american fuel & petrochemical manufacturers 213 q&a · pdf fileamerican fuel &...

American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers

2013 Q&A and Technology Forum

Conference Daily Published by HYDROCARBON PROCESSING®

Join Grace Technical Expert, Jeff Koebel, at the AFPM Q&A in Dallas October 8-9

r FCC Q&A Session-Tuesday, October 8 at 2:00 p.m.r FCC Principles and Practices-Wednesday, October 9 at 8:00 a.m.

Day two Tuesday | October 8, 2013

Jim Stump has worked in all sorts of roles at refineries. His wide array of ex-perience served him well as he evolved from being a young engineer, wet be-hind the ears with much to learn, to his present position as HollyFrontier’s se-nior vice president for refinery opera-tions. During his 21 years of service with Frontier (this time encompasses pre- and post-merger with Holly), Mr. Stump has worked in operations, mar-keting and management. He has been in his present role since 2011.

Mr. Stump’s career progression of-fered him the perfect perspective to deliver a keynote speech on the subject of leadership and safety. One leader-ship challenge he faced early in his ca-

reer was gaining the trust of a seasoned refinery veteran. For the sake of this example, Mr. Stump referred to this person as “Norm.” Norm taught him how crucial it is to “help your guys.”

“The second thing I learned was to be present,” Mr. Stump said. “These days it is easy, with emails and tech-nology, for engineers to sit in their of-fice and do 90% of the job there.”

He emphasized that engineers should get out of the office and col-laborate with the rest of the refinery staff. “During startups, shutdowns or upsets, our engineers should be pres-ent for these activities to make sure operators aren’t missing important data,” Mr. Stump said. “I can remem-

ber watching a cat cracker startup. Sitting back [and] looking at data, everybody felt things were stable, so we started introducing feed. Although we kept providing more feed, the tem-perature wasn’t changing. We weren’t flaring much, either.”

Since Mr. Stump was present for the startup, he was able to trouble-shoot the problem and come up with a solution. “Without having an engineer present, that could have proceeded into quite a disaster,” he noted.

Mr. Stump also believes that lead-ers should “be there, but not [be] in the way.” He encourages team leaders

HollyFrontier executive offers insight into leadership, safety improvements

The Peter G. Andrews Lifetime Service Award honors members who have made long-lasting contributions to the value and vitality of the AFPM Q&A meeting. This award was estab-lished in 2003 to honor the numerous contributions that Mr. Andrews made to the meeting.

Recipients of this award have served as Q&A panelists, Screen-ing or Plant Automation & Decision Support committee members and, most importantly, active participants in the dialogue that is fundamental to the meeting.

During their careers, the recipients have demonstrated a willingness to pass on their knowledge and exper-tise to future generations in this fo-rum, and they have made significant contributions to the meeting’s qual-ity. They have also emphasized the importance of sharing knowledge in making continuous improvements.

This year’s award, which was pre-sented during Monday morning’s general session, was given to J. W. “Bill” Wilson, a refinery advisor with BP for fluid catalytic cracking (FCC).

In this role, which he began in 2005, Mr. Wilson provides BP with global training, turnaround support, project support and unit optimization.

Mr. Wilson is also a registered pro-fessional engineer in Texas and the author of numerous papers, presen-tations and a book on FCC. He was an AFPM Q&A panelist in 1990 and speaks at the biannual FCC meeting held by AFPM. In addition, Mr. Wil-son has served on the AFPM Q&A screening committee since 1995.

“He’s spent 39 years in the refin-ing industry, and I have always found him to be knowledgeable, profes-sional and helpful when asked,” said Warren S. Letzsch of Technip, who presented Wilson with the award.

In accepting the award, Wilson thanked members of the selection committee for honoring him.

“The time I’ve spent with the screening committee is among the most rewarding of my career,” said Mr. Wilson. “Attendance at this Q&A meeting is one of the most enjoyable things that I do in context of refining and cracking, and meeting people.”

“This is a great meeting that re-quires everyone here to participate, join in, ask questions, give answers and have a great day,” he added. “Thanks everyone, thanks to Warren and the committee.”

Mr. Wilson received his bache-lor’s degree in chemical engineering from Oklahoma State University in 1972, and earned a master’s degree

in the field at the University of Hous-ton in 1975. In the nearly 40 years since then, he has had a long and dis-tinguished career with several promi-nent, US-based companies. That led to his current position with BP, and, ultimately, his award at this year’s AFPM Q&A and Technology Forum. Mr. Wilson left the podium to loud cheers from the packed ballroom. •

BP’s Wilson wins Lifetime Service Award

Jim Stump of Holly Frontier discussed the importance of leadership and safety. See keynote AddreSS, page 8

Bill wilSon speaks to general session attendees after accepting his award.

warren letzSch of Technip introduced wilSon and presented him with the award.

