:23 pm
Anna
Hi everyone!
I'm new here, and would like to ask for your help naming one process unit or better process complex. It consists of 4 units: atmospheric distillation unit, naphtha catalytic reformer and hydrotreater, aviation kerosene and diesel hydrotreater, and LPG unit. In Russia they are called LK-6U. Is it correct naming it crude unit?
Thanks in advance for any help!
Anna
Feb 21, 2017 06:33 am
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Ross: Anna, the name for that type of complex in the United States is not commonly used anymore. I... More Anna, the name for that type of complex in the United States is not commonly used anymore. I believe the term you are looking for is a "Hydroskimming" refinery. Most of those types of refineries have shut down over the years due to requirements for more complex refinery processes. However, with all the new fracking going on, it's possible those types of complexes may increase in popularity to some degree again. Less
Feb 26, 2017 01:47 pm
Mrityunjoy Khound
When insulating process or utility lines/equipments,whether insulation should be provided round the flanges existing in the lines/equipments or these should be kept exposed in order to facilitate hot bolting?
Aug 08, 2012 12:29 am
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Robert Beaulieu: You should provide insulation around flanges, but do so in a way that makes them easily... More You should provide insulation around flanges, but do so in a way that makes them easily accessible. There are many applications where you can have separate pieces of insulation that hook or tie into the "static" insulation on lines. All that you need to do is just unhook the flange insulation covers if you ever wish to access below. Less
Aug 28, 2012 11:26 pm
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V Sridhar: Additional advantage of having such cup insulation is the ease at which you can open them in case... More Additional advantage of having such cup insulation is the ease at which you can open them in case you want to carry out some leak check at the flange joint as well as hot bolting. Less
Oct 07, 2013 10:19 am
Ankit
My question is on maintenance
If the direction on check valve(NRV) is missing on site, how will I determine by seeing physically the direction of that valve ?
Sep 06, 2015 06:15 am
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MikeE751@gmail.com: Normal design to close a check valve is against the normal flow. So the check or the last part... More Normal design to close a check valve is against the normal flow. So the check or the last part of NRV should be trying to close against the back flow of vapor or liquid ahead of it. Either flapper, or some device that wants to stop any back flow. Should be very clear if you look inside. Will it seal and prevent backflow through this device? Less
Sep 23, 2015 04:48 am
Shubhasis Chakraborty
Temperature runaway in hydrocracking reactor
Apr 15, 2016 03:49 am
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Suroso: Temperature 'runway" is the situation when the temperature in reactor continue increasing in... More Temperature 'runway" is the situation when the temperature in reactor continue increasing in spite of we already cut of the charge heater, it will happen when too much heat release in the reactor due to excessive exotherm reaction in the reactor, such as we increasing the charge heater to fast , or suddenly change in the feed quality . it will se the record of the wave of temperature profile across the reactor. the only way to stop is shut down the charge heater cooling with air and steam in heater chamber, and at the same time cut out the feedstock and depressure the reactor as a sop. I have experience with temperature runway , during first start up of HC it was terrible situation , since many flanges in the reactor were leaks and cough of fire. the peak temperature was around 740 C , and after restart we found channeling in the reactor, and after open the reactor , we found the catayist already agglomerate , and assumed the temperature more than what we saw on the monitor /record. Less
May 15, 2016 01:16 am
Harold Lee
can the oil industry keep up with the mass social technology that's being offered today? seems to me like most ppl in industry are slow to adopt new technology.
Dec 05, 2011 10:54 pm
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Jason Wong: I think social technology is already a must-have recruiting tool for companies. It is up to the... More I think social technology is already a must-have recruiting tool for companies. It is up to the oil industries HR teams to stay in touch with the latest methods... Less
Dec 07, 2011 11:23 pm
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Robert Beaulieu: I sure hope that we can keep up on this technology front I sure hope that we can keep up on this technology front Less
Dec 15, 2011 08:25 pm
Marco Lopez
Is cheap mid con crude a curse or blessing for east coast refiners? I'd propose curse
Apr 04, 2012 03:50 pm
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Joseph Kale: "Mid Continent" of North America - essentially U.S. midwest crude and Canadian production. A lot... More "Mid Continent" of North America - essentially U.S. midwest crude and Canadian production. A lot of it becomes stranded because there is not enough logistics to ship to world refiners, but there is ample supply. Less
Apr 15, 2012 11:35 am
Mausumee Jena
do worker unions have a place in modern society? do we believe them to be more helpful than harm?
