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Europe

Libya restarts largest domestic refinery after war closure

The Ras Lanuf facility, a key exporter of fuel oil to European markets and which made up over half of Libya's refining output before the war, was shut during the 2011 conflict. It had remained closed because of war damage and insufficient feedstock from the fields that supply it.

Lukoil acquires larger stake in Sicily ISAB refinery from Italian partner ERG

The sale was for €485 million, excluding inventory. Lukoil and ERG agreed to the ISAB venture in 2008, under which the Sicily-based refinery has a capacity of roughly 320,000 bpd. Lukoil now owns 80% of the venture.

Maximize diesel production in an FCC-centered refinery, Part 1

For refineries with an FCC unit as the main conversion vehicle, the debate is how existing refinery assets can best be used to economically increase diesel production.

Redefining reforming catalyst performance: High selectivity and stability

Axens: Le Goff, P.-Y.  |  Lopez, J.
Axens North America: Ross, J.

Highly developed CCR catalysts are more robust to ensure extended service over 7–9 years.

Upgrade heavy oil more cost-efficiently

Ivanhoe Energy: Cabrera, C. A.  |  Silverman, M. A.

A new technology can economically upgrade and significantly improve the properties of heavy oil by reducing viscosity, increasing gravity and removing contaminants.

Increase FCC processing flexibility by improved catalyst recycling methods

UOP LLC, a Honeywell Company: Wolschlag, L. M.
UOP LLC, a Honeywell Co.: Lippmann, M.

The dynamic global refining market emphasizes the need for greater operating flexibility in the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit.

Successful fouling control hinges on effective monitoring

GE Water & Process Technologies: Price, X.  |  Teran, C.  |  Vanhove, A.  |  Casanova, J.

Equipment reliability, processing flexibility and energy conservation are key objectives for modern refineries. Refiners today are routinely using lower quality, more difficult to process feedstocks t..

What are the benefits of rigorous modeling in heat exchanger design?

Aspen Technology Inc.: Cazenave, J.

This article examines three applications where rigorous heat exchanger models can boost value derived from process simulation and provide more accurate results.

Prevent external corrosion of boiler tubes under refractory lining

SABIC Technology Centre: Maity, M.  |  Biramov, K.  |  Al-Zahrani, E.
Eastern Petrochemical Co.: Kareem, M. A.

A leak developed on the water wall for several boiler tubes within five months of the commissioning of a plant boiler. In this case, the boiler tubes were partially covered with a castable refractory ..

HP Engineering Case Histories: Case 70: Twenty rules for troubleshooting

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

In previous Engineering Case History columns, I have discussed checklists and their value in avoiding errors during startups. While the rules cannot replace common sense or a logical and methodical ap..