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

February 2001

Archive

Special Report: Clean Fuels

Petroleum refining: a look at the future
UOP LLC: Penning, R. T.

Here’s a view of long-range spending strategies, including new technologies and proper hydrogen management

Improved planning can optimize solutions to produce clean fuels
Bechtel Corp.: Avidan, A. A.
Bechtel, Corp., Petroleum and Chemicals Global Business Unit: Klein, B.  |  Ragsdale, R.

Refiners may consider using alliances with contractors to shorten design and construction time for environmentally driven projects

Project alliance delivers 'green' fuels
Kvaerner E&C Australia: Entwistle, M.

A cooperative effort between a refiner, gas supplier and utility / power company enabled construction of a highly integrated refinery upgrade ahead of schedule

What are the options to meet Tier II sulfur requirements?
Axens North America: Ross, J.
Shaw stone & Webster: Swaty, T. E.

To meet ultra-low sulfur specifications for diesel and gasoline, U.S. refiners will 'retool' existing facilities; feedstock changes, operational/processing adjustments and installing new post treatment technologies are some possible choices

Combine power options with clean fuels projects
Foster Wheeler USA Corp.: Katogir, L. J.

A build-own-operate project structure involving refinery upgrade results in increased product yield and power production

Cat naphtha sulfur management: undercut or not?
CH2M Hill: Sloley, A. W.

Several processing options can create a high-sulfur heavy cat naphtha that concentrates FCC sulfur into one stream

Consider improved liquid alkylation catalysts
ConocoPhillips: Vander Laan, J.
Phillips Petroleum Co.: Pfile, M.  |  Shoemaker, L. W.

To process 'cleaner fuels,' refiners will seek octane gains from the blending pool; alkylate refinement is a possible solution

Process ultra-low sulfur diesel
Akzo Nobel Catalysts: Brevoord, E.  |  Gerritsen, L.  |  Mayo, S.  |  Plantenga, F.

New catalyst technology efficiently works at the molecular level to remove thiopenes

Improve APC uptime using analyzers with predictive models
Honeywell Hi-Spec Solutions: Brooks, K. S.  |  Dreyer, R.
Sasol Technology: Burston, A.

This hybrid approach reduced payback time by about 10%

Engineering Case Histories

Case 1: The fatigued motor shaft
Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

First in a series of bimonthly case histories. This one reveals why belt tensioning was the real cause of failure

Heat Transfer/Instrumentation

Is ultrasound leak detection reliable for steam traps?
Purgadores de Cindensado, S. L.: Bazquez, V.

Know the conditions that invalidate reliability of this method

Utilities/Heat Transfer

Guidelines help energy engineers and managers
Visiting Faculty, Mumbai University Institute of Chemical Technology: Goyal, O. P.

Here are new guidelines, checklists and an integrated approach for a successful energy conservation program

Columns

HP Control: Support Professional societies
ICS Triplex, a Rockwell Automation Company: Gruhn, P.

Are you or your employees members of a professional society? If so, why? If not, why not? Society membership is declining everywhere. Why is this happening? As a member of multiple societies..

HP Reliability: Become familiar with turboexpander applications
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

For many years turboexpanders have been used in cryogenic processing plants to provide low-temperature refrigeration. Power recovery has been of secondary importance. Expander efficienc..

HP Water Management: Basic cooling water treatment
MarTech Systems, Inc.: Huchler, L. A.

Water treatment for cooling systems has three primary objectives: corrosion, deposition and microbiological control. System components with high temperatures on heat-transfer surfaces a..

HP Automation Safety: Comparing failure rates
exida LLC: Goble, W.

Safety integrity level (SIL) verification per ISA84.01 and IEC61508 requires that a probabilistic evaluation be done on the hardware used in a safety instrumented function (SIF). Data n..

HP Construction: HPIn Construction
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Stephens, F. P.

ABB signs contract for project implementation ABB has signed a lump-sum turnkey contract with Murphy Oil USA, Inc. to implement a major portion of Murphy's Clean Fuels project in its Me..

HP In Brief: HPIn Brief
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

Hydrocarbon solvents producers have entered into an international agreement to advance their safe use. By creating the International Hydrocarbon Solvents Consortium (IHSC), 18 manu..

HP Impact: HPImpact: What are the consequences of high oil and gas prices?
National Iranian Oil Company: Shahbudaghlou, f.

Continuing high oil and gas pricing may have long-term effects on the international petrochemical industry through product pricing, feedstock selection and market competitiveness. Currently, both crud..

HP Impact: HPImpact: API speakers assess supply, demand crunch
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

At an annual press briefing, representatives from the American Petroleum Institute (API) analyzed U.S. petroleum supply and demand statistics and also provided insight into the current energy environm..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Performance outlook: U.S. chemicals industry
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

Shipments in the U.S. of chemicals rose 6% in 2000, to total $464 billion. Gains were in life sciences, 7-1/4%; specialty chemicals, 6-3/4%; and industrial chemicals, 5%. Exports. According to data fr..

HP Impact: HPImpact: M&A's transitioning to 'buyer's' market
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

Through the first nine months of 2000, $23 billion in chemical deals were completed. This compares to $29.4 billion in the year-ago period. Including deals that have closed since then, it appears unli..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Miscellany of note in the HPI
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

• The Fieldbus Foundation has released an alpha version of its High Speed Ethernet (HSE) Testing Kit. The kit is intended for testing HSE linking devices, which are critical components of the H..

Memoriam

In Memoriam Philippe Bonnet

Philippe Bonnet 1920 – 2000

Misc

Association of the German Petroleum Industry

Bill Crowley, Contributing Editor       Comments? Write: editorial@HydrocarbonProcessing.com Here's another very..

HPInformer

Flo P. Stephens, Editor, Departments/International       Comments? Write: editorial@HydrocarbonProces..

International

Flo P. Stephens, Editor, Departments/International       Comments? Write: editorial@HydrocarbonProcessing.com Italy'..

Editorial Comment
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Romanow, Stephany

In this issue, significant editorial pages are dedicated to "clean fuel" strategies. Sulfur is the leading nemesis of motor-fuel blending streams. Worldwide, many new regulations furthe..

Comparing failure rates

Safety integrity level (SIL) verification per ISA84.01 and IEC61508requires that a probabilistic evaluation be done on the hardwareused in a safety instrumented function (SIF). Data necessary forthat ..