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2013 Q&A and Technology Forum | American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers Tuesday, October 8, 2013 3

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2013 Q&A And TEChnology ForuM

tueSDay

7 a.m.–5 p.m. Registration

8–10 a.m. plant automation: Basic Building Blocks • Upgrading and Using the PEMEX National Refining System LP Model, Michael Tucker, KBC Advanced Technologies and Ihali Crespo, Petroleos Mexicanos • Distillation Column Product Quality Optimization, Jose Bird, Valero Energy Corporation

8 a.m.–12 p.m. principles & practices: hydroprocessing Q&a: crude/Vacuum Distillation & coking Panelists: Travis Gibb, Flint Hills Resources; Jon Herlevich Jr., Marathon Petroleum Company; Stephen Hodges, Athlon Solutions; Philip Pribnow, CITGO Petroleum Corporation; Andrew Sloley, CH2M Hill; Srini Srivatsan, Foster Wheeler USA Corporation

10–10:15 a.m. Coffee Break

10:15 a.m.–12 p.m. plant automation: Basic Building Blocks • Achieving Better Gasoline Planning Through the Application of Advanced Scheduling Software, Dean Trierwiler, Haverly Systems • Push the Turbo—Historian Data Into Your Relational Database, Blake Larsen, Western Refining Company and David Brand, Teradata • Rigorous Model Integration with Linear Planning Models, John Hernandez and Rujun Li, Invensys Operations Management, and Lanny Carr, Process Frontier, Inc.

12–2 p.m. Lunch in Exhibit Hall

2–3:30 p.m. plant automation: the transformation of plant automation in Fuel and petrochemical manufacturing • Mobility Technologies and Practices Transform Refining Operations, Todd Muscroft, Innovatia and Mark Porter, Irving Oil • Small Matrix Multivariable Control and Paths Forward, Allan Kern, APC Performance • Unified Refining and Chemicals Performance Metrics, John Havener, HSB Solomon Associates

2–5:15 p.m. principles & practices: crude/Vacuum Distillation & coking Q&a: Fcc Panelists: Jeff Bull, Valero Energy Corporation; Steve Gim, Technip Stone & Webster, Process Technology; Catherine Inkim, PETROTRIN; Jeff Koebel, Grace Catalysts Technologies; Mel Larson, KBC Advanced Technologies, Inc.

3:30–3:45 p.m. Refreshment break

3:45–5:15 p.m. plant automation: the transformation of plant automation in Fuel and petrochemical manufacturing • Turn Wireless Data into Actionable Information for Cooling Towers, Nikki Bishop, Emerson Process Management • The Aging Control System, Michael Wroe, Enterprise Products Operating • Big Data’ and Machine Learning for Maximized Asset Reliability, Mike Brooks, Mtell

ScHeduLe oF SeSSionS And SPeciAL eventS

conference opens with talk of virtualization, strategies for tight oil processing

In these uncertain times, we are all searching for things on which to rely. For those that are habitual attendees of the Q&A and Technology Forum, one such reliable item is the guaran-tee that smart people will be present at this gathering.

These bright and engaging folks may have a new catalyst recipe to maximize yields at an underperform-ing refinery. They may know how to install software that will make false alarms in the control room a thing of the past. They might even be able to provide complex calculations that re-veal the meaning of life and the rea-son why Tony Romo can never win the big game.

On Sunday night, the intelligent individuals we spoke with were eager to inform us on the latest activities of their respective companies. Our edu-cational odyssey began with a con-versation at the opening reception. Paul Oberle, an account manager with Inovx Solutions, knows that virtual-ization is more than just a concept. It is an invaluable building block for modern-day refining operations.

When it was mentioned in passing that industrial process control compa-nies owe a tip of the cap to the inno-vations witnessed in video game ani-mation, Mr. Oberle readily agreed. He expanded on this point, emphasizing that gamification has made a positive impact on refining server architec-ture. Elements found in a computer game like World of Warcraft, such as advanced graphics and a vivid feel, are also present in current industrial automation offerings.

Inovx’s main contribution to the marketplace in this dimension is Re-alityLINx, a virtualization software that enables end users at industrial process plants to “virtually” navigate and walk through their plant’s physi-cal assets from their desktops. The client-server architecture of Reality-LINx enables every functional orga-nization within the enterprise to ac-cess and review the plant’s physical 3D model and corresponding data. When the 3D data is linked with oth-er asset data systems, RealityLINx offers one common data source for all asset data, including present “as-built” asset conditions.

The educational voyage continued with Joe Zmich in the suite of Hon-eywell’s UOP. Mr. Zmich and his colleagues were most welcoming and willing to chat about tight oil pro-cessing. Since tight oils are more par-affinic, they create additional stress on a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit. However, Mr. Zmich said that, with the right processing technology, this should not be an insurmountable problem. If managed correctly, these hydrocarbons from tight oil can in-crease monetary refining spreads and push up gasoline-to-distillate ratios.

