Europe
Case history: Optimization of aromatics complex
Borealis Polymers executed an online optimization project at its phenol and aromatics plants in Porvoo. The plantwide application increased the output rate by 9% and greatly improved the stability of operations.
Improve the cracking of ethylene dichloride
The discovery and exploitation of shale gas in North America is providing a boost to the domestic petrochemical industry. In particular, commodity petrochemicals such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are e..
New catalyst increases FCC olefin yields
The new catalyst helped enable the refinery to maximize propylene and isobutylene yields, expand total LPG production, maintain LCN yield, improve bottoms upgrading and expand the FCCU operating window.
Consider new strategies in defining turnaround or construction contracts
As the use of contract labor to complete refinery turnarounds and construction projects is increasing, success of these projects hinges on the ability of owners and contractors to effectively collabor..
Major refinery uses reliable fiscal metering system
Reliance Industries Ltd., ranked 99th on the Fortune 500 list of the world’s major corporations, operates the largest refinery and petrochemical complex. Located in Jamnagar, Gujarat, India (Fig...
Improve thermodynamic equilibrium among light olefins in FCC operations
Worldwide propylene demand is strongly increasing. About 28% of the global propylene supply comes from refinery fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) units. The light olefins have relative selectivity due to..
Use adaptive control to improve process operations
Refiners and chemical/petrochemical producers can now deploy APC and enjoy sustained benefits by implementing a continuous process for controller maintenance.
HP Editorial Comment: What is the future for hydrocarbons and their prices?
Have we reached peak oil, again? No; the naysayers have predicted peak oil five times already, and innovative technologies continue to overcome previous barriers and to find new methods of developing ..
HP Reliability: Small deviations can compromise equipment reliability
In 2013, a major refinery was experiencing serious pump problems. The refinery had a massive thrust-bearing failure on a critical 3,560-rpm pump. The pump was designed and manufactured by a well-known..
HP Automation Strategies: A new era emerging for incident prediction and avoidance solutions
“Inevitably, what you don’t know will ruin your day.” This often-voiced piece of wisdom is particularly true in the hydrocarbon processing industries, where operations staffs are being ..
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