Conoco U.K. Humber Refinery Operations Unaffected By Protest - Bloomberg
ConocoPhillips said operations at its 221,000 barrel-a-day Humber oil refinery in England weren't...
Dec 08, 2011 10:59 pm
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Stuart Daphne: Without some type of checks and balances on the "system" the common worker will eventually be at... More Without some type of checks and balances on the "system" the common worker will eventually be at a disadvantage. While unions make everything inefficient today, who's to say that things won't be worse without them? Less
Dec 09, 2011 12:04 pm
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Rachel Jones: I don't believe that unions are offering a sustainable product in the US, but in places with less... More I don't believe that unions are offering a sustainable product in the US, but in places with less formal regulatory and judicial systems they could offer some benefits, think about how poor conditions where at the turn of the 20th century but the danger is greed Less
Dec 10, 2011 02:50 pm
Adrian Iacob
What happens if you turn variable costs into fixed costs?Operating expenses are affected?
May 01, 2012 02:15 pm
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Dae-Ha Choi: Generally there are tax implications and time-value of money when booking items as variable vs... More Generally there are tax implications and time-value of money when booking items as variable vs fixed costs that you amortize. Depending on size of cost, it can be material. As for your case Adrian, purchased utilities should be variable costs. Less
May 02, 2012 10:13 pm
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Adrian Iacob: Thank you all! This is the point.They (our Economic Department ) want to change from variable to... More Thank you all! This is the point.They (our Economic Department ) want to change from variable to fixed costs. Less
May 02, 2012 10:52 pm
P dichiaro
Kent Moore is saying gasoline will skyrocket in 2012. Does anyone agree?
Dec 18, 2011 07:05 pm
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Stuart Daphne: I'm sure that Mr Moore has a lot more detailed info that casual observers like us do not have... More I'm sure that Mr Moore has a lot more detailed info that casual observers like us do not have insight into. I would tend to agree with an established figure more often than not. Less
Dec 18, 2011 11:14 pm
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Robert Beaulieu: As we continue to hear about shuttered facilities in the US, there are bigger and more efficient... More As we continue to hear about shuttered facilities in the US, there are bigger and more efficient refinery expansions going on in Asia. we are a global industry and there are always ways to ship commodities from one region to another. Less
Dec 18, 2011 11:24 pm
Yeek
May I ask what is the typical tank type used to store naphtha in refinery. Brief background, I am involved in a design for a new naphtha storage terminal. Customer requested for a dome type internal floating roof tank WITH nitrogen blanketing.
This seems like a massive overdesign for me as I am more inclined to go with an internal floating roof with an external roof to prevent the rain from contaminating the naphtha. Thus we can do away with the nitrogen blanketing.
They seem insistent on the use of N2 blanketing which is a bad idea due to the high N2 consumption. What is used to store naphtha where you are?
Jan 29, 2015 12:59 am
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Keithbowers: There is no 'pat' answer. The 'best' solution depends on a number of issues, such as: 1) )What... More There is no 'pat' answer. The 'best' solution depends on a number of issues, such as: 1) )What are the properties of what might be stored now and in the next decade? 2)What environmental restrictions are likely? 3) Are there a number of tanks to be considered (to displace inert blanket gas back and forth between them?) 4) Costs of inert gas? In the USA, open top with external floating roofs with double wiper seals meet emission requirements and prevent oxygen absorption at minimum capital cost.. 5) How often will the tank move? 6) How long will the product be in storage there.? These are just the beginning--capital costs of different designs are important also Less
Dec 26, 2015 08:33 pm
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MEHRDAD: HI.my question: Is nitrogen gas as blankting in fixed roof may be used instead of flooting... More HI.my question: Is nitrogen gas as blankting in fixed roof may be used instead of flooting roof for some cargo that should be storage at EXTERNAL FLOTING ROOF STORAGE TANK .such as DPG with R.V.P= 5 PSI . Less
Jan 08, 2017 07:34 am