Higher naphtha yields do increase demand on the naphtha complex, but, at the same time, improvement in FCC feed quality is possible due to increases in gasoline selectiv-ity and yields of light olefins. One technology Honeywell’s UOP of-fers to refiners grappling with the new tight oil reality allows for an improvement in regenerator emis-

sions control and operation, while increasing operating margin through higher throughput, conversion and improved yield selectivity. •

paul and roSie oBerle were eager to discuss the virtualization capabilities

of Inovx Solutions.uop repreSentatiVeS sought to

spark discussions on tight oil processing.

4 Tuesday, October 8, 2013 American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers | 2013 Q&A and Technology Forum

Burner management SyStem iDeal For retroFitS

Principal Technology Inc. offers a modern burner management system (BMS) specifically designed for the retrofit of legacy boilers, ovens, fur-naces and other fired equipment used in the process industry. Based on a modular platform, the BMS meets all applicable modern standards for safe burner management and operations, and can be installed in up to half the time of a standard BMS retrofit.

Basic BMS modules offered by Principal Technology include burner safeguards, single-burner ignition, multiple-burner ignition sequencing, flame detection and optional pre-ig-

nition combustible gas detection and process control. Additional modules are available to convert legacy natural draft systems to forced draft, and add combustion control to improve reli-ability and operational efficiency.

Principal Technology designed its modular BMS to satisfy the safety, regulatory compliance and operabil-ity issues unique to process heaters. The BMS improves system operation, heater online availability and operator awareness by integrating hard-wired burner safeguards with modern pro-grammable logic controllers or auto-mation systems for supervisory control.

Principal Technology’s modular approach creates a custom BMS by applying particular modules to the ap-plication as needed, unlike a traditional engineered BMS retrofit that may in-volve creating a completely new sys-tem specifically designed for a particu-lar application.

The company can retrofit legacy equipment with 1–12 burners by us-ing existing fully manual or partially automated systems. Having standard-

ized the BMS into modular blocks, Principal Technology can adapt the components to create a unique BMS to meet the exact needs of any process-ing facility and complete the installa-tion and testing 30%–50% faster than a standard engineered retrofit.

gaS turBine generation yielDS low nox emiSSionS

MAN Diesel & Turbo has success-fully reduced the NOx emissions of its MGT 6100 gas turbine generator to less than 10 ppmv in test stands in Oberhausen, Germany. This result was achieved during all operating condi-tions, between half and full perfor-

mance of an advanced can combustion (ACC) chamber modified for the new gas turbine generation. In comparison, the German Federal Immission Con-trol Act specifies a limit value of 36.5 ppm in its Technical Instructions on Air Quality Control.

MAN Diesel & Turbo has already developed and successfully imple-mented an ACC for its THM gas tur-bine family. These can-type combus-tion chambers work on the principle of premix technology, where the fuel is premixed homogeneously with the combustion air before entering the combustion chamber. Result: Fuel-rich hot strands are avoided, and sig-nificantly less NOx is formed in the exhaust gas.

The MGT 6100 gas turbine, with 6 megawatt (MW)–8 MW output, can be started up in under 10 minutes, and can ideally supplement fluctuating re-newable energy sources such as wind and solar power. Funding for develop-ment of the new turbine was granted under the North Rhine-Westphalia Objective 2 Program 2007–2013. •

manage knowleDge toDay anD enhance the workForce oF tomorrow

Process industries are facing con-tinued losses of experienced person-nel as large numbers of senior op-erations and maintenance personnel enter retirement. How to address—and solve—this issue was the topic of Blair Morgan’s Monday morning presentation to the Plant Automation session. Mr. Morgan examined how companies are using a range of tech-nologies to institutionalize and deploy their organizations’ tribal knowledge as part of their operational excellence and reliability management programs.

Insofar as knowledge management goes, personnel issues are a top-line item. One approach to improving a company’s knowledge base is to “cannibalize” from other companies. In other words, go out and “hire from the other guy.” Or, there is the con-cept of securing existing personnel

through employee-friendly human resources strategies.

Innovatia is involved in knowl-edge mapping processes, including DACUM, a competency manage-ment program. Emphasis is being placed on details within the plants, particularly on new hires, Mr. Mor-gan said. This dovetails with pro-gressive business practices.

reliability management programs. Process safety management is as large an area as regulatory com-pliance. Software activity like op-erational data and operator rounds capture information so workers can understand, synthesize and make de-cisions on operations. Meanwhile, on the procedure development side, ev-ery plant incident that is publicized has an element related to procedures and a lack of quality.

