Chemicals & Materials

Intensified Heat Transfer Technology (IHT) is the use of radiant coil inserts that have a twisted baffle integrated with their inner surface. The inserts have the same diameter and metallurgy as the radiant coil, and are placed strategically in the coil to create turbulence in the process fluid,...

During resid conversion processes, such as visbreaking or hydroconversion, more saturated pendant groups are cracked off asphaltenes, making them less soluble. Meanwhile, the more saturated volatile liquids formed during the conversion are often nonsolvents for asphaltenes. As a result, these...

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...

Furnace revamps provide opportunities to enhance new technologies, add feedstock flexibility, increase production capacity, improve efficiency and meet more stringent environmental regulations. With the current economic situation and anticipated environmental requirements, construction of...

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...

The regulations for sulfur reduction in marine fuels are impacting the whole spectrum beginning from the production of the fuel in the refineries to the end use in Marine diesel engines. To start with, from 1/1/2010, the European Union regulations call for use of fuel with a maximum of 0.1% sulfur...

An advanced characterization program was designed and implemented to identify the chemical nature of contaminants present in the feed to a flexi-cracker. The solid contaminants removed from the naphtha feed had similar amounts of inorganic and organic materials. Iron and silicone were the most...

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...

In recent years, the global tightening of emissions standards has created numerous challenges for the owners and operators of ethylene cracking furnaces. Achieving ultra-low NOx emission levels in ethylene cracking furnaces, where the operating temperatures routinely range between 2000°F to 2200°F...

EPA recently proposed &'Control of Emissions from New Marine Compression-Ignition Engines at or Above 30 Liters per Cylinder (published August 26, 2009)&' to reflect the emission limits recently adopted in amendments to Annex VI to the International Convention for the Prevention of...