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FEBRUARY 2012
HPIMPACT SPECIALREPORT TECHNOLOGY
CLEAN FUELS
Innovative methods
optimize clean diesel
production
Bio-based polymers
could be the next
big thing
European pipeline
performance
Eliminate cavitation in
your piping system
Treat oily waste via
centrifuge plants
www.HydrocarbonProcessing.com
SPECIAL REPORT: CLEAN FUELS
41
Viewpoint
Key representatives from the energy industry present their insight on how
to achieve balanced energy policy, what is the future for alternative fuels,
what part will renewable/biofuels play in the transportation fuel mix, and more
51
Consider total value when optimizing catalytic cracking units
Low rare-earth catalysts balance activity and selectivity against cost
S. Ismail
57
Increase energy efficiency for your refinery
Behavioral and organization changes are needed to effectively maximize operating profits
Z. Milosevic
61
Use advanced catalysts to improve xylenes isomerization
This refiner wanted to increase ethylbenzene conversion while limiting aromatics losses
G. Shouquan and J. Chua
65
Improve diesel quality through advanced hydroprocessing
New upgrading technologies help meet fuel quality specifications
C. Peng, X. Huang, T. Liu, R. Zeng, J. Liu and M. Guan
69
Debottleneck crude-unit preheat exchanger
network inefficiencies
Simulation models can be effectively used to optimize
heat transfer and boost operational performance
E. Bright, S. Roy and S. Al-Zahrani
Cover During the 1940s, the focus
of the US refining industry shifted
to producing quality transportation
and aviation fuels needed by the
military. The US federal government
sponsored several construction
projects to increase refining capacity
to support war efforts on two
different fronts. This expansion
program involved the construction
of fluid catalytic cracking units
(FCCUs)a process needed to blend
100-octane aviation fuelalong with
the building of new isomerization
and alkylation units. Over $900
million was invested in refining
construction projects from 1943 to
1945. This months cover is a photo
of the dedication ceremony for the
Texas Co.s two new FCCUs, held
on Feb. 29, 1944 (see pg. 11). This
Port Arthur, Texas refinery is still in
operation and owned under Motiva,
a joint venture between Shell Oil
and Saudi Aramco. This refinery is
completing another major expansion
and is scheduled to come onstream
in early 2012. It will have a crude
distillation capacity of 600,000 bpd
and rank among the 20 largest
global refineries.
HPIMPACT
19 Bio-based polymers
could be next
big thing
20 European pipeline
performance
COLUMNS
9 HPINSIGHT
Government,
environment
and taxes, oh my!
13 HPIN RELIABILITY
Selecting steam
turbines in a
lean environment
17 HPINTEGRATION
STRATEGIES
Standards needed
for laboratory
system integration
90 HPIN CONTROL
How difficult is it
to control
absorber columns?
DEPARTMENTS
7 HPIN BRIEF 23 HPIN INNOVATIONS 29 HPINCONSTRUCTION
38 HPI CONSTRUCTION BOXSCORE UPDATE
86 HPI MARKETPLACE 89 ADVERTISER INDEX
FLUID FLOW

75
Eliminate cavitation in your piping systems
New pressure control devices improve fluid flow
E. Casado flores
ROTATING EQUIPMENT

79
Understand multi-stage pumps and sealing options: Part 1
Service life and cost impact what seals to use on your heavy-duty pump
L. Gooch

83
Treat oily waste with decanter centrifuge plants
Turning a challenge into an opportunity
A. Hertle
FEBRUARY 2012 VOL. 91 NO. 2
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HYDROCARBON PROCESSING FEBRUARY 2012

I

7

A three-year study by a team of
researchers based at MIT has now iden-
tified a suite of policy and investment
strategies that could accelerate innova-
tion in the US, helping the country to
meet its growing energy needs. The
conclusions are detailed in the new
book Unlocking Energy Innovation
by Richard Lester, a professor at MIT,
and David Hart, a professor at George
Mason University.
The authors identified four stages
through which an innovative technol-
ogy becomes an established part of
the energy infrastructure. Of those, the
first stage (the discovery of new tech-
nological options) and the final stage
(fine-tuning of technologies already
in commercial use) are relatively well-
managed, they said, though both will
require more investment.
The two middle stages are less well-
managed. These stages, spanning what
is often referred to as the valley of
death, include the development of
prototypes to demonstrate viability in
the marketplace and the initial imple-
mentation of the first full-scale systems
by early adopters in the marketplace.
These intermediate stages are costly
and pose high investment risks, and
a modest carbon price will do little to
accelerate them.
The books analysis of past advances
reveals several steps that tend to foster
energy innovation: encouraging com-
petition (and always leaving space for
new market entrants), making rigorous
and timely selections of promising con-
cepts, and matching the scale of the
system to the scale of the need. The
current system satisfies none of these,
the authors said.
They think that its essential to pur-
sue parallel innovation strategies aimed
at different timescales: changes over
the next decade focused on efficiency
improvements, such as building insula-
tion and gas mileage; mid-range efforts
to reduce the costs and risks of known
low-carbon energy-supply and elec-
tricity-storage technologies; and, from
about 2050 on, a third wave of techno-
logical deployments drawing on fun-
damentally new developments in fields
such as materials and catalysis. HP
Petroplus Holdings closed three European refineries in January due
to credit line difficulties. According to the company, the restart of the refineries is
dependent on economic conditions and credit availability. The shuttered refineries are
in Antwerp, Belgium; Petit Couronne, France; and Cressier, Switzerland. The refiner-
ies have a combined throughput capacity of approximately 667,000 bpd. Meanwhile,
the companys refineries in the UK and Germany are running at half of their com-
bined 330,000-bpd capacity.
Inpex and Total have finalized sales agreements with customers in
Japan and Taiwan for their proposed Ichthys gas-export project in northern Australia,
according to the countrys resources minister. The agreements to provide Taiwans
CPC and Japans Chubu Electric Power Co. and Toho Co. with liquefied natural gas
(LNG) were first announced in June. Inpex and Total have also agreed to sell LNG
from the project to another five Japanese utilities and they are close to making a final
investment decision on the projects construction. Inpex said last June that it had
agreed to sell to CPC 1.75 million metric tpy of LNG from the project for 15 years,
commencing 2017. It also said it had agreed to sell Chubu Electric 490,000 tpy and
Toho 280,000 tpy.
LyondellBasell will shut down two polypropylene (PP) lines in
Wesseling, Germany, by mid-2012. The lines, with a combined capacity of 90,000
tpy, are among the companys smallest and oldest PP production units. A company
executive said that it has sufficient capacity to meet the needs of customers in Europe
from its larger scale facilities. LyondellBasell produces PP at eight sites in Europe,
including facilities in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Enterprise Products Partners has received sufficient transportation
commitments to support development of its 1,230-mile Appalachia to Texas pipeline
(known as the ATEX Express) that will deliver growing ethane production from the
Marcellus/Utica shale areas of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio to the US Gulf
Coast. ATEX Express will have the capacity to transport up to 190,000 bpd from the
Appalachian production areas to the partnerships storage and distribution assets in
Texas. The committed shipper transportation rate will range between 14.5 cents per
gallon and 15.5 cents per gallon.
Tesoro plans to sell its Hawaii operations, including the 94,000 bpd
Kapolei refinery, operations at 32 retail stations and all associated logistical assets.
The companys president said that Hawaii is not aligned with its strategic focus on
the Midwest and West Coast. The Kapolei refinery yield is distillate-focused and
is complementary to the on-island demand for utility, jet and military fuels. The
facility has the necessary logistics to support product movements to and from the
US West Coast or Pacific Rim markets. The Hawaii operations are fully integrated
and include a hydrocracking refinery, a network of retail stations, a deep draft single
point mooring facility for crude and product movements, proprietary pipelines with
connections to business hubs and terminal access and barge operations to supply the
major outlying islands.
IHS CERAs 31st annual executive conference rolls into Houstons
Hilton Americas March 59. This years CERAWeek will focus on energys new
role in rebuilding the global economy and providing stability in a volatile time
for the international political order. Heavy hitting speakers booked for this event
include Martin Craighead, CEO of Baker Hughes; Iain Conn, BPs executive direc-
tor; James Hackett, chairman of Anadarko Petroleum; and Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of
General Electric. HP
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HPINSIGHT

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9

Government, environment and taxes, oh my!
In this issue of HPInsight, the global hydrocarbon processing
industry (HPI) still battles some very familiar and present day
challenges, such as economic cycles, feedstock spikes, government
over regulation, construction material shortages and more. The
times may be different, but the HPI must continue to evolve and
innovate to resolve its problems and hurdles.
Headlines from Hydrocarbon Processing,
February 2002:
For the first time in a decade, total US consumer petroleum
product demand declined in 2001. The US consumed about 19.6
million bpd of crude oil, according to the American Petroleum
Institute. Demand for most oil products weakened during the year
except for gasoline, which showed a 1.4% rise over 2000 levels.
Among the causes for the decline were sharply reduced air travel
after the September 11 attacks, continued lackluster economy,
fuel switching to natural gas, weak demand for petrochemical
feedstocks and abnormally warm winter temperatures.
Revised EU directive poses plant upgrades. The EU oil refining
industry will face new challenges due to revisions to the 1988
Large Combustion Plant directive (88/609/EEC). It will limit
the processing of heavy residuals from the refining processes. New
guidelines further limit emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen
oxide and particulates.
US process catalyst demand to grow 4.4%/yr. Demand for
process catalyst (which excludes environmental applications) is
forecast to increase 4.4%/yr to $3.3 billion in 2006. Demand is
being driven by the refining sector and continued strength in new
polymerization technologies.
February 1992:
Key issues identified by refining execs. A survey of US refining
executives lists tops concerns for the industry; they include: 1)
Clean Air Act (CAA), 2) public intervention in environmental
matters, 3) use of more oxygenates, 4) government intervention
on CAFE and taxes, 5) safety, and 6) processing heavier crudes.
Leading environmental issues were prioritized as: 1) CAA, 2.
ROI of capital expenditures, 3) corporate strategies and profit-
ability, 4) alternative fuels, 5) public environmental pressures,
6) government intervention in CAFE and taxes, and 7) use of
new catalysts.
TAME is a forgotten oxygenate. The forgotten oxygenate is
tertiary amyl methyl ether (TAME) according to the European
Fuel Oxygenates Association. TAME is produced by reacting FCC
isoamylenes with methanol. Only a few TAME units are in opera-
tion because of octane-component investments and marginal
economics for such units.
Natural gas prices to be up 5% in 1992. Natural gas (NG)
prices will be about 5% higher in 1992 than 1991 levels, while
crude oil prices will face significant instability as the worlds sup-
ply picture changes. In 1992, the US energy demand is forecast
to grow slightly as the economy strengthens. NG will assume a
larger market share of the new energy demand in the industrial
and utility sectors. However, a large-scale movement to NG by
the transportation sectors is not in the immediate future. NG
wellhead prices will hover around $1.45/MMBtu in 1992, up
slightly from 1991 prices of $1.38/MMBtu.
February 1982:
Europes refining industry continues stagnation, but there is
hope. There is new cracking capacity coming online from 1980 to
1985. Here is how the countries line up for capacity increases, in
million tpy (MMtpy): Austria, 1 MMtpy; Belgium, 3.7 MMtpy;
Denmark, 1.5 MMtpy; France, 6.7 MMtpy; West Germany,
8.8 MMtpy; Italy, 11.6 MMtpy; the Netherlands, 11.3 MMtpy;
Spain, 7.6 MMtpy; and the UK, 10.6 MMtpy, according to Fol-
ger & Co., Boston.
Sell alcohol as an octane booster, not a fuel. That is Texacos
approach. The company will redirect its marketing program for
alcohol-enhanced motor fuels to emphasize the value of ethanol
as an octane improver. Federal and state tax programs will play a
key role in alcohol fuels future.
World styrene consumption forecast to grow. From 1982 to
1990, annual global styrene consumption should average a
5.1% increase. Styrene demand will have double-digit growth
BP and Petrofina constructed a new catalytic cracking unit with a
capacity of 500,000 tpy at the Antwerp Refinery. The new unit enabled
this refinery to increase motor spirit production, July 1955.
HPINSIGHT
10

I

in developing nations such as Algeria, South Africa and Turkey.
In contrast, demand consumption by industrial regions of North
America and Western Europe are expected to average a 3.9%/
yr increase. In 1981, world styrene capacity was only at 71% of
nameplate capacity. New project announcements will keep ahead
of future demand growth through 1990.
February 1972:
Forecast 10% growth for synthetic rubber. Synthetic rubber
production in the US and Canada will increase 10% to reach 2.65
million long tons in 1972, according to the International Institute
of Synthetic Rubber Producers Inc. Increased production is based
on a predicted 6% increase in rubber demand for autos and tires.
Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) will hold the largest share of
synthetic rubber produced and reach an all-time high demand of
1.63 million long tons.
Non-US sector leads in petroleum investment. Capital expen-
ditures by the global petroleum industry, at an all-time high of
$20.1 billion in 1970, must increase substantially in the future to
allow for costs associated in controlling the environment, accord-
ing to a Chase Manhattan Bank (CMB) report. CMB stressed
the need for well-planned capital investments over environmental
protection projects. The petroleum industry invested more money
in capital projects in 1970 than in any other single year. Nearly
$11.9 billion was spent in the Free Foreign nations in 1970an
increase of $1.7 billion over 1969. The US industry invested $8.2
billion over the same period. An unattractive investment climate
is cited as the reason for less spending on US projects in 1972.
New sulfur recovery technology unit startup. With the Septem-
ber 1971 startup of the worlds first IFP sulfur-recovery unit at
the Nippon Petroleum Refining Companys (NPRCs) Negishis
refinery, the company concluded it has proved that atmospheric
pollution can be dramatically reduced. In the IFP process, tail
gas from a one-, two- and three-reactor Claus unit is catalytically
converted in a liquid-phase reactor to yield high-purity liquid
sulfur. In Japan, the atmospheric pollution problem became so
acute, that Idemitus, Kyokuto Petroleum and Shows Oil decided
to construct the IFP sulfur-recovery units in their refineries.
Shell Oil completes first orthoxylene unit in the US. The facil-
ity is located at Shells Houston, Texas, refinery and has an annual
capacity of 200 million lb. The new unit is the second expansion
with the construction of a paraxylene unit in 1967. With the new
orthoxylene unit, Shell will become an important manufacturer
of xylene isomers.
Headlines from Hydrocarbon Processing
and Petroleum Refiner, February 1962:
Esso reports new HDDV process. Esso R&D has developed
a hydrogen-donor-diluent-visbreaking (HDDV) process that
involves mild hydrocracking to aid visbreaking operations that
are limited by fuel oil quantities.
Remedies for road antiknock. New methods for calculating
antiknock performance were developed by a joint Ethyl-Standard
Oil study on the feasibility of using road blending numbers of
gasoline components to predict road performance of finished
gasoline blends. One method predicts the road octane number
when combining particular components with base gasoline. This
method could be useful in process planning and refinery control.
Polypropylene fiber breakthrough. Motecatini has developed
the first dyeable-type polypropylene (PP) fiber for commercial
production. The PP fiber can be stock, yard or piece-dyed, alone
or in blends with dyestuffs in use by the textile industry. The dye-
able fiber in no way alters the PPs properties, but affords many
new applications for PP fibers.
New acetic acid process available. The Soviet Union claims to
have found an easy, economical solution for using butane for
acetic acid manufacturing. A Moscow refinery has successfully
used the new process, which liquefies butane at 140C at 750 psi.
A catalyst is added to initiate a violent oxidization reaction that
yields acetic acid and substantial quantities of solvents. The new
process is claimed to be more cost-efficient than present acetic-
acid manufacturing technologies.
Japan increasing petrochemical production. Japan is planning
to expand petrochemical production through 1970. A new fore-
cast claims ethylene capacity to reach 4 billion lb/yr by 1970 and
require more naphtha cracking capacity. Propylene capacity will
climb to 2.8 billion lb/yr, which will be supported by offgas from
refineries and byproducts from naphtha cracking.
Headlines from the Petroleum Refiner,
February 1952:
Steel for refinery expansions. Additional steel to spur construc-
tion of needed refining capacity may be possible in later 1952
based on a recent Petroleum Administration for Defense (PAD)
statement. The agency is developing a new refinery expansion
program to permit the construction of 475,000 bpy of new refin-
ing capacity. The new projects will consume 44% more than the
present steel allocation program.
Shale oil production and refining today. The US Bureau of Mines
recently announced that it will build a much larger plant for the
production and refining of shale oil. This project, together with the
recent dangerous development in Iran, has again moved shale oil
into the limelight. The amount of US shale oil is tremendous, and
it is estimated to be in excess of 225 billion bbl. Many new pro-
Early construction of an Orthoflow catalytic cracking unit at Atlantic
Refinings Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, refinery, December 1953.

I

11
HPINSIGHT
cesses are under consideration for recovering shale oil. The ultimate
objective in refining shale oil is the production of gasoline and diesel
fuels. Refining operations applied experimentally to refine shale oil
include crude distillation, visbreaking, recycle cracking, coking and
reforming. One of the most promising techniques that maximizes
gasoline yield from shale oil is hydrogenation.
European synthetic catalyst plant built to meet increasing
demand for high-octane gasoline. Growing European demand
for high-octane gasoline is reflected in the construction of a new
synthetic catalyst plant in Warrington, Lancashire, England.
With a capital cost of $2.8 million, the new facility will manu-
facture sodium silicate catalysts, using a process developed by
The Davison Chemical Corp. The new catalyst unit will supply
catalyst to several oil companies including Esso Petroleum Co.,
Anglo-Iranian Co., Shell Refining & Marketing Co. and Bahrein
Petroleum Co. HP
To see the headlines from 1942 to 1922,
visit HydrocarbonProcessing.com.
The Allied forces of WWII depended on aviation fuel to
conduct their operations on several continents in two very
different regions. Consequently, the newer military air force
needed much higher octane fuels than in the pre-1940s era to
meet their mission goals and to transport soldiers and supplies
throughout Europe and the Pacific region.
Role of technology. The refining technology of the
pre1940s included using alkylation processes for octane
goals, and the average refinery blending pool was about 65
octane. However, the new engines for the military air force
needed 100 octane. The US government, in cooperation
with domestic refining companies, embarked on a massive
construction program to expanding the processing capability
and to produce more gasoline and diesel along with higher
octane aviation fuels for the military. This program involved
applying new refining technologies to reach 100 octane for
the blending pool. A new process, fluid catalytic cracking
(FCC), became the foundation to meet this fuel goal. Several
licensing companies joined in the effort. Refining technology
leaders participating in the 100-octane program included The
M. W. Kellogg (now KBR), Universal Oil Products (UOP, a
division of Honeywell) and the Standard Oil Co. The push
was to produce aviation- grade alkylate.
The program involved construction of catalytic cracking
capacity, along with new alkylation and isomerization units.
The core of the program involved the construction of 94 plants
that would support the blending of 100-octane aviation gaso-
line. The cost for the US government sponsored construction
program exceeded $900 million. With completion of the pro-
gram, 60 refineries were equipped with FCC units (FCCUs).
This months cover is a photo of the dedication cer-
emony for The Texas Co.s FCCUs, held Feb. 29, 1944, at
Port Arthur, Texas. This refinery installed two FCCUs. The
first FCCU came onstream in March 1944, and the second
FCCU became operational on April 1944. After startup,
both FCCUs began shipping butylene to the Neches Butane
Products Co., another project sponsored by the US Petroleum
Administration for the War in the Golden Triangle area of
Texas. Neches Butane used butylene streams from the sur-
rounding refineries to produce butadienea feedstock for
the government-sponsored styrene-butadiene rubber (SRB)
manufacturing facilities. By the end of 1945, The Texas Co.s
Port Arthur refinery was producing more than 1 million bpd
of aviation gasoline. HP
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Aviation gasoline plant construction will be completed in 1944, Petroleum
Refiner, January 1944.
Gish, E. N. Gish, Texacos Port Arthur Works, A legacy of Spindle Top and Sour
Lake, www.texacohistory.com
Role of natural gasoline industry in the 100-octane gasoline program,
Petroleum Refiner, May 1943.
HPI and aviation fuel needs of the 1940s
New catalytic cracking unit constructed at The Texas Co.s Port
Arthur, Texas, refinery. The facility was part of a US government
sponsored effort to produce 100 octane aviation fuel for the WWII
effort. Approximately 60 catalytic cracking units were constructed
at US refineries at a total cost of $900 million over a four-year
period, according to the Petroleum Refiner, January 1944.
Dedication ceremony of The Texas Co.s two FCCUs on Feb. 29, 1944.
Good night.
Rest easy, your operation is running
smoothly, efficiently, safely.
Thats because you manage your operation
successfully, without the worry of persistent
lubrication issues that divert attention away
from the core business. You turned to Total
Lubrication Management
SM
from Colfax. They gave
you the on-site team of specialists, the long-term
commitment, the customized program of products,
services and expertise, the sustainable, continuous
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so that you have many more good nights. And
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Colfax Total Lubrication Management...
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Colfax is a registered trademark and Total Lubrication is a service mark of Colfax Corporation. 2012 Colfax Corporation. All rights reserved.
HEINZ P. BLOCH, RELIABILITY/EQUIPMENT EDITOR
HPIN RELIABILITY
HB@HydrocarbonProcessing.com

I

13
We received a nice compliment recently from a reader in South
America. He wrote: I am a mechanical engineer working on
power plant designs at a major corporation and admire your work
as a writer of turbomachinery books. Your texts are much respected
and I usually refer to them to find answers to my equipment ques-
tions. He then added, I am writing you because I could not find
all the answers in your steam turbine text.
1
My aim is to clear up
some doubts related to steam turbine technical specifications. More
specifically, the corporation is developing a combined-cycle power
plant project that includes an 86-MW condensing-type steam tur-
bine with one reheat entry. The HP inlet steam is at 110 bar and
540C and the reheat is being designed for 24 bar.
We are communicating with several respected steam-turbine
manufacturers and some of them are proposing a standard-type
machine. In other words, they offer a turbine with a single casing
and a single rotor direct-coupled to the generator. But there are
also some manufacturers that propose a cross-compound-type
machine, a turbine with two casings and two rotors. In one offer,
the HP rotor is coupled to the generator by gearbox and the IP/
LP casing is direct-coupled to the generator.
Personally, I am not comfortable with the cross-compound
machine. Accordingly, I would like to know your opinion about
this machine. Is this solution technically feasible? Are there many
operating and maintenance (O&M) problems?
I drafted an answer agreeing that the recent Bloch-Singh
steam-turbine book gives little guidance on the matter.
1
It does,
of course, describe similar machines. However, the book may
have added to the readers confusion by mentioning not only
cross-compound double-casing machines, but also double-shell
steam turbines.
More information needed. The only way one could make
a definitive judgment is to:
a) Look at the guaranteed efficiencies of the two different
offers and keep in mind the overall steam balance of the facility
b) Make a decision as to how well trained the operators will be
c) Closely examine the respective field and service experience
histories of the two different turbine offers.
Complying with the basic requirements of a), b) and c) requires
considerable diligence, time and effort. The reviewer should add
to this a thorough check of the gearbox design and should accept
that time is needed to draw up a comprehensive comparison
between the two offers. It would even be appropriate to ask if the
original inquiry went to the right bidders. It is always prudent
to solicit bids from manufacturers that have ample experience
with both direct-drive generator turbines and the more complex
compound/reheat multi-casing machines.
With time permitting, consider including a few bidders who
can comment on the very advisability of double-shell machines.
A double-shell construction machine prevents inlet steam coming
into direct contact with the outer casing joint. These machines
require less attention from the operator. However, during the
maintenance cycle, this steam turbine does need very competent
maintenance skills.
Cross-compound machines are probably found on shipboard,
but predominantly at inlet pressures slightly lower than 110 bar.
Again, substantial inquiring should be done before a decision can
be made. As regards items to be reviewed, one might investigate the
lubrication system. In a cross-compound machine, the input and
output shafts are at different levels, and the lubrication system serves
not only the turbine and generator bearings, but also the gearbox.
Investigate who makes the gearbox and how the gears are lubricated.
Total cost issues. Initial cost, operating cost (efficiency) and
long-term reliability expenses are of interest, and the total must
be considered as part of the life-cycle cost. All are of equal concern
and, without making a final judgment one way or the other, many
different options should be explored before reaching a conclusion.
Although one should make good use of vendor input and defer to
their demonstrated experience, expect double-shell machines to cost
more money and cross-compound machines to require more than
the average maintenance commitment. And the simple machine
would also stay in the running until all the data are reviewed.
Dont get caught in the lean and mean craze. A
perceptive reader may have seen how our answer alludes to the
Selecting steam turbines in a lean environment
Axial rocking
First axial
First tangential
0
4,000
1,000 0 2,000 3,000
Turbine speed, rpm
5 x running
speed
6

x

N
P
F
5

x

N
P
F
4

x

N
P
F
3
x
N
P
F
2
x
N
P
F
1 x NPF
(44 NOZ)
4,000 5,000 6,000
8,000
12,000
F
r
e
q
u
e
n
c
y
,

H
Z
16,000
20,000
24,000
Governor
adjustment range
(3,520 to 5,293)
Mode
54
52
51
50
49
48
46
45
43
39
31
29
28
27
24
23
22
Rated
speed
28,000
Campbell or interference diagram for a partial steam
turbine stage.
FIG. 1
HPIN RELIABILITY
14

I

subject of suitability analyses or pre-purchase selection work that
needs to be done. We were reminded of the pitfalls of lean and
mean when another facility experienced several extreme failures
on smaller two-stage back-pressure mechanical drive steam tur-
bines. For several years, these turbines had been driving refrigera-
tion compressors without incidents. Then, about two years ago,
the refrigeration gas composition was changed to accommodate
new (and well-justified) environmental concerns. The new gas
conditions mandated a speed change for the steam turbine drivers,
and multiple catastrophic blade failures have occurred since then.
It seems that the equipment owner was unaware of the need
to look at the vibration modes of the blades for these steam tur-
bines. A Campbell diagram, or interference diagram (Fig. 1) is
used to indicate what speeds to avoid and to safeguard blade life
in a particular stage. Because almost all blade failures are caused
by vibratory stresses, many reliability-conscious purchasers are
requesting Campbell diagrams with turbine quotes or orders. A
Campbell diagram is a graph with turbine speed (r/min) plotted
on the horizontal axis and the frequency, in cycles/sec, plotted
on the vertical axis. Also drawn in are the blade frequencies and
the stage-exciting frequencies. When a blade frequency and an
exciting frequency coincide or intersect, it is called resonance.
Stress magnitudes are greatly amplified at resonance.
Over the past few years, the mindless interpretations given
to lean and mean thinking have often led to costly oversights.
No time or budget is allocated to understanding what happens
when steam turbine speeds are re-set for operations away from
the original governor adjustment range. The result has been a
much higher probability of steam-turbine-blade failures. Con-
sider this comment a plea to know if and when it is proper to be
lean or green, or whatever. Evaluating interference diagrams and
steam turbine blade stresses is a mandatory task that can never
be overlooked in a modern plant
Likewise, let your specifications reflect attention to seem-
ingly small issues; include such items as keeping lube oil from
exiting the bearing housing, or steam leakage from entering into
a bearing housing. Review how best-of-class companies have
systematically solved these problems by using advanced bearing
protector seals (see HPIn Reliability, August 2010) or by scrupu-
lously avoiding outdated or risk-prone old-style components (see
HPIn Reliability, October 2007 and HPIn Reliability, May 2009).
Include details on field erection requirements in your specifica-
tion; HPIn Reliability, February 2008 commented on these.
Avoid carbon seal rings in steam turbines (HPIn Reliability, April
2008) and use only the most advantageous seal configurations in
turbine-support pumps (HPIn Reliability, January 2009). These
are just some of the items that can allow you to achieve lowest
possible cost of ownership. HP
LITERATURE CITED

1
Bloch, H. P. and M. P. Singh, Steam Turbines: Design, Applications and
Re-Rating, 2nd Ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, New York, 2009.
Alejandra Peralta, CHEMCAD Support Expert
Engineering advanced
2012 Chemstations, Inc. All rights reserved. | CMS-322-1 1/12
Need to incorporate custom
processing equipment or
property calculations into
your simulations?
Were on it.
See other ways CHEMCAD helps advance
engineering at chemstations.com/demos02.
CHEMCAD_VBA
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tubular filter
SLURRY
CAKE
CUSTOM
STREAM
PROPERTY
The author is Hydrocarbon Processings Reliability/Equipment Editor. A practic-
ing consulting engineer with 50 years of applicable experience, he advises process
plants worldwide on failure analysis, reliability improvement and maintenance cost-
avoidance topics.
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1
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3
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PAULA HOLLYWOOD, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
HPINTEGRATION STRATEGIES
phollywood@arcweb.com

I

17
Standards needed for laboratory system integration
Industries across the board are coping with relentless pressure
to reduce costs while simultaneously improving product quality.
The hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI) has an additional
challenge in achieving higher product quality as a result of the
heavier raw materials available for processing. Heavier crude
feedstock from sources such as the Canadian tar sands have high
sulfur content, thus making them more complex and expensive to
refine. This heavier feedstock is in direct contrast to requirements
for low-sulfur products dictated by ever-more-stringent regula-
tory requirements. In this environment, a well-designed quality
management system (QMS), which includes a robust laboratory
information management system (LIMS) that facilitates ISO
17025:2005 accreditation is critical to ensuring product quality
and customer satisfaction.
LIMS is vital to quality management. Inspection systems
that perform product sampling and chemical analyses are expen-
sive; yet, they can be easily justified. Reprocessing or scrapping
product wastes time, money and resources. Furthermore, off-spec
product can lead to unhappy customers or worse, product recalls
that can damage the manufacturers corporate image. Conversely,
product quality over and above that required by contractual obli-
gations incurs additional costs for which manufacturers are not
compensated, and this impacts margins and profitability.
A comprehensive QMS with an integrated LIMS can help
reduce product variability and improve operational performance.
In the HPI, lower-grade feedstock may dictate higher in-process
sampling and analysis rates to prevent defects during the manu-
facturing process. When integrated with manufacturing execution
system (MES) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems,
production and other departments can access quality-related infor-
mation generated by the LIMS to help ensure that products meet
defined specifications and demonstrate compliance with regula-
tory, product and safety standards.
An LIMS, such as Sample Manager 10 from Thermo Fisher
Scientific, adds value to quality assurance (QA)/quality control
(QC) systems with full traceability functionality and it serves as a
repository for documents and reports as evidence of compliance.
An LIMS can provide vital information at the front end of the
manufacturing cycle. Identifying off-spec raw materials upon
inspection can provide the needed heads-up to tune the production
process to yield acceptable final product(s). It can demonstrate that
a sample was handled appropriately and that the analysis was done
by a properly trained, qualified technician. It can act as a repository
for laboratory equipment and maintenance histories or analytical
method validation, as well as the corporate quality manual. LIMS
data can also be useful in determining the appropriate corrective
action for off-spec product and to evaluate the performance of the
quality system. Upon final QA quality and contamination checks,
it can quickly release shipments.
If a non-compliant lot was inadvertently shipped, fast efficient
flow of information will ensure that a recall can be quickly imple-
mented. Without traceability records from an LIMS, it would be
nearly impossible to accomplish product recalls in a timely and
controlled manner.
Integrated LIMS enhances QC. In the manufacturing envi-
ronment, analytical measurements define the who, what, when,
where and how of a manufacturing process. As the backbone of
the laboratory, an LIMS provides quantitative and qualitative infor-
mation about chemical processes for enhanced QC. The wealth of
analytical measurements provided places increased importance on
integrating this information into higher-level enterprise application
platforms. To improve response to operational issues, managers
look to technology to connect plant floor and business systems, like
ERP, product information management system (PIMS) and MES,
making it critical that analytical information are presented to the
viewer in the context of their role, responsibility and authority. For
real-time quality management, information visibility is the driver
behind the demand for better integration of laboratory-generated
information throughout the enterprise. Laboratory ISO 17025
compliance demonstrates commitment to quality.
Due to fluctuations in raw materials, HPI laboratories are
becoming almost like third-party service laboratories. As such,
these labs must assure compliance of product(s) to specifica-
tions, making laboratory accreditation with standards such ISO
17025:2005 no longer just nice to have, but a necessity to ensure
conformance and customer satisfaction. Compliance with as ISO
17025 demonstrates a commitment to quality, and provides cus-
tomers the assurance that the laboratorys management and techni-
cal requirements adhere to globally accepted best practices.
ISO 17025 requires a complete history of each piece of equip-
ment including checks and calibrations performed prior to being
placed in service as well as detailed records of all calibrations,
repairs, maintenance and performance checks over the serviced life
of the device. A clear advantage for final product manufacturers is
that utilizing certified ISO 17025 laboratories as subcontractors
fulfills all the requirements as applicable to calibration and test-
ing activities of an ISO 9001 quality management system. This
enables the manufacturer to recognize the sub-contractor as ISO
9001 certified for any work done within the ISO 17025 scope.
Quality audits of an accredited subcontractor are not required.
HPI manufacturers can use the statements of work provided by
an LIMS to ensure that customer requests match the delivery of
samples to the lab, along with and the delivery of results back to
the customer. HP
The author has nearly 30 years experience in the areas of sales and product
marketing in industrial field instruments that utilize a vast array of technologies
including magnetic, Coriolis, radar, electrochemistry, capacitance and ultrasonic.
low rare earth loves
high performance
BASFs Rare Earth ALternative (REAL) solutions target the needs
of todays Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) catalyst market.
Through a world-class combination of technology, technical
service, procurement expertise, and investments in manufacturing
and R&D, BASF delivers performance and value to customers
looking for options to reduce rare earth costs.

