Furnaces
Executive Viewpoint: Trends in the global process furnace market
Whether it is heating process fluids to achieve enough temperature in crude atmospheric and vacuum distillation units, or reaction temperatures inside furnace tubes to produce ethylene, vinyl chloride monomer, synthetic gas and continuous catalytic reformer reactors, or simple process heating (thermal fluid), process furnaces play a critical role in refineries and petrochemical complexes.
Triple-lane layout for enhanced cracking coil performance
Ethylene is a precursor to many chemicals, fibers and plastics that are used in daily life.
Best practices in boiler maintenance and replacement
Refineries cannot afford a sudden boiler failure (FIG. 1). Regularly assessing the condition of boilers is vital.
Understand API and ASME standards to prevent oversizing PSVs
If you have ever sized or selected a pressure safety relief valve (PSV) using vendor sizing programs or hand calculations, you have probably run into a strange anomaly.
Process design consideration for a deep-cut vacuum distillation unit—Part 1
In the recent past, many US refineries have been reconfigured to process heavy opportunistic sour crudes.
Understand the installation of steam tracing for long-term application success—Part 1
One of the most misunderstood and misused components of conductive steam tracing systems is heat transfer compound (HTC).
A game-changing approach to furnace safeguarding
This work is a follow-up article to “Automate furnace controls to improve safety and energy efficiency,” which was published in the June 2014 edition of <i>Hydrocarbon Processing.</i>
Additive solutions to SOx emissions in FCCUs
Sulfur oxide additives are typically based on hydrotalcite or magnesium aluminate spinel-type structures. Magnesium alumina is the pickup agent present in the most effective SO<sub>x</sub> additives on the market; therefore, to optimize SO<sub>x</sub> reduction, it is critical to maximize the amount of the critical magnesium component in the fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) in an efficient and cost-effective way.
Business Trends
It is never a good sign when a piece of equipment exhibits unsafe behaviors—such as large, unexpected vibrations, or cracks forming around instrument ports—particularly in the thermal reactor of a sulfur plant, where high-temperature gaseous streams chemically react as part of the process that produces elemental sulfur.
Develop competence in the process industry with a digitalized operator learning path
Industrial digitalization is changing the standards for operator training in the global process industry.
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- Vale, Komatsu and Cummins announce collaboration to develop dual-fuel large trucks, powered by ethanol and diesel 7/16
- Tecnimont awarded green ammonia plant study in India 7/15
- Audi, bp team up with strategic sustainable fuels partnership for Formula 1 7/15
- Iowa biodiesel industry commends Rep. Hinson on letter to EPA 7/15
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- Alarm rationalization at Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) refineries