Software solutions, including In-novatia’s Procedure Accelerator, can help support this, Mr. Morgan said.

Procedure Accelerator is Innovatia’s software product designed to assist quality-centric, process-intensive in-dustries, like oil refining and chemical processing, with improving efficien-cy, safety and regulatory compliance. It helps complex industrial operations become more efficient in asset main-tenance, which, in turn, helps increase safety, reduce environmental impacts and impact reliability, Innovatia said in a recent press release.

grading ourselves. There is concern that, over the years, oil and gas inci-dents are still increasing. In response, OSHA commissioned an audit of 60 refineries. Of those 60, OSHA issued citations to 58 refineries. There was a total of 986 citations (17 citations per inspection). The other two refineries of the 60 are still under investigation, and citations are yet to be released, Mr. Morgan said.

He was also keen to point out that 50% of site-safe incidents are

procedural deficiencies. The reason for this might be because there is no real procedure in place. Or, perhaps a procedure was there, but it could not be found. Yet another possibility is that the situation was not covered because the procedure was not spe-cific enough.

Some problems are blamed on too much information. If a procedure con-tains information that is not related to a focus asset, it could pose an issue. There is also the traditional approach for creating information. Challenges for the traditional approach include tracking or auditing the author, which can create a bottleneck during review procedures. For instance, Mr. Mor-gan said that a site with 65,000 assets requires 900-plus human years of ef-fort using traditional development.

One potential approach is word processing—i.e., the manual writ-ing of procedures, potentially using Word templates and styles to assist with formatting, often with the use of samples. Assisted writing is another option that involves manual writ-ing of procedures, with assistance of writing and style recommendations to improve consistency.

Finally, there is single-source au-thoring, which is technology that al-lows an author to create objects and reuse these objects. When a procedure needs to be created, a statement is se-lected. A use case for this procedure is as follows: A refinery unit with 633 rotation assets had four operational procedures for each of the 633 assets, creating 2,532 procedures and pro-ducing a total of 40,308 created state-ments. Using single-source authoring, this same example would only require 690 unique statements, offering sig-nificant cost savings and a reduction in the review process of 50%. •

keVin proopS of Solomon Associates spoke about pitfalls in energy management.

Blair morgan and toDD muScroFt, Innovatia. Morgan discussed advances in reliability management programs.

tecHnicAL SeSSion rounduP

innovAtionS


Sinclair oil manager disputes media coverage of climate change

The data behind climate change suggests some global warming, but the role of greenhouse gases (GHGs) may have been exaggerated in many instances. That’s the analysis from Steven Sondergard, refinery man-ager for Sinclair Oil and author of Climate Balance: A Balanced and Realistic View of Climate Change. The book is written from an engi-neer’s perspective.

Mr. Sondergard, who delivered the plant automation keynote address on Monday, said that suggested climate models do not agree with the physics behind the situation.

“There are 40 gigatons per year, globally, of CO2-equivalent human emissions that increase warming,” Mr. Songergard said. “Without global decimation, only 75% of these CO2 emissions are considered controllable. About 50% of these emissions could be reduced by feasible action mea-sures that are either economic or mar-ginally economic. Then, roughly 50% of the GHG emissions are produced by developing countries without the means to implement those measures. Industrialized countries cannot, by themselves, be 100% efficient.”

Overall, Mr. Sondergard said that human factors can influence less than 0.1 degree Fahrenheit for each cen-tury. “Let’s go through the alleged climate change outcomes,” he said. “Food shortages? Those will not be due to warming. Water shortages? Those will occur anyway. Ecosystem stress? That’s a normal occurrence. Species extinctions? Very unlikely. Weather variability? That’s normal. Likewise, melting glaciers and melt-ing ice caps occurs naturally. The same goes for rising sea levels.”

Mr. Sondergard also took issue with alleged links between climate change and severe weather. “Hurricane sever-ity is not suggested to increase based on global warming,” he said. “That is based on wind shear in high altitudes.”

Mr. Sondergard spoke to a captive audience. When he asked attendees to raise hands to show who did and did not believe in global warming, rough-ly one third of attendees said they did not believe in it at all. The speaker ac-knowledged a rise in average temper-ature over the past 130 years, but said it was less than commonly thought.

“We’ve had 1.4 degrees Fahren-heit of global warming in the last 130

years. Part of this warming is natural,” he said. “Even this 1.4 degrees is often exaggerated by media. Remember, the general media writes articles to get no-ticed,” he cautioned. “It’s unfortunate that they aren’t held accountable, but that’s the way it is. Don’t believe ev-erything that you read.”

Mr. Sondergard cited prior state-ments from Al Gore suggesting that a correlation between CO2 levels and rising temperatures is proof that CO2

drives temperature. “It’s actually the opposite,” he said. “CO2 actually lags temperature by 200 to 800 years. It isn’t possible for a cause to impact an effect if it occurs after the fact.”