At BASF, we create chemistry.
Realize the value of BASF innovation.
Visit www.catalysts.basf.com/real
HPIMPACT
BILLY THINNES, TECHNICAL EDITOR
BT@HydrocarbonProcessing.com

I

19
Bio-based polymers
could be next big thing
Biofuels and bio-based chemicals have been promoted as a
potential solution for dependence on petroleum. They also have
favorable greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels and
petrochemicals because any carbon sourced from biomass can be
directly traced to atmospheric CO
2
via photosynthesis. Plus, the
increased emphasis on lifecycle analysis for both economic and
ecological factors has caused industry players to become familiar
with the details of bio-feedstocks. The drumbeat for biofuels has
thundered for some time now, but new analysis is showing that
bio-based polymers could become the next big thing.
Global commodity polymer demand grew from 20002007.
After a slight dip in recent years due to the economic downturn,
consumption is expected to continue to grow for the next ten
years (Fig. 1), providing an opportunity for bio-based polymers
to enter the market and make a splash. This idea is put forth and
explored in a new report from Nexant called, Plants to plastics:
Can nature compete in commodity polymers?
Many producers, especially in high cost locations, have been
looking for lower cost feedstocks in places like the Middle East, or
are considering alternative feedstocks such as bio-based sources.
With virtually all Middle East ethane allocations already appor-
tioned for petrochemical projects, a portion of the next wave of new
ethylene may well be from bio-based sources that can emerge from
strong agricultural-based economies such as Brazil, the US or India.
As illustrated in Fig. 2, there are many conventional routes
to polymers that can be integrated with bio-based feedstocks to
either supplement or replace current petrochemical feedstocks.
The report from Nexant compares technology, economics and
potential markets for polymers produced via renewable sources
versus petrochemical sources.
Bio-ethanol dehydration to ethylene is a 40-year-old commer-
cial technology available for license from companies in Sweden
and the US. Bio-based green propylene and other green com-
modity polymers most often can be made by adapting conven-
tional petrochemical routes like metathesis. Metathesis is a com-
mon process to react butylenes with ethylene to make propylene.
Bio-propylene has a few alternative routes, including:
0
2
0
0
0
2
0
0
1
2
0
0
2
2
0
0
3
2
0
0
4
2
0
0
5
2
0
0
6
2
0
0
7
2
0
0
8
2
0
0
9
2
0
1
0
2
0
1
1
2
0
1
2
2
0
1
3
2
0
1
4
2
0
1
5
2
0
1
6
2
0
1
7
2
0
1
8
2
0
1
9
2
0
2
0
50,000
G
l
o
b
a
l

c
o
m
m
o
d
i
t
y

p
o
l
y
m
e
r
s
d
e
m
a
n
d
,

t
h
o
u
s
a
n
d

t
o
n
s
LDPE
PET
LLDPE
HDPE
PP
100,000
150,000
200,000
250,000
Global commodity polymers demand from 20002020. FIG. 1
Fermentation
(yeasts, bacteria, fungi)
Propane
Rubber,
ABS, etc.
BTX
Natural gas
Naphtha Ethane
Steam cracker
Propylene Butadiene Ethylene
PET
PE PP
Ethylene
oxide
+H
2
O
Renery
PX
PTA
Ethylene
glycol
PVC
Crude oil
+O
2
+O
2
Conventional petrochemical routes
PDH
Renewable feedstocks
Grains/Starches
Corn*
Wheat
Grain sorghum
Cassava
Lipids
Vegetable oils*
Fats
Greases
Jatropha
Algae
Sugars
Sugarcane*
Beets
Sorghum
Lignocellulosic
Wood
Grasses
Corn stover
Straws
MSW
Hydrolysis
Pre-treatment
biomass
FCC
Lipids
Transesterication
Glycerine
Propylene
Thermochemical
(gasication, pyrolysis,
catalysis)
Propane
PDH
Isobutanol
Ethanol
Isobutylene
Isooctene
PX
Ethylene
Pyrolysis
w/zeolite
BTX
Potential green integration into the polymer value chain. FIG. 2
20

I
HPIMPACT
Bio-butanol dehydration to butylenes metathesized with
bio-ethylene
Bio-ethylene dimerization to butylenes metathesized with
bio-ethylene to make bio-propylene
Bio-based propane dehydrogenation
Fermentation to propanol followed by dehydration.
The three leading commodity polymers in the market (all
grades of polyethylene, polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride) are
highly relevant to large volume applications, and can all poten-
tially be made by bio-based routes. That is, finished bio-polymers
can potentially be made that will be indistinguishable from the
best-performing conventional polymers, but with carbon content
completely sourced from green plants or biomass.
The report also examines bio-based polyethylene terephthalate,
which can be produced by adapting conventional petrochemical
routes. Bio-based terephthalic acid can be made from paraxylene via
the benzene, toluene and xylene process from renewable feedstocks.
Also of note is bio-based mono ethylene glycol, which can be pro-
duced via conventional ethylene-oxide routes using bio-ethylene.
The next 10 years could see bio-based polymers having a major
impact on downstream polymer production (or not). Only time
will tell.
European pipeline performance
European oil industry group CONCAWE has collected 40
years of spillage data on European cross-country oil pipelines with
particular regard to spillages volume, cleanup and recovery, envi-
ronmental consequences and causes of the incidents. The results
have been published in annual reports since 1971. CONCAWE
recently issued a report that covers the performance of these
pipelines in 2010 and provides a full historical perspective since
1971. The performance over the whole 40-year period is analyzed
in various ways, including gross and net spillage volumes. Spillage
causes are grouped into five main categories: mechanical failure,
operational, corrosion, natural hazard and third party.
Data for the CONCAWE annual survey comes from 77 com-
panies and agencies operating oil pipelines in Europe. For 2010,
data was received from 69 operators representing over 160 pipe-
line systems and a combined length of 34,645 km (Fig. 3), slightly
less than the 2009 inventory. There were minor corrections to the
reported data.
Nine operators did not report, but CONCAWE believes
none of them suffered a spill in 2010. Nevertheless, they are
not included in the statistics. The reported volume transported
in 2010 was just under 800 million m
3
of crude oil and refined
products, about 10% less than in 2009. Four spillage incidents
were reported in 2010, corresponding to 0.12 spillages per 1,000
km of line, well below both the 5-year average of 0.25 and the
long-term running average of 0.52, which has been steadily
decreasing over the years from a value of 1.2 in the mid-1970s
(Fig. 4). There were no reported fires, fatalities or injuries con-
nected with these spills. The gross spillage volume was low at 336
m
3
(Fig. 5). This is 10 m
3
per 1,000 km of pipeline compared
to the long-term average of 78 m
3
per 1,000 km of pipeline.
Yearly
Running average
5-year moving
average
G
r
o
s
s

s
p
i
l
l
a
g
e

v
o
l
u
m
e
,

m
3
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
1
9
7
1
1
9
7
3
1
9
7
5
1
9
7
7
1
9
7
9
1
9
8
1
1
9
8
3
1
9
8
5
1
9
8
7
1
9
8
9
1
9
9
1
1
9
9
3
1
9
9
5
1
9
9
7
1
9
9
9
2
0
0
1
2
0
0
3
2
0
0
5
2
0
0
7
2
0
0
9
Gross spillage volume from 19712010. FIG. 6
0
200
400
600
800
1,000
1,200
1,400
1,600
0
1
9
7
1
1
9
7
3
1
9
7
5
1
9
7
7
1
9
7
9
1
9
8
1
1
9
8
3
1
9
8
5
1
9
8
7
1
9
8
9
1
9
9
1
1
9
9
3
1
9
9
5
1
9
9
7
1
9
9
9
2
0
0
1
2
0
0
3
2
0
0
5
2
0
0
7
2
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9
5
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30
35
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White products
Hot
CONCAWE oil pipeline inventory and main service
categories from 19712010.
FIG. 3
0
5
10
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2
0
0
1
2
0
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3
2
0
0
5
2
0
0
7
2
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9
The 40-year trend for the annual number of spillages for
all pipelines.
FIG. 4
0
50
100
150
200
250
Mechanical Operational Corrosion Natural 3rd party
A
v
e
r
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m
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The 40-year average gross spillage volume listed per event
by cause.
FIG. 5
HPIMPACT

I

21
CONCAWE reports that essentially all the spilled volume was
recovered or safely disposed.
Two of the spills accounted for about 95% of the gross spill
volume. Over the long term, less than 20% of the spillages are
responsible for about 80% of the gross volume spilled (Fig. 6).
Pipelines carrying hot oils such as fuel oil have in the past suffered
from external corrosion due to design and construction problems.
Most have been shut down or switched to cold service (Fig. 7), so
that the great majority of pipelines now carry unheated petroleum
products and crude oil. Only 159 km of hot oil pipelines are
reported to be in service today. The last reported spill from a hot
oil pipeline was in 2002.
Of the four reported incidents in 2010, two were related to
mechanical failures, one was caused by external corrosion, and
one was the result of third party activities. Over the long term,
third party activities remain the main cause of spillage incidents,
although the number of events has progressively decreased over the
years. Mechanical failure is the second largest cause of spillage. After
great progress during the first 20 years, the frequency of mechanical
failures has been on an upward trend over the last decade.
In-line inspections were at a record high in 2010. A total of 89
sections covering a total of 12,300 km (45% more than in 2009)
were inspected by at least one type of intelligence pipeline inspec-
tion gauge (pig). Most inspection programs involved the running
of more than one type of pig in the same section, so that the total
actual length inspected was less at 7,178 km (21% of the inventory).
Most pipeline systems were built in the 1960s and 1970s.
Whereas, in 1971, 70% of the inventory was 10 years old or less,
by 2010 only 4.4% was 10 years old or less and 50% was over
40 years old. However, this has not led to an increase in spillages.
Overall, there is no evidence that the aging of the pipeline system
implies a greater risk of spillage. The development and use of new
techniques, such as internal inspection with intelligence pigs, hold
out the prospect that pipelines can continue reliable operations
for the foreseeable future. HP
C
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p
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%
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
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1.0
0
20
40
60
80
100
1971-
1975
1976-
1980
1981-
1985
1986-
1990
1991-
1995
1996-
2000
2001-
2005
2006-
2010
S
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k
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3rd party
Natural
Corrosion
Operational
Mechanical
All causes
Cold pipelines spillage by cause. FIG. 7
AAAAALLLLLUUUUUEEEEE RRRRREEEEEAAAAATTTTTIIIIIOOOOONNNNN VALUE CREATION
YOU CAN RELY ON US.

EBARA CORPORATION
HPINNOVATIONS

I

23
SELECTED BY HYDROCARBON PROCESSING EDITORS
Editorial@HydrocarbonProcessing.com
AESSEAL wins big
at IMechE awards
The UK-based mechanical seals manu-
facturer was nominated for seven out of nine
categories at the Institution of Mechanical
Engineers (IMechE) Manufacturing Excel-
lence 2011 awards, and was voted Overall
Winner. It also won the IMechE Customer
Focus award.
AESSEAL has grown at an average rate
of 20% per year since opening in 1979,
and it is now the worlds fourth-largest
mechanical seal manufacturer, with more
than 70 sites worldwide. The firms water-
management technology also saves industry
over 25 billion gal of clean water per year.
Total sales are expected to rise from around
128 million (MM) in 2011 to 150 MM
in 2012 and to 200 MM by 2015.
The company offers a wide product
range, including cartridge mechanical
seals, gas seals, component seals and bear-
ing protection. AESSEAL has also emerged
as a product leader, crossing into new but
complementary sectors such as seal support,
health care contract management of host
equipment, and refurbishment services for
rotating equipment.
AESSEALs logistical and operational
efficiencies are evident in its ability to
deliver much of its product range with a lead
time of two days. The firm is investing in a
new product life-cycle management system
for 2012, which it hopes will give it even
greater control over its production processes.
Additionally, the company has invested
heavily in its customer support teams both
in the UK and abroad, and has established
a global network of subsidiaries rather than
relying extensively on agents. This approach
gives it global coherence in customer service.
Jonathan Wilkinson, CEO of AES-
SEAL, explained, The companys pur-
pose has always been clear: to deliver such
exceptional service that our customers need
never consider an alternate means of supply.
Delivering on that promise is difficult, but
the business has been designed to achieve it.
Fieldbus introduces
devices for H1 ITK 6.0
The Fieldbus Foundation recently
registered the first Foundation fieldbus
devices based on its H1 Interoperability
Test Kit (ITK) Version 6.0. Emerson Pro-
cess Management and Yokogawa supplied
the registered H1 (31.25 kilobits/second)
devices, which were tested for their func-
tionality and conformity with the Founda-
tion function block and transducer block
specifications.
Emersons registered devices include the
TopWorx D2-FF Discrete Valve Control-
ler, which combines analog/digital position
sensing and monitoring with Foundation
fieldbus communications and pilot valve
output drivers for on/off applications;
and the Rosemount Analytical 1066 pH
Transmitter, which measures pH and ORP/
Redox, and provides comprehensive sensor,
transmitter and calibration diagnostics to
the bus via field diagnostics.
Yokogawas registered devices are
enhanced pressure transmitters featuring
innovations in multi-sensing technology that
makes use of a single-crystal silicon resonant
sensor. They also support AR, IS, SC, IT and
PID function blocks; NE107 field diagnos-
tics; and software download function.
All H1 ITK 6.0-tested devices support
the latest advancements in field diagnostics
per the NAMUR NE107 recommenda-
tion, which builds upon the existing diag-
nostic capabilities of Foundation field-
bus equipment. At the same time, it adds a
greater degree of organization so that field
instruments can represent their diagnostics
in a more consistent way. For example, the
use of NE 107 field diagnostic capabilities
allows noncritical diagnostics to be routed
to a maintenance station for future work,
while critical diagnostics can be routed to
operations with specific recommendations
on how to resolve an instrumentation issue.
This and other advanced ITK 6.0 features
are fully configurable to provide flexibility
in user applications.
A complete list of registered Founda-
tion fieldbus products is available in the
Fieldbus Foundations registered catalog at
www.fieldbus.org/registered.
Sinopec picks new technology
for catalyst research
The Chinese oil firms Research Institute
of Petroleum Processing (RIPP) recently
selected parallel reactor technology from
htethe high throughput experimenta-
tion companyto enhance its research and
development (R&D) efficiency in oil refin-
ing. The X2000-series catalyst testing sys-
tem from hte is optimized for clean gasoline
production. The parallel reactor system was
scheduled to be delivered to Sinopec RIPP
in Beijing, China at the end of 2011.
RIPPs decision to choose htes technol-
ogy was based on its favorable performance
in a pre-validation study of htes reactor
systems. The X2000-series parallel reactor
system offers stable control of all key pro-
cess parameters, which means that 16 cata-
lysts can be tested simultaneously under the
same or variable conditions over extended
periods of time.
Small-scale testing reduces the amount
of feed and catalyst required, while the qual-
ity of the data is comparable to pilot plant
data. The tailored unit features an analyti-
cal suite for real-time, full-product analysis,
which will allow Sinopec RIPP to reduce the
time to market for new catalyst solutions.
As HP editors, we hear about new
products, patents, software, processes,
services, etc., that are true industry
innovationsa cut above the typical
product offerings. This section enables
us to highlight these significant
developments. For more information from
these companies, please go to our website
at www.HydrocarbonProcessing.com/rs
and select the reader service number.
Award-winning AESSEAL offers a
wide range of products.
FIG. 1
24

I

HPINNOVATIONS
New flowmeters measure
CNG mass flow
Endress+Hausers Coriolis CNG mass
flowmeters measure direct mass or corrected
volume flow of compressed natural gas with
0.5% accuracy. The series has been approved
by six US and international standards orga-
nizations for custody transfer of compressed
natural gas (CNG) and for fueling vehicles
with CNG, and by five standards organiza-
tions for use in hazardous areas.
Available in three common sizes from
3
8 in. to 1 in., the CNG mass flowmeter
measures mass flow up to 330 lb/min (150
kg/min) at fluid temperatures up to 257F
(125C) and pressures up to 5,080 psi
(350 bar). The instrument measures direct
mass or corrected volume flow with 0.5%
accuracy to meet custody standards. It also
outputs temperature and density. As the
Coriolis flowmeter is a balanced, two-tube
design, it is insensitive to pipeline vibrations
and can be installed without taking inlet or
outlet runs into consideration.
When used for custody transfer, the
flowmeter is verified onsite using refer-
ence measurements approved by the local
authority for legal metrology controls.
The flowmeter must be locked for cus-
tody-transfer measurements and sealed by
authorized personnel, but it can easily be
converted back to normal measurements.
The transmitter housing is powder-
coated aluminium, the sensor housing is
acid- and alkali-resistant stainless steel, and
all process connections are stainless steel.
A multi-colored LED on the transmitter
housing indicates the status of the instru-
ment and the process conditionssuch
as creepage, system working/not working,
custody-transfer mode started and explicit
Modbus messages.
Four configuration methods are avail-
able for this product. Endress+Hausers
FieldCare software can be used for onsite
configuration, verification and diagnostics.
The instrument can also be configured via
a highway addressable remote transducer
(HART), manually via the local display, or
with a plug-in electrically erasable program-
mable read-only memory (EEPROM).
Dresser-Rand receives
Norwegian technology grant
Dresser-Rand, a global supplier of rotat-
ing equipment solutions to the oil, gas, pet-
rochemical and process industries, has been
awarded 4 million (MM) NOK ($684,000
USD) in public grant funding by Innova-
tion Norway (IN). The grant will be used to
support testing for a new, environmentally
friendly turbine-generator set known as the
Dresser-Rand KG2-3G unit.
KG2 gas turbines for power genera-
tion have a 99.3% start reliability, full-load
throw-on capacity, and minimal mainte-
nance requirements. Dresser-Rand KG2 gas
turbines are ideal for standby and continu-
ous power supply for onshore and offshore
applications. The KG2-3G unit comes with
an acoustic enclosure for onshore installa-
tion and is suitable for a variety of applica-
tions, including biofuel systems.
The KG2 generator set has been spe-
cifically designed to meet requirements for
power from 1 MW to 10 MW at single and
multiple units. More than 900 units have
been delivered for standby, industrial, and
oil and gas applications worldwide.
The unit will be installed at the WIN-
GAS Transport GmbH site in Greifswald,
Germany, where the North Stream pipeline
comes into Europe from Russia. WINGAS
will provide natural gas for the field test in
exchange for the heat and power produced
by the KG2-3G turbine. The electric power
will be exported, and the exhaust heat will
be used to heat pipeline gas coming out of
the Baltic Sea. The equipment was sched-
uled for delivery in January 2012, and the
test is planned for up to 8,000 hours of
field operation.
IN, a development funding arm of
the Norwegian government that supports
environmental initiatives, awarded Dresser-
Rand the funding because the KG2-3G tur-
bine is expected to drastically reduce fuel
consumption, decrease CO
2
emissions by
35%, and decrease NO
X
and CO emissions
by 80% compared to the rating of the KG2-
3E turbine.
Barcode reader available
for hazardous areas
Pepperl+Fuchs recently introduced the
PowerScan Barcode Reader System for
Zone 1 and Division 1 hazardous areas.
The wireless PowerScan M system for
Zone 1 locations consists of a transmit-
ter and base station, with power provided
by a charger located in the safe area. The
wired PowerScan D system for Division 1
and Zone 1 locations consists of a barcode
reader connected via a junction box to the
host PC, which can be located up to 150
meters (m) away in the safe area.
With PowerScan, all common, one-
dimensional barcode families can be cap-
tured, and patented technology effectively
scans damaged and difficult-to-read bar-
codes. The rugged housing ensures full
functionality, even after being dropped
from a height of 2 m.
PowerScan features a targeting guide
that helps the user achieve successful read-
ings when codes are located in close prox-
imity to one another. Three green LEDs
located on the top and back of the barcode
reader are visible from any angle to visually
confirm that the code has been successfully
read. Successful readings are also confirmed
with an audible tone, and the result can be
read in the display.
PowerScan can be used as a stand-alone
solution, or in combination with VisuNet
industrial operator work stations or TER-
MEX operator terminals.
CNG flowmeter measures direct
mass or volume flow.
FIG. 2
New barcode scanner is ideal for
hazardous areas.
FIG. 3
Decades of experience in the oil and gas industry, leading
technical expertise, and our own product development
and production facilities are the solid foundation for a
wide range of high-performance products and services.
We offer comprehensive solutions for the entire life cycle
of a plant and along the entire oil and gas value chain.
The basis is our global engineering and project manage-
www.siemens.com/oilandgas
Solutions for the oil and gas industry
ment expertise as well as extensive experience in turnkey
projects. Siemens early involvement in the concept phase
results in the best possible technical solutions and limits
project risks. And packages for entire functionalities
reduce interface conflicts to help optimize a plants CAPEX
and OPEX.
Solutions for real
technical challenges
Siemens always goes the extra mile to supply innovative
and reliable oil and gas solutions.
E
5
0
0
0
1
-
E
4
4
0
-
F
1
5
7
-
V
1
-
4
A
0
0
26

I

HPINNOVATIONS
Safety Manager FDU caters
to small operations
Honeywell recently introduced its new
Safety Manager field device unit (FDU),
which allows process manufacturers to more
easily implement small, stand-alone safety
applications in their facilities. The offer-
ing combines Honeywell Process Solutions
widely used Safety Manager platform and
Remote Universal Safe input/output into a
single, space-friendly unit that meets stan-
dards IEC61508 and IEC61511 for safety
integrity level three (SIL-3) out of the box.
The modules small size makes it ideal
for plants that need to quickly implement
integrated safety measures for applications
such as burner or boiler management sys-
tems. This is critical due to increasingly
stringent safety regulations and compliance
standards, which often require manufactur-
ers to upgrade or even replace existing safety
equipment. For example, an outdated, non-
compliant panel in a boiler management
system could be replaced with the FDU in
the limited space close to the boiler.
Additionally, the FDU has a low installa-
tion cost since it requires fewer engineering
hours at initial implementation and remains
cost-effective over the course of its life cycle.
Also, because it arrives SIL-3-certified, the
system requires no extra engineering cost
to achieve higher certification levels, which
reduces associated capital expenditures and
the need to certify a system after its arrival.
Biobutanol technology refined
for commercial activities
Butamax Advanced Biofuels recently
announced agreement on commercializa-
tion principles with Highwater Ethanol, the
first entrant to the Butamax Early Adopt-
ers Group. Butamaxs business model is to
offer current ethanol producers proprietary
biobutanol technology to permit improved
biofuels growth and plant profitability.
The Early Adopters Group includes
founding member Highwater Ethanol, a
leading ethanol producer based in the US
state of Minnesota. The ICM-designed
facility was constructed by Fagen with a
nameplate capacity of 50 MM gal/year.
In November 2010, Butamax ann-
ounced the addition of a technology labora-
tory in Paulinia, Brazil to accelerate process
development efforts for producing biobuta-
nol from sugar cane. In addition, the Buta-
max technology demonstration facility in
Hull, England is producing biobutanol to
support the design of commercial facilities.
Biobutanol is a high-performing, drop-
in biofuel that can be blended at higher
concentrations than ethanol without the
need for infrastructure changes. At 16%
volume, biobutanol delivers twice the
renewable energy content of 10% etha-
nol blends. It is compatible with current
automotive vehicles, retail stations and fuel
distribution pipelines. The favorable blend-
ing properties of biobutanol help reduce a
refiners cost of producing gasoline and also
provide an attractive route to Renewable
Fuel Standard 2 compliance in the US.
Highwater Ethanol LLC facility in
Minnesota.
FIG. 4
www.fourquest.com
PRE- COMMI SSI ONI NG?
Want
FourQuest Energy provides pre-commissioning as well as regular
shutdown and maintenance services to the Energy Industry including: steam
blowing, air blowing, oil fushing, chemical cleaning, fuid pumping, nitrogen
services, engineering & procedure writing, pipeline pigging and testing, static
load tank testing, hydro-testing and fltration & heating services. We are
focused on fulflling the needs of our clients in the Oil and Gas and Power
industry across Canada, the Middle East and Caspian.
www.
FourQuest En
shutdown and main
blowing, air blowing
services, engineerin
load tank testing, h
focused on fulflling
industry across Can
Find Us On:
SCAN WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE
TO VIEW OUR WEBSITE
separation loves undivided attention
The reliability of the gas separation unit is essential for the successful performance of the whole plant.
Our customers can rely on our undivided attention to ensure continuous smooth operation. Under its
new OASE
brand, BASF provides gas treatment solutions consisting of technology, services and
products. We at BASF combine the experience of more than 40 years and about 300 distinct references
with the latest innovations to provide you with your unique solution. So if our undivided attention results
in your optimal gas separation and a smile on your face, its because at BASF we create chemistry.
www.basf.com/oase-gastreatment
GAS TREATING EXCELLENCE
power
your
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45678
WR525 high-temperature thermoplastic composites
Greene, Tweed & Co. | PetroChem & Power | Tel: +1.281.765.4500 | www.gtweed.com
0
1
/
1
2

A
D
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U
K
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P
P
-
0
0
9
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Demanding environments wear critical componentsespecially metallic ones
decreasing functionality and slowing delivery. But WR525 actually improves
efciency and MTBF, powering performance so you can nish faster, stronger
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WR composites are powered by Greene, Tweeds innovative technology. Contact us
to learn more about our complete portfolio of Friction & Wear products.

