Distillation

Diversification: The catalyst for the Middle East’s downstream transformation

Nichols, Lee, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Over the past several years, the Middle East has made substantial investments to increase its downstream processing capacity.

The next generation of advanced process control

Kern, A., APC Performance LLC; Andrew, Bob, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

In this article, Hydrocarbon Processing provides published references on model-based control, and contributing author Allan Kern presents his views on model-less control.

Business Trends: The state of the global refining sector

Nichols, Lee, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Over the past few years, the world has witnessed significant downstream capacity growth in all sectors of the hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI).

Editorial Comment: Is the refining market oversupplied, or is the capacity needed?

Nichols, Lee, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Over the past two years, the editorial comment in our September issue has focused on the topic of overcapacity in the global refining sector.

Dividing wall column applications in FCC naphtha splitter columns

Bhargava, M., Kalita, R., Gentry, J. C., GTC Technology US, LLC

Dividing wall column (DWC) technology is becoming more widely accepted throughout the process industries as a means to increase efficiency and reduce capital and energy costs.

Distillates to boost US refiners' bottom line through year-end

NEW YORK (Reuters) — US refiners such as PBF Energy and Valero Energy are heading into the winter season on their best footing in years, as months of surprisingly robust distillate demand has eaten away at stubbornly high inventories and boosted margins.

EIA: Seasonality of US distillate consumption, stock levels declining

Changes in demand trends, trade patterns, and fuel specifications have significantly reduced the role of traditional seasonal factors in driving US distillate markets. Historically, distillate use in the United States was highly seasonal because of its use as a home heating fuel. In recent years, use of distillate as a heating fuel has decreased significantly, while its use as a transport fuel has remained relatively flat.

Identify the cause of liquid maldistribution inside packed beds

Pless, L., Tracerco

Diagnosing liquid maldistribution problems inside packed beds that can cause mass transfer efficiency loss is a challenge to process engineers.

Viewpoint: The future of India’s refining capacity and the rise of clean fuels

Kanwar, R., Contributing Writer; Nichols, Lee, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

India is emerging as the world’s new oil demand center, with burgeoning consumption providing huge potential for downstream oil and gas growth. With a GDP ranked in the top 10 globally and a large, growing population, India has seen continuous increases in demand for energy in all forms.

Business Trends: Standardized modularization—Drivers, challenges and perspectives in the oil and gas industry

Eftimie, C., RTS Ltd.

Modularization is an alternative way of performing engineering aimed to reduce the number of interfaces, the total installed cost (TIC) and overall schedule length of a project, while optimizing the return on investment (ROI) and allowing standardization for similar future projects.