Mr. Sondergard also took issue with modern climate models, ac-cusing those behind them of “group think” and pointing out that a flat tem-perature trend since 1998 was poking holes in the theories.

“Of the 19 models we have, 95% of them use basically the same code,” Mr. Sondergard said. “One group comes up with a certain code here, [and] then an-other borrows it. It’s group think.”

“These models purposely minimize solar variability,” he added. “They also don’t consider known CO2 gra-

dients. Common weather patterns are poorly modeled. Clouds are modeled very poorly, too.”

Mr. Sondergard said that the con-cern surrounding GHGs in the at-mosphere should not be the mere existence of GHGs, but instead their concentration (i.e., quantity) and their variation. “The earth would essentially be a frozen tundra without any GHGs in the atmosphere,” he said. “People are focusing on the wrong things.” •

SteVen SonDergarD of Sinclair Oil disputed popular climate change theories.

Hydroprocessing Q&A: How to best process tight oil crudes

The breakout hydroprocessing Q&A session on Monday afternoon drew one of the largest crowds of the week.

With panelists from Motiva Enter-prises, DuPont, Flint Hills Resources, UOP, Marathon Petroleum and ART, audience members found an abun-dance of industry expertise to answer their specific queries.

One question of note involved pro-cessing tight oils, and Glenn Liolis of DuPont responded to the question with a very articulate answer. The question and his response, which can also be found in the Answer Book at afpm.org, is as follows: When pro-cessing tight oil crudes, are lower bed-pressure drop problems in VGO/resid hydrotreater reactors a con-cern? If so, what mechanisms explain this issue?

“The highly paraffinic nature of tight oil crudes and the potential in-crease in asphaltene precipitation when these crudes, or cuts of these [crudes], are mixed with polar as-phaltenic oils or cuts, has been well documented. The increase in paraffin content can lead to destabilization of the asphaltene core, which can then agglomerate to form larger macro-molecules that may precipitate out under hydrotreating conditions.

A number of published documents detail the causes and reactions behind this phenomenon and outline methods to determine which crude type and cuts are compatible, and in what ratios

[they] are required to minimize the chance of this phenomenon occurring.

Much of the industry experience indicates that asphaltene precipitation and fouling in process units normally occurs in regions of high heat flux when agglomerated asphaltenes eas-ily crack or dehydrogenate, leaving coke-like deposits such as feed/efflu-ent exchangers, or where hydrotreater reactions are initiated—i.e., the top bed of a hydrotreating reactor.

However, it was observed that a gasoil mild hydrocracking unit expe-rienced a noticeable increase in pres-sure in a final polishing reactor after the feed to the unit was switched to process a feed that had been mixed with an increased percentage of highly paraffinic (black wax crude) feedstock. At the same time, the se-verity was increased by lowering the throughput without reducing inlet temperatures. The polishing reactor was the last in a series of five reactor beds, [with] the bed being a separate bed reactor.

During the observed increased pressure drop in the polishing reactor, no appreciable pressure drop was ob-served in the guard bed or main reac-tor beds. It is important to point out that, after the space velocity and feed stock to the system were normalized, the pressure drop decreased, almost to the baseline range, prior to the event.

It is theorized that the observed bed pressure drop increase in the last bed

was a result of asphaltene precipitation and polymerization on the bed that occurred after increased severity reac-tions cracked the smaller molecules that kept the increased asphaltenes in solution. According to work conduct-ed by Wiehe on asphaltene precipita-tion, asphaltenes are maintained in solution in oil by a micelle-type con-figuration. This theory has also been explained by other authors.

The asphaltene core is surrounded by a solvated shell that consists of resins. Resins are molecules with aromatic and naphthenic rings. Un-der high-severity conditions, such as those experienced in this mild hydro-cracker operation, the resins can crack into smaller molecules. This can dis-rupt the micelle-type configurations at which asphaltenes are kept in solu-

tion, and the asphaltenes can precipi-tate upon cooling.

Analytical tests carried out on the hydrocarbon feed samples indicated that the asphaltene content (heptane insolubles), although low in compari-son with a heavy residue, was found to be approximately three times higher than the one on the sweet gasoil fluid catalytic cracker feed sample that was being recirculated to the unit, and the regular gasoil sample fed to the gaso-line hydrocracker.