I

29
HPIN CONSTRUCTION
HELEN MECHE, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
HM@HydrocarbonProcessing.com
North America
Sundrop Fuels, Inc., plans to con-
struct and operate its first production
facility on about 1,200 acres of land that
it has purchased near Alexandria, Louisi-
ana. The inaugural plant will use sustain-
able forest waste combined with hydrogen
from clean-burning natural gas to produce
up to 50 million gpy of what is said to be
the worlds first ready-to-use, renewable
green gasoline.
Located in Rapides Parish a few miles
outside of Alexandria, the Sundrop Fuels
advanced biofuels plant will cost approxi-
mately $450 to $500 million to build.
Toyo Engineering Canada Ltd. a
Canadian subsidiary of Toyo Engineer-
ing Corp., has a contract with North West
Redwater Partnership (NWR), a joint
venture between North West Upgrading
Inc. and Canadian Natural Resources
Ltd., to provide engineering design
specification (EDS) work for a heavy-oil
upgrading and refining complex in Stur-
geon County, Alberta. This EDS work is
scheduled to be completed in August 2012.
The NWR projects target is to build
a heavy-oil upgrading and refining com-
plex in three phases with a total capac-
ity of 150,000 bpsd. This complex will
process bitumen extracted from oil sands
to produce naphtha, diesel oil and other
petroleum products. The project is divided
into several units, and Toyo Engineering
Canada Ltd. will provide engineering ser-
vices for a sulfur-recovery unit, a light-ends
recovery unit, a sour water-stripper unit
and an amine-treatment unit.
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners,
L.P., will build, own and operate a petro-
leum condensate processing facility near
its Galena Park terminal on the Houston
Ship Channel in Texas. With an initial
throughput of 25,000 bpd and a design
that provides for future expansions of up
to 100,000 bpd, the approximately $130
million project will split condensate into
its various components, such as light and
heavy naphthas, kerosine and gasoil. A
major oil industry customer is underwrit-
ing, through a fee structure, the initial
throughput of the facility.
The pipeline, which will transport
crude/condensate from the Eagle Ford
shale in south Texas to the Houston Ship
Channel, will consist of almost 70 miles of
new-build construction and 113 miles of
converted natural gas pipeline. Construc-
tion on the pipeline has begun and Kinder
Morgan expects it to be in service in the
second quarter of 2012.
Tesoro Corp. intends to invest approxi-
mately $180 million on a capital project at
the Salt Lake City, Utah, refinery that will
expand crude-oil throughput capacity by
7%. The project will allow the company
to increase throughput of transportation-
advantaged black-wax and yellow-wax
crude oil to 21,000 bpd, an increase of over
100%. The project also includes capital for
conversion unit upgrades designed to drive
a nearly 3% increase in the refinerys clean
product yield. Based on present estimates,
the project has a payback period of less than
two years and is expected to be completed
in two stages in 2013 and 2014, subject to
required permitting.
DKRW Advanced Fuels LLCs wholly
owned subsidiary, Medicine Bow Fuel &
Power LLC (MBFP), has a contract with
Vitol Inc., whereby Vitol would purchase
100% of the gasoline produced from MBFPs
industrial gasification and liquefaction facil-
ity located near Medicine Bow, Wyoming.
The contract is one of the first major com-
mercial agreements in the US for the sale of
liquid transport fuels made from coal.
MBFP plans to sequester the CO
2
that
is captured from the facility by selling the
CO
2
for enhanced oil recovery (EOR).
MBFP has a contract with a subsidiary
of Denbury Resources Inc. to purchase
the CO
2
for use in its EOR operations.
DKRW Advanced Fuels is completing final
development on the project and expects to
complete financing activities and ramp up
construction on the facility in 2012.
Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP has
completed several key feasibility study ele-
ments announced earlier this year and plans
to pursue a project to construct a world-
scale ethane cracker and ethylene derivatives
facilities in the US Gulf Coast region.
Chevron Phillips Chemicals existing
Cedar Bayou facility in Baytown, Texas,
would be the location of the new ethylene
unit. The company has executed agree-
ments with Shaw Energy and Chemicals
to design a 1.5 million-metric-tpy (3.3 bil-
lion-lb/yr) ethane cracker using proprietary
Shaw technology.
Chevron Phillips Chemicals proprietary
technologies would be used for the con-
struction of two new polyethylene facili-
ties, each with a capacity of 500,000 metric
tpy. The new polyethylene units would be
located either at the Cedar Bayou facility or
a site nearby the Chevron Phillips Chemi-
cal Sweeny facility in Old Ocean, Texas. A
final site selection decision for these units
is anticipated during the first quarter of
2012. The estimated completion date for
the project is 2017.
PBF Holding Co. LLC and Dela-
ware City Refining Co. LLC (PBF) have
received conditional approval from PBFs
board of directors for the construction of
the PBF Clean Fuels Project. The $1 billion
project consists of a mild hydrocracker and
hydrogen plant that will be built at PBFs
Delaware City refinery. The construction
period will last approximately three years
and, when completed, will process streams
from both the Delaware City refinery and
PBFs Paulsboro, New Jersey, refinery.
Trend analysis forecasting
Hydrocarbon Processing maintains an
extensive database of historical HPI proj-
ect information. The Boxscore Database is a
35-year compilation of projects by type, oper-
ating company, licensor, engineering/construc-
tor, location, etc. Many companies use the his-
torical data for trending or sales forecasting.
The historical information is available in
comma-delimited or Excel
and can be custom

sorted to suit your needs. The cost depends on
the size and complexity of the sort requested.
You can focus on a narrow request, such as
the history of a particular type of project, or
you can obtain the entire 35-year Boxscore
database or portions thereof. Simply send
a clear description of the data needed and
receive a prompt cost quotation.
Contact: Lee Nichols
P.O. Box 2608, Houston, Texas 77252-2608
713-525-4626 Lee.Nichols@GulfPub.com
HPIN CONSTRUCTION
30

The mild hydrocracker will reduce the
sulfur content by 99% in approximately
65,000 bpd of distillate production from
2,000 ppm of sulfur to less than 15 ppm
of sulfur, resulting in a reduction of over
6,500 tpy of sulfur-dioxide emissions. In
addition, the mild hydrocracker will enable
the refinery to process a heavier crude slate
while producing a greater volume of clean
transportation fuels with an emphasis on
increasing distillate production.
Linde in North America is investing
in a new air-separation plant in Lewisville,
Arkansas. Linde will build a 470-tpd plant
that will produce liquid nitrogen and oxygen
to meet rapidly growing demand in Arkan-
sas, Louisiana and Texas. Construction is
scheduled to begin in the second quarter of
2012. The plant is expected to begin operat-
ing by the fourth quarter of 2013.
The plant, which will be designed and
constructed by Lindes Engineering Divi-
sion, will use the least amount of electricity
possible in order to produce the gases.
South America
Toyo Engineering Corp., in consor-
tium with Y&V Ingeniera y Construc-
cin, C.A., has a project management con-
sultant (PMC) contract for the heavy-oil
upgrading project of Petrleos de Venezu-
ela, S.A. (PDVSA) at its Puerto La Cruz
refinery in the state of Anzotegui. The
project includes an atmospheric-distillation
unit, a vacuum-distillation unit, a slurry
hydrocracker (HDH Plus) unit, a sequen-
tial hydroprocessing (SHP) unit, sulfur-
recovery unit and a hydrogen-production
unit, along with offsite and utility units.
This project aims to increase the refin-
erys processing capacity by maximizing
the use of the extra-heavy oil produced in
the Orinoco oil belt to satisfy the energy
demands of Venezuelas domestic market
and exports overseas.
This is said to be an epoch-making proj-
ect since the projects main unit is the first
commercialization of a heavy-oil upgrading
technology developed by PDVSAs research
and development center, PDVSA Intevep.
The consortium will, jointly with PDV-
SAs project team, perform PMC services
to manage and control several contractors
engaged in the project up to its startup.
Project duration is estimated to be 52
months.
Braskem and PetroPer have joined
forces to analyze the technical and eco-
nomic feasibility of a petrochemical proj-
ect in Peru. Both companies aim to study
the possibility of implanting units for the
integrated production of 1.2 million tpy
of ethylene and polyethylene using ethane
from the natural gas reserves in the Las
Malvinas region.
If feasibility is confirmed, and assuming
successful definitive agreement negotiation
and approval by the shareholders of both
companies, the undertaking will be part
of the so-called Integrated Southern Proj-
ect. This project includes the construction
of the Southern Andean Gas Pipeline by
Kuntur and of a modern petrochemical
complex in the south of Peru, which will
reportedly be a landmark in the countrys
industrialization process.
WorleyParsons has a contract for the
project management consultancy of the
Refinera del Pacfico refining and pet-
rochemical complex, a project with an
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32

I
HPIN CONSTRUCTION
approximate total installed cost of $12 bil-
lion. The complex is located in the province
of Manab, Ecuador, and is a joint venture
between PetroEcuador and PDVSA Ecua-
dor S. A. The refinery will have a crude
processing capacity of 300,000 bpd.
During Phase I of the project, Worley-
Parsons will provide an integrated proj-
ect management team (IPMT) located in
Houston, Texas. The IPMT will provide
oversight of the projects front-end engi-
neering and design (FEED) and assist the
client in selecting the engineering, procure-
ment and construction (EPC) contractors.
In Phase II the IPMT will provide oversight
of the EPC contractors and will be respon-
sible for construction management of early
activities at the Manab site.
The project is scheduled to be com-
pleted by December 2015. The estimated
reimbursable contract value to WorleyPar-
sons for Phase I and Phase II is anticipated
to be in excess of $200 million.
Europe
Lummus Technology, a CB&I com-
pany, has been awarded a contract by
CJSC Vostochnaya Neftechimicheskaya
(VNHK), a subsidiary of OJSC Rosneft, for
the license and basic engineering of a naph-
tha steam-cracking unit and a butadiene-
and benzene-extraction unit for VNHKs
new petrochemical complex in Russia.
The steam-cracking unit, which will
reportedly be the worlds largest, is designed
to produce more than 1.4 million metric
tpy of ethylene and more than 600,000
metric tpy of propylene, using the latest
advances in the Lummus SRT-VII heater
technology. The butadiene unit is designed
to produce 230,000 metric tpy of benzene
and approximately 200,000 metric tpy
of butadiene. It will use Lummus/BASF
butadiene-extraction technology.
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has a
framework contract from Gassnova SF for
its CO
2
Capture Mongstad (CCM) Project
at the Mongstad refinery site in Norway.
Jacobs will provide engineering and
technical assistance services to support the
installation of a large-scale carbon-dioxide
(CO
2
) capture plant for a combined heat
and power (CHP) plant at the refinery. The
CHP plant is integrated with the refinery
and includes fuel gas/electricity exchange
with the Troll gas field in the Norwegian
sector of the North Sea.
The CCM Project, which is in an early
development stage, is funded by the Nor-
wegian State and being undertaken by a
joint venture between Gassnova SF and
Statoil ASA.
Alfa Laval has won an order for com-
pact heat exchangers from a refinery in
Russia. The compact heat exchangers will
be used in the refinery distillation process
where crude oil is preheated in different
steps. They will reuse heat from the process
for preheating the crude oil, resulting in a
very energy-efficient solution.
The order is worth approximately SEK
70 million. Delivery is scheduled for 2012.
Middle East
The State of Qatars Minister of Energy
and Industry, Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh
Al-Sada, and Shells CEO, Peter Voser,
have signed an agreement to develop a
world-scale petrochemicals complex in Ras
Laffan Industrial City, Qatar. This agree-
ment follows the conclusion of a joint fea-
sibility study conducted by the partners,
Qatar Petroleum and Shell.
The scope under consideration includes
a world-scale steam cracker, with feedstock
coming from natural gas projects in Qatar;
a mono-ethylene glycol plant of up to 1.5
million tpy using Shells proprietary Only
MEG Advantaged (OMEGA) technology;
300 kiloton/yr of linear alpha olefins using
Shells proprietary Shell Higher Olefin Pro-
cess (SHOP); and another olefin derivative.
The complex will produce cost-competitive
petrochemical products to be marketed pri-
marily into Asian growth markets. Qatar
Petroleum will have an 80% equity interest
in the project and Shell will have 20%.
The Saudi Arabian Fertilizer Co.
(SAFCO), a manufacturing affiliate of
Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC),
has awarded SAIPEM a turnkey contract
for the engineering design, supply and con-
struction of the SAFCO-5 fertilizer plant.
The new plant will reportedly be one of
the worlds largest urea plants built at a
cost of SR 2 billion with a capacity of 1.1
million tpy of urea. It is expected to start
commercial production in the third quarter
of 2014. The construction schedule is 26
months beginning from December 2011.
The project will convert 850,000 met-
ric ton of CO
2
(green-house gas), that is
presently vented to the atmosphere, into
urea. This will qualify SAFCO to apply
for global Clean Development Mechanism
(CDM) certification and enable it to gain
credits for these emission cuts.
The Shaw Group Inc. has a contract
with the South Refineries Co., which is
part of the Republic of Iraqs Ministry of
Oil, to provide a feasibility study for the
rehabilitation of its 140,000-bpd refinery in
Basra, Iraq. The study will assess the refin-
erys condition and estimate the engineer-
ing, equipment supply and construction
services required to improve its operation.
The study is funded by the US Trade
and Development Agency (USTDA)
through a grant to the South Refineries Co.
This is the first grant the agency has pro-
vided directly to an Iraqi grantee, marking
the USTDAs support of Iraqs long-term
economic development.
In Iraq, Shaw is conducting feasibil-
ity studies and front-end engineering and
design (FEED) for two grassroots 150,000-
bpd refineries near the cities of Maissan and
Kirkuk, for the Republic of Iraqs Ministry
of Oil. The FEED work includes all process
units, offsite facilities and utilities for both
refineries. Through a fluidized catalytic-
cracking (FCC) alliance, Shaw, and its part-
ner, Axens, are providing a process design
package for a 30,000-bpd residual fluidized
catalytic-cracking (RFCC) unit at Midland
Refineries Co.s refinery in Daura.
MAN Diesel & Turbo has signed one
6-year enterprise framework agreement for
the supply of new compression equipment
for Shell locations worldwide and another
5-year framework agreement for the supply
of aftermarket parts and services for exist-
ing rotating equipment.
The agreement for new compression
units covers a wide range of centrifugal
compressors for sweet- and sour-gas ser-
vices that will be used in both onshore and
offshore applications.
MAN Diesel & Turbo and Shell have
enjoyed close business relationships for
many decades and have cooperated in
major up- and downstream projects around
the globe, including the worlds largest gas-
to-liquid (GTL) project in Qatar.
Asia-Pacific
The Linde Group is set to build and
operate a new hydrogen plant in the Jilin
Chemical Industrial Park (JCIP) in north-
east China. The company will be investing
around 42 million in the first phase of this
new project.
The hydrogen plant is expected onstream
by the end of 2013, supplying several com-
panies in the Jilin chemical complex with
high-purity hydrogen. This park is home to
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HPIN CONSTRUCTION
34

production facilities run by Evonik Indus-
tries and Jishen, a joint venture between the
PetroChina Jilin Beifang Chemical Group
and the Jilin Shenhua Group.
The new hydrogen plant will use steam
methane reforming (SMR) to produce
25,000 Nm
3
h of hydrogen. It will be built
by Lindes Engineering Division and oper-
ated by its Gases Division. In addition,
Linde will set up a subsidiary, Linde Gases
Jilin, to focus on further expanding the
gas supply infrastructure in and around the
JCIP chemical complex.
Jishen, Evonik Industries and Hunts-
man are investing around 390 million in
total to construct a chemical hub in Jilin
that will produce high-pressure propylene
oxide (HPPO). Evonik is building a
230-kiloton/yr hydrogen peroxide plant
to supply Jishens 300-kiloton/yr HPPO
plant. Jishen will then supply the HPPO
to Huntsman for its polyol plant.
LG Chem has chosen Burckhardt
Compression to deliver one hyper com-
pressor as a secondary compressor and one
process gas compressor as a booster/pri-
mary compressor for its low-density poly-
ethylene (LDPE) ethylene-vinyl acetate
(EVA) plant in Daesan, Korea.
After a thorough evaluation phase,
LG Chem selected Burckhardt Compres-
sion, thanks to the proven technology
and numerous references to LDPE plants
with similar or larger capacities. For LG
Chem, it is essential to have a single point
of contact for both compressors since
both compressors are installed in the main
production line and are interdependent.
Burckhardt Compression bears the overall
responsibility for the package, that is, for
compressing ethylene gas over the whole
compression range.
The compressors are scheduled for
delivery in December 2012.
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has
received a contract from Shell India Mar-
kets Private Ltd. to establish an integrated
organization with Shell Projects & Tech-
nology for its project design office in Ban-
galore, India. Contract duration is 5 years
with provision for a further extension.
The Integrated Project Design Orga-
nization expects to deliver a full range
of engineering and design services for
onshore upstream (oil and gas) and down-
stream major capital projects, mainly
in the Middle Eastern and Far Eastern
regions. The new organization aims to
blend the strong technical and engineering
design capability held by Shell and Jacobs,
while optimizing the best work processes
and tools of both companies.
UOP LLC, a Honeywell company,
will provide key technology to Zhejiang
Shaoxing Sanjin Petrochemical Co.,
Ltd., to produce propylene in China. The
new propane dehydrogenation unit will
use Honeywells UOP C
3
Oleflex process
technology to produce 450,000 metric
tpy of propylene. The unit is expected
to start up in 2013 at Zhejiangs facil-
ity in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province,
China. In addition to technology licens-
ing, Honeywells UOP will also provide
engineering design, catalysts, adsorbents,
equipment, staff training and technical
service for the project.
Since the technology was commercial-
ized in 1990, Honeywells UOP has com-
missioned nine C
3
Oleflex units for on-
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CRYO-PLUS
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Linde Process Plants, Inc. provides engineering, design,
fabrication and construction of cryogenic plants for the
extraction of hydrocarbon liquid from natural gas, renery
and petrochemical gas streams. Recovered liquid compo-
nents can include ethylene, ethane, propylene, propane,
isobutane as well as other valuable olenic and parafnic
hydrocarbons. Combine your CRYO-PLUS plant with a
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HPIN CONSTRUCTION
36

purpose propylene production, with the
tenth unit scheduled to start up in 2012 in
Russia. Earlier this year, Honeywells UOP
announced four similar projects in China,
as well as one in Abu Dhabi.
In June, SAMSON India opened its
new production facilities in Ranjangaon
in the Maharashtra district. About 3.5
million was invested in the 18,000-m
facilities to ensure an optimum supply for
the fast-growing Indian market. During
the opening ceremony, Mr. Hans-Erich
Grimm, head of SAMSON AGs Sales
Division, pointed out that six chemical
and petrochemical sites will be estab-
lished in India thanks to the support of
the Indian Government in the next few
years: A total of $250,000 million will
be invested in these sites. We expect a
huge demand for our products and ser-
vices in India.
Essar Oil Ltd., a subsidiary of Essar
Energy, has successfully commissioned
a new isomerization (ISOM) unit at its
Vadinar refinery. The 0.7 million-metric-
tpy ISOM unit is a key component of the
refinerys Phase I expansion, which will
increase its capacity to 18 million met-
ric tpy. Reported to be among the largest
ISOM units in the world, the commis-
sioning of this unit was completed in just
32 days (as against an industry average
of 5055 days), without compromising
on safety.
The ISOM unit (Penex-DIH) is
licensed by UOP, a Honeywell company. It
is the first expansion unit to be fully com-
missioned, and, as such, it is now ready to
start commercial production. Using naph-
tha as its primary feed, the ISOM unit will
help produce Euro IV-grade gasoline with
a high-octane rating and almost zero sul-
fur content. This will enable Essar Oil to
produce high-grade gasoline that has wide
acceptance both in the domestic and inter-
national markets.
The Vadinar refinery expansion project
is very close to completion. Mechanical
completion has been achieved for 27 new
units and utilities. Mechanical completion
of the pending unitsa delayed-coker
unit (DCU), a vacuum-gasoil hydrotreater
(VGO-HT) and a new sulfur-recovery
unit (SRU)is expected by the end of the
month. Startup activity has commenced
for all of the new expansion units that
have been mechanically completed, and
they will be commissioned in a phased
manner. Increased refinery throughput
of 18 million metric tpy will begin in the
first quarter of 2012.
Asahi Kasei Chemicals has decided
to construct a second plant in Singapore
to produce solution-polymerized styrene-
butadiene rubber (S-SBR), with a capac-
ity of 50,000 tpy. The new plant will be
located adjacent to an S-SBR plant of
the same capacity that is presently under
construction.
Construction began in June 2011, and
startup is scheduled for May 2013. With
S-SBR demand expected to increase fur-
ther, Asahi Kasei Chemicals decided to
advance plans for a second plant in Singa-
pore to meet customer needs and ensure
stable supply.
Uzbekistan GTL LLC has awarded
Technip an extension of the existing reim-
bursable services contract for the front-end
engineering design (FEED) of a gas-to-
liquids (GTL) plant located 40 km south
of Qarshi in Uzbekistan.
This plant will be based on Sasols GTL
technology, and will have a capacity of 1.4
million metric tpy, similar in capacity to the
Oryx GTL facility in Qatar implemented
by Technip, with the following product
slate: GTL, diesel, kerosine, naphtha and
liquid petroleum gas.
Bechtel Internati onal Inc. has
selected Honeywell to design and imple-
ment automation and safety solutions for
a new multi-train liquefied natural gas
(LNG) facility under construction as part
of the Australia Pacific LNG project in
Queensland. The projecta joint venture
between Origin Energy, ConocoPhillips
and Sinopecwill create a long-term
industry utilizing Australia Pacific LNGs
coal-seam gas (CSG) resources in the
Surat and Bowen basins. Bechtel selected
Honeywell Process Solutions to provide
vital integrated control and safety systems
(ICSS) at the new facility, which is designed
to convert CSG to LNG.
The project will produce CSG for com-
mercial markets both locally and overseas,
and it already supplies gas to power stations
in Queensland, major industrial custom-
ers, and homes and businesses in southeast
Queensland. HP
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38

I
HPI CONSTRUCTION BOXSCORE UPDATE
Company City Project Ex Capacity Unit Cost Status Yr Cmpl Licensor Engineering Constructor
AFRICA
Nigeria NNPC Bayelsa Refinery 300 bpd 2800 P 2016
Nigeria NNPC Kogi Refinery TO 150 bpd 23000 P 2016
Nigeria NNPC Koko/Delta State Petrochemical Complex None P 2016
Nigeria NNPC Lagos Refinery 300 bpd 2800 P 2015
ASIA/PACIFIC
China CNOOC Oil & Petrochem Huizhou Lube Hydroprocessing 9 Mbpd C 2011 CLG CLG
China CNOOC Huizhou Refinery EX 440 bpd 6.6 C 2012 WorleyParsons
China Sinochem Quanzhou Hydrotreater, Resid 48 Mbpd U 2013 CLG CLG
China TBC Undisclosed Alkylation, Sulf Acid 11.5 bpsd E 2014 MECS|Stratco|Bayer|DuPont
India Bharat Oman Refineries Bina Diesel, HDS 36 Mbpd C 2011 CLG CLG
South Korea Hyundai Oilbank Co., Ltd. Daesan Hydrotreater, Resid 66 Mbpd C 2011 CLG CLG
South Korea SK Energy Incheon Hydrocracker 40 Mbpd A 2016 CLG CLG SKEC
Taiwan Chinese Petroleum Corp Kaohsiung Refinery Lube Hydroprocessing 6 Mbpd H CLG CLG
Vietnam NSRP Nghi Son EZ Hydrotreater, Resid 105 Mbpd 6200 U 2013 CLG CLG
CANADA
Alberta North West Upgrading Edmonton Hydrocrack, Resid 29 Mbpd U 2013 CLG CLG KBR
Alberta OPTI Canada Inc Fort McMurray/Long Lake Hydrocracker (2) 54 Mbpd H CLG Fluor|CLG
Alberta Fort Hills Energy Sturgeon Lake Hydrotreater 120 bpd U 2015 CLG CLG
New Brunswick Irving Oil Ltd Saint John/Eider Rock Hydrotreater 80 Mbpd H CLG CLG
EUROPE
Belgium BASF Antwerp Sulfuric Acid 420 tpy C 2012
Croatia INA Sisak Hydrocracker 20 Mbpd H CLG CLG Lummus Technology
France Total Gonfreville Lube Hydroprocessing 8 Mbpd H CLG CLG
Italy SARAS SpA Sarroch Hydrocracker, Mild RE None U 2013 Shell Global FW FW
Lithuania Mazeikiu Nafta Mazeikiai/Juodeikiai Hydrocracker 35 Mbpd H CLG CLG
Norway Statoil Mongstad Carbon Dioxide Capture None E Jacobs Jacobs
Poland Glimar Gorlice Hydrocracker 5 Mbpd U 2012 CLG
Russian Federation Rosneft Tuapse Hydrotreater, Diesel 2 82 Mbpd 90 U 2014 CLG CLG
Uzbekistan Sasol/Petronas/Uzbekneftegaz Ustyurt GTL 1.4 MMtpy 817 F 2014 Technip|Samsung Eng
LATIN AMERICA
Brazi Petrobras Rio de Janeiro Water Treatment 2000 m3/hr U 2014 Toyo Engineering Corp.
Surinam Staatsolie Paramaribo Hydrocracker 10 Mbpd 800 U 2013 CLG CB&I Lummus|Saipem Aker Solutions|Saipem
Trinidad Petrotrin Pointe-a-Pierre Alkylation, Sulf Acid 10000 bpd U 2012 MECS|Stratco|DuPont Bechtel|Techint\Lummus Techint\Lummus
MIDDLE EAST
Iraq SRC Basra/Al Basrah Refinery RE 140 bpd S 2012 Shaw
Iraq Iraq Ministry of Oil Kirkuk Refinery 150 Mbpd F 2016 Shaw
Iraq SRC Maissan Refinery 150 Mbpd 470 F 2016 Shaw
Oman Orpic Sohar Hydrocracker 96.8 bpd E 2015 CB&I
Saudi Arabia Saudi Aramco\Total JV Al Jubail Hydrocracker (2) 61 Mbpd U 2012 CLG
UNITED STATES
Delaware Delaware City Refining Co LLC Delaware City Hydrocracker 65 bpd 100 U 2015 PBF Holding
Delaware Delaware City Refining Co LLC Delaware City Hydrogen None 100 U 2015 PBF Holding
Texas Chevron Phillips Chemical Baytown Ethylene 1.5 Mtpy U 2013 Shaw Shaw
YOUR GUIDE TO PROFITABLE PLANNING
IN 2012 AND BEYOND
Produced by the staff of Hydrocarbon Processing,
HPI Market Data 2012 is the industrys most trusted
forecast of capital, maintenance and operating
expenditures for the petrochemical, refining and
natural gas/LNG industries. Order your copy and gain
actionable insight and analysis to drive your planning
and global activities towards increased profitability
and market share in 2012 and beyond.
HPI MARKET DATA
2012
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DATABASE ONLINE
www.ConstructionBoxscore.com
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GLOBAL HPI CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY
For more than 50 years, Hydrocarbon Processing magazine
remains the only source that collects and maintains data
specically for the HPI community, publishing up-to-the-
minute construction projects from around the globe with
our online product, Boxscore Database.
FOR A FREE 2-WEEK TRIAL,
contact Lee Nichols at +1 (713) 525-4626
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HPI VIEWPOINT

I

41

Just about everyone favors protecting the environment, but
few have done as much as the members of the American Fuel and
Petrochemicals Manufacturers (AFPM) to improve the US air
and water quality.
Members of AFPM (formerly the National Petrochemical
and Refiners Association, or NPRA) are strongly committed to
environmental protection. We have an outstanding record of
compliance with the Clean Air Act, and have invested hundreds
of billions of dollars to dramatically reduce emissions as measured
by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
As a result of our emissions reductions and reductions by
other industries, the US air today is cleaner than it has been in
generations.
EPA data shows that total emissions of the six principal air
pollutants in the US have dropped by 57% since 1980 and ozone
levels have decreased by 30%. These reductions occurred even as
industrial output has increased. And the EPA expects there will
be continued reductions in the years ahead under regulations
already in place.
Today, US refiners manufacture the cleanest fuels in the world
and emissions are lower than anywhere else. Our products and
facilities are cleaner than those in any other nation. Our invest-
ments have resulted in significant cuts in sulfur levels in gasoline,
reducing them by 90% just since 2004.
Between 1996 and 2005, refiners cut emissions of chemicals
listed under the Toxic Release Inventory by 36% and reduced
emissions classified as hazardous air pollutants by 50%. The
comparable reductions by chemical manufacturers in the same
time period are 61% under the Toxic Release Inventory and 64%
of hazardous air pollutants.
Despite the great progress that has been made, we are con-
cerned that the EPA and other government agencies have moved
from reasonable regulation to overregulation that makes unreal-
istic and often conflicting demands on fuel and petrochemical
manufacturers. These demands frequently have little or no signifi-
cant environmental benefit but cost millions, and even billions, of
dollars to meet, increasing energy costs for US consumers.
One example is the proposed rule by the EPA to further reduce
sulfur levels in gasoline. EPA is proceeding with what is known as
a Tier 3 rulemaking as part of its general authority to regulate fuels
under the Clean Air Act. The rule could lead to significant domes-
tic fuel supply reductions, higher petroleum product imports,
increased consumer costs, increased refinery emissions, the closure
of US refineries that would leave their workers unemployed, and
reduced energy security.
Another example of overregulation involves gasoline contain-
ing 15% ethanol, or E15. EPA decided to allow E15 to be sold
into the marketplace for use in cars and light trucks produced in
model year 2007 and later, and then for model year 2001 and
later. In addition to being what we consider a violation of law,
these decisions hold the potential to create significant problems
in the marketplace, including misfueling and engine damage.
The impact of overregulation is clear to see. A Department of
Energy report issued in 2011 found that refining margins have
been continuously decreasing over the past four years. The report
also concluded that the compounded burden of federal regulations
was a significant factor in the closure of 66 petroleum refineries in
the US in the past 20 years.
Just since 2008, the recession and refinery closures have led
to 3,000 lost jobs at US refineries. A handful of refineries are
threatened with closure in the near future if they cannot be sold.
Although some of the lost supply from shuttered refineries has
been made up through capacity expansions at other facilities, the
rate of new capacity coming online is decreasing due to financial
pressures and the threat of overseas competition.
Those lost American jobs arent simply disappearing, they are
moving overseas to foreign competitors not strangled by burden-
some environmental and other business overregulation.
Foreign industries emit greenhouse gases (GHG) into the
common atmosphere that every nation on Earth shares. GHG
emissions produced in China have the same impact on our envi-
ronment as emissions generated in the United States. Simply
shifting emissions from the US to other nations has absolutely
no environmental benefit, but great economic cost here at home.
Charles T. Drevna is the president of the
American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufac-
turers (AFPM), a national trade association
with more than 450 members, including
those who own or operate virtually all US
refining capacity and most all petrochemical
manufacturers in the US. Prior to his election
as president in 2007, Mr. Drevna served as
AFPMs executive vice president and director of policy and planning.
Mr. Drevna has an extensive background in energy, environmental
and natural resource matters, with more than 36 years of broad
energy industry experience in legislative, regulatory, public policy
and marketplace issues. Prior to joining AFPM, Mr. Drevna served
as director of state and federal government relations for Tosco, Inc.,
the nations largest independent petroleum refiner, where he was
responsible for liaison with Congress, federal regulatory agencies and
state governments. Mr. Drevna also served as director of government
and regulatory affairs for the Oxygenated Fuels Association, where
he held similar responsibilities, and as vice president at Jefferson
Waterman International, a Washington, DC-based consulting group,
where he specialized in domestic and international energy issues. Mr.
Drevna also served as vice president of public affairs at the Sun Coal
Co., a Knoxville, Tennessee-based unit of Sun Co., Inc. (Sunoco), and
with the parent company as manager of public policy at its corporate
headquarters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mr. Drevna has a signifi-
cant background in environmental management that includes service
as director of environmental affairs for the National Coal Association
in Washington, DC, and as supervisor of environmental quality con-
trol for the Consolidation Coal Co. in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He
received his BA degree in chemistry from Washington and Jefferson
College and performed graduate work at Carnegie-Mellon University.
The high cost of overregulation
The US does not need to choose between a healthy environment
and a healthy economy, it can have both
HPI VIEWPOINT
42

