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Petrochemicals

Silencing Deethanizer Reboiler Condensate Drum Hydraulic Hammer

Mar 24, 2010
Henry Z. Kister
A deethanizer reboiler condensate drum experienced hydraulic hammering when the reboiler operated at lower steam loads and when the column loads were reduced quickly. The condensate drum level indicator was unreliable and insensitive to the variations in level control valve opening. Condensate drum...

Impacts to the Ethylene Supply Chain from a Hurricane Disruption

Mar 24, 2010
Amy Sun
Analysis of chemical supply chains is an inherently complex task, given the dependence of these supply chains on multiple infrastructure systems (e.g., the petroleum sector, transportation, etc.). This effort requires data and information at various levels of resolution, ranging from network-level...

War Strategies to Guarantee Peace Time in a Primary Fractionator

Mar 24, 2010
Emerentino B. Quadro
Braskem is a Brazilian petrochemicals manufacturer, producing monomers, resins and chemicals specialties. Its ethylene capacity is 2,500 Kty, distributed in four Olefins plants, all based on naphtha steam cracking. This paper reports a high rate of fouling in the Primary Fractionator, resulting in...

“Compression System Check Valve Failure Hazards”

Mar 24, 2010
Craig R. Thompson, Ralph King
Catastrophic equipment failure due to overpressure can potentially occur in the event of compression system discharge, interstage, and/or suction check valve failure, coincident with compressor shutdown. Depending on system design and application, overpressure values approaching or exceeding 300%...

Fouling Mitigation of Quench Tower System

Mar 24, 2010
Holger Schmigalle
Gas cracking plants are especially sensitive to fouling in the quench water section. One main fouling mechanism in the quench tower and in the related equipment is the accumulation of material with a high pour point. Fouling can be avoided or at least significantly reduced if the pour point of the...

Furnace Safe Park DCS Tool

Mar 23, 2010
Bryan McVicker
Properly managing the shutdown or “safe parking” of multiple steam-cracking furnaces during a plant-wide upset can be challenging. Alarm flood and multiple competing demands on operators are characteristics of such situations. The ExxonMobil Beaumont olefins plant has created a DCS interface to...

Technologies for Enhancing Refinery Gas Value

Mar 23, 2010
The trend of processing heavy and sour crude is resulting in 'fuel long' refineries which seek to export energy in the form of refinery fuel gas or are looking for other ways to extract value from the fuel gas system. There are common solutions that either are applicable to a few selected high-...

Catastrophic Failure of a Dissimilar Metal Weld in a High Pressure Steam Venturi

Mar 23, 2010
Carl G. Matherne
In mid-2009 at the BASF FINA Petrochemical L.P. Steam Cracker in Port Arthur, Texas, a venturi-type flow meter in super-high-pressure steam service ruptured catastrophically, resulting in a major release of pressure and trip of the plant. Initially a steam leak was observed at the flow meter, and...

Integrated Refinery Cracker, the New Paradigm

Mar 23, 2010
Osman Aboul-Nasr
The new trends in crackers are higher capacity and heavier feedstock. This makes the integration between refineries and crackers significantly more beneficial. The importance of integration becomes a more paramount issue. Since several new refineries and cracker / derivatives complexes are...

Options for Mercury Removal in Ethylene Plants

Mar 23, 2010
Jayant Gorawara
Ethylene producers have faced the challenge of feedstock contaminants for decades. However, with current industry transitions and surplus capacity, the low cost producer will have a real advantage in terms of survivability. The ability to leverage opportunities to improve the cost position on...

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