Catalysts
FCCU catalyst reformulations: Reducing risk and guaranteeing value with collaboration/testing
Hellenic Petroleum S.A.’s Aspropyrgos refinery is located near Athens, Greece. It has a total refining capacity of approximately 7.5 MMtpy and a Nelson complexity index of 9.7. The refinery was built in 1958 and has undergone several upgrades, including the installation of a fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU).
A new liquid-phase isomerization process for xylene loop debottleneck and energy savings
In a typical xylene loop, C<sub>8</sub> aromatics are fractionated out of a heavy reformate C<sub>8</sub>+ aromatics stream and collected in the xylene column overhead. Then, paraxylene (PX) from the C<sub>8</sub> aromatics stream is recovered as product—usually by an adsorption or crystallization process—in the PX recovery section.
Can ammonia be a future energy storage solution?
Ammonia is well known as a fertilizer. However, it is also a potential carbon-free fuel and an excellent solution for storage of renewable electricity, especially if the syngas needed for producing the ammonia is made by electrolysis.
Heat Transfer: Designing electric process heater systems for catalytic regeneration
Achieving effective catalyst regeneration requires a process that produces a very high level of heat in a very efficient manner. Over the years, several different approaches have been taken to create this required heat. Traditional steam has been a popular choice, as has heated transfer media. However, these methods have limitations.
Editorial Comment: Honoring the industry’s best … take 2!
Due to Tropical Storm Imelda, Hydrocarbon Processing issued its first force majeure in postponing the third annual HP Awards.
Diversifying the future: Incentives for worldwide adoption of renewable fuels and chemicals—Part 2
Bio-based, renewable fuels and chemicals can reduce the environmental footprint of maintaining global transportation and product demands, while also offering supplementation of traditional fossil fuels in a global environment with increasing energy demand. The renewable energy sector is large and growing rapidly.
FCC catalyst deactivation studies to mimic refinery conditions for high-propylene applications
The fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) is a conversion unit located at the heart of many refineries. Its main purpose is to crack crude oil-derived feedstocks into valuable liquid products, primarily LPGs (propylene and butylenes), and gasoline and light-cycle oil (LCO) precursors. The process uses a fluidizable catalyst, comprising an alumina-silica framework and tailored for each refinery to meet its specific needs. Often, the changing of a catalyst includes catalyst testing evaluations, employed by about 50% of the FCCUs in the world. The testing process is cumbersome, in which multiple methods are available to refineries.
Unlocking FCC potential with an innovative catalyst solution
In 2010, a JV embarked on the deployment of a MHY zeolite technologyb developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This novel zeolite technology improves traditional zeolite catalysts through the introduction of highly interconnected channels of medium pore size, which enhance diffusion of feed molecules inside zeolite crystals, leading to higher-value product yields, improved process efficiency and increased refinery profitability.
Hydrocarbon Processing Awards Winners
<i>Hydrocarbon Processing,</i> the downstream processing sector’s leading technical publication, has announced the winners for its third annual awards. The <i>HP</i> Awards celebrate innovative technologies and people that have been instrumental in improving facility operations over the past year.
Energy savings opportunities in unifining, CCR and benzene removal units
Opportunities are always available to decrease energy consumption in process units.
- Essar launches hydrogen power plant at Stanlow refinery (U.K.) 7/16
- Trelleborg partners with Airbus on hydrogen-powered air travel 7/16
- Neste, Mitsubishi Corporation agree on strategic partnership to develop supply chains for renewable chemicals and plastics 7/16
- Vale, Komatsu and Cummins announce collaboration to develop dual-fuel large trucks, powered by ethanol and diesel 7/16
- Mexico–U.S. energy trade value fell in 2023 on lower fuel prices 7/16
- Belarus' Mozyr oil refinery restoring operations after outage due to storm 7/16
- Digital Exclusive: SPECIAL FOCUS: Digital Technologies—Utilize process simulation digital twin to optimize condensate yield
- Digital Exclusive-Flare system design: Liquid pockets in flare headers
- Hydrogen-rich content gasoline: A new concept for paraffinic gasoline reformulation
- Alarm rationalization at Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) refineries