I

Sadly, todays environment of overregulation serves only to
strengthen foreign competitors eager to replace US manufacturers
and workers. It will continue to weaken the US economy, make
the US more reliant on nations in unstable parts of the world for
vital fuels and petrochemicals, and endanger our national security.
The US does not need to choose between a healthy environ-
ment and a healthy economy that provides more jobs for our citi-
zens. We can have both. We are not calling for a repeal of existing
environmental regulations that have led to major improvements in
our environment and that will lead to continuing environmental
improvement without further change.
We are calling for reasonableness and common sense. It is
unreasonable to say that the US will spend billions of federal tax
dollars to subsidize inefficient and unpopular new energy sources,
deprive many thousands of workers of their jobs, and severely
damage the US economic and national security in the overzealous
pursuit of small emissions reductions that have little or no signifi-
cant environmental benefit.
Instead of serving the US people, such environmental extremism
does far more harm than good. Our government needs to use objec-
tive analysis to determine when the costs of overregulation exceed the
benefits, and to act in the best overall interest of people in the US. HP
The promise and reality of energy independence
Energy policy in the US has been hopelessly adrift for
the past four decades, at least since President Richard Nixon
declared energy independence in seven years on the back
end of the first Arab oil embargo that created interminable
gasoline lines across the country. He launched the energy inde-
pendence mantra that every president since has proclaimed.
Nineteen successive US congresses have likewise committed
to energy independence. No president or congress has suc-
ceeded in getting the country close to that goal. In 1973, the
US imported a third of its daily consumption of crude oil. In
2010, the number was closer to two thirds.
New era. Now, at the beginning of the second decade of the
21st century, this nation is on a path to an energy abyss, brown-
outs, black-outs and gas lines before 2020 if we continue as we
are. In addition, the cost of energy, fuel for transportation and
electricity per kilowatt hour will depress our disposable income,
and limit purchasing power and economic growth for a decade.
The process has already begun. Consider that 2011 will go into
the history books reporting the highest ever liquid-fuel costs in this
nations history. The current administration, meanwhile, refuses to
expand traditional energy resources, and special interests attempt
to curtail new investments in traditional energy infrastructure and
operations. The lackluster 2012-2017 offshore proposed leasing
plan from the US Department of the Interior, continuing ongoing
access prohibitions, is a good example of staying on the path were
on, leading to ever higher priced crude oil.
The political leadership of the nation, through its inaction,
incompetence, arrogance or lack of interest in citizens well-being is
knowinglyand I would suggest avariciously on the part of some
gutting the national security, economy and quality of life of US citi-
zens for short-term political advantage. Sadly, its not new. Its worse
now than ever before because the US energy system is old, and new
century global competition for energy resources is unprecedented.
Finding the optimum solutions. The solutions to our
future energy needs are not that difficult to articulate. Citizens
for Affordable Energy, the nonpartisan, education-based not for
profit, which by the way accepts no funding from energy produc-
ers, describes the solutions via Four Mores:
First, we need more energy from all sources, including coal,
oil, natural gas, nuclear, bio-fuels, wind, solar, geothermal, hydro-
power and hydrogenan energy carrier.
Second, we need more efficiency in the production and use of
energy through technology and innovation, which is conservation.
Third, we need more environmental protection to protect
our land, water and air for future generations.
Fourth, we need more infrastructure to bring energy from
where it is produced to where it is consumed.
These foundational principles of a national energy security
strategy are straightforward. Why cant we implement them?
Unfortunately, there are obvious reasons. US citizens lack suf-
ficient awareness and knowledge of the precarious state of our
John Hofmeister, upon retirement from
Shell Oil Co. in July 2008, founded and
heads the not-for-profit [(501(c)(3) pend-
ing)], nationwide membership association,
Citizens for Affordable Energy. This Wash-
ington, DC-registered, public policy edu-
cation firm will exist to promote sound US
energy security solutions for the nation,
including a range of affordable energy supplies, efficiency improve-
ments, essential infrastructure, sustainable environmental policies
and public education on energy issues.
Mr. Hofmeister was named president of Houston-based Shell Oil
Co. in March 2005, heading the US Country Leadership Team, which
included the leaders of all Shell businesses operating in the US. He
became president after serving as group human resource director of
the Shell Group, based in The Hague, The Netherlands.
As Shell president, Mr. Hofmeister launched an extensive outreach
program, unprecedented in the energy industry, to discuss criti-
cal global energy challenges. The program included an 18-month,
50-city tour across the country during which Mr. Hofmeister led 250
other Shell leaders to meet with more than 15,000 business, com-
munity and civic leaders, policymakers and academics to discuss what
must be done to ensure affordable, available energy for the future.
A business leader who has participated in the inner workings of
multiple industries for over 35 years, Mr. Hofmeister has also held
key leadership positions in General Electric, Nortel and AlliedSignal
(now Honeywell International). He serves as the chairman of the
National Urban League and is a member of the US Department of
Energys Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee. He
also serves on the boards of the Foreign Policy Association, Strategic
Partners, LLC; and the Center for Houstons Future. Mr. Hofmeister
is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources. He is also
a past chairman and serves as a director of the Greater Houston
Partnership. Mr. Hofmeister earned bachelors and masters degrees
in political science from Kansas State University. He is the author
of Why We Hate the Oil Companies: Straight Talk from an Energy
Insider, Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.
What you can do
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You can
And these are just the technology options. There is so much more
you can do with a touch of blue. Visit www.fwc.com/touchofblue
HPI VIEWPOINT
44

I

present energy system to appreciate how vulnerable this nation
is, or they would, otherwise, be demanding such solutions now.
The energy industry is not responsible for the nations energy secu-
rity policy, and it has figured out how to make money the way
things are, so why change? The governance of energy by our
federal government is broken, dysfunctional and unfixable in its
current form. And state and local governments are not responsible
for the nations energy future.
The system is broken. The federal government has three
fundamental problems:
No. 1. Political time priorities trump energy time priori-
ties 100% of the time. Two-year political cycles determine our
energy future, predicated on the best tactical requirements for win-
ning the next election. Energy time, meanwhile, requires decades
to plan, construct, commission and operate, and it demands pre-
dictable investment and consistent regulatory regimes. Govern-
ment ignores energy time, so little or nothing happens. Its why our
fleet of coal plants, 50% of supply, averages more than 40 years of
age, and our nuclear fleet, 20% of supply, averages over 30 years of
age, with no plans for refreshing or rebuilding either.
No. 2. The perverse partisanship that infects the lead-
ership and most of the membership of the Democratic and
Republican parties cripples the legislative, executive and judi-
cial branches of our government. The two-party system, career
politicians and life-time judges appointed by partisans ensure the
continuity and sustained perversity of partisan outcomes, which
precludes government from serving the needs of the people over
the needs of the party. Citizens have tolerated this reality, which
means that, until they get involved in the electoral process, the
status quo continues.
No. 3. Government has grown too large and complex
to govern energy and the environment in any coherent or
comprehensible manner. Thirteen executive branch agencies
govern energy and the environment, along with the White House.
Twenty-six standing committees and sub-committees govern both
in the House and Senate. More than 800 federal judges decide
energy and environmental policy, when required, from their
respective benches. Because there is so much governance, govern-
ment cant govern. And the status quo continues.
We have a choice. Either we can continue as is until we slide
into the energy abyss and then figure out whats next. Or, we can
take the initiative to do two things: 1) educate the public on the
issues and solutions for our energy future and 2) change the gov-
ernance of energy and the environment into a structure that will
work. Citizens for Affordable Energy has committed itself to the
former. Well do everything that we can, and we welcome your
help. We desperately also need new governance.
A new independent regulatory agency, the Federal Energy
Resources Board, established by an act of Congress, is the gover-
nance we need. With four essential authorities, the four mores as
described earlier:
More energy from all sources
More technology for efficiency
More environmental protection for land, water and air,
aligned with more supply
More infrastructure, so we can provide our future energy.
Drawing lessons from the Federal Reserve Act, an independent
board of governors selected for their knowledge and expertise
with terms of 14 years, like the Federal Reserve, and empowered
to serve the needs of the nation and our society, not the needs of a
political partycan create the short (0 to 10 years), medium (10
to 25 years) and long-term (25 to 50 years) plan that the nation
needs. Anything short of transformational change in governance
will fail. The sooner this change happens, the better. If we wait,
we suffer. But, its still available to pull us out of the energy abyss
that our political leaders are driving us into. HP
Transportation and alternative fuels in Asia
The dynamics of energy markets are increasingly determined
by the emerging economies, particularly those in Asia. The World
Energy Outlook 2011 (WEO-2011) projects that, over the next
25 years, 90% of the projected growth in global energy demand
will come from non-Organization of Economic Cooperation
and Development (non-OECD) economies, with China alone
accounting for more than 30%.
Transport is one of the major global consumers of energy,
and, therefore, it has an important role in the global energy
policy going forward. Cheap and reliable supplies of transpor-
tation fuels are the very lifeblood of our globalized economy.
The WEO-2011 reckons that non-OECD car markets will
expand substantially as economic growth pushes up demand
for personal mobility and freight. Car sales in these markets are
expected to exceed those in the OECD nations by 2020. The
global passenger vehicle fleet is set to double, reaching almost
1.7 billion by 2035.
Mobility drives fuel demand. Vehicle numbers and own-
ership in the developing countries of Asia, China and India, in
particular, have powered ahead. The recent economic slowdown
notwithstanding, the underlying momentum supports the ris-
ing level of motorization in parallel with higher affluence and
living standards. Industry research suggested that, come 2030,
automobile holdings in China could surge to about 233 million
Clarence Woo is executive director of the
Asian Clean Fuels Association. He is a mem-
ber of the Coordinating Council of Clean
Air Initiatives for Asian Cities funded by the
World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
He was involved as project director in a highly
successful China Auto-Oil Program in collabo-
ration with the then China State Environment
Protection Agency (now the Ministry of Environment Protection) and
Tsinghua University. Mr. Woo is an industry member of the Partnership
for Clean Fuels and Vehicles under the United Nations Environment
Program, as well as a member of the Asian Society of Automotive
Engineers. Mr. Woo has more than 20 years of experience in the oil,
gas and petrochemical industries. He started his career with Mobil Oil
Singapore where he held various responsibilities in the fields of lubri-
cants, fuels, chemicals and LPG. As senior manager at Ethyl Corp., Mr.
Woo was responsible for petroleum additive sales in the Asia Pacific.
He also served as product manager of fuel additives, where he man-
aged fuel additive sales and fuel additive developments in Asia.

I

45
HPI VIEWPOINT
vehicles, although the ratio of Chinas automobile holdings per
capita in 2030 is forecast to remain only about 14%a figure
still lower than the average in developed countries (55% in
2004). In short, China is projected to have tremendous motor-
ization growth potential even after 2030.
1
The impact of such explosive growth in the vehicle pop-
ulation in Asia is multi-faceted. One recurring theme is air
pollution issues. Governments in Asia have been battling this
problem for years. Various studies have shown that both trans-
portation fuels and motor vehicles are major contributors to
the degradation of air quality. The fact that Asia is home to the
worlds fastest-growing automotive vehicle population com-
pounds this challenge.
Major pollutant source. Automotive transportation has been
identified as the largest source of particulate pollution in most
cities where the vehicle pool tends to be concentrated; in some
cases, up to 90% of pollution in a city comes from vehicle emis-
sions. Cutting vehicle emissions is one of the most urgent priori-
ties in Asias efforts to improve air quality. Cleaner conventional
fuels and vehicle pollution control technologies are essential
components of an effective clean air strategy.
Sources for fuels. Energy for automotive transport is domi-
nated by petroleum, as it is widely available, relatively inex-
pensive and it is the source from which easily transportable
liquid fuels of high-energy density, such as gasoline and diesel,
are made from. Unless there are significant breakthroughs in
technology and cost structure, passenger vehicle technology is
expected to remain dependent on petroleum fuels and internal
combustion engines for the foreseeable future.
2
To the extent that gasoline and diesel are the predominant
fuels in use at present, they are widely criticized to be the main
culprits of the air pollution problem. Supporters of alternative
fuels have argued and concludedor simply assumedthat they
are necessarily cleaner than petroleum-based fuels and more
environmentally sustainable. Indeed, much of the hype surround-
ing alternative fuels has centered on the promise that they will one
day replace regular gasoline and diesel.
We cannot see the substitution happening in the foreseeable
future. The immediate reality is that oil remains the worlds most
vital source of energy and it will remain so for the next few decades,
even under the most optimistic of assumptions about the pace
of development and deployment of alternative technology. The
WEO-2011 expects fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) to con-
tribute about 90% of the increase in primary energy consumption
in Asia from 20042030. Therefore, hydrocarbons will continue
to play an important role as energy sources.
The immediate future for transport fuel is still petroleum-
based. Gasoline and diesel fuels are the lowest-cost option to the
consumer, as the production and supply infrastructure is already
well established, mature and available on a large scale. What this
means is that alternative fuels and cleaner conventional fuels will
have to coexist. A successful clean-fuel strategy must include
both cleaner petroleum-derived fuels, as well as alternative fuels.
Asia needs cleaner petroleum-based fuels.
ALTERNATIVE FUELS IN ASIA
Alternative automotive fuels currently under development in
Asia cover an entire spectrum: biofuels, liquefied petroleum gas
(LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG), hydrogen, alcohol fuels,
electricity, gas-to-liquids (GTLs), biomass-to-liquids (BTLs),
methanol-to-gasoline (MTG) and solar.
3
The penetration of these
technologies is still in the early stages, with biofuels (mainly bio-
ethanol gasoline) arguably making the most headway.
The key drivers for alternative automotive fuels in Asia vary
from country to country. The most common motivation is to
reduce dependency on foreign oil (increased energy security),
to combat climate change and to encourage environmental
sustainability.
Biofuels in Asia. Advocates maintain that biofuels can help
reduce dependency on oil imports and lower greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions, and revitalize rural landscapes in both devel-
oped and developing countries. A 2009 report by USAID on the
benefits and risks of biofuels in Asia estimated that total biofuels
production in the region will have jumped more than five-fold
from 2004 levelsfrom just over 2 billion liters to almost 12
billion liters in 2008.
Despite this accelerated growth, biofuels only accounted for
3% of the regions transport fuel mix. The report pointed out
that even at this scale, it is evident that biofuels incur signifi-
cant trade-offs and economic and environmental risks. Critics
of biofuels argue that they compete with food crops for land,
water and agrichemicals, do not deliver cost-effective carbon
emissions reductions, demand a disproportionate amount of
subsidies and incentives, and negatively impact biodiversity.
Others highlighted concerns over lower energy content, net
negative energy balance, potentially increased emissions in vola-
tile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxide (NO
x
), and
vehicle performance issues.
The USAID report purported that large-scale production
of biofuels is unlikely to make a significant contribution to
Asias future transport energy demand. By 2030, biofuels are
expected to account for an estimated 3%14% of the total
transport fuel mix in China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines,
Thailand and Vietnam. This projection is predicated on the
premise that these countries will rapidly expand cultivation of
efficient first-generation biofuel crops on under-utilized land
while promoting second-generation cellulosic ethanol using
agricultural residues.
Countries in Asia that have biofuelsboth bio-gasoline and
bio-dieselprograms and targets in place include Thailand,
China, India, the Philippines, South Korea and Vietnam. Thai-
land arguably has made the most progress with ethanol gasoline,
while the rest of the countries continue to struggle to achieve
0
2000
Asia Pacic
Europe
North America
Latin America
Africa
Source: ANGV
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
1
2
N
G

v
e
h
i
c
l
e

p
o
p
u
l
a
t
i
o
n
,

m
i
l
l
i
o
n

u
n
i
t
3
4
5
6
Natural gas vehicle population by regions2000 to 2009. FIG. 1
HPI VIEWPOINT
46

I

meaningful success as they deal with resource limitations, espe-
cially in feedstock sufficiency.
Non-biofuel alternative fuels in Asia. Various usage
trials and programs involving nonbiofuel alternative fuels are
currently underway across the region. Among them, CNG and
auto-LPG have captured the most attention. Nonliquid fuel
options such as hybrid, electric and hydrogen/fuel cell vehicles
are also being explored.
Asia Pacific is home to the worlds largest natural gas vehicles
(NGV) market and is the second largest in auto-LPG vehicles.
Based on December 2009 data, India is the worlds fifth largest
NGV market while China is seventh. South Korea is the largest
auto-LPG vehicle market globally, while Japan and Thailand are
fourth and ninth respectively, as shown in Fig. 1 and Table 1.
5
Indias NGV industry leverages the extensive natural gas
pipelines laid across western India to distribute CNG. Other
states tap into the LPG distribution network to supply auto-
LPG. The government is also targeting 1 million hydrogen
vehicles by 2020, having approved the addition of a maximum
20% hydrogen to CNG. India is the only country in the world
that has approved the use of hythane, a mixture of hydrogen
and methane.
While China runs the seventh largest NGV fleet in the world,
CNG and auto-LPG each accounts for less than 5% of the total
natural gas and LPG consumption. China is the only country
worldwide considering methanol fuels, given its sizable coal
industry, which provides the resources to convert coal to liquid
alternatives such as methanol in gasoline and dimethyl ether
(DME) as auto fuel. China now allows M15 (15% methanol)
gasoline in selected provinces on a trial basis. The government
also plans to devote substantial resources to develop electric
vehicles. Thirteen cities, supported by government subsidies, will
be pilot markets for 1,000 new energy vehicles by 2012.
Japans emphasis is on next-generation vehiclesmostly hybrid
cars. The government-driven switch from gasoline-powered auto-
mobiles to next-generation vehicles is based on the premise of
reducing dependence on oil and GHGs. The focus is on innova-
tion of engines (battery and fuel cell) and innovation of fuels in
the form of biofuels (bio-ETBE). The official 2020 target is 50%
new vehicle sales to be next-generation vehicles. At present, about
10% of the countrys vehicle fleet is hybrid cars.
OUTLOOK FOR ALTERNATIVE FUELS IN ASIA
Alternative fuels do offer promise in an energy-intensive world.
However, they clearly come with challenges. Countries in Asia
still have some ways to go before the large-scale adoption of these
fuels can be realized.
Reliability of feedstock, cost efficiencies and large-scale appli-
cation are the key obstacles that most, if not all, alternative fuels
face. Prohibitively expensive to produce, alternative fuels can only
be sustained, at this point, by extensive fiscal subsidies. This is a
particularly sensitive issue in Asia where fuel-market subsidies are
prevalent. Subsidized-fuel markets limit the scope for higher prices,
which make alternative fuels nonviable economically. This, in turn,
constrains investments, thus limiting production volume. In Asias
context, this is a vicious cycle that is hard to break.
Alternative vehicle technologies are emerging that use oil much
more efficiently or not at all, such as electric vehicles. But it will
take time and concerted policy and industry action for them to
become commercially viable and penetrate markets. In addition
Asian consumers are not ready to embrace alternative fuels, both
economically and psychologically speaking. A quantum shift in
consumer mindsets, preferences and behavior is required before a
consumer market with critical mass will emerge.
While alternative fuels are not yet mature, they do have a
role to play in this energy-hungry world. This is inevitable in
light of the urgency to combat climate change and the need
to satisfy the ever-growing energy needs globally in the face of
limited resources. Volatile and persistently high oil prices, along
with the need and political will to diversify energy sources and
potential environmental benefits will continue to feed interest
in alternative fuels.
The way forward. As far as automotive fuels are concerned,
cleaner petroleum-based fuels are the way to go. Governments
will continue to tighten legislation governing (conventional) fuel
quality and vehicle emissions to arrest the decline in air quality.
Besides a progressive reduction in sulfur, refiners would also be
required to cut benzene, aromatics and olefins levels in gasoline.
The intensifying policy focus on reducing carbon dioxide and
GHGs while raising vehicle efficiency will also add pressure on
refiners to produce a product that meets the strictest demands.
Actual experience in the US, the EU and Japan indicates that
the refining process technology is mature and accessible. There is
a cache of experience in the installation and integration of new
processes within existing refineries. Experience with the produc-
tion, blending, distribution and quality monitoring of cleaner
fuels and tools to optimize refining operations are also available.
Implications for hydrocarbons. The world will continue
to face tremendous pressure to develop a radically different energy
and power mix. The global energy landscape is moving from the
oil age to the age of diversity in fuels. The era of cheap oil is over;
the rules of the energy game are changing.
While many people hope for an immediate shift in our energy
mix, Robert Bryce, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and
TABLE 1. Ranking of NGV population as percentage of
total vehicles as of December 2009
Ranking Country
1 Pakistan
2 Argentina
3 Iran
4 Brazil
5 India
6 Italy
7 China
8 Colombia
9 Ukraine
10 Bangladesh
11 Thailand
12 Bolivia
13 Egypt
14 US
15 Armenia
Source: IANGV

I

47
HPI VIEWPOINT
author of Power Hungry: The Myths of Green Energy and the Fuels
of the Future, argues that the vast scale of global energy demand,
along with the limits of alternative sources, will prevent such a
change from happening for decades to come. Global energy con-
sumption has increased by 27% over the past decade alone. Put
another way, global energy use now totals about 29% of Saudi
Arabias daily oil production, and hydrocarbons account for nearly
90% of that total. It is a matter of basic physics and simple math
that hydrocarbons will continue to feed the worlds immense
appetite for energy.
6
HP
LITERATURE CITED
1
For the purpose of this article, only on-road automotive fuels will be discussed.
2
Komiyami, R., Asia Energy Outlook to 2030: Impacts of energy outlook
in China and India on the world, The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan,
EDMC.
3
Transport technologies and policy scenarios to 2050, World Energy
Council 2007.
4
For the purpose of this discussion, alternative fuels is defined to be automo-
tive fuels not derived from crude oil.
5
IANGV (www.iangv.org), 2009 statistics.
6
World LP Gas Association, 2008 statistics.
7
http://www.energyopportunities.tv/Cleaner-Energy/The-Bryce-Challenge
Clean fuel challenges for refiners
With the increased global focus on the environment, there is
a great deal of talk about clean fuels today. Clean fuel issues and
challenges show up on the news, in politicians speeches and
debates, and from keynote speakers at industry conferences.
Clean fuels is a common topic in magazines, on the Internet
and on television. So, it is no surprise that the term clean
fuels has come to mean different things to people around
the world. For the refining industry, clean fuels primarily
refers to reducing contaminants and volatile components in
transportation fuels to meet increasingly stringent fuel-product
quality specifications.
Refiners must meet these challenges while delivering desired
financial results to their shareholders. The refining industry is
struggling because meeting the challenge requires capital invest-
ment, and it comes at the same time that world crude quality is
degrading. Result: Refiners are being forced to decide to invest
the capital necessary to meet the new clean fuel regulationsa
tough decision in its own rightor to make the tougher deci-
sion to shutdown or sell one or more of their refining assets. The
question is: How will operating companies best address these
challenges, especially with the added complexity that not all
regions have the same challenges, standards and requirements?
Regional challenges. The implementation of more strin-
gent fuel specifications differs significantly in various parts of
the world:
Europe has led the way with clean fuel regulations, and
refiners have responded either by implementing the required
refining technologies to meet these challenges, or by shutting
down or selling refineries to another company that is willing
to make the investment. European refiners must comply with
national regulations and European Union (EU) directives such
as Euro 5 diesel. The challenge that they face today is con-
tinuing to produce low-sulfur, clean transportation fuels with
emerging Renewable Energy Directive targets and regulated
carbon dioxide limits.
Asia Pacific. The challenge for Asian refiners is to meet fast
growing demand while complying with new emissions and fuel
quality regulations and directives. Each country has its own
challenges with unique regulations that are largely modeled after
the EU plan. However, while in the Western World, clean fuels
production is often a leading issue, in Asia, it is usually on par
with many other national issues that divert attention and fund-
ing. As a result, Asias initiatives are moving to compliance at a
more measured pace.
Middle East. In the Middle East, ultra-sophisticated and com-
plex refineries are being built to meet growing energy demand for
the region, and to help meet the growing demand in Asia Pacific.
Transportation-fuel quality is becoming a higher priority in the
Middle East due to increasingly stringent regulations within the
region and tighter regulations for fuel products that are exported
to other regions.
Latin America. It is no surprise that clean-fuel regulations are
being rolled out slowly over time in Latin/South America. Each
country has its own set of regulations. Many countries, led by
Brazil, have the additional complexity of high ethanol and other
biofuels blending requirements in transportation fuels.
North America. In the US, there are so many sophisticated
fuel regulations that refiners are extremely challenged by the task
of keeping track of all requirements that must be honored. There
are numerous regulatory bodies that manage the multiple fuels
programs at both the national and state levels. Similar to Europe,
US refiners are struggling with driving profitability, while meet-
ing the new regulations and supporting long-term renewable
content and carbon emissions limits and goals.
Technology and innovation. How do refiners respond
to the clean fuel challenges? The quick answer is the same way
that they have always responded to industry challengesby
looking to new technology and innovation to provide practical
solutions to meet the market demands and to create value for
their shareholders.
Refining technology is typically provided by three types of
companies: 1) those whose only business is technology, 2) those
who are operating companies that also have technology busi-
nesses, and 3) those who are engineering companies that also
have technology businesses.
While each type of company has its advantages, alliances
Douglas N. Kelly, PE, is KBRs vice presi-
dent of refining technology. He is respon-
sible for the refining licensing, engineering
and proprietary equipment business within
the KBR Technology business unit. Mr. Kelly
joined KBR in 2010. He started his career at
Shell Oil Co. Prior to his current position, he
held a variety of leadership positions with
Zero Emission Energy Plants, Invensys and Aspen Technology. He
represents KBR as an associate member on the board of the AFPM
(formerly NPRA). He holds a BS degree in chemical engineering from
The University of Oklahoma and has more than 25 years of refining
and petrochemical experience.
HPI VIEWPOINT
48

I

between different types of companies provide refiners with
additional advantages. For example, alliances between engineer-
ing and operating companies that have technology offer unique
and valuable experience to help refiners overcome challenges
and evaluate options. They bring together different perspectives
that provide innovative ideas that address challenges in the most
economically attractive way.
To address the clean-fuel challenges, refiners are partnering
with refining technology suppliers to provide innovative technol-
ogy options to help:
Meet clean fuel standards
Improve reliability and efficiency
Provide operational and crude handling flexibility
Evaluate options and support economic decisions.
Significant improvements have been made by technology
companies in hydroprocessing technology and catalyst to address
these challenges. This is only part of the solution. Bundling these
technologies with other adjacent technologies is often what makes
a project meet the economic hurdles necessary to support share-
holder-value creation. Each refinery is unique! There are many
different scenarios, configurations, issues and constraints that
must be considered to determine the best and most cost-effective
approach to meeting clean-fuel regulations.
Refiners who have spare hydrocracking and/or hydrotreating
capacity and can use existing vessels and equipment to meet the
new environmental specifications are rare. However, new develop-
ments in technology and catalyst occasionally make it possible to
address these challenges with no more than equipment revamps
as a low-cost option.
Other refiners have determined that their best option is to
add new parallel hydroprocessing units to meet the required
specifications. One European refinery had to overcome sev-
eral challenges to produce low-sulfur Euro IV diesel to meet
regulations and significantly increase capacity. In addition to
the clean fuel challenge, the bottoms capacity of the vacuum
tower was limiting. The optimum solution was to add a second
crude vacuum column, a supercritical solvent deasphalting unit
and a parallel hydrocracker. While this option was more capital
intensive, it provided the refinery with increased flexibility to
handle more challenging crudes and meet increasingly more
stringent limits.
The future. Whatever your current refining situation, the
constraints on the refining industry are not getting any easier. As
regulations increase and crude quality decreases, refiners will need
innovative ideas and new developments from technology provid-
ers to profitably meet the challenges ahead. HP
Each refinery is unique. There are
many different scenarios, configurations,
issues and constraints that must be
considered to determine the best and
most cost-effective approach to meeting
clean-fuel regulations.
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The screw design is inherently reliable and can operate continuously
for more than five years. Lube oil injected into the compressor acts as a sealant,
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CLEAN FUELS SPECIALREPORT