This theory explains why the up-stream reactor beds did not experience a corresponding increase in pressure drop. If it were due to deposits, cata-lyst fines or simply rust from upstream units, the first two reactors should have acted as filters, preventing the last bed from getting plugged up.” •

Representatives from motiVa enterpriSeS, Dupont, Flint hillS reSourceS, uop and marathon petroleum were included on the hydroprocessing Q&A panel.


the evolution of Albemarle’s refinery business

At Albemarle, we are evolving be-yond our existing refinery capabili-ties in HPC, FCC and isomerization to build a robust portfolio of solutions that apply to the entire refinery pro-cess. In order to achieve this new vi-sion for our refinery business, we have reorganized our business structure to meet the demands of our customers more efficiently and to capitalize on a number of synergies in our existing businesses. Our new refinery group consists of two business units: heavy oil upgrading (HOU), including fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), coker addi-tives and resid hydrotreating for both e-bed and fixed bed; and clean fuels technologies (CFT), including hy-drotreating, alkylation, polymeriza-tion, isomerization and reforming.

With these new elements in place, Albemarle will be able to provide additional value to our customers through an expanded portfolio of technologies and services with broad-er application in the refinery process.

tight oil solutions. The composition of tight oil can vary widely, even from the same field. However, tight oil is generally a light, sweet feed with a feed gravity in excess of 40 API, and often contains high levels of iron and calcium. When processing tight oils, the numerous refining units must be rebalanced and reoptimized.

One method for rebalancing is to purchase and process extra heavy sour crudes in tandem with tight oils. This practice often initiates a new challenge in that the extremely paraf-finic nature of tight oils can result in crude compatibility issues. More im-portantly, the extra-heavy purchased crude, together with the high iron and calcium from tight oils, create new catalytic challenges for the FCCU.

Tight oils are more paraffinic than most other crudes and, when pro-cessed in an FCC unit, are very crack-able, which results in increased con-version and higher production of the more valuable products such as naph-tha (gasoline) and LPG. However, this change in molecular composition usually reduces the naphtha octane and brings the FCC unit against new

constraints, such as delta coke, cata-lyst circulation and main fractionators bottlenecks, that will result in subpar profitability until optimally resolved.

Albemarle, as a tight oil solutions provider, partners with its customers and helps to evaluate the integration of tight oil into refineries and FCC units. To meet the catalytic needs, Al-bemarle has introduced new catalysts designed for cracking tight oils: UP-GRADER T and AMBER T, based on the company’s high accessibility tech-nology platform.

Fcc catalyst decisions. Catalyst se-lection is one important component of FCCU optimization. Testing is of-ten considered low risk and thought to serve as an objective method for choosing the best FCC catalyst. Ap-proximately 50% of the FCC world relies on the outcome of testing for catalyst selection. However, refiners are not always aware of all the limita-tions of the testing approach and the numerous shortcomings in the various types of testing equipment used.

Catalyst suppliers have an intimate knowledge of the specific issues of the testing methods and can therefore de-sign a catalyst that performs optimal-ly in each different deactivation and test. Potential design options include some types of metal traps, specialized laboratory-prepared components and using catalysts with a high zeolite-to-matrix (Z/M) ratio.

Investigating which catalyst tech-nologies typically “win the test” re-veals a striking result. Global market information (catalysts from all sup-pliers) indicated that about 90% of refiners who test apply catalysts with a high Z/M ratio. The opposite is seen for non-testers, where low Z/M cata-lysts are applied 70% of the time. In the case of residue applications, when specific features such as accessibility, metals resistance and the stability of the active ingredients are more impor-tant, the disparity is even larger.

Albemarle strongly recommends trials to evaluate catalyst performance, but also understands that testing can add value. However, commercial data clearly indicates that lab testing data

must be adjusted, especially the coke and bottoms yields, prior to use for commercial projections.

Seizing opportunities. Refineries continually look to improve profit-ability and they optimize their opera-tions daily. New crudes, government regulations, technology and export markets all present opportunities to improve margins. Processing more-difficult feedstocks into clean trans-portation fuels or processing more feedstock in an existing unit are com-mon routes to improving operating margins. However, a refinery must keep its technology up to date and select the right catalyst for its operat-ing objectives. Some refineries select based on fill cost, others select on per-formance and sometimes the selection criteria are unit specific. The objective is always the same, however: to opti-mize the operating margin of that unit within the constraints of the refinery complex, available crude and product markets. As anything can change dur-ing a catalyst cycle, it is usually bene-ficial to invest in some additional flex-ibility / robustness and to spend more on a catalyst load, so that during the next cycle, the refinery is best posi-tioned to take advantage of the oppor-tunities that arise. Apart from having good technology, processes, access to crudes, and export markets, a refin-ery can also benefit from knowledge available with catalyst suppliers.

