Engineering & Design
When digital transformation hits all four sustainability buckets
Sustainability is emerging as a critical business topic, as many companies focus resources toward lowering emissions, waste and energy use in their production processes. This important concept can apply broadly to company operations, especially when considering the expansive view of the triple bottom line that measures the impact of company operations on profits, people and the planet.
Diversifying the future: Incentives for worldwide adoption of renewable fuels and chemicals—Part 2
Bio-based, renewable fuels and chemicals can reduce the environmental footprint of maintaining global transportation and product demands, while also offering supplementation of traditional fossil fuels in a global environment with increasing energy demand. The renewable energy sector is large and growing rapidly.
FCC catalyst deactivation studies to mimic refinery conditions for high-propylene applications
The fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) is a conversion unit located at the heart of many refineries. Its main purpose is to crack crude oil-derived feedstocks into valuable liquid products, primarily LPGs (propylene and butylenes), and gasoline and light-cycle oil (LCO) precursors. The process uses a fluidizable catalyst, comprising an alumina-silica framework and tailored for each refinery to meet its specific needs. Often, the changing of a catalyst includes catalyst testing evaluations, employed by about 50% of the FCCUs in the world. The testing process is cumbersome, in which multiple methods are available to refineries.
Unlocking FCC potential with an innovative catalyst solution
In 2010, a JV embarked on the deployment of a MHY zeolite technologyb developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This novel zeolite technology improves traditional zeolite catalysts through the introduction of highly interconnected channels of medium pore size, which enhance diffusion of feed molecules inside zeolite crystals, leading to higher-value product yields, improved process efficiency and increased refinery profitability.
Hydrocarbon Processing Awards Winners
<i>Hydrocarbon Processing,</i> the downstream processing sector’s leading technical publication, has announced the winners for its third annual awards. The <i>HP</i> Awards celebrate innovative technologies and people that have been instrumental in improving facility operations over the past year.
Process engineering, optimization and advanced process control
A recent <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> “Industry Perspectives” survey found that process engineering and optimization is the number-one topic that readers want to read about most. Process engineering and optimization rated higher than the next-highest topic (maintenance and reliability) by a factor of 2:1, and higher than every other topic by a factor of at least 4:1. Process control and instrumentation made the top ten list, albeit below process engineering and optimization by a factor of 7:1.
Industry Perspectives: Hydrocarbon Processing honored with industry award nominations
In early September, <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> staff learned that the publication was nominated for several publishing awards by Folio magazine.
Associations: Integrated vs. non-integrated safety systems: Does it really matter?
ARC Advisory Group’s 23rd annual Industry Forum included a panel discussion that explored the relative merits of integrated vs. non-integrated safety systems in an increasingly connected world.
Engineering Case Histories: Case 108—Failure analysis computations differ from design
When equipment fails, it indicates weak points and usually exposes the cause(s) of the failure.
Securing industrial systems in a digital world
The development of industrial control systems (ICS) over the past two decades has changed the face of many industries.
- Digital Exclusive: Root cause analysis on hydrochloric acid corrosion in a diesel hydrotreater unit 12/16
- Digital Feature: Enabling growth through strategic cost optimization for petrochemical and refining companies 12/16
- Rohm awards NextChem feasibility study for PMMA-polymer chemical recycling plant project 12/16
- Kumho Mitsui Chemicals to increase capacity of MDI production facilities 12/15
- ABS, Eneos, NYK Line and Seacor Holdings launch joint study to develop a methanol marine fuel supply network in the U.S. 12/15
- ENEOS accelerates AI-driven materials discovery of immersion cooling fluids and novel catalysts Using NVIDIA ALCHEMI 12/15