I

51
Consider total value when
optimizing catalytic cracking units
Low rare-earth catalysts balance activity and selectivity against cost
S. ISMAIL, BASF Corp., Iselin, New Jersey
R
are earths are incorporated in the fluid catalytic crack-
ing (FCC) manufacturing recipe to achieve higher catalyst
activity and to improve hydrothermal stability. Rare earths
(REs) achieved these goals by enhancing catalytic activity and
preventing loss of acid sites during normal unit operations. To
address the specific needs of each FCC unit, catalyst manufactur-
ers have traditionally formulated catalysts with various RE levels
that allow for optimal unit performance. The level of REs in a
specific catalyst formulation depends on the operational severity
and product objectives for the specific FCC unit. As gasoline
demand increased, refiners requested higher RE levels of their
catalyst formulation. RE levels gradually increased over time, and
at the end of 2010, the average was 3%, with several refineries
running in excess of the average.
Fig. 1 shows 2010 historical data for Ecat samples analyzed by
for REO. The data reflect all of the samples that were received and
analyzed in the fourth quarter of 2010 before the RE price spike
occurred. Although operational demands have not changed within
the industry, current RE market conditions have put pressure on
catalyst manufacturers, along with refiners, to reassess the role of
REs in the FCC industry.
When looking at the catalytic options, it is critical to look at
the total value, and not just the cost, of REs. Catalyst suppliers have
actively helped their customers analyze their operations and deter-
mine when a drop in RE levels is beneficial. As will be discussed in
this article, the cost/benefits and possible performance deficits of
this option should be clearly understood before making a change.
RE supplydemand balance. The supply/demand balance
of the global RE market became disconnected when China, which
produces 95% of the worlds supply of REs, severely cut its export
quotas in July 2010. China is not expected to change its position,
despite the World Trade Organizations warning that reluctance to
share its RE supplies constitutes a violation of the global trade rules.
At first glance, export quotas for the second half of 2011 indicated
a significant increase over the 2010 numbers. However, on closer
examination, the new quotas reveal that nothing has changed; the
new figures merely include ferrous alloys. These were not part of
the quota in 2010. Market expectations are that price volatility
will continue until new suppliers enter the market and reestablish
the supply/demand balance. In a recent research note issued by
Goldman Sachs, prices are likely to rise in the short term, over the
next 18 months, and then soften in the 2013 to 2015 period.
1
This
softening of RE prices will most likely be due to additional capac-
ity coming online from non-Chinese sources that are expected to
significantly shift the supply picture in the future.
During the interim period, until RE prices once again nor-
malize, members of the refining industry are looking for ways to
address the increase in catalyst costs within their current budget-
ary constraints. Instinctively, the drive is to opt for lower RE-
catalyst formulations to offset the costs of the raw materials. While
this action can have an immediate and successful impact on the
operating budget, it may not be the best decision for the long
term. A total solution should encompass both the profitability of
yield slate against the operating expense, which includes total cata-
lyst costs. Understanding the constraints of a specific FCC unit is
critical in making the optimal economic decision. Suppliers have
proactively worked with their customers to examine how low-RE
catalytic options can fit the needs of specific users.
Technological differences. While all catalyst companies
can offer catalyst products with lower RE levels, the refiner should
equally look for options that balance lower RE levels with increas-
ing activity, so that conversion is sustained at a constant catalyst
addition rate from a higher zeolite content as represented by an
active and selective total surface area. This can be achieved by
using in-situ technology, which is particularly well-suited for
this application. The in-situ process begins with a catalyst sized
microsphere. The ensuing step consists of growing the zeolite
crystal within the microsphere. The zeolite in-situ process serves
two functions: 1) it provides the active and selective area, and 2)
it provides the strength imparted to the microsphere.
This technology is distinct from other catalyst technologies.
With incorporated technology, a single particle is formed consist-
ing of an admixture of clay, zeolite and binder. The incorporated
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5
RE, wt%
N
u
m
b
e
r

o
f

s
a
m
p
l
e

c
o
u
n
t
s
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
C
u
m
u
l
a
t
i
v
e

p
e
r
c
e
n
t

o
f
s
a
m
p
l
e
s

a
t

R
E

w
t
%

l
e
v
e
l
Distribution of RE in FCC catalyst samples. FIG. 1
52

I

catalyst technique is inherently limited to an upper level of zeolite
content, and it cannot increase surface area without seriously com-
promising the strength to withstand breakage in the FCC unit.
The decision to change catalyst or reformulate catalyst is not
a trivial one. Simply reducing RE levels of the catalyst without
a comprehensive study can result in severe yield penalties and,
possibly, force the refinery to cut feedrates to the FCC unit. All
such consequences are economically prohibitive. Helping refin-
ers evaluate the effect of RE levels on key catalytic variables can
reduce the uncertainty of change and facilitate the decision to
move to a reformulation of their FCC catalyst when appropri-
ate. The specifics of this change in formulation and the impact
of REO levels on conversion, as well as the effect of fresh catalyst
surface area and addition rate, will be examined in this article.
How RE affects FCC catalyst performance. When con-
sidering a move to reduce the RE component in the catalyst, it is
critical to grasp the performance shifts and economic impact of
such a change. The economic impact comprises two aspects. It is
a function of total catalyst cost and the value created from a given
catalyst formulation. Reducing the RE level will have an immediate
cost saving. But this calculation alone will not give the true profit
generation picture if the margin benefits from the yield slate are not
included. To illustrate the impact of such changes on key catalytic
performance indicators, a proprietary FCC simulation model was
used to study the effects of RE levels, catalyst addition rates and
fresh surface area for FCC units operating with these feedstocks:
Hydrotreated vacuum gasoil (VGO)Refinery A
Standard VGORefinery B
Moderate residRefinery C
Heavy residRefinery D
The selected feed types can provide an analysis that covers the
whole range of feed diets (types) used in FCC operations. The
Base Case for all cases was 3% RE in the catalyst. As seen from
Fig. 1, this was the average level of REs used in 155 FCC units.
For each operation, the RE level was changed to model these
scenarios:
Impact of REO level on conversion, at constant catalyst
addition rates and unit conditions
Impact of fresh catalyst addition rate, to restore Base Case
conversion at constant unit conditions
Effect of increasing fresh catalyst surface area, at constant
catalyst addition rates and unit conditions.
This approach was adopted because the first negative impact
from RE reductions is a decrease in catalyst activity. The second
and third bullet points were methods to recover the loss in activity
through either increased catalyst additions or through choosing
catalyst with a higher intrinsic activity that is achieved through
increased surface area. Table 1 summarizes the Base Case for the
feed types and Ecat properties. Table 2 provides the operating
conditions and yields of the four scenarios.
Unit performance as RE is reduced. In the first instance,
the FCC simulation model was run by holding all variables con-
stant with the exception of the RE levels of the catalyst. The result
is a fairly smooth logarithmic curve with increasing conversion
and lower bottoms yields with increasing RE levels in the catalysts,
as shown in Fig. 2. As the RE levels decrease, the conversion of
feed to higher valued products will drop.
Restoring conversions with catalyst additions. There
are two catalytic approaches to reduce RE levels in the fresh cata-
lyst and, at the same time, restore the unit to conversion levels of
the Base Case (old RE level):
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5
RE, wt%
C
o
n
v
e
r
s
i
o
n
,

%
7.0
7.5
8.0
8.5
9.0
9.5
10.0
F
C
C

b
o
t
t
o
m
s
Conversion and bottoms changes with changing RE levels
in catalyst at constant catalyst additions and constant TSA
area at constant operating conditions.
FIG. 2
TABLE 1. Feed and equilibrium catalyst properties
for Base Cases
Refinery A B C D
API 26.3 22 22.1 20.1
Concarbon, wt% 0.3 0.3 0.9 4.5
Sulfur, wt% 0.5 0.7 0.5 0.4
Basic N
2
, wt% 0.03 0.05 0.04 0.04
Distillation
% 650 F
15 20 7 4
% 1,000 F
+
< 10 < 10 10 20
Ecat properties
TSA, m
2
/g 180 152 116 130
Activity 75 73 72 72
REO, wt% 3 3 3 3
TABLE 2. Operating conditions and yields
Refinery A B C D
Mode of operation Full burn Full burn Partial burn Partial burn
Rx outlet temperature, F 996 997 995 977
Regen. bed temp, F 1,326 1,291 1,287 1,319
C/O 5.3 7.1 7.7 8.7
Conversion, vol% 81.9 75.4 70.3 74.1
LPG, vol% 28.8 27.4 29.1 24.4
Gasoline, vol% 65.3 58.9 53.6 60.7
LCO, vol% 11.5 17.1 20.9 15.7
Bottoms, vol% 6.7 7.5 8.7 10.2
TABLE 3. Increasing the catalyst fresh surface area to
reduce RE for equal conversion at contact addition rates
TSA, m
2
/gm
Case 3% RE 2.5% RE 2% RE 1.5% RE 1% RE
A 350 370 410
B 325 344 380 406
C 312 330 365 390
D 265 291 318 358 399

I

53
Case A. The refiner can increase catalyst additions at lower
RE levels.
Case B. The refiner can increase the activity via higher zeolite
content as represented by total surface area (TSA) of the catalyst.
In Case A, it is quite possible and often economically viable to
increase catalyst additions to restore the conversion to the Base
Case levels. Fig. 3 illustrates how catalyst rates can restore the unit
to the Base Case conversion. As can be seen from the trend, when
the desired decrease in RE is low to moderate (3 wt% RE to 2.5
wt% RE or 2 wt% RE), the objective can be achieved fairly eas-
ily. For Refineries B, C and D, this will require about 10% more
catalyst at an RE level of 2% as compared to the Base Case of 3%
RE, while Refinery A will require a higher level of fresh catalyst,
as this refinery operates at a higher severity. However, the product
slate for the same conversion may be different, and the refiners
will need to check whether there may be constraints that will
prevent the refinery from taking a particular action.
In Case B, catalysts with a higher surface area (providing higher
activity) furnish the flexibility to lower RE content of the catalyst
and they can maintain performance and conversion at equal
catalyst addition rates.
The in-situ technology allows increasing the TSA to a greater
extent. The application of this technology depends largely on the
starting point of the TSA being used by the refinery. From Table
3, it can be seen, that, if the refiner operating at a lower surface
area, such as D, then it has a larger range of opportunity to reduce
RE content than that of a refiner operating with a blend like A.
To further understand this example, let us consider: Refiner
B using a catalyst with 3% RE, 325 m
2
/g fresh TSA, and a daily
consumption of 2 tpd of catalyst. The refinery would like to
lower catalyst costs by reformulating the catalyst to a 1.5 wt%
RE. Assuming that the refinery can handle higher levels of liq-
uefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the wet-gas compressor and gas-
concentration system, there are three possible routes a refinery
can follow to reduce RE in the catalyst while maintaining present
conversion levels:
Case 1. Increase catalyst additions containing lower RE levels
(exchanged on the zeolite). If we look at Fig. 3, then the catalyst
quantity for this simulation is 20% higher. Therefore, the refinery
can maintain conversion by increasing catalyst usage from 2 tpd
to 2.4 tpd but at a low RE level, which is 50% lower than the
Base Case.
Case 2. Reformulate the catalyst by keeping the total catalyst
addition rate the same but increasing the fresh TSA. In this case,
from Table 3, it can be achieved by increasing the TSA from 325
m
2
/g to 406 m
2
/g.
Case 3. Use a combination of Cases 1 and 2. The refinery
could increase catalyst additions by 10% (2.2 tpd) and increase
TSA of the catalyst from 325 m
2
/g to 350 m
2
/g. This idealized
example is to illustrate a means to address the problem. Of course,
individual needs may be different and they must be considered
when making a decision. In either case, it is possible to com-
bine the technology options of Cases A and B to meet a specific
refiners FCC requirement.
Constraints. As was discussed previously, this article only
addresses generic options. Refiners and catalyst users should talk
to their suppliers to achieve a carefully calibrated decision based
on intimate knowledge of operations needs and timing. When
conversion is restored to the Base Case at lower RE levels, the unit
necessarily produces a larger amount of LPG and less gasoline. This
is fundamentally due to the chemistry of the process. RE exchanged
on the zeolite will increase the hydrogen-transfer reaction, which
will push the increased conversion toward paraffins and aromatics at
the cost of reducing cycle oil naphthenes and olefins. The source of
the naphthenes, which supply the hydrogen for the hydrogen trans-
fer to take place, is usually in the light cycle oil (LCO) boiling range:
LCO naphthenes + gasoline olefins t LCO aromatics +
gasoline paraffins
The aromaticity of the gasoline does not change much. But,
in most cases, it will increase the aromaticity of the LCO stream,
thus lowering its cetane number. By reducing RE in the catalyst,
the resulting gasoline will have a higher level of olefins, some of
which will over-crack, yielding more LPG. Regarding the LCO
quality, lowering the RE content improves the quality of the
LCO; the LCOs cetane number will increase marginally from
a low base. Increasing the paraffinicity of LCO will also slightly
increase its API gravity.
From Fig. 4, when the RE is reduced from 3 wt% to 1 wt%,
then the gasoline decreases monotonically from 58.85 vol% to
57.7 vol%. Concomitantly, the LPG make increases from 27.4
vol% at 3 wt% RE and rises to 29.1 vol% at an RE level of 1 wt%
in the catalyst. This may not be an issue for some refineries that
100
110
120
130
140
150
160
170
180
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5
RE, wt%
R
e
q
u
i
r
e
d

f
o
r

c
o
n
s
t
a
n
t

a
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a
l

c
o
n
v
e
r
s
i
o
n
,

%

A B C D
Increasing catalyst addition rate can restore conversion to
the Base Case.
FIG. 3
57.6
57.8
58.0
58.2
58.4
58.6
58.8
59.0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5
RE, wt%
G
a
s
o
l
i
n
e
,

v
o
l
%
27.2
27.4
27.6
27.8
28.0
28.2
28.4
28.6
28.8
29.0
29.2
L
P
G
,

v
o
l
%
Gasoline make (vol%) vs. RE level of the FCC catalyst
against LPG production (vol%).
FIG. 4
54

I

can handle higher LPG loading in the wet-gas compressor, but,
for others, it may be an issue. In addition, as shown in Fig. 5,
the reduction in RE also drives an increase in the research octane
number (RON) of the product.
Economics. To contextualize the impact of the (continuing)
rise in the price of RE materials, an analysis was done to show
the effects of lowering RE levels in catalyst formulation while
holding catalyst addition and surface area constant. The analysis
was done by considering two sets of economic values, as shown
below in Table 4.
2
For the olefins maximization, the objective is to increase light
olefins such as propylene and butylenes. These can be seen by
comparing the prices between the olefins and gasoline mode of
operation. Using the prices in Table 4 for each mode of opera-
tion, and using Eq. 1 for calculating the value created, several
conclusions were reached. As expected, the maximum olefins
mode occurs at the lowest RE levels, and the maximum gasoline
product occurs at the highest RE levels. These can be seen in Figs.
6 and 7, respectively. Eq. 1 was used for the net contribution after
total catalyst cost:
{[ (Product prices in $/bbl)
i
(vol%)
i
} (Feed costing, $/bbl)]
Feedrate, bbl/day} [(Catalyst cost in $/ton] tpd
As an alternate cost saving measure, break-even calculations
are shown in Tables 5 and 6. Refiners have two levers that can be
actuated to achieve lower cost options for meeting their catalyst
needs. In the first case, a demonstration is shown where refiners
are able to trim or even substantially reduce the RE levels in their
catalyst depending on their needs and objectives.
In this example, it can be seen that the savings realized by
lowering the RE levels can be substantial. If a refinery using 5
tpd were able to meet its objective by reducing RE levels from
3% to 2%, the savings would be about $1.5 million/yr based
on the catalyst cost of $5,000/ton. The savings would be even
greater if the catalyst cost is lower than the assumed price. Cor-
respondingly, the savings would be lower if the catalyst cost is
higher than $5,000/ton.
TABLE 5. Constant conversion achieved by lower RE
with increased catalyst addition
Base Case
RE, wt% (3%) RE 2.5% RE 2% RE 1.5% RE 1% RE
Catalyst consumption, %/day 100 104 107 109 123
Addition (%) catalyst 4 7 9 23
over Base Case, tpd
Savings, $/bbl 0.08 0.18 0.3 0.38
TABLE 4. Economic values
Olefin Gasoline
Stream maximization mode maximization mode
C
2
+ltr, $/BFOE $28.19 $28.19
C
3
=
, $/bbl $94.90 $62.09
C
3
, $/bbl $55.68 $55.68
C
4
=
, $/bbl $102.49 $82.78
iC
4
, $/bbl $73.42 $73.42
nC
4
, $/bbl $62.09 $62.09
Gasoline, $/bbl $92.64 $101.69
LCO, $/bbl $107.32 $107.32
HCO, $/bbl $82.00 $82.00
Feed cost, $/bbl $98.55 $98.55
TABLE 6. Calculation based on constant conversion
with increasing TSA
Base Case
RE (3%) RE 2.5% RE 2% RE 1.5% RE
TSA, m
2
/g 325 344 380 406
Catalyst consumption, %/day 100 100 100 100
Delta surface area, m
2
/g 19 55 81
Savings, $/bbl 0.11 0.22 0.32
57.6
57.8
58.0
58.2
58.4
58.6
58.8
59.0
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5
RE, wt%
Y
i
e
l
d
,

v
o
l
%
94.6
94.7
94.8
94.9
95.0
95.1
95.2
95.3
95.4
95.5
R
O
N
Gasoline make (vol%) vs. RE level of the FCC catalyst
against LPG production (vol%).
FIG. 5
6.70
6.75
6.80
6.85
6.90
6.95
7.00
7.05
0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50
RE, wt%
C
o
n
t
r
i
b
u
t
i
o
n

m
a
r
g
i
n
,

$
/
b
b
l
a
f
t
e
r

t
o
t
a
l

c
a
t
a
l
y
s
t

c
o
s
t
Continuous increase in value created by operating at lower
RE levels during olefins maximization mode.
FIG. 6
6.40
6.50
6.60
6.70
6.80
6.90
7.00
0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50
M
a
r
g
i
n

a
f
t
e
r

t
o
t
a
l

c
a
t
a
l
y
s
t

c
o
s
t
,

$
/
b
b
l
RE, wt%
Continuous increase in value created with increasing RE
levels during maximum gasoline mode of operation.
FIG. 7
In a similar way, our analysis indicates that, in addition to
supplementing activity by increasing catalyst addition, an increase
in activity can be achieved by increasing the TSA of the catalyst.
When these two options are applied, a greater range of flexibility
is achieved. The benefits of increased TSA can be seen in Table 6.
In this case, the break-even cost ranges from $224 m
2
/g to $155
m
2
/g. The actual cost of catalyst is a small fraction of this amount
and, therefore, the savings using this approach are even higher
than supplemental catalyst addition rates.
Post audit. As part of the comprehensive technical service
provided to customers, some catalyst suppliers do provide a
post-audit service. The objective of the post audit is to confirm
the performance of the reformulation and to assess whether there
is scope for further fine-tuning. Of course, should the refinerys
objective have changed significantly, the post audit can also help
develop new strategies to help the refinery aim at targeting its
new priorities.
Table 7 is an example of a post audit for a European refinery
that changed its catalyst formulation from an RE of 2.8% to
1.8%. The refinery kept its catalyst addition at the same level
but used a reformulated higher TSA catalyst. After the refinery
assessed the performance and felt comfortable with this new
reformulation, it looked at other options to further cut its RE
levels. As can be seen in Table 7, the post audit was done after a
full inventory changeover. By comparing the projected and actual
yield patterns from the unit, it can be seen that the accuracy of the
modeling tool kit is very good.
Technical service. The standard service of some suppliers fol-
lows an inclusive product selection approach to match the ideal
product based on input from sales, service, manufacturing and mar-
keting. In this approach, each catalyst offer is customized to meet
the objectives of the refiner, taking into consideration the constraints
of the specific user whether, they are operational or economic.
As a follow up with continued after sales technical support,
regular technical support services (TSSs) should be made available.
Such reports provide the refinery management with an ongoing
systematic evaluation of their FCC operating conditions, together
with the impact of the catalyst to support the strategic direction of
the FCC management.
The major objective is to ensure that the catalyst formulation
fits into the refinery strategic decision of optimizing its profit-
ability on an ongoing basis. This is done to support the refinery
with an optimum catalyst recipe to meet the changing needs
of the refinery within its operating unit, market and logistical
constraints. Fig. 8 shows a quick summary of information flow
for the TSS.
Action plan. In the context of the high RE price environment,
refiners can apply methods to reduce operating costs associated
with fresh catalyst purchase and to minimize the risk of a catalyst
reformulation. The process of extracting maximum benefit comes
into being by the interplay of information between customer and
supplier through communication, understanding, tools and prod-
ucts. Suppliers have managed this process at the front end through
heavy investments in R&D, production process and equipment to
bring about best in class products.
TABLE 7. Post audit results
2.8% RE, 360 TSA 1.8% RE, 360 TSA
Riser/reactor operation Projected Actual
Feedrate, tph Base Base
Feed specfic gravity, @ 60/60 Base Base
Catalyst circulation rate, t/min 18.8 20.5
Regeneration operation
Regen. 1 bed temp, C 711 697
Fresh cat. makeup, tpd 2.15 2.2
Conversion
Fresh feed conversion (as cut), wt% 73.8 73.4
Product yields, wt%
Hydrogen 0.09 0.08
Hydrogen sulfide 0.17 0.15
Methane 1.56 1.54
Ethane 1.14 1.11
Ethylene 1.32 1.32
Propane 1.84 1.76
Propylene 7.32 7.65
n-Butane 0.95 0.95
Isobutane 3.71 3.78
Total butenes 7.57 7.82
C
5
to 221C gasoline 42.95 42.08
LCO, 221C to 350C 13.79 14.41
Slurry, 350C 12.53 12.18
Coke 5.19 5.17
56

I

The process begins with the catalyst supplier fully understand-
ing the needs of the refinery to reduce operating costs, as well as
being fully versed regarding the operating objectives and con-
straints of the unit. This information is presented to the product
selection team to select one or more products for a given set of
operating conditions. Once the catalyst is selected, the product
is evaluated in a proprietary FCC simulation model against the
customers operating capabilities and constraints. The information
gathered from simulation programs are then compared against a
benchmark database to ensure the practical potential reality of
the selection, which the account manager then fully discloses to
the customer.
Following the decision made by the refinery, the execution of
the process moves into the next phase. A heightened level of the
technical support is initiated, where real operational data from
the refinery is analyzed for consistency and accuracy. Regular and
timely meetings are held with the refiner,
accompanied by detailed reports to keep
the refinery fully apprised of the unit oper-
ation, economics impacts and constraint
positions. This is to minimize surprises for
the FCC management.
After the total inventory has been turned
over, a post audit is completed to confirm
the projections. The post audit also gives
the refinery the opportunity to decide if
there is still further scope for improvement.
Through state-of-the-art technology and a
partnering approach, the catalyst supplier
is able to combine the benefits of selecting the optimal prod-
uct, expertise and global experience to ensure continued value
creation for its customers. For the customers, this approach
helps them make highly informed, high-quality decisions to
support the refinerys plan by minimizing risk and surprises, and
to increase profitability. HP
LITERATURE CITED
1
Rare Earth Supply Peaking, To surplus by 2013, Goldman, published by
Dow Jones (Sydney), May 4, 2011.
2
The table was based on CMAI estimates and then modified with internal
documents for estimating the FCC economics. CMAI reports are supplied by
Chemical Market Associates.
PEOPLE PERSPECTIVES:
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surveyed nearly 900 global oil and gas professionals to measure job satisfaction, motivation,
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This exclusive report features:
A breakdown of the current global and US oil and gas workforce by labor type (local or
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An employment forecast by various survey and analyst indicators: budget, construction,
drilling and development, and workforce age
Current attitudes on job satisfaction and security, morale and motivation, future plans,
safety and the industry as a whole
Existing workforce compensation current global and US compensation analysis and
forecasted changes in compensation
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INTRODUCING
A
etitive work enviro
INTRODU
Renery provides
operating data
Final report Optimizing operation
Catalyst
manufacturer
checks for
accuracy and
consistency of data
Mass balance closure
Heat balance
H
2
balance
Operating data Process check Process analysis
Catalyst
manufacturer
analyzes
Ecat data
Fines analysis
Scrubber water
samples
Feed analysis
Catalyst
manufacturer
publishes a
quarterly report
with nding to
ensure operations
and protability
targets are on
track
Catalyst
manufacturer utilizes
State of the art
tools for comparison
and simulation
FCC simulation models
Comprehensive
benchmarking
Heat balance
H
2
balance
Information flow to support refinery operations to create maximum value. FIG. 8
Solly Ismail is a technical service modeling specialist with BASF Refining Catalysts,
working with the BASF Refining Catalysts Sales organization. He holds an MS degree
from Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the University of South Africa.

I

57
Increase energy efficiency
for your refinery
Behavioral and organization changes are needed
to effectively maximize operating profits
Z. MILOSEVIC, KBC Process Technology Ltd., Walton on the Thames, Surrey, UK
A
s the margins remain low, the
importance of reducing the oper-
ating costs, improving margins
and maximizing the use of the existing
assets remains a high priority for refiners
globally. Energy efficiency is in focus, both
as a cost issue and as environmental con-
cern. This importance has also been rec-
ognized by new standardization in the area
of Energy Management (ISO 50001, to
be implemented by end 2010) and Energy
Management Systems (BS EN 16001,
implemented in 2009).
However, while many refinery engi-
neers and operators have ideas about how
to improve the energy efficiency of a site,
these ideas very often fail to mature or be
implemented. What is most undesirable to
any refiner in the present market environ-
ment is that the good ideas and desirable
projects are not put into practice.
Refineries can and do focus very effec-
tively on operational excellence, mainte-
nance or safety, but they rarely create an
energy-focused organization. This occurs
due to various reasons, including lack of
organization, equipment (instrumenta-
tion), or tools and skills that are required
for project identification and effective
implementation. Conversely, some refiners
show remarkable vigor and ability to imple-
ment such projects. What is their secret?
Which organizational factors affect the
implementability of good ideas, and which
can be quickly adjusted and amended to
achieve good implementability?
Project challenges. The obstacles to
effective project implementability usually
fall into three categories:
TechnicalLack of instrumentation,
measurements, accurate data or control-
lability.
Skills-relateda shortage of skills and
tools.
Behavioral and organizational.
It has been often noticed that even in
the absence of the first two roadblocks, and
with only the third challenge (behavioral
or organizational) present, project imple-
mentation is slow. The lack of required
organizational and behavioral features can-
cels the effects of skills and technical effort.
If so, a complete revamp of a refiners prac-
tices is often required, encapsulated into
what is called the creation of an energy
focused organization. This article will dis-
cuss behavioral and organizational factor,
what is needed to create an energy-focused
organization, and how the transition can
be effectively made.
ENERGY-FOCUSED ORGANIZATION
Refiners have been talking about
profi t-ori ented organi zati on and
operational-excellence-focused refining.
However, energy effectiveness has become
a factor of such a vital importance that
a new term, energy focused, has been
added. An organization may have all of
the tools and knowledge necessary to
be a world-class energy performer, but
without a clear energy strategy, along
with motivated and informed personnel
and an organization that supports energy
initiatives, the end result will be less than
desired. An energy-focused organization
is crucial for ensuring the implemen-
tation of the identified improvement
opportunities and for sustaining good
operational efficiency.
The term energy-focused organization
defines the organizational structure and
procedures that support good energy man-
agement. That structure and those proce-
dures are usually contained in six areas:
Energy policy. It includes existence,
clarity, completeness and adherence to the
organization structure.
Organizational structure. It is the
position and role of the site energy coordi-
nator and the energy team, their responsi-
bilities, authority, and senior management
support.
Motivation. Must be present at all
levels.
Information systems. This includes
adequacy of measurements, targets, reporting
Marketing of energy efficiency.
How is energy efficiency promoted both
internally and externally for the company?
Investment. Such projects require
building the case for investment and creat-
ing budget availability.
Energy policy. This is the refiners public
statement of commitment. It is the vision,
and, as such, it forms the foundation of a
successful energy management program. It is
formally written, clearly and succinctly, and
contains measurable objectives in improving
the energy performance, including any other
goals such as environmental protection. The
policy is tailored for the particular organiza-
tion. It is approved and issued by its chief
executive, and involves the key members of
the senior management team.
A well-written policy is understandable
to both employees and the public. It is real-
istic. It includes the skills and abilities of all
management and employees. The policy is
communicated to all staff, so that everyone is
encouraged to get involved. The policy will
ideally state the chain of command, define
the responsibilities and provide authority for
implementing the energy program.
Organizational structure. The effec-
tiveness of the organizational structure
58