Albemarle’s clean fuels technology division provides high-performance hydroprocessing catalysts (HPC) to oil refineries worldwide. In addition, we advise customers on how to use cata-lysts and how to improve their hydro-processing unit margins by changing the operating strategy or feed intake, or by extending catalyst life. In addition, we work with our Hydrocracking Al-liance partner, UOP, and joint-venture companies (Nippon Ketjen, Eurecat and Fabrica Carioca de Catalisadores) to provide HPC technologies, prod-ucts and services to the global refining industry. Our application knowledge and performance-prediction models, including STAX, enable us to predict unit performance and cycle length

accurately using a thorough charac-terization of the feedstock and the operating conditions. During a cycle, we provide services such as unit mon-itoring and assistance with decisions on changing feedstock or throughput, and determining the consequences for product quality and remaining cycle length. This enables refiners to make informed decisions about the opera-tion of their units and on scheduling change-outs. We have a wealth of ex-perience and catalyst operating data to help answer customers’ questions.

pushing the boundaries. To deliver the products and services our customers require, we invest heavily in research and development (R&D) to develop HPCs with better performance and/or lower costs. Improved performance may mean increased activity (conver-sion) at lower temperatures and thus longer cycles, lower hydrogen con-sumption for constrained units, im-proved density uplift or higher cetane numbers, depending on feedstock availability and market needs.

We offer a range of catalysts and our STAX model enables us to de-velop flexible solutions with mul-tiple catalyst layers in the reactor to solve specific problems. Even with this extensive toolbox of catalysts and know-how, we constantly push the boundaries to devise better solutions. We use high-throughput experimenta-tion to find new catalyst recipes and multi-tube units and pilot plants to test performance on a larger scale. Our technology resources get involved in catalyst selection early so that we consider the manufacturability of new formulations during the development process and the time to market is mini-mized. We develop new catalysts with enhanced activity per metal atom, to improve unit performance while mini-mizing costs. We also support re-use of our STARS catalysts by making REACT service available globally from approved licensees. Finally, our portfolio includes high-performance grading materials that effectively trap catalyst poisons (Fe, As, Ni, V, Si) that enter the reactor with so-called “opportunity” crudes. •

Nearly half of the world’s ethylene will be produced from ethane and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by 2023, mostly at the expense of naphtha.

These findings were made available in ESAI Energy’s new study, entitled “A Perfect Storm: Global Natural Gas Liquids 2013-2023”.

The shift in the global ethylene feedstock slate is driven by ethane-based capacity in the US and the Middle East, and low natural gas prices in the US and Saudi Arabia.

Global ethylene production will expand from 127 million tpy in 2012 to 174 million tpy

by 2023, an increase of 47 million tpy. Of this growth, 24 million tons of production will be ethane and LPG based, and 15 million tons will be naphtha-based production.

The feedstock shift is most dramatic in North America, where prolific shale gas production yields cheap ethane in the US and is driving a petrochemical resurgence. By 2023, total planned ethane-based ethylene capacity addi-tions amount to an impressive 11 million tpy.

“Increased ethane use in North America will mark the return of that region as a highly com-petitive ethylene derivatives producer and ex-

porter”, said Vivek Mathur of ESAI Energy.By 2023, North American exports of key

ethylene derivatives could grow to over 10 mil-lion tpy, which would double today’s levels. Exports will target not only Latin America but also Europe and Asia, competing directly with Middle Eastern exporters.

“The increased substitution of naphtha by ethane, however, will also impact the supply of other petrochemical by-products”, said Mathur. “We are looking at lower production of rela-tively higher value petrochemicals like propyl-ene and butadiene”. •

ethane, LPG to trump naphtha as preferred ethylene feedstocks

UOP’s propylene production technologies outshine the rest.

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UOP’s propylene production technologies outshine the rest.

Low cost feedstocks, high yield products. There’s no better combination for generating

petrochemical profits. As an industry leader in petrochemical process technology for more

than 70 years, UOP continues to deliver proven, flexible solutions with high-yield returns.

UOP advanced Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO) and OleflexTM processes provide a higher return

on investment, smaller environmental footprint and innovation that is second to none.

For advanced MTO, you can use alternative feedstocks such as coal, natural gas and more,

and you can produce the high-value olefin of your choice, including propylene and ethylene.

Recyclable, platinum-based Oleflex catalysts offer the best performance for environmentally

friendly on-purpose propylene production. From low-energy solutions to eco-friendly

innovations, UOP sets a standard that shines.

For more information about UOP olefins solutions, visit www.uop.com/olefins.© 2013 Honeywell International Inc. All rights reserved.


to make sure their corporate support engineers have gold status in frequent flier programs. This was stated some-what as a joke, but the point that even the corporate guys need to be at plants and have relationships with the work-ers there, was quite valid.

ask, don’t tell. A key point in down-stream leadership is to work collab-oratively and not boss people around. Ask questions until team members can find a solution on their own. “They

will leave feeling good, and will own the outcome,” Mr. Stump said.

The HollyFrontier VP learned this lesson while working at the com-pany’s El Dorado, Kansas refinery, which has a crude oil throughput ca-pacity of 135,000 barrels per day. Two months from a catalytic cracker turn-around, the fractionator would flood.

