Environment & Safety Gas Processing/LNG Maintenance & Reliability Petrochemicals Process Control Process Optimization Project Management Refining

Refining

Improve FCC margins by processing more vacuum residue in feed

Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd. (HPCL): Shidhaye, H.  |  S. Kukade  |  Rao, P. V. C.  |  Choudary, N. V.
Hindustan Petroleum Green R&D Center, Hindustan Petroleum: Kumar, P.

With the greater processing of heavy crude oils in refineries, the importance of fluid catalytic cracking units (FCCUs) has increased.

Optimize alkylation unit operation by using response surface methods

Valero Energy Corp.: Bird, J.  |  Seillier, D.  |  Teders, M.  |  Jacobson, G.

A new methodology can be used to optimize the operations of an alkylation unit based on response surface methods.

Use model predictive control to achieve real-time management of a DWC

Emerson Process Management: Blevins, T.
Eastman Chemical Company: Downs, J.
University of Texas: Donahue, M.  |  Roach, B.

A dividing-wall column (DWC) can provide significant savings in energy and capital cost compared to a conventional distillation column design.

Advances in dry gas seal technology for compressors

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.
AESSEAL plc: Carmody, C.

Compressor owner-operators now have unprecedented and solidly verifiable options.

Improve performance and reduce costs of wastewater treatment plants

TMC Chemical BV: Putra, Z. A.

The increasing costs of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) motivated a major specialty chemical plant to improve the performance of its treatment unit.

HP Automation Strategies: A portfolio approach to operations IT solutions management

ARC Advisory Group: Cosman, E. C.

The need for more automated and efficient operations has led end users to accumulate large and increasingly complex collections of operations-related information technology (IT) solutions.

HP Global: Forthcoming tax hike could hamper Russian refining

Contributing Writer: Gerden, E.

Russia plans to increase the volume of oil it refined this year, despite Western sanctions and the ever-deteriorating business environment, according to an official spokesperson for Alexander Novak, Russia’s minister of energy.

HP Viewpoint: Interesting times to continue for refiners in 2016

Vainieri Consulting: Vaineri, H.

A year ago in this publication, John England and Ashnu Mittal were prescient in their article titled “US shale revolution set to spill over into downstream.”

HP Industry Metrics

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Rhodes, Mike

Global refinery margins fell due to the expectations of a mild winter and an oversupply environment.

HP Innovations

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Blume, Adrienne

The FM-approved FireChek thermal shutoff valve with resettable memory shape alloy can now be used to automatically shut down a pneumatic control system when a nearby fire occurs, or when the ambient temperature reaches 135°F, 150°F or 165°F.