I

revolves around the office of the site energy
coordinator, and the coordinators compe-
tencies and authority. The energy coordina-
tor is the key player, who leads the energy
management program, and communicates
and reports to the senior management. The
energy coordinator is responsible for:
Developing and promoting of the
corporate energy policy and energy-effi-
ciency plan
Motivating the staff to improve the
energy efficiency
Assuring accountability and commit-
ment from the organization
Ensuring that the necessary means
are in place to achieve the goals in terms of
systems, resources and training
Identifying and evaluating areas for
improvement.
The members of the energy team should
include representatives from operations,
utilities, maintenance, planning, facilities
and environment. They help the leader to
integrate the program and to measure and
track the energy-performance data.
Motivation. It is typical for engineers
and operators to be conservative, to try to
remain within their comfort zones, and to
adhere to the established practices. Motiva-
tion induces people to act voluntarily in a
certain way and then to persist in the face
of difficulty.
Motivation needs to be extended to all
playerssenior managers, heads of depart-
ments and operators. Different motiva-
tional factors apply to different organiza-
tional levels:
Senior managers are motivated by
incentives to reduce costs and improve
profitability.
Heads of departments are the budget
holders and are responsible for the energy
cost. Their motivation can be in the use of
under-spending and setting budgets for the
succeeding year.
Operators need to be trained and
their performance monitored by the use of
key indicators and energy metrics.
Internal competition (tracking sheets,
scorecards, etc.), recognition (highlight
and reward accomplishments), financial
bonuses and prizes, and environmen-
tal responsibility are all valid drivers for
improved motivation, especially if they
work in conjunction with well-introduced
performance standards.
Information systems. An energy
management information system measures,
targets and reports the energy consump-
tion. Effective measurement extends to
consumption of all utilities (electricity, fuel,
steam and water,) documenting consump-
tion and creating the historical database.
Setting realistic, achievable and, yet, aggres-
sive targets is one of the main features of an
effective energy-efficiency program. The
targets take the form of key-performance
indicators (KPIs) and energy influencing
variables (EIVs), which have to be defined
for each of the selected users. They are set
with much care by a team of specialists at
each organizational level.
The energy performance reports should
be tailored for different levels within the
organization and written in an easy-to-read
format. They would typically summarize
the targets, compare the targets and actual
operation, and show lost opportunities
due to sub-optimal operation in monetary
units. It is often found that, by just install-
ing the information system, the energy per-
formance does improve.
Marketing. An energy-focused organiza-
tion promotes its energy management both
internally, throughout the organization,
and to the outside world. The marketing
of its energy program is the responsibility
of the energy team. To be effective market-
ers of internal policy, the team members
must gain the confidence and commitment
from key personnel. They will encourage
debate and suggestions on the ways to
improve energy efficiency and to promote
the energy-reduction program outside the
organization. They will be responsible for
personnel training.
As always, to be effective in market-
ing, the energy team members will need
to do their homework and find who will
be involved in the program and what the
needs of the people involved are. They will
also endeavor to learn the other energy
managers actions and to become very
familiar with the type of energy-saving
measures that are available, along with the
benefits and the costs from such programs.
Investment. Within the fixed budgets,
the energy-efficiency projects will compete
against other projects in a refinery. Some
refiners differentiate positively in favor of
energy projects, on the grounds that the
energy project, once installed sits there and
makes money, as opposed to yield-related
projects, where the profitability depends
on ever-changing relative product pricing.
In either case, the energy team needs
to build a strong case for investment. This
consists of the assurance of a) the correct
selection of projects, b) the accurate cal-
culation of the benefits and c) the accurate
estimate of the project costs.
Many engineers and operators will know
how to save energy and can propose mean-
ingful projects. The trick, however, is in the
organizations ability to agree on and priori-
tize those ideas. From dozens or hundreds
of ideas to propose, only those ideas that are
undoubtedly the best and the most worthy
of implementation will be used to create a
TABLE 1. Energy policy needs according to ISO 50001
Defines and documents the scope and boundaries of the energy management system
Is appropriate to the nature and scale of, and impact on, the organizations energy use
Includes a commitment to continual improvement in energy performance
Includes a commitment to ensure the availability of information and of all necessary resources to achieve
objectives and targets
Includes a commitment to comply with all applicable legal and other requirements
Provides the framework for setting and reviewing energy objectives and targets
supports the purchase of energy efficient products and services
Is documented, communicated and understood within the organization
Is regularly reviewed and updated
Job
performance
proling
Energy
strategy
Work process
mapping
Awareness
program
design
Rollout
Organizational alignment
Organization alignment to ensure improved energy-efficiency programs. FIG. 1

59
road map of projects that are targeted for
energy performance for the site.
HOW TO CREATE AN ENERGY-
FOCUSED ORGANIZATION
An energy-focused organization will
have most of the mentioned six areas of
concern well addressed, including:
The energy policy and the related
action plan will exist. It will be regularly
reviewed, and will have the commitment
from top management.
The energy management will be fully
integrated into the management structure.
There will be formal and informal
channels of communication at all levels to
motivate staff in energy conservation.
A comprehensive information and
management system will exist with proper
monitoring, target setting and reporting.
The value of energy efficiency will be
continually promoted within the organiza-
tion and outside of it.
Positive discrimination in favor of
energy projects will be secured.
These organizational features are not
produced overnight. It may take a long time
for pacesetters in energy efficiency to create
and sharpen their energy focus. While it is
difficult to generalize, it is likely that the
process of creating an energy focused orga-
nization will start with proper organiza-
tional alignment, which means aligning the
refinery management team with the energy
strategy and the overall business goals, as
shown in Fig. 1. The activities shown are
defined as:
Develop an energy strategy. This
involves setting strategic goals, developing
a vision statement and identifying how the
organization will support the main inter-
nal clients for energy (energy efficiency
owners.)
Work process mapping. Writing
the working processes and practices asso-
ciated with economically optimizing the
energy performance of the plant should be
reviewed and defined. It should cover:
Energy reporting structure. It
defines how energy performance is reported
and monitored throughout the organiza-
tion.
Operational practices. These prac-
tices define key performance indicators and
energy influencing variables, packed into
an Energy Management System.
Improvement identification prac-
tices. These practices define the appropri-
ate procedures and resources for identify-
ing and evaluating opportunities, and for
defining how energy projects are included
in investment budgets.
Performance support tools. These
tools identify training needs and develop-
ing human performance management pro-
cesses and support elements.
Training programs.
Job profiles. Such profiles define the
roles and responsibilities of the key mem-
bers for the energy team, including an
outline of the required competencies and
measurement criteria. This may require
introduction of new positions. But energy
focus should also be included in the roles
and responsibilities of existing operations
and technical staff.
Awareness program design. This
program includes developing leaflets, cam-
paigns, information and training needs.
THE WAY FORWARD
Assuming that energy effectiveness will
remain a strong industry driver for years to
come, creating an energy-focused organi-
zation will become an unavoidable task
and an essential part of good refinery man-
agement. The process will start with bench-
marking the organizational structure and
energy management practices, and iden-
tifying performance gaps. Many refiner-
ies will find that, while sufficient expertise
and technical knowledge exist, the lack of
adequate organization, motivation and
implementation ability or implementation
culture prevent them from actually improv-
ing their energy performance.
The order and methods of addressing
and reducing these gaps will differ from
site to site, but most refiners will find that
training will be required at all levels, fol-
lowed by re-organization, with sufficient
authority given to the site energy coordi-
nator, and implementation of an energy
management system. HP
Dr. Zoran Milosevic is a senior
staff consultant with KBC Process
Technology Ltd., and an internationally
renowned authority on energy optimi-
zation and profit improvement of oil
refineries and petrochemical plants. He is best known
through his work on profit improvement and energy con-
servation. He has over 40 published papers and articles
on energy efficiency, refinery/petrochemicals profitability
improvement, and energy economics. Dr. Milosevic has
given numerous training courses on energy economics,
refinery energy efficiency and pinch technology.
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eam has l ed the industr y in the del i ver y of safe,
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I

61
Use advanced catalysts
to improve xylenes isomerization
This refiner wanted to increase ethylbenzene conversion
while limiting aromatics losses
G. SHOUQUAN, Sinopec Zhenhai Refinery & Chemical Co., Zhenhai, China; and
J. CHUA, Zeolyst International, Singapore
S
inopec Zhenhai Refinery and Chemical Co. (ZRCC) started
up a 450,000-tpy paraxylene (PX) complex in August 2003.
The complex was originally designed to use a locally pro-
duced xylene isomerization catalyst. The performance of xylene
isomerization catalyst during the first cycle began to deteriorate
rapidly after the regeneration in March 2007. The ethylbenzene
(EB) conversion rate dropped from 25 wt% before regeneration to
22 wt%, and the PX/xylene ratio in the product also dropped from
22.7% to 22% and directly led to a 0.4 wt% reduction of PX con-
centration in the PX adsorption unit feed. As a result, the PX pro-
duction dropped by 50 tpd of PX; the C
8
aromatics loss was higher
than 4%, which is very high. Temperature and pressure increases in
the reaction system were increasing significantly faster than before
regeneration, with the rate of temperature increase jumping from
0.5C /month to 2C/month. As the isomerization catalyst per-
formance deteriorated rapidly, ZRCC had planned to replace the
xylene catalyst during a scheduled maintenance turnaround in 2008.
CATALYST SELECTION
After discussions with a number of catalyst technology own-
ers (foreign and domestic) and conducting a catalyst technical
evaluation among them, ZRCC selected the latest generation of
a xylene isomerization catalyst. The new first-generation xylene
isomerization catalyst was initially commercialized in 2001, and it
has now been applied in more than 11 units outside of China. In
June 2006, the Sinopec Yangzi branch applied the first-generation
catalyst successfully in its aromatics plant with outstanding results.
The newer generation catalyst is developed based on the concept
of the first-generation catalyst with an improved manufacturing
process. Processing benefits from the new catalyst system included
high activity, high EB conversion rate, high PX/xylene ratio in
the product, low C
8
aromatics losses and long cycle life. In addi-
tion, this catalyst is very robust and can perform well in different
operating conditions. It is in operation at three operating units in
Taiwan and outside of China.
CATALYST PARAMETERS
This catalyst is jointly developed and uses a proprietary carrier.
Upon delivery, ZRCC sampled and analyzed the catalyst. The
results showed that the catalyst had a loss of ignition of 0.77 wt%
at 420C and a specific surface area of 267 m
2
/ g, with no particles
smaller than 30 mesh.
Xylene isomerization process. The xylene isomerization
reaction of the EB reforming type catalyst is designed to isomer-
ize aromatics present with PX in an amount often less than 1%
in the reactor feed into four xylene isomersPX, metaxylene
(MX), orthoxylene (OX) and EBclose to equilibrium, at a
defined temperature and pressure with the presence of a catalyst.
The objective is to reduce the EB content and to increase xylene
concentration of the feed for the PX adsorption unit. The higher
xylene content to the adsorption unit increases the PX product
yield and minimizes recycling and energy consumption.
For the isomerization reaction, higher EB conversion rate
and PX concentration in the product will bring the C
8
aromatics
closer to equilibrium. At the same time, the C
8
aromatics loss will
be higher. This shows that, within a certain range, the activity
and selectivity are in an inverse relationship. Therefore, careful
consideration should be given to the activity and selectivity while
operating with this catalyst. Table 1 lists the guaranteed values of
the catalyst performance parameters.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION OF ZRCC PX COMPLEX
ZRCCs PX isomerization unit has a designed throughput
of 267 tons/hr. In the design, an extra C
8
naphthenes recycle
column was added downstream of the deheptanizer to reduce
the circulation path of the C
8
naphthenes. Fig. 1 is a simplified
flow diagram of the ZRCCs isomerization unit.
Xylene isom
reactor
High-pressure
separator
Deheptanizer
E-7
Rafnate
Naphthenes
recycle
column
Fuel gas
To xylene splitter
Simplified flow diagram of ZRCCs PX isomerization unit. FIG. 1
62

I

Catalyst loading. ZRCCs isomerization reactor is a radial-
flow reactor. Based on the calculation, centerpipe modification
in the original reactor was required to fully optimize the catalyst
performance. This was done by removing the original seal and
slump-catalyst layer and covering the top of the catalyst with a
proprietary material that could withstand high temperatures.
This top cap was followed with a layer of ceramic balls.
Pretreatment of the reactor. The spent catalyst did not
undergo carbon burning before unloading. Thus, the reactor
needed a pre-treatment step to remove the residual hydrocar-
bons. In the pre-treatment process, the carbon dioxide (CO
2
)
level was monitored every hour. When the CO
2
level in the
reaction system was reduced to less than 0.2% and the water
content to less than 1,800 ppm, the carbon-burning treatment
was considered complete.
Reactor catalyst loading. After the carbon-burning treat-
ment of the reactor, the catalyst was densely loaded using a
proprietary dense-loading technology. The total actual catalyst
loading was 84.96 tons.
Pretreatment of catalyst before feed. Industrially
produced catalysts will absorb moisture during manufactur-
ing, transportation and loading. To ensure the activity of fresh
catalyst, a drying process is done before introducing feed to the
catalyst bed. The drying process requires heating the catalyst
using nitrogen with an oxygen content of 1 mol% to 3 mol%
at 10 barg. As new insulation materials were installed in the
furnace during the downtime, to dry the insulation materials,
the heating rate was very slow at first, and temperature was
kept constant. When the temperature reached 200C, after
which the reactor inlet temperature was increased to 400C at
a rate of 25C/hr and kept constant for two hours. Water was
detected at 230C and, at 260C, the maximum water content
was about 1,800 ppm, but no free water was detected at the low
points of the system.
Catalyst reduction and passivation. After drying the cata-
lyst was completed, the oxygen in the system was fully dis-
placed by nitrogen. The pressure was then gradually raised with
hydrogen to reduce the catalyst. During the reduction, four
hours after the inlet temperature reached 420C, water began
discharging at low points of the system. The temperature was
kept constant until the amount discharged started to decline.
In total, 150.2 kg of water was collected during the reduction
process; it is equivalent to 0.18 wt% of the water content of
the fresh catalyst.
Catalyst sulfiding. Platinum, in a reduced state of the fresh
catalyst, has a too high activity, which can lead to side reactions
such as extensive cracking and/or temperature runaway in the
case of direct feed to the reactor. All side reactions impact the
catalysts long-term performance and service life. For that rea-
son, catalyst pre-sulfiding is done before introducing feed in
the catalyst bed.
A total of over 100 kg of DMDS sulfiding agent was injected
into the system in two steps through a specific device onsite. It
was hard to detect hydrogen sulfide (H
2
S) due to monitoring
a large range of tubes, and no H
2
S was detected at the outlet
of the reactor after the sulfur injection. After the sulfiding, the
reactor inlet temperature was maintained at 335C for the final
preparation for feed introduction.
Catalyst feed introduction. Prior to introducing feed to
the catalyst bed/reactor, the composition of the liquid feed (raf-
finates and makeup hydrogen) was analyzed, and the feed met
the required specification. The liquid feed was introduced into
the reactor under these conditions: inlet temperature of 335C,
reactor pressure of 11 barg, recycle-gas hydrogen purity greater
than 80% and makeup-hydrogen purity greater than 97 mol%.
The weight hourly space velocity was 3.0 hr
1
. After feed intro-
duction, the reaction pressure decreased rapidly, and tempera-
ture rose sharply, during which the reactor outlet temperature
rose to a maximum of 418C, and the maximum reactor tem-
perature was 50C. After the first round of heat waves passed,
the reactor temperature dropped to 35C. This signified a
successful catalyst feeding. Fig. 2 shows the reaction temperature
increase and pressure changes during feed introduction.
During the initial operating period after feeding, there were
obvious increases in hydrogen consumption and in gas generation
due to the formation of C
8
naphthenes within the first few hours.
After 24 hours, the difference between the temperatures at the
reactor inlet and outlet was reduced to about 21C, and the reac-
tor outlet pressure was reduced from 10 barg to 6.3 barg, with
TABLE 1. Guaranteed values of performance
parameters
Item Guaranteed value
PX approach to equilibrium (PX-ate), % 95
EB approach to equilibrium (EB-ate), % 60
C
8
aromatics loss, wt% 2.9
TABLE 2. Catalyst operation conditions during
performance test run
Ranges of Value during
Item parameters performance test run
WHSV, h
1
34.5 3.1
Reaction pressure, MPa 0.650.13 0.69
Inlet temperature, C 350415 374
Hydrogen-oil ratio, mol/mol 2.56.0 5.04
Recycle gas H
2
purity, vol% 75 86
TABLE 3. Performance comparison between catalysts
New catalyst Previous catalyst
Designed Performance Designed Performance
Item value test run value value test run value
Parameter
Recycle gas H
2
purity, vol% 75 86 80 85
Pressure, MPa 0.651.13 0.69 0.651.13 0.76
Inlet temperature, C 350415 374 370420 373
WHSV, h
-1
3.04.5 3.08 3.2 3.2
H
2
/oil ratio, mol/mol 2.56.0 5.04 4.8 5.4
Reaction performance
PX-ate,% 95 95 93
EB-ate,% 59 59 52
PX/xylenes, wt% 22.1 21 22.1
EB Conversion, wt% 25.8 30 25.8
C8A loss, wt% 2.9 2.9 3.7 4.1
Service life of the 60 60
first cycle, month

I

63
the hydrogen purity up to 86%. The EB-ate and PX-ate were
maintained at a relatively high level. With the catalyst further
stabilized, the C
8
aromatics loss was significantly reduced, thus
indicating that the C
8
naphthenes balance was established. After
48 hours, the PX-ate and EB-ate remained unchanged, with the
C
8
aromatics losses further reduced to the expected values. Thus,
the feed introduction was successful.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION
After smooth operations for more than three months, ZRCC
and the catalyst provider conducted a 72-hour catalyst perfor-
mance test run. Tables 2 and 3 summarize the catalyst perfor-
mance test run conditions and results, respectively. During the
catalyst performance test run, all performance indicators were
met, with PX-ate and EB-ate, and the C
8
aromatics loss was bet-
ter than the guaranteed values.
Performance comparison between catalysts. From the
catalyst performance test run results, the new catalyst shows
a great advantage in performance as compared to the original
isomerization catalyst. The new catalyst system operates better
in each of the indicators, especially the PX/xylene ratio, EB con-
version rate and C
8
aromatics loss, under less severe operating
conditions (at a similar temperature but at a lower pressure of
0.7 barg). The comparison of specific performance indicators is
summarized in Table 3.
From the comparison of the reactor inlet and outlet compo-
sitions, the PX concentration in the product increased by 2.2
wt% and EB concentration was reduced by 3.1 wt% using the
new catalyst. Daily PX production increased by about 110 tpd,
and ZRCC can achieve the operations target of increasing PX
production while significantly reducing the C
8
aromatics losses
without any modifications to the process or to the configuration
in the complex.
In 2009 and 2010, after the new catalyst was installed, ZRCC
produced 500,000 tons of PX annually, in spite of some perfor-
mance decline in the PX adsorption unit observed at the end of
the period. The PX production was maintained at a similar level
before replacing the catalyst, with the throughput remaining
unchanged, and the C
8
aromatics losses were reduced by 30,000
tons and 20,000 tons, respectively. The excellent range of perfor-
mance offered by the new xylene isomerization catalyst allowed
to compensate declining PX adsorbent separation performance by
increasing operational severity and thus helped to maintain the
competitiveness of the complex.
Longer operation cycle for the catalyst. By January
2011, the xylene isomerization unit has been in operation for over
two years, and the catalyst still demonstrated good isomerization
activity and conversion rates while maintaining a low C
8
aromat-
ics loss. The reaction inlet temperature is now 374C, and the
rate of temperature increase is less than 0.5C/month on average,
particularly in 2010 when the temperature was only raised by 4C
for the entire year. These conditions indicate that the catalyst has
excellent stability.
ZRCCs PX plant has been in continuous operation for nearly
eight years. In the second half of 2010, a decline in PX separa-
tion efficiency was observed. In order to maintain PX produc-
tion throughput, ZRCC decided to reduce the EB concentra-
tion in the adsorption unit feed and to optimize the adsorption
unit efficiency. ZRCC increased the operating pressure of the
isomerization unit to maintain a relatively high EB conversion
rate. In this case, even with a relatively high EB conversion rate
and high PX/xylene ratio, the C
8
aromatics loss was kept at a
relatively low level, indicating that the catalyst is a very robust
catalyst and can operate well in a wide range of conditions.
Observations. The new generation xylene isomerization
catalyst showed a very good performance after the startup. The
performance test run data confirmed that indicators such as PX-
ate, EB-ate and C
8
aromatics loss are superior to the guaranteed
values. The application at ZRCC is considered as a success.
With better PX/xylene ratio in the product and a higher EB
conversion rate, the catalyst helped to optimize the PX adsorp-
tion unit feed while increasing PX production and lowering C
8

aromatics loss. This led to a reduction in the C
8
aromatics feed
requirements and increased the total competitiveness of the
PX complex, without any modification to the process and/or
configuration of the complex. In addition, data from the long
cycle operation indicate that the catalyst operated with good
performance even under severe feed conditions, and it is a very
robust catalyst with a good response to different operating
conditions. HP
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Yingbin, Q., The progress and application of catalysts for isomerization of C
8

aromatics, Engineering Science, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1999.
Zhanggui, H., Industrial application of the SKI-400C catalysts for isomerization
of C
8
aromatics, Petroleum and Petrochemical Today, Vol. 35, No. 4, 2005.
Yang, J. and D. Shi, Industrial application of the SKI-400-type catalysts for
isomerization of C8 aromatics, Petroleum Refinery Engineering, Vol. 1, No.
1, 1999.
NOTES
1
This catalyst is jointly developed by Zeolyst and Axens, using a proprietary
carrier.
TABLE 4. Long operation cycle at ZRCCs
xylene isomerization complex
Item 2009 2010
Weight space velocity, h
-1
3.2 3.2
Reaction pressure, bar 6.47.6 7.68.2
Inlet temperature, C 360370 370374
Hydrogen/oil ratio, mol/mol 4.2 4
Reactor inlet temperature
Reactor outlet temperature
HPS pressure
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1.0
1.1
1.2
325
335
345
355
365
375
385
395
405
415
425
H
P
S

p
r
e
s
s
u
r
e
,

M
P
a
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e
,

C

Reaction temperature increase and pressure changes
during feed introduction.
FIG. 2
Guo Shouquan joined ZRCC in 2001 in the aromatics production and technical
management department.
Jenson Chua joined Zeolyst International in 2006 as a technical consultant.

I

65
Improve diesel quality through
advanced hydroprocessing
New upgrading technologies help meet fuel quality specifications
C. PENG, X. HUANG, T. LIU, R. ZENG, J. LIU and M. GUAN,
Fushun Research Institute of Petroleum and Petrochemicals, Liaoning, China
F
luid catalytic cracking (FCC) is an essential technology
for converting heavy oil to light oil in refineries around
the world. Around 85% of the FCC, or catalytic, diesel
produced by Chinese oil refineries is used in the production of
transportation diesel. Catalytic diesel is also used in fuel oil blend-
ing and as heating oil in other countries.
1
Recently, heavy, low-quality FCC feedstock has led to deteriora-
tion in the quality of FCC diesel in China. Moreover, many compa-
nies have revamped their FCC units or increased operational sever-
ity to improve gasoline quality and to produce more propylene. All
of these efforts are contributing to a decline in diesel quality.
The aromatic content of catalytic diesel in Chinese refineries
is around 45%80% [including large quantities of polycyclic
aromatics (PCAs)
2
], with a cetane number between 20 and 35.
As the diesel is high in both aromatics and sulfur, it leads to poor
ignition performance in diesel engines.
Tightening environmental laws are pressuring Chinese refin-
ers to raise the quality of their products. To improve fuel quality
and boost profits, researchers have developed a series of catalytic
diesel hydroprocessing solutions. This article discusses a number
of these technologies, which aid in the production of clean fuels
that meet product quality specifications.
DIFFICULTIES IN PROCESSING CATALYTIC DIESEL
In refineries, diesel fractions are produced by FCC units, atmo-
spheric and vacuum towers, delayed cokers and hydrocrackers.
Table 1 shows the characteristics and makeup of Sinopecs diesel
fraction in 2008. The proportion of catalytic diesel in Sinopecs
total diesel output in 2008 was 17.8%. Although this was a small
percentage, the production from some units exceeded 30% due
to differences in unit scale and feed characteristics.
In 2008, catalytic diesel from Sinopec was mainly used in the
production of transportation diesel, as a blending component
and as industrial fuel in power plants and factories in the Guang-
dong and Zhejiang regions. Environmental standards at the time
required diesel sulfur content to be less than 350 ppm, the cetane
number to be 49+ and the PCA content to not exceed 11%.
Compared to other types of diesel, Sinopecs catalytic diesel had
high sulfur, nitrogen and aromatic contents; high density; and a
lower cetane number. It was also difficult to upgrade.
Converting aromatics in catalytic diesel via hydroprocessing
can affect the burning properties of the fuel, but it is also a key fac-
tor in boosting diesel quality. Researchers in China have developed
a series of catalytic diesel hydroprocessing technologies that help
meet fuel quality requirements and have diverse characteristics to
accommodate different upgrading needs.
FCC DIESEL HYDROPROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES
Catalytic diesel is an important fraction of Chinas commercial
diesel stockpile, as it can help meet demand for transportation diesel
during petroleum shortages. However, due to FCC diesels high aro-
matic content, it is difficult to considerably improve its quality, espe-
cially its burning properties. Researchers have developed a number of
catalytic diesel hydroprocessing technologies to address these issues.
TABLE 1. Makeup of Sinopecs diesel fraction in 2008
Production, Total
thousand tons Proportion, Cetane aromatics,
Type of diesel per year (tpy) wt% number wt%
Atmospheric and 39.65 56.8 4258 1530
vacuum diesel
Coker diesel 12.74 18.2 4451 3050
FCC diesel 12.41 17.8 2035 4580
Hydrocracker diesel 5.03 7.2 5565 120
TABLE 2. Results from Gaoqiao diesel
hydrogenation unit
Process conditions
Constitute proportion of feed, % 60.8 SR diesel, 30.8 coker gasoline
and diesel, 8.4 catalytic diesel
Hydrogen partial pressure in inlet, MPa 6.2
LHSV of main catalyst, h
1
2.44
Inlet H
2
:oil, vol% 390:1
Average reaction temperature, C 348
Industrial application results Feed Hydrotreated oil
Density, g/cm
3
0.8374
Distillation, C 76381
Sulfur, ppm 9,900 280
Nitrogen, ppm 322 48
Cetane number 58
PCAs, % 6
66

I

Hydrotreating paths. In refineries where there is sufficient
straight-run (SR) and coker-based diesel production, transporta-
tion-specification diesel can be processed with only hydrotreating,
as needed. No adjustments are necessary for the cetane number.
Researchers developed the FH-UDS hydrotreating catalyst series
and ultra-desulfurization catalysts, which were successfully used
in hydrogenation units.
Operational requirements for the ultra-desulfurization of diesel
were a liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) of 1.5 h
1
to 2.5 h
1

and a total pressure of 6 MPa to 10 MPa. In the test, a 3-million-
ton-per-year (MMtpy) diesel hydrogenation unit at Sinopecs
Gaoqiao refinery processed SR diesel, coker gasoline and diesel,
and FCC diesel into clean diesel with a sulfur content of less than
10 ppm and a cetane number increase of 35 compared to the
feedstock. Results from the test are shown in Table 2.
The properties of the hydrotreating process were varied.
The ultra-desulfurization catalyst series demonstrated powerful
hydrodesulfurization (HDS) ability. These catalysts produced
clean diesel with a liquid yield of over 98% and sulfur content of
less than 10 ppm. The catalyst series was used successfully in many
units and carried a relatively low investment cost.
Maximizing diesel cetane number. In the 1990s,
researchers began developing technology to maximize diesel
cetane, and they successfully carried out experiments in industrial
applications in 1998. The Maximum Cetane Number Improve-
ment (MCI) technology soon saw widespread application. Based
on the first generation of MCI technology, researchers developed
a second generation of MCI catalysts and process technology and
applied it to a 600,000-tpy diesel hydrogenation unit at Sinopecs
Guangzhou refinery in 2002.
Operational conditions required for the MCI process were a
total LHSV of 0.8 h
1
to 1.5 h
1
and a total pressure of 6 MPa to
12 MPa. The process upgraded catalytic diesel into clean diesel
with a sulfur content of less than 10 ppm and a cetane number
increase of 820 compared to the feed. Moreover, the diesel yield
was as high as 93% to 98%. Results are shown in Table 3.
TABLE 3. Results from Guangzhou diesel
hydrogenation unit
Process conditions
Feed Catalytic diesel
Total LHSV, h
1
1
Inlet H
2
:oil, vol% 703:1
Average reaction temperature, C 360
Industrial application results Feed Hydrotreated oil
Density, g/cm
3
0.8962 0.8534
Distillation, C 189367 164357
Sulfur, ppm 7,000 5.8
Nitrogen, ppm 882 1.1
Cetane number 33.9 44.8
Increase in cetane number 10.9
TABLE 4. Results from Yanshan diesel
hydrogenation unit
Process conditions
Feed FCC diesel, FCC mixed oil, SR VGO
LHSV (hydrotreating/hydrocracking), h
1
1.01/1.30
Average reaction temperature 365/360
(hydrotreating/hydrocracking), C
Industrial application results
Density, g/cm
3
0.8560
Sulfur, ppm 930
Nitrogen, ppm 810
Hydrogenation products Naphtha Light diesel Residue
Yield, % 18.6 45.1 30.4
Aromatics, % 63.5
Sulfur, ppm < 0.5 < 10 < 10
Cetane number 47.1
Bureau of Mines Correlation 6.2
Index (BMCI)*
*Calculated cetane number of a GO
TABLE 5. Results from pilot-scale FD2G test
Process conditions
Density, g/cm
3
0.9500
Sulfur, ppm 7,900
Nitrogen, ppm 1,109
Cetane number < 15
Total aromatics, % 79.9
Hydrogenation products Gasoline fraction Diesel fraction
Yield, % 53.27 35.95
Octane number (RON) 92.4
Aromatics, % 53.74
Sulfur, ppm < 1 < 10
Cetane number 45
TABLE 6. Results from Guangzhou hydrocracking unit
Process conditions
Feed FCC mixed oil (19.2% FCC diesel)
Cold high-pressure separator pressure, MPa 13.7
LHSV (hydrotreating/hydrocracking), h
1
1.38/1.60
Average reaction temperature 372/383
(hydrotreating/hydrocracking), C
Industrial application results
Density, g/cm
3
0.9141
Sulfur, % 1.87
Nitrogen, ppm 701.3
Hydrogenation products Kerosine Diesel
Yield, % 26.71 27.75
Density, g/cm
3
0.8027 0.8234
Freezing point, C < 65
Smoke point, mm 25
Sulfur, ppm < 10
Cetane index 59.5

