Engineering & Design
Mitigate fouling in crude unit overhead—Part 1
In a refinery crude distillation column, up to 40% of the total heat removal may be found in the tower overhead condenser. The quantity of duty available makes heat integration (HI) between the column..
Improved oxidation process increases sulfur recovery with Claus unit
Since its development in 1936, the “modified Claus” technology has been the preferred process used by refineries and gas processing plants for the recovery of sulfur from acid-gas streams. M..
Update: Russia’s capacity and modernization program
Since 2008, Russian regulations regarding the crude oil and refining industry have changed substantially. At present, Russia has 22 large refineries, each with an individual throughput capacity exceed..
Consider accurate feed characterization with improved simulation methods
Assay definition is crucial for accurate process simulations. The performance of process simulators depends on the feed definition to the processing unit. Modern analytical laboratories can offer comp..
Optimize slop-wax bed height in the vacuum unit
The vacuum distillation (VD) unit in the petroleum refinery separates the heavier fraction of crude oil from the atmospheric distillation unit (ADU) into light vacuum gasoil (LVGO) and heavy VGO (HVGO..
HP Reliability: Leaders must allocate time for technology updates
Just as a good medical doctor is expected to have wide knowledge on modern treatment options, we would expect reliability professionals to be equally informed on technology advances. There are numerou..
HP Integration Strategies: The information-driven operating company
New information technologies—such as cloud computing, mobility, social technologies, big data/analytics and 3D visualization—have been receiving a lot of attention in the industrial communit..
HP Viewpoint: Renewables from the refiners’ viewpoint
Recently, I had the opportunity to testify before the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, representing our company and our industry that employs approximately 108,000 American workers..
HP Water Management: The case for change
When should you change water-treatment suppliers? After a failure? When you are dissatisfied with the quality or price of your incumbent supplier? When you receive an attractively-priced proposal? Whe..
HP Construction Profile: US Midwest refinery nears completion of major modernization project
In early July 2013, BP announced that it has completed the commissioning and startup of a new, 250,000-bpd crude distillation unit at the Whiting refinery, marking a major achievement in the multi-bil..
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