I

67
MCI technology was found to be a good choice for refineries
looking to maximize high-cetane diesel production. The use of
MCI catalysts and optimal operating conditions resulted in pow-
erful HDS, hydrodenitrogenation (HDN), hydrodearomatization
(HDA) and partial open-ring reactions.
Moderate hydroprocessing technology. Researchers
began developing moderate hydroprocessing technology on the
eve of the 1990s and successfully performed industrial experi-
ments in 1997. The technology was geared toward refineries that
were short on catalytic reforming feed and that wanted to improve
diesel cetane number.
The technology was used in a 1-MMtpy diesel hydrogenation
unit at Sinopecs Yanshan refinery. Operational conditions required
for moderate hydroprocessing were a total LHSV of 0.8 h
1
to 1.5 h
1

and a total pressure of 6 MPa to 12 MPa. The process upgraded cata-
lytic diesel, FCC mixed oil and SR light vacuum gasoil (VGO) into
clean diesel with a sulfur content of less than 10 ppm and a cetane
number increase of 1025 compared to the feed. The diesel yield was
as high as 80%. The process also yielded highly aromatic naphtha
as a potential catalytic reforming feed. Results are shown in Table 4.
Moderate hydroprocessing technology was found to be a low-
cost choice for refineries seeking to improve diesel cetane number
and to maximize catalytic reformer feed. The technology also
allowed for feed adjustment. The use of hydrotreating catalysts and
open-ring hydroprocessing catalysts resulted in powerful HDS,
HDN, HDA and partial open-ring reactions, which enabled the
refinery to produce clean diesel with sulfur content of less than 10
ppm and highly aromatic naphtha for catalytic reforming feed.
Also, considerable improvement was observed in the ignition
performance of diesel engines using the clean diesel.
Hydroprocessing highly aromatic FCC diesel. In recent
years, as the quality of FCC feedstock became heavier and lower in
quality, the aromatics content of catalytic diesel in some refineries
fell to 80%, with a cetane number of less than 20. For catalytic diesel
with these characteristics, researchers developed technology to hydro-
process FCC diesel into high-octane gasoline and light aromatics
(FD2G). The process converts the aromatics in catalytic diesel into
naphtha, thereby producing a high-value blend of gasoline and diesel.
Operational requirements for the FD2G process were a total
LHSV of 0.6 h
1
to 1.0 h
1
and a total pressure of 8 MPa to 10
MPa. The result was catalytic diesel with high aromatics content
and sulfur content of less than 10 ppm. The cetane number was
increased by 1030 compared to the feed.
The FD2G technology can also produce high-octane naphtha
for use as a blending component in clean gasoline. Since the light
aromatics content is over 50%, the naphtha can be processed as
varying aromatic feed to directly produce light aromatics. FD2G
was implemented in a pilot-scale demonstration that met condi-
tions for industrial applications; the results are displayed in Table 5.
The use of an exclusive catalyst and suitable process conditions
allowed for the hydroprocessing of FCC diesel with high aromat-
ics content to high-octane gasoline and high-quality diesel. This
low-cost process increased the value of the products and also met
user demand for increased production of gasoline and aromatics. It
produced clean diesel with a sulfur content of less than 10 ppm and
clean gasoline with a research octane number (RON) of up to 90.
FD2G technology was deemed to be a good choice for refineries that
have catalytic diesel with high aromatics content and are seeking to
improve cetane number and produce more gasoline and aromatics.
Hydrocracking FCC diesel. This technology, which uses cata-
lytic diesel as a hydrocracking feed, was developed for refineries lack-
ing in hydrocracking feeds and having low production of catalytic
diesel. Research indicated that the hydrocracking of feeds with a spe-
cific blend of catalytic diesel allowed for the conversion of low-cetane
diesel to high-value naphtha and clean diesel. This not only enlarged
the hydrocracking feedstock base, but also satisfied requirements for
chemical naphtha and reduced the volume of low-quality diesel.
In August 2009, Guangzhou Petrochemical Corp. applied the
mixed refining FCC diesel hydrocracking technology to a 1.2-
MMtpy hydrocracker. Results from 2009 and 2010 suggested
that hydrocracker operation was stable and that product quality
met demand. Results are shown in Table 6.
The technology presented an optimal choice for refineries with
low production of FCC diesel and surplus hydrocracking capacity.
Moreover, it was easy to implement at existing units and reduced
the difficulties associated with diesel blending, while considerably
improving the quality of FCC diesel. HP
LITERATURE CITED
1
Thakkar,V. P., J. F. McGehee, S. F. Abdo, et al., A Novel Approach for Greater
Added Value and Improved Returns, NPRA, San Francisco, California, 2005.
2
Zhao, Y., B. Shen, W. Zhang, et al., Hydrodesulfurization and hydrodearo-
matization activities of catalyst containing ETS-10 and AlPO4-5 on Daqing
FCC diesel, Fuel, 2008, Vol. 87, Nos. 1011, pp. 23432346.
Xinlu Huang is a senior engineer at FRIPP. He has 14 years of
experience in hydrotreating and hydrocracking technologies. Mr.
Huang holds an MS degree in chemical engineering from Liaoning
University of Petroleum and Chemical Technology.
Tao Liu is a professor at FRIPP. He has 17 years of experience in
hydrotreating and hydrocracking technologies and holds a bach-
elors degree in petroleum chemicals from China University of
Petroleum.
Ronghui Zeng is a professor and the deputy chief engineer at
FRIPP in charge of hydrocracking and hydrotreating. He holds a BS
degree in petroleum refining from China University of Petroleum.
Jihua Liu is a professor at FRIPP with 27 years of experience in
gasoline and diesel hydroprocessing.
Chong Peng is an engineer at Sinopecs Fushun Research
Institute of Petroleum and Petrochemicals (FRIPP). He began his
hydrogenation study after receiving his masters degree from China
University of Petroleum (Beijing) in 2009. His research fields include
hydrotreating and hydrocracking technologies.
Minghua Guan is a professor at FRIPP and oversees all of
the institutes technical fields. He has 30 years of experience in
petroleum refining and holds a BS degree in catalytic chemistry
from Xiamen University.
2011 Baldor Electric Company
Local Sales & Support
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I

69
Debottleneck crude-unit preheat
exchanger network inefficiencies
Simulation models can be effectively used to optimize
heat transfer and boost operational performance
E. BRIGHT, S. ROY and S. AL-ZAHRANI, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
I
n this case history, a crude distillation
unit (CDU) preheat train network in a
Saudi Aramco refinery was simulated and
analyzed for anticipated modifications to the
network. This analysis helped eliminate inef-
ficiencies in the network, and, based on the
insights from the analysis, various options
were generated and the existing network was
reconfigured. The reconfiguration allowed
the temperature of the crude preheat net-
work, which processes Arab Light crude oil,
to be increased to the maximum of 277C
from a previous temperature of 261C.
Existing configuration. Desalted
crude from the tank is heated by the crude
column top pumparound, light gasoil
(LGO) product, heavy gasoil (HGO) prod-
uct, LGO pumparound (LGO PA), HGO
pumparound (HGO PA), heavy vacuum
gasoil (HVGO) pumparound and vacuum
residue (VR) product, as shown in Fig. 1
in exchangers E1 to E7, respectively. The
current crude preheat temperature entering
the CDU furnace is around 261C. This
exchanger network is validated using heat
exchanger design software and by adjusting
the fouling coefficients.
Modifications required. The base-
case network was altered for anticipated
modifications in the future. The reasons
Top
pumparound
Vacuum
residue
To CDU furnace
Crude from tank
Fuel oil storage tank
Hot HVGO to hydrocracker
HVGO pumparound to column
HVGO to storage
Asphalt oxidizer
All temperatures in C
Cooler
Cooler
HVGO
pumparound
plus product
HGO
pumparound
LGO
pumparound
LGO
product
HGO
product
Desalter
E7 E6 E5
175 203 236
45 85 113 143
339 249
281
370
152 245 339
261
245
217
E4
E1 E2 E3
Current configuration of CDU preheat train. FIG. 1
Fuel oil
Fuel oil
Solvent
deasphalting
Pitch
DMO
Vacslop, 380C
Low-viscosity feed in
asphalt oxidizer unit
VGO
RCO
Asphalt
oxidizer unit
Asphalt
To ejectors
Cooler
Current configuration of vacuum slop circuit. FIG. 2
Fuel oil
Vacslop, 380C
VGO
RCO
Asphalt
To ejectors
Cooler
New
heater Crude
Solvent
deasphalting
Pitch
DMO
Asphalt
oxidizer unit
Modifications in vacuum slop circuit. FIG. 3
70

I

for the modifications are listed below:
Vacuum slop circuit. In the current
configuration (Fig. 2), the vacuum slop
is recycled to the vacuum tower through
the vacuum furnace. The purpose of this
recycle is to recover the VGO components
and send the VGO to the hydrocracker;
however, this is not achieved in the cur-
rent operation due to vacuum furnace
limitations and insufficient separation in
the wash section. As a result, this vacuum
slop stream (which is lower in viscosity)
goes with the vacuum tower bottoms. The
mingling of streams deteriorates the feed to
the asphalt oxidizer and creates operational
problems in meeting the penetration prop-
erty of the asphalt.
To address this concern, the vacuum
slop stream from the vacuum tower is
available at a temperature of 380C, which
is withdrawn as a separate cut and is used
to increase the preheat temperature of the
crude. This proposed new exchanger is con-
figured to be in parallel with the existing
heat exchanger E4 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows
the rerouting of the vacuum slop.
Future splitter configuration.
To meet the clean gasoline specification
of 1% benzene in gasoline, the existing
naphtha splitter must remove the benzene
precursors in the catalytic reformer feed
by increasing the initial boiling point of
the heavy naphtha. This process requires a
higher reboiler duty. In addition, the heavy
naphtha from the hydrocracker needs to
be processed in the naphtha splitter, as this
feed also contains benzene precursors.
Currently, hydrocracker heavy naphtha
is not part of the naphtha splitter feed. The
hydrocracker heavy naphtha feed volume
is 12,500 barrels per day (bpd), and the
existing naphtha splitter capacity is 23,000
bpd. Figs. 4 and 5 show the naphtha sys-
tems current and planned configurations,
respectively. As the current naphtha splitter
cannot handle this higher throughput with
higher reboiler requirement, the existing
naphtha splitter will be mothballed. The
existing reboiler, which uses HGO PA flow
and gives a duty of 10.4 million kilocalories
per hour (MMkcal/hr), will also be moth-
balled. High-pressure steam will be used in
the reboiler of the new naphtha splitter to
meet the higher reboiler requirements. For
the column to be in heat balance, this 10.4
MMkcal/hr of heat removal is required.
In the proposed exchanger network, this
stream (HGO CR) will be used to preheat
the crude.
Synthesis of crude preheat train.
A new, preliminary heat exchanger network
(Fig. 6) was synthesized to accommodate the
above modifications. While modifying the
crude preheat train network, the following
impact on the equipment was kept in mind:
Prevention of vaporizations in the fur-
nace pass-control valves, as it is difficult to
control two-phase flows across pass-control
valves. Inadequate flow in the furnace pass
flows will also lead to coking.
Column heat balance.
Column hydraulics.
Impact of hot streams going directly
to the other unit.
The changes made in the base-case net-
work are listed below:
Exchanger N1 was added parallel to
E4 (see Fig. 6) using vacuum slop (vacslop)
and vacuum residue ex-E7 as the hot fluid.
This modification is required to improve the
viscosity of the vacuum residue to the asphalt
oxidizer. The current viscosity of the feed to
the asphalt oxidizer is 1,500 centistokes (cst),
and the required viscosity is 2,000 cst.
Another exchanger N2 (E5-2, similar
to E2) was added parallel to E2 using HGO
LPG + gas
LN
LN to storage
Area D
treater
LN to storage
LN
NHT
HN
HN
HCU HN
LPG + gas
FG
C
S
F

D
E
B

f
e
e
d

C
D
U

s
t
a
b

f
e
e
d

Drag
Separator and
stripper gas
Rich oil
CDU
debut
CSF
debut
CSF NS
CDU NS
GCU
debut
Lean oil
HCU
fractionator
Absorber
CSF
treater
Catalytic
reformer
Caustic
wash
HGO CR
CDU NS will
be mothballed
in the future
E29
LPG + gas
C
5
/C
6
to
storage
Current configuration of naphtha circuit. FIG. 4
LPG + gas
LN
LPG + gas
LN to
isomerization
unit
LN+HN
HN
FG to
area D
Lean oil
C
S
F

D
E
B

f
e
e
d

C
D
U

s
t
a
b

f
e
e
d

Drag
CDU
debut
New piping and equipment
GCU
debut
CSF
debut CSF
NS
New
CDU
NS
Steam
HCU
fractionator
HCU HN
HP SEP
gas
Absorber
Rich oil
Caustic
wash
Sulfur
guard bed
LPG + gas
C
5
/C
6
to
storage
Catalytic
reformer
NHT
Configuration of naphtha management system after clean-fuel implementation. FIG. 5

I

71
PA fluid ex-E5 (hereafter referred to as E5-1)
as the hot fluid. This modification is per-
formed to accommodate the 10.4-MMkcal/
hr duty in the HGO PA circuit.
Increased area in E4 from the 2-par-
allel-1-series arrangement to a 2-parallel-
2-series design and added cooler N3 down-
stream of E4.
Due to the first two modifications, the
inlet temperature to E4 has increased, which
decreases the logarithmic mean tempera-
ture difference (LMTD) available across the
unit. Since E4 is the LGO PA exchanger,
the column will not be in heat balance if the
required heat removal is not performed. The
required duty was 18.8 MMkcal/hr, and
the available duty was 12.7 MMkcal/hr (see
Table 1). Therefore, additional area and a
cooler were added in the LGO PA circuit to
meet the duty requirement of the column.
The required HGO PA duty is 26.8
MMkcal/hr, and the available duty is
29.8 MMkcal/hr. As the heat removed in
HGO PA is higher by 3 MMkcal/hr, the
requirement of LGO PA duty will come
down by 3 MMkcal/hr. As both LGO and
HGO are mixed outside of the column and
go to the diesel hydrotreater (DHT), the
splitting of the duty between LGO and
HGO pumparound is not a concern from
a separation point of view. However, it
does impact the column draw temperature,
which will slightly reduce the LMTD
across E3 (HGO product/crude exchanger)
and E5 (HGO PA/crude exchanger).
Results of network modification.
In the modified network, the obtained
preheat temperature was 266C. The duty,
LMTD and area of each exchanger in the
network are presented in Table 1. From
Table 1, it can be observed that:
Exchanger E6, which has a higher
area, is experiencing the lowest LMTD;
therefore, any modification that increases
the LMTD will significantly increase the
heat recovered from E6.
The exchanger preceding exchanger
E6 is heated by HGO circulating reflux
(CR), which is at 337C; this is higher than
the hot stream (HVGO CR) temperature of
E6, which has decreased the LMTD in E6.
TABLE 1. Performance of base-case network after modifications
Exchangers Duty, MMkcal/hr Area, m
2
LMTD, C Minimum approach, C
E1 A/B/C (top PA) 13.0 1,300 50.6 34.0
E2 (LGO) 7.6 326 94.8 79.0
E5-2 (new N2HGO PA) 9.1 326 98.6 83.0
E3 (HGO) 9.4 363 92.7 38.0
E4 (LGO PA) 12.7 1,379 48.1 35.0
Vacslop + FO (new N1) 3.5 270 99.5 84.0
E5-1 (HGO PA) 14.2 327 79.0 50.0
E6 (HVGO PA + HVGO) 10.9 1,458 24.0 14.0
E7 (VR) 10.4 1,027 39.0 8.6
Total area 6,776
Total duty 90.8
Note: Crude preheat temperature is 266C. The required LGO PA duty is 18.8 MMkcal/hr; therefore, the new required LGO PA
cooler duty is 6.1 MMkcal/hr. The required HGO PA duty is 26.8 MMkcal/hr, and the available HGO PA duty is 29.8 MMkcal/hr.
TABLE 2. Energy analysis of
base-case network
Heat exchanger Percent
network of target
Heating, MMkcal/hr 67 145
Cooling, MMkcal/hr 21 N/A
Total area, m
2
9,491 56
TABLE 3. Performance data for modified network in Fig. 8
2
E1 A/B/C (top PA) 13.00 1,300 50.6 34
E2 (LGO) 8.60 326 86.0 68
E5-2 (New N2HGO PA) 13.60 326 113.0 92
E3 (HGO) 9.40 363 77.0 26
E4 (LGO PA) 11.10 1,379 47.0 31
Vacslop + FO (new N1) 3.20 270 77.0 65
E6 (HVGO PA + HVGO) 14.53 1,458 33.0 20
E5-1 (HGO PA) 8.60 327 60.0 49
E7 (VR) 10.30 1,027 50.0 23
Total area 6,776
Total duty 92.30
cooler duty is 7.7 MMkcal/hr, and the required HGO PA duty is 26.8 MMkcal/hr.
Crude from tank
HGO pumparound
HGO CR to column
186
45 151 127 83 123
Area:
326 m
2
New N2
E26 A/B
6.5 MMkcal/hr
HVGO product
TO CDU furnace
To fuel oil storage
tank through cooler
Asphalt oxidizer
Existing exchanger
New exchanger
Existing exchanger with
additional area
Piping modications
HVGO
pumparound
to column
New N1
Area:
270 m
2
378
198
188 219
280 370 337
243
Vacuum residue
HVGO PA
plus product
15 MMkcal/hr
266
251
New
cooler
N3
Vacuum
slop
Cooler
133
245
LGO product 335
HGO product Desalter
155
Top pumparound
245 LGO
pumparound
Additional
area: 690 m
2
E1
E2
E5-2
E29
E3
E4 E5 E6 E7
Base-case network after modifications. FIG. 6
72

I

This preliminary network was analyzed
for possible improvement in the preheat
temperature. The analysis indicated that
heat recovery can be increased by 45% by
boosting the area by 56% (see Table 2).
The analysis also indicated that the driv-
ing force across exchanger E7 further lim-
ited the heat recovery. Fig. 7 displays the
driving-force plot. The figure indicates that
the driving force in E7 can be increased by
decreasing the inlet temperature in E7. This
temperature adjustment can be achieved by
operating E5 in parallel with E7.
Case 1. Based on the insights derived
from Table 1 and Fig. 7, to improve the
heat recovery, the crude stream in E7 and
E5 was split by operating E5 in parallel
with E7. The objective of this modification
is to increase the LMTD across E7 and E6.
However, it also decreases the LMTD across
E5-1. The net effect is shown in Table 3, and
the modified network is shown in Fig. 8.
With this arrangement, the preheat temper-
ature has increased from 266C to 269C.
Case 2. From LMTD and approach
data in Table 3, it can be inferred that heat
recovery in E5-1 can still be improved by
increasing the area. Hence, another case
study was performed by adding two similar
exchangers in a series in E5-1. The results
are tabulated in Table 4. The preheat was
found to be increased to 277C.
The HGO PA is now providing an extra
4.2 MMkcal/hr more than required, which
will reduce the LGO PA duty requirement
by the same amount for the column to be
in heat balance. Then, the required LGO
PA cooler duty comes down to 2.6 MMk-
cal/hr. HP
Said A. Al-Zahrani is the general supervisor in the
process and control systems department at Saudi Aramco.
He is the chairman of the multi-disciplinary product speci-
fications committee, tasked with managing various issues
related to Saudi Aramco products and fuel specifications.
Al-Zahrani holds a degree in chemical engineering from
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, and
began his career at Saudi Aramco as a process engineer
in the Ras Tanura refinery. He is a member of several local
and international societies and an officer of the American
Institute of Chemical Engineers, Saudi Arabian chapter.
Edwin Bright has over 17 years of experience in
the petroleum refining industry. Before joining Saudi
Aramco, he worked for Reliance Industries Ltd., Indian
Oil Corp., ATV Petrochemicals and Foster Wheeler India
Ltd. He holds a bachelors degree in chemical engineer-
ing and masters degrees in petroleum refining and pet-
rochemicals from AC Tech, Anna University, Chennai. He
also earned a masters degree in management from the
Asian Institute of Management in Manila.
Samit Roy is an engineering consultant at Saudi
Aramcos downstream process engineering division
under the process control and systems department. A
graduate in chemical engineering, he has more than 33
years of broad experience in the process engineering and
technical services areas of oil refining and gas processing
plants. His experience includes 21 years in Saudi Aramco
refining and engineering services and 12 years at Indian
refineries. He has worked at most of the refinery process
units associated with distillation, hydroprocessing and
gas treating plants.
400
350
300
250
H
o
t

t
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e
,

C
200
150
100
100 120 140 160 180 200
Cold temperature, C
Target driving force
E5-1 at main
E6 at main
y=x
E7 at main
220 240 260 280 300
Driving-force plot for base-case network. FIG. 7
Crude from tank
HGO pumparound
HGO CR to column
186
48
156
83
264
134
Area:
326 m
2
New N2 E26 A/B
6.5
MMkcal/hr
Naphtha
stabilizer
bottoms out
14.1 MMkcal/hr
9.1 MMkcal/hr
HVGO product
TO CDU furnace
To fuel oil storage
tank through cooler
Asphalt oxidizer
Existing exchanger
New exchanger
Existing exchanger
with additional area
Existing exchanger
in new location
Piping modications
HVGO
pumparound
to column
New N1
Area: 270
m
2
378
198
241
191
280
HVGO PA
plus product
Vacuum residue
271 269
New
LGO or
cooler
N3
Vacuum
slop
Cooler
133
245
LGO product 335
HGO product
Desalter
155
Top pumparound
LGO
pumparound
Additional
area: 690 m
2
E1
E2
E5-2
E3
E4 E6 E7
E5
E29
Modified network based on E5 operating in parallel with E7. FIG. 8
TABLE 4. Performance data for modified network with increased area in E5-1
2
E1 A/B/C (top PA) 13.0 1,300 50.6 34
E2 (LGO) 8.6 326 86.0 68
E5-2 (new N2HGO PA) 10.5 326 91.0 74
E3 (HGO) 9.7 363 80.0 27
E4 (LGO PA) 12.0 1,379 45.0 33
Vacslop + FO (new N1) 3.4 270 81.0 70
E6 (HVGO PA + HVGO) 15.0 1,458 34.0 21
E5-1 (HGO PA) 14.0 983 31.0 12
E7 (VR) 10.1 1,027 53.0 27
Total area 7,432
Total duty 96.3
cooler duty is 6.8 MMkcal/hr. The required HGO PA duty is 26.8 MMkcal/hr, and the available HGO PA duty is 31.0 MMkcal/hr.
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FLUID FLOW

I

75
R
educing pressure and controlling flowrates in pipes can be
accomplished via restriction plate orifices or throttle valves.
In all cases, it must be achieved without producing cavita-
tion. To avoid cavitation with any pressure reducing component,
Eq. 1 sets the process operating conditions:
(P
1
P
v
)/(P
1
P
2
) > C
i
(1)
Where C
i
is the incipient cavitation coefficient obtained by tests
for every type of component. The ideal best component to run
without cavitation would be with C
i
= 1 and P
2
= P
v
.
Control valves with an internal tortuous path almost approach
this value. However, restriction orifice plates, along with globe and
butterfly valves, have C
i
values from 1.8 to more than 6. Multi-hole
restriction orifice plates have C
i
values from 1.2 to 4.
Newly developed multi-hole restriction plates do hold promise.
1

Tests with butterfly valves can achieve C
i
values as low as 1.05 for
D = 4 in. and de/D = 0.2 or 1.14 for D = 24 in. and de/D = 0.2.
2,3
Design characteristics. As shown in Fig. 1, the new restric-
tion place/device may be considered as a butterfly valve with the
disc perforated by several holes or an adjustable rotary multi-hole
Eliminate cavitation
in your piping systems
New pressure control devices improve fluid flow
E. CASADO FLORES, E. Agrupados, Madrid, Spain
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Opening angle,
C
v
de/D = 0.2
de/D = 0.5
Flow coefficient, C
v
for D = 8-in. and de/D = 0.2 or 0.5. FIG. 3
New multi-hole restrictive pressure/flow control plate. FIG. 2
Perforated disc
(A) As a control valve
(B) An ajustable multiple orice plate
Sketches of the new flow/pressure control device: a) as a
control valve and B) as an adjustable multi-orifice plate.
FIG. 1
FLUID FLOW
76

I

restriction plate. Fig. 2 is a multi-hole restriction plate with D = 30
in. For D = 8 in., Fig. 3 shows the flow coefficient, C
v
that relates
the flow and pressure drop as calculated by Eq. 2:
C
v
= 1.17Q (P
1
P
2
)
0.5
(2)
Fig. 4 illustrates the incipient cavitation coefficient, C
i
, for
different values of de/D. For P
1
values greater than approxi-
mately 6 kg/cm
2
abs, the pressure scale effects correction and
must be considered.
4, 5
Fig. 5 shows the corresponding values
of C
i
for restriction orifice plates, butterfly valves and the new
restriction plate. The new C
i
values are the minimum that per-
tain to every de/D value with the appropriated opening angle.
They are close to 1 for de/D < 0.3.
Characteristics and operation. Two similar prototypes
of the new restriction plate were installed and are now running
cavitation-free in CN Almaraz, a Spanish nuclear power plant.
The prototypes were constructed by modifying two existing
butterfly valves, drilling the discs with a selected size and num-
ber of holes. But the holes were done only in the external part
of the surface of the disc because the central part has a greater
thickness, as shown in Fig. 6. The prototypes were installed at
the end of the fire-water pump recirculation lines, and they
discharge water to a lake. The pipe-length downstream the pro-
totypes is less than 0.5 m with two 90 elbows. The prototype
size is D = 4 in. and de/D = 0.37.
When the opening angle is 0, with the disc in the vertical
position, the prototype works as a multi-hole restriction plate,
and the measured values are:
P
1
= 9.8 kg/cm
2
, P
2
= 0.039 kg/cm
2
, P
1
P
2
= 9.761 kg/cm
2
,
Q = 100 m
3
/h
The water temperature was approximately 60F, so P
v
= 0.256
psia = 0.017 kg/cm
2
abs. The prototype in this situation with the
disc in the vertical position has cavitation. This is in accordance
with the theory because a multi-hole restriction orifice plate for
D = 4 in. and de/D = 0.37 has C
i
= 1.25. From Eq. 1, the C
i
is
calculated as:
(9.8 + 1.02 0.017)/9.761 = 1.107 < 1.25
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
C
i
de/D = 0.2
de/D = 0.35
de/D = 0.5
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Opening angle,
Incipient cavitation coefficients, C
i
for D = 8-in. and
de/D = 0.2, 0.35 or 0.5.
FIG. 4
0
2
4
6
8
10
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
de/D
C
i
RO 1 central hole
Buttery
RO multi-hole plates
New plate
Incipient cavitation coefficients for ROs, butterfly valve
and the new plate for D = 8-in.
FIG. 5 Design details for new flow control systems. FIG. 6
FLUID FLOW
Note: 9.8 + 1.02 = 10.82 kg/cm
2
abs.
When the opening angle is only 5, the cavitation disappears,
and the device runs without noise. The measured values are:
P
1
= 9.4 kg/cm
2
, P
2
= 0.12 kg/cm
2
, P
1
P
2
= 9.28 kg/cm
2
, Q
= 125 m
3
/h.
From Eq. 1, C
i
is calculated as:
(9.4 + 1.02 0.017)/9.28 = 1.12
As there is no cavitation, then C
i
must be less than 1.12.
According to these theoretical calculations, for the restrictive
plate with D = 4 in. and de/D = 0.37, the minimum C
i
value is
1.08 for an opening angle of 20. The prototype tests show that
in the opening range from 3 to 26, there is no cavitation or
noise. The flowrate varies between 115 m
3
/h and 220 m
3
/h and
the pressure drop is between 9.5 kg/cm
2
and 6 kg/cm
2
.
Upstream of the new device, a 4-in. globe valve was installed.
In the tests, when the new plate is in the horizontal position
(opening angle = 90) and trying to control the flow by throt-
tling the globe valve, high cavitation noise and valve vibration
levels occurred. This condition confirms that the globe valve
should not be throttled in this situation.
The new multi-hole device with the appropriated num-
ber and size of holes and the corresponding opening angle
approaches the C
i
= 1 value that can successfully eliminate cavi-
tation. HP
NOMENCLATURE
C
i
Incipient cavitation coefficient
C
v
Flow coefficient
D Pipe diameter, in.
de Equivalent diameter of the holes (in.), de = do(n)
0.5
do Hole diameter, in.
n Number of holes
P
1
Upstream pressure, kg/cm
2
abs
P
2
Downstream pressure, kg/cm
2
abs
Q Flow, m
3
/h
LITERATURE CITED
1
Casado, E., Look at orifice plates to cut piping noise, cavitation, POWER,
September 1991.
2
Casado, E., Avoid cavitation in butterfly valves, Hydrocarbon Processing,
August 2006.
3
Casado, E., Maximum throttling of manual valves without damage,
Hydrocarbon Processing, August 2008, pp. 5557.
4
Tullis, J. P., Cavitation Guide for Control Valves, NUREG/CR-6301, April
1983.
5
Considerations for Evaluating Control Valve Cavitation, ISA-RP75.23-1995,
June 1995.
Emilio Casado Flores is mechanical head engineer in PWR
nuclear power plants with EEAA in Madrid, Spain. From 2007 to
2010, Mr. Casado was the engineering manager at the Almaraz
power upgrading project, PWR Spanish nuclear power plant. His
work experience includes mechanical, thermal and hydraulic engi-
neering design and operation in petroleum refineries and nuclear power plants. Mr.
Casado Flores has published technical papers about cavitation of restriction orifices,
heat exchanger operation, steam discharge through valves and pipes, flow of satu-
rated condensate through pipes and control valves, etc. He has developed some
plant tests about cavitation and pressure drop in multi-hole perforated restriction
plates and throttled valves.
SAMSON AG MESS- UND REGELTECHNIK
Weismllerstrae 3
60314 Frankfurt am Main Germany
Phone: +49 69 4009-0 Fax: +49 69 4009-1507
E-mail: samson@samson.de
Internet: www.samson.de
SAMSON GROUP www.samsongroup.de A
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1
0
5
1
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SAMSON ensures the safety and
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ROTATING EQUIPMENT

I

79
W
henever heavy-duty pumping is involved, produced-
water injection (PWI) pumps are among those that
come to mind first. Except for large piston pumps
occasionally used for PWI duties, multi-stage centrifugal pumps
are now primarily used in this severe service. Two typical styles of
multi-stage centrifugal pumpsbarrel and horizontally split
are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. PWI pumps are offered by different
manufacturers, and this article will make no attempt to describe
them all. Instead, the author will provide insight into sealing
options for major pumps.
Similarities exist among pumps. There are obvious
similarities within a particular style, i.e., barrel or horizontally
split. In many ways, the internals of both styles are identical.
Either style of pump can produce over 400 bar discharge pres-
sure, although discharge pressures for barrel style duties are
more typically in the 200 bar to 250 bar range. In both Figs.
1 and 2, the discharge nozzle is located near the center of the
pump. This would indicate that several of the impellers making
up the pump rotors are oriented for inlet flow originating near
the drive-end. The other impellers are oriented in mirror-image
fashion near the non-drive end (NDE) of the rotor. The design
intent is to achieve hydraulic balance and to minimize thrust-
bearing loads.
In Fig. 3, the cutaway shows a six-stage pump with fluid enter-
ing the pump at the nozzle (A). The fluid is fed through the first
three impellers toward the center of the pump (B). Once the fluid
exits the third impeller, it is redirected via a cross-over (C) to the
outside impeller at the opposite end of the pump. From here, the
Understand multi-stage pumps
and sealing options: Part 1
Service life and cost impact what seals to use on your heavy-duty pump
L. GOOCH, AESSEAL plc, Rotherham, UK
Barrel-style multi-stage PWI pump. Source: Sulzer CPH
barrel pump.
FIG. 1
A cutaway view of a six-stage pump; three of its six
impellers are oriented in mirror image fashion so as to
achieve hydraulic thrust balance. Source: Goulds model
3600.
FIG. 3
Horizontally split multi-stage pump. Source: David Brown
Type DB34 horizontal split case pump.
FIG. 2
ROTATING EQUIPMENT
80

I

fluid is pumped through the fifth and sixth impellers toward the
pump discharge nozzle near (D).
This design feature and the use of a balance line between the
seal chambers means that the seals effectively operate at the pump
suction pressure. Also, this type of pump is found in many other
medium- and high-pressure (HP) applications.
Auxiliary or small-bore piping. Auxiliary piping encom-
passes casing drains, vents, external lubrication and sealing lines;
they are needed to complete the installation. The many possible
seal-flush arrangements are described in vendor literature and
denoted by API flush plan designations.
1,2
The most important
design features are:
Casing drain line. This pipe is normally secured to the
lowermost part of the pump casing and terminates in a block
valve. The piping downstream from the valve generally leads to a
common drain header or other secure disposal location.
API Plan 31. Elevated-pressure fluid is bypassed from one
of the pump stages ahead (upstream) of the last stage. The pres-
sure of this bypass stream is then reduced by routing it through
a set of orifice plates before it is piped to a cyclone separator.
Clean fluid is taken off the top of the cyclone separator and fed
into the seal housing. Dirty fluid is drawn off the bottom and
fed back to pump suction.
Large pumps are often furnished with stand-alone lubricating
oil consoles. If dual seals are used, then there could also be a Plan
54 unit in addition to Plan 31 flush piping.
1,2
Even complex-
looking stand-alone piping systems are straightforward if the
review starts at the source. The reviewer looks for a lube-oil reser-
voir and a feed pump followed by filters, heat exchangers, pressure
control valves and pressurized lubricant destinations. In essence,
one traces each pipe and understands its purpose.
PWI installation layout and operation. To obtain equal
pressures around the underground crude oil reservoir, PWI sys-
tems have their own injection wells around the perimeter of the
field. The flow into these injection wells can be adjusted by well
operators to suit demand. Injection wells are then connected to
an HP-ring main surrounding the field.
Except for temporary injection wells, there are two principal
PWI layouts. One layout locates pairs of pumps in remote pump-
ing stations roughly equidistant around the field. An example of
this is the Dukhan field in Qatar, which has 11 PWI pumping
stations with two pumps at each site feeding into a common
ring main.
An alternative approach uses a central PWI pumping station,
as shown in Fig. 4. The station in this illustration has more than
20 barrel and horizontally split pumps feeding into a central ring
main. The top of the bearing lubrication console, plus the feed
and return lines to the NDE bearing, are clearly visible in the
foreground.
Mechanical-seal pressure ratings. Again, recall that the
pump design is such that the seals are exposed to close to suction
pressures. While the majority of pumps operate with suction
pressures between 15 bar and 25 bar, there are instances where the
stipulated suction pressure is quoted at 80 bar. Of course, both
pump user-operator and manufacturer must cooperate to establish
the actual operating conditions; 80 bar should be questioned.
The subject of seal-chamber rating vs. discharge-pressure
rating for seals seems to cause confusion. Shell Oil Companys
engineering guidelines state that seals should be rated for the
A central PWI pumping station in Qatar. FIG. 4
An NRV installation in the discharge line of a horizontally-
split pump.
FIG. 5 An NRV in the discharge line of a barrel-style pump. FIG. 6
ROTATING EQUIPMENT

I

81
discharge pressure of the pump. It is normal, then, to find a
15 bar actual pressure in a seal chamber, although the seal is
selected and designed for 200 bar. We are encouraged to be
governed by API-682, which clearly states that HP-rated seals
should not be used in applications where they are actually oper-
ating at much lower pressures. The framers of API-682 realize
that HP seals prove problematic if they are continually subjected
to much lower operating pressures. Although not mentioned in
the API standard, HP seals and their support systems tend to
be very expensive.
The underlying reasons as to why such seals may have been
selected in the past are of interest. Seals were sometimes rated for
discharge pressure because multiple pumps made up the process
loop. If pumps feed into a common header system, then there
exists the remote possibility of the discharge of one pump pres-
surizing another pump in the loop.
However, when the pumps are connected to the common
header or ring main, reliability-focused users generally install a
check valvealso known as a non-return valve (NRV)down-
stream of the pump discharge nozzle. Figs. 5 and 6 show NRV
installations in the discharge lines close to and/or adjacent to the
pump discharge nozzle.
It is generally known that older NRV designs had the potential
for the swing plate to get dislodged, in which case non-running
pumps could be pressurized by running pumps. This led to speci-
fication requirements that all components associated with such
pumps be rated to the discharge pressure of the pump. Unfortu-
nately, this has often led to short seal life and extremely expensive
seals. The majority of oil companies are now using more reliable
NRVs. This allows them to use API 682-compliant mechanical
seals designed to operate at lower pressures.
We should always remind ourselves that it is better to address
the causes of problems instead of wasting effort treating their
symptoms. This is the strategy applied here by reliability-focused
engineering contractors and users that select reliable NRVs and
best-available sealing technology.
Sealing produced water. Sealing of produced water and
fluids with high salt contents is quite straightforward if we do
not overlook basic principles. Of course, all mechanical seals run
on a fluid film, as shown in Fig. 7. Also present is heat generated
by friction and solids (or the potential for solids formation).
Longer seal life is achieved as long as a stable fluid film separates
the seal faces.
Seawater is probably the best quality water found at some PWI
sites; however, land-based PWI systems use water drawn from
underground aquifers, or they re-inject produced water separated
from the extracted oil. This produced water or aquifer water is
not generally highly abrasive, but it is full of is dissolved solids
or salts. Salt crystals can be seen around the splash guard and the
front support, as shown in Fig. 8. These salt deposits accumulate
due to continual slight leakage from the seal.
PWI pumps operate with relatively high pressures and have
fairly large diameters. They generate a measure of heat that must
be removed. Produced water has a high dissolved salt content,
which, upon evaporation, reverts back to its crystalline solid
phase. Heat removal and crystal formation must be well-con-
trolled. Both will affect seal performance.
Neither fresh water nor continuous flushing or quench sys-
tems are practical options. However, two self-contained sealing
arrangements are available and the method chosen depends on
customer preference. Option 1 is a single sealwhich is the
lowest cost option, but it will only provide a maximum two-year
service life with potable water. Option 2 is a dual-seal arrange-
ment, which should reliably provide over three to five years of
service if correctly maintained. Of course, the dual seal system
is considerably more expensive. Each option will be discussed in
greater detail in Part 2. HP
LITERATURE CITED
1
Flush Plan Booklet, AESSEAL Inc., Training Literature.
2
API-682, American Petroleum Institute.
Seal chamber
Process uid
Stationary
Emissions
Rotary
Soft/hard deposits
crystallization
Dry-running wear
Evaporation
due to heat
Pressure drop
Mechanical seals need a fluid film to separate the faces. FIG. 7
Seawater leakage caused crystals to form. FIG. 8
Lee Gooch has been with AESSEAL for 14 years. He has held
various positions within the company including project engineer
and senior sales engineer. He now is responsible for business devel-
opment and applications engineering role for AESSEAL and special-
izes in the upstream sector of oil and gas industry. Before joining
AESSEAL, he worked for Fisher Rosemount in the control valve division and Mono
Pumps where he served a mechanical technicians apprenticeship and went on to hold
a project applications engineers position in UK sales.
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ROTATING EQUIPMENT

I

83
O
ily wastes are a normal byproduct of many operations
carried out by the oil industry between well and pump.
The path starts at production and continues on through
transport and refining. Although the waste quantity is small
compared to the industrys overall output, the size of the industry
means that these oily wastes can add up to a considerable prob-
lem. One concern with these wastes is the loss of useable volume
in crude oil tanks or emergency lagoons due to the volume taken
up by the waste. Another concern is the environmental hazards
that the waste may pose. Direct disposal of these wastes without
prior treatment is normally not possible, but, apart from the
requirement for some form of treatment, todays crude oil prices
often provide an additional incentive for treatment, as oil wastes
are a valuable resource that can be recovered if desired.
In this context the decanter, or solid-bowl centrifuge, is a very
versatile instrument and key component of most advanced oil
waste treatment plants.
Due to the variability of the oily waste as feed product (because
of different crude properties, different histories and the origin of
the waste), treatment systems should be tailored to each projects
needs, rather than being a standard unit put to work under all
kinds of conditions. The decanter centrifuge along with ancillary
and additional equipment, can easily be adapted to such varying
technical requirements.
Approaching product and treatment. Oil waste is not
a precisely defined product, but it varies over a wide range with
regard to its composition and properties. The hydrocarbon con-
tent is typically at the heavier end of the spectrum, but this will
depend on the oil field where the crude was produced. The waste
may also include light hydrocarbons, or it may represent only
a certain fraction of the range. Water is often present, but not
always. To offer a common example, the solids could be sand,
rust or organic matter. There is also often an emulsion present as
a fourth component that comprises hydrocarbons, water and cap-
tured fine solids. Some examples illustrate the variety of products
that are collectively addressed as oil sludge:
Waste oil drilling mud
Oilfield pit sludge waste
Storage tank bottom sludge
Emergency lagoon sludge
Refinery slop
Oily sludge from refinery effluent treatment.
Similarly diverse are the primary treatment targets, depending
on the project specific background. While, in one case, the only
target may be to achieve a product that can safely be disposed
in a landfill, another project may require a final product that is
good for incineration. Then there might be a project that requires
good quality oil for recycling into the refining process, or needs
a good water phase for re-use in the process. Naturally, the prod-
uct properties, together with the primary treatment targets, will
determine the basic process steps, as shown in a few examples in
Table 1 and Table 2.
Due to this vast diversity, laboratory analyses and tests are
extremely important in order to determine the products proper-
ties, the results that a particular treatment method is likely to
achieve in full scale and the respective process requirements to
run the treatment process effectively.
Other parameters that are required as input into the treat-
ment plant design include product and site data (including cus-
Treat oily waste with decanter
centrifuge plants
Turning a challenge into an opportunity
A. HERTLE, Hiller GmbH, Vilsbiburg, Germany
TABLE 1. Examples for treatment targets and basic
process requirements
Primary treatment target Basic process requirements
Solids to landfill Minimize oil and water content in solids.
Simple liquid-solid two-phase separation
sufficient.
Solids to incineration Minimize water content and maximize oil
content in the solids to minimize fuel import
for the incinerator. Simple liquid-solid
2-phase separation sufficient.
Recycle oil to refinery Maximize oil recovery, minimize water
content in oil. Liquid-liquid-solid three-phase
separation required.
Schematic drawing of a two-phase decanter centrifuge. FIG. 1
ROTATING EQUIPMENT
84

I

tomer regulations) relevant for explosion protection, available heat
sources and general installation requirements.
Operating principle of decanter centrifuges. The
solid-bowl or decanter centrifuge is the machine of choice
for treatment of oil wastes. While other products often leave
the option to use belt-filter presses or plate-and-frame presses
instead, those types of machines are not suitable for oil waste
treatment. Even at low oil contents, the sludge will stick to the
filter cloth and will eventually blind it. Similarly, three-phase
separation, where the solids are separated from the liquid phase
and the liquid phase is split into oil and water, is impossible to
achieve with presses.
Contrary to presses, which work on the principle of filtra-
tion, decanter centrifuges are separating via the principle of sedi-
mentation by making use of the different specific gravity of the
oil sludges components. The decanters operating principle is
analogous to a continuously fed sedimentation tank with a bot-
tom scraper. In such a tank, solids will settle on the bottom and
oil will float on top of the water under natural gravity, provided
the hydraulic retention time in the tank is long enough for the
separation to take place. This simple principle is also often used
in various places in the petroleum industry.
For fine solids and/or viscous hydrocarbons, the time required
to achieve separation under natural gravity may be too long to
be economical, or the separation result may be less than desired.
This is typically the case with oil sludges, and, therefore, sedi-
mentation is enhanced in the decanter centrifuge by increasing
the driving force by three orders of magnitude, spinning the
product so fast that centrifugal accelerations of up to several
thousand times g (= gravitational acceleration; average = 9.81
m/s
2
) are created.
Using the analogy of the sedimentation tank again, the tank
may be rolled into a cylinder with the tank bottom becoming
the cylinder wall, and the water body and scraper being located
inside the cylinder. This cylinder, called the cylindrical bowl, is
rotated with several thousand rpm around its longitudinal axis to
create the required centrifugal acceleration. Feed into this system
is continuous via a fixed pipe extending from the outside into the
center of the cylinder. In this system, the solids will move radialy
outward and settle on the inner surface of the cylinders wall.
Water will form a layer sitting on top of this sediment layer, and
oil (if present) will form a third layer further inward (toward the
center) on top of the water layer. The shape of the bottom scraper
will be changed to that of a screw conveyor, also called the scroll,
which will rotate with a slightly different speed to the cylinder in
order to convey the sediment toward the outlet.
To one end of the cylinder, a truncated cone (also called the
beach) is added in order to block this end for the liquids. It is
over this beach that the solids are conveyed and discharged out
of the bowl. The other end of the cylindrical bowl is closed
with a head wall that has outlet openings with adjustable weirs
for discharge of the liquid. Further devices can be added to the
decanter centrifuge to separately extract a second liquid phase
if present. Fig. 1 shows a schematic drawing of a two-phase
decanter centrifuge.
Tailoring the decanter centrifuge to the task. In order
to be able to perform most efficiently and economically under site
conditions, tailoring the decanter centrifuge to the project specific
requirements is required. This includes:
Materials of construction for wetted parts, taking into
account corrosion, abrasion, operating temperatures and operat-
ing/maintenance regime
Wear-protection level and system, taking into account abra-
siveness of the product, the size and nature of the solid particles
contained in the product, the operating and maintenance regime
and available repair capabilities
Liquid-phase extraction devices, in the case of three-phase
separation, taking into account the variability of the content of
Explosion-proof (ATEX) two-phase decanter with hydraulic
scroll drive.
FIG. 2
Explosion-proof (ATEX) three-phase decanter with electro-
mechanical regenerative backdrive.
FIG. 3
TABLE 2. Product examples and associated basic considerations for process layout
Product Considerations for process layout
Oilfield pit sludge, lagoon sludge Very high content of coarse debris, sand, etc. Very in-homogenous. Pay special attention to mechanical pretreatment.
If treatment target requires three-phase separation, consider two centrifuge steps. Hydrocarbons may entail a very high
proportion of heavy hydrocarbons. Heating and splitting of emulsions essential for three-phase separation.
Refinery slop Typically rather low in solids and high in oil content. Composition may change quickly with regard to hydrocarbon, water,
and solids content, and hydrocarbon fractions present. Three-phase separation. Heating and splitting of emulsions essential.
Oily refinery sludge Oil content may be too low to justify recovery; simple two-phase separation without heating of the product is often sufficient.
Refinery explosion protection guidelines may require a higher degree of explosion protection than the product itself.
ROTATING EQUIPMENT

I

85
both liquid phases, quality requirements for the separated liquid
phases and downstream plant/equipment
Explosion protection measures, taking into account ambient
conditions and product properties at operating conditions and
national and/or customer specific requirements
Drive system for bowl and scroll, taking into account prod-
uct and process requirements and site conditions.
While these choices will only marginally affect the capital
expenditure for the decanter centrifuge compared to the cost of
the entire treatment plant, their effect on the operability, avail-
ability and efficiency of the decanter centrifuge as the core piece
of the plant can be considerable. Therefore, special care has to
be taken that these options in all their breadth are indeed avail-
able and considered in depth, and eventually the right choice is
made and implemented. Two examples for decanter centrifuges
are shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 to demonstrate some of the dif-
ferences in design.
Examples for oil waste treatment plants. The follow-
ing two examples of oil waste treatment systems are discussed in
order to illustrate the aspects outlined above and thus provide the
link between theory and practice.
Example 1. A treatment system for lagoon sludge in Siberia
was installed in several containers to be placed onsite outdoors
(Fig. 4). The core piece is a three-phase decanter for separation
of oil, water and solids in one device. The oil is fed back into the
refinerys crude stock, while the water phase receives further treat-
ment in the refinerys effluent treatment plant.
Due to the harsh climate and the limited choice of process
chemicals (polymeric flocculant and demulsifier), special care has
been taken to provide sufficient flexibility and hydraulic retention
time (external tanks, built by the customer) for the chemicals to
react properly, and to provide sufficient space inside the contain-
ers to serve as dry and heated storage, as well as a workplace for
maintenance and repairs. The product is heated in several steps
using indirect steam heating.
Explosion protection was designed in accordance with poten-
tially explosive atmospheres (ATEX) Directive 94/9/EC. Explo-
sion protection required that all high voltage electrical equip-
ment be installed onsite in a separate container placed outside
the hazardous area. The electrical container also included basic
laboratory facilities in order to allow the plant operators to assess
the properties of the feed and treated products and carry out
adjustments as required.
Example 2. A skid-mounted treatment system for oilfield
waste in China was placed indoors and connected to an extensive
mechanical pretreatment system delivered separately (Fig. 5).
This plant had to be designed for a feed product with high
sand content, and for the production of high quality oil (sold to
a refinery nearby) and water (reused internally as process water).
Solid phase quality requirements were also rather strict, as they
were to be fed into a soil treatment plant.
In view of these requirements, the separation process was split
into two steps. The first step featured a two-phase decanter centri-
fuge with the sole task of removing solids. The next step utilized a
three-phase high speed disc stack separator to separate and clean
the oil and water phases. Similar to the decanter centrifuge, a
disc stack separator also uses differences in specific gravity for
separation. However, it provides even higher centrifugal accelera-
tion and a higher settling area, with the 1xg equivalent being a
lamella settler.
As the treatment facility is situated in a remote location, no
steam was readily available and a thermal oil heating system was
used instead to provide heat to all parts of the plant. Similar to
Example 1, explosion protection is based on ATEX, and all high
voltage equipment is installed outside the hazardous area, in the
central electrical room of the facility.
Turning challenge into opportunity. The large quanti-
ties of oily waste produced by the oil industry worldwide are a
significant economical burden. In order to treat this waste in the
most economical way, a detailed study of the product and of the
external factors surrounding the project is required. Advanced
treatment methods are centered around decanter centrifuges for
liquid-solid separation. These machines have proven to be the
most reliable and flexible to separate these complex oil-water-
solids mixtures under the harsh conditions typically met onsite.
Decanter centrifuges and the treatment plants in which they
are operating should be designed to the specific requirements of
each project in order to make the best use of the versatility of the
decanter and thus achieve optimal performance. By following this
groundwork, a refiner can turn a challenge into an opportunity. HP
Containerized treatment system with three-phase decanter
getting prepared for shipment.
FIG. 4
Skid-mounted treatment system with two-phase decanter
plus three-phase separator before shipment to China.
FIG. 5
Arnim Hertle is the manager of sales for Hiller GmbH in Vils-
biburg, Germany. He is a chemical engineer with a special focus
on treatment processes for liquid wastes and slurries. In his 20 plus
year career, he has worked for a broad spectrum of companies,
including those involved in applied sciences, consulting, engineer-
ing and equipment supply.
86

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88

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HPI MARKETPLACE
Industry Gears Up for 2012 International Rening and Petrochemical Conference
Leading hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI)
executives and technical experts will come together in
Milan, Italy, June 1214 to share ideas and knowledge
relating to the rening and petrochemical industries at
Hydrocarbon Processings third annual International
Refining and Petrochemical Conference (IRPC).
Returning to Italythe 2010 event was held in
Rome IRPC will emphasize the latest technological
and operational advances from both a local and
global perspective.
We will focus this year on unconventional feedstocks, as
well as a wide variety of subjects of practical importance
to reners in markets around the world, President and
CEO of Gulf Publishing Company, John Royall, said.
With changes in crude supply around the world, reners
and technology companies will be able to present the
latest developments and technologies. Presentation
topics for IRPC 2012 include, but are not limited to: energy
policy, middle distillate developments, renewable/
biofuels, plant safety, gas treatment technologies and
ef uence management.
eni, the Italian-based, multinational integrated
energy company, will be the 2012 event host
sponsor. The company was also the sponsor
of the inaugural IRPC two years ago.
eni is a recognized leader in a number of downstream
technologies, including heavy oil conversion and biofuels,
so we are very happy to have eni as the host of the 2012
conference. They will present and lead the development
of the technical program, so we know that we will have
market-leading content in the IRPC, Royall, said.
For more information on the conference, contact
Stephany Romanow, Editor, Hydrocarbon Processing
at +1 (713) 520-4484 or Events@GulfPub.com
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I

89
AFPM (NPRA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 (97)
www.info.hotims.com/41425-97
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Axens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 (53)
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Baldor Electric Company . . . . . . . 68 (62)
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BASF Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 (96)
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CIPPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
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Eidos Sap SRL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 (162)
Elliott Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 (52)
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HPI Marketplace . . . . . . . . . 8687
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Inpro/Seal Company . . . . . . . . . . . 4 (151)
Johnson Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 (91)
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Team Industrial Services . . . . . . . 60 (95)
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FREE Product and Service InformationFEBRUARY 2012
For information about subscribing to HYDROCARBON PROCESSING, please visit www.HydrocarbonProcessing.com
HOW TO USE THE INDEX: The FIRST NUMBER after the company name is the page on which an
advertisement appears. The SECOND NUMBER, appearing in parentheses, after the company
name, is the READER SERVICE NUMBER. There are several ways readers can obtain information:
1. The quickest way to request information from an advertiser or about an editorial item is to go to
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job title.
Name ________________________________________________________ Company ________________________________________________________
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Country ______________________________________________________ Phone No. _______________________________________________________
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This Advertisers Index and procedure for securing additional information is provided as a service to Hydrocarbon
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This information must be pro-
vided to process your request:
PRIMARY DIVISION OF INDUSTRY
(check one only):
A -Refining Company
B - Petrochemical Co.
C -Gas Processing Co.
F -Equipment Manufacturer
G - Supply Company
H -Service Company
J -Chemical Co.
P -Engrg./Construction Co.
JOB FUNCTION
(check one only):
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ADVERTISERS in this issue of HYDROCARBON PROCESSING
Company Page RS#
Website
Company Page RS#
Website
Company Page RS#
Website
Y. ZAK FRIEDMAN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
HPIN CONTROL
Zak@petrocontrol.com
90

I

How difficult is it to control absorber columns?
The absorber-stripper configuration is common for gas plants.
If we are to apply advanced process control (APC) systems on a gas
plant, it better to address the control problemmaximizing recov-
ery of propane or propylene (C
3
) while minimizing C
2
at propane
contamination limits. Absorber/strippers work like the rectifying
and stripping sections of any distillation column, but the presence
of lean-oil makes it more complex. The absorber preferentially
absorbs and returns C
3
to the stripper, whereas the stripper prefer-
entially evaporates C
2
in the absorber. However, it is impossible to
absorb C
3
without some C
2
, and likewise, it is impossible to boil C
2

without evaporating some C
3
. That creates a large recycle of C
2
and
C
3
between the two columns. Separation gets better with increased
recycle as long as the columns do not flood.
System conditions. The feed comes in usually from the over-
head accumulator. The liquid part of the feed, i.e., naphtha, serves
as the lean oil in the absorber. Vapor from the accumulator is
compressed and sent to the feed drum. Absorber-rich oil is also
sent to the feed drum, thus recycling the absorbed C
3
and C
2
. The
stripper overhead vapor is partially condensed in the feed drum,
thus recycling uncondensed lights back to the absorber. Now, the
feed drum contains a mixture of three very different streams. The
feed-drum vapor flows to the absorber, and the liquid feeds the
stripper. Often following the main absorber, there is a small sponge
absorber to trap the small flow of heavier liquefied petroleum gas
components in the main absorber overhead.
Whats a good way to control such a configuration?
Usually the stripper has a vapor flow measurement system, or we
can calculate vapor flow from the heat balance. Knowledge of the
vapor flow helps maintain the stripper loading below the flood-
ing constraint. The manipulated variable for controlling stripper
load is the lean-oil flow, i.e., how much of the overhead naphtha is
directed to the absorber vs. the stripper feed drum.
But managing the lean-oil and stripper loading is not enough.
We must also set the reboiler correctly to remove all but a trace
of C
2
, and such a control strategy would rely on an inferential
model or analyzer. Typically, a temperature indicator on Tray 5
or so exists, and would provide a rough inference of bottom C
2

penetration. However, the heavy naphtha components distort this
temperature reading. Naphtha itself does not boil at column condi-
tions. But being a diluent, it increases the boiling temperatures for
the lighter components.
Careful selection of inferential inputs can improve the infer-
ence, even if that is a regression inference.
1
In this case (absorber/
stripper combination,) it is not a good way to handle the inference
problem without a knowledge-based model.
1
We should resort to
first principles inferential modeling; the problem set up is:
Define four stripper bottom components: Light key com-
ponent: C
2
, heavy key component: C
3
, intermediate heavy com-
ponent: C
4
, mostly not volatile at column conditions and naphtha
diluent: C
5
+
; not volatile at all column conditions
Apply four principles to solve the four unknowns: 1.
Bottom mass balance, 2. Bottom equilibrium, 3. Section separa-
tion performance: ratio of component on Tray 5 to the bottom
concentration and 4. Tray 5 equilibrium.
The stripper-bottom stream is further separated downstream
into propane, butane and naphtha, whereas the C
2
specifica-
tion is on the propane. The control variable becomes not simply
the bottom C
2
but the ratio of bottom C
2
/C
3
. The ability to
infer stripper C
2
penetration from the four-component model is
shown in Fig. 1 and it is a four-month trend of the inference of
C
2
in propane vs. lab measurements. This figure shows several C
2

breakthroughs, which could have been avoided. The agreement
between the model and lab is not poor, but not essential. What
is essential is that the inference is can identify C
2
breakthrough
and pass this information to the controller. From Fig. 1, it can be
translated into a substantial increase of FCC propylene recovery,
in the order of 0.5% yield. HP
LITERATURE CITED
1
Friedman, Y. Z., Inferential model input selection, Hydrocarbon Processing,
February 2011, p. 94.
The author is a principal consultant in advanced process control and online
optimization with Petrocontrol. He specializes in the use of first-principles models
for inferential process control and has developed a number of distillation and reactor
models. Dr. Friedmans experience spans over 30 years in the hydrocarbon industry,
working with Exxon Research and Engineering, KBC Advanced Technology and, since
1992 with Petrocontrol. He holds a BS degree from the Israel Institute of Technology
(Technion) and a PhD from Purdue University.
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
Four months of data
C
2

i
n

C
3

%
C
2
in propanelab
C
2
in propane model
Percent C
2
in C
3
stream. FIG. 1
2012 IRPC Advisory Board:
Andrea Amoroso
Vice President,
Process Technology
eni
John Baric
Licensing Technology Manager
Shell Global Solutions
International B.V.
Eric Benazzi
Marketing Director
Axens
Carlos Cabrera
Executive Co-Chairman
Ivanhoe Energy
Dr. Charles Cameron
Head of Research & Technology
BP
Antonio Di Pasquale
Vice President,
Refning Product Line
Technip
Giacomo Fossataro
Technical and Operation Manager
Walter Tosto S.p.A.
Dr. Madhukar Onkarnath Garg
FNAE Director
Indian Institute of Petroleum
in Dehradun
Rajkumar Ghosh
Executive Director
Indian Oil
Andrea Gragnani
Refning Product Line Director
Technip
Dr. Syamal Poddar
President
Poddar & Associates
Giacomo Rispoli
Senior Vice President,
Research & Development
IRPC Advisory Board Chair
eniRefning & Marketing Division
Stephany Romanow
Editor
Hydrocarbon Processing
Michael Stockle
Chief Engineer,
Refning Technology
Foster Wheeler
Submit: Abstracts deadline has been extended to
February 10, 2012. E-mail Events@GulfPub.com
For more information on the conference: Stephany
Romanow, Editor, Hydrocarbon Processing at
+1 (713) 520-4484 or Stephany.Romanow@GulfPub.com
Exhibit or sponsor: Bill Wageneck, Vice President
and Publisher, Hydrocarbon Processing at
+1 (713) 520-4421 or Bill.Wageneck@GulfPub.com
Register: www.HPIRPC.com
BE A PART OF SOMETHING GRANDE!
You are invited to submit an abstract for Hydrocarbon Processings third annual International Rening and Petrochemical
Conference (IRPC) that will be held 1214 June 2012 in Milan, Italy. IRPC is a leading-edge technical conference, providing an
elite forum within which industry leaders can share knowledge and ideas relating to the international rening and petrochemical
industries. This years theme is Unconventional Feedstocks and Heavy Oil Conversions. For a look at more topics to be covered
at IRPC 2012, please visit www.HPIRPC.com. Heres how you can participate:
MILAN, ITALY | 1214 JUNE
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