“We had too much gas oil invento-ry,” Mr. Stump said. “Nobody could figure it out, so I had to figure it out. Instead of giving orders, I sat with the

unit board man and made some moves with him, and we concluded that we had a hole in the chimney tray. The great thing was that we solved the problem together. That was the first time I met Dan Anderson, the board man, and to this day, he will call me to talk. That three-hour afternoon in El Dorado made us lifelong friends.”

practice humility. There is nothing noble in acting superior, Mr. Stump said. “A lot of us engineers can come across as arrogant. Success in lead-ership is not about knowing every-thing. I love that I work in an indus-try where not one human being can know everything.”

Mr. Stump worked as a superin-tendent in the Cheyenne, Wyoming plant. It was his job to discuss survey results. The employees said he was arrogant, but he did not believe them. Fortunately, some operators were in the room and they said to him, lis-

ten to yourself. They dissected Mr. Stump’s leadership skills, and it was a productive conversation.

“The way I was coming across was very arrogant,” he said. “Arrogance in our business is a death kiss; you will never have others follow you like you want.”

learn from mistakes. Refineries are target-rich environments for mistakes. Instead of issuing blame, people should work together to find the true cause of a problem, and not fixate on fault.

“Investigate what happened with-out laying blame,” Mr. Stump ad-vised. “I met Carolyn Merritt when she was the chairwoman of the Chem-ical Safety Board. She told me that when they first set up the board, they hired scientists and experts because we were investigating incidents.”

However, after a year of investigat-ing, the Board realized it had hired the wrong people. Technical issues, not human behaviors, were causing the problems. “Find a way to be humane to our people when discussing mis-takes,” Mr. Stump said.

He also advises engineers to not at-tempt to be a hero. “I see motivated young people that want to solve our problems and get credit for doing that,” he said. “Our refineries are too complex for any one person to solve problems. Leverage coworkers, request help and accomplish more working as a team.”

Mr. Stump recommends calling and consulting colleagues. “Get some help,” he said. “We are not in this busi-ness to grab the limelight.”

See it, own it. Another bit of advice was if you see a problem, you need to be the owner of the problem. Do not assume someone else is taking care of it, and do not write a procedure and as-sume an operator will read it, he said.

Mr. Stump concluded his remarks by encouraging the audience to be courageous. “You have every right to question a lead operator’s decision,” he said. •

Let’s talk numbers

Prize performance, capacity gains

Packinox heat exchangers pack up to 16 000 m2 of heat transfer surface area into one single unit. That makes them the largest plate heat exchangers in the world. The performance benefits of the Packinox design include closer temperature approach, which gives rise to lower fuel consumption, and reduced emissions, plus a lower pressure drop. It all adds up to gigantic savings on your infrastructure and installation costs as well as your operating costs. Those kinds of numbers really make you a winner. P

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keynote AddreSS, continued from page 1

Jim Stump’s keynote address captured the attention of Q&A delegates.

Praxair has started up a new 135-million-standard-cubic-feet/day (scfd) hydrogen plant serv-ing Valero’s St. Charles refinery in Norco, Louisiana.

The hydrogen will be pro-duced for Valero under a long-term supply agreement.

Praxair is also scheduled to complete its 50-mile pipeline ex-tension to the Valero and Motiva refineries in Norco in the fourth quarter of this year. When com-plete, Praxair says it will have 85 miles of pipeline connecting the company’s five steam meth-ane reformers (SMR) between Baton Rouge and New Orleans to meet growing customer de-mand in the lower Mississippi River corridor. •

Praxair starts up new hydrogen plant at valero Louisiana refinery


Haldor Topsoe is proud to announce HyBRIM™, its next generation catalyst production technology that builds on the proven BRIM™ technology.

The new TK-609 HyBRIM catalyst designed for hydrocracker pretreat service and high pressure Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel is 40% more active for both sulfur and nitrogen removal compared to our current BRIM™ catalysts. The higher activity can be used to:

≥ Achieve longer cycles at the same feed rate

≥ Process tougher feeds

≥ Increase volume swell

≥ Increase throughput

Improved profi tability from new HyBRIM™ catalyst technology

40% activity increasewith Haldor Topsoe's new TK-609 HyBRIM™ catalyst

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Gasoline processes Q&A examines crucial catalyst choices

The Q&A breakout sessions at this year’s meeting kicked off Mon-day morning with an in-depth look at gasoline processes. Of particular interest to the audience was Question 3, which asked: What drives the de-cision to load pre-sulfided, pre-sulfu-rized, or oxidized catalyst in naphtha hydrotreaters? What are the different safety considerations for each case?

The answer, delivered by Eric St-reit of KBC Advanced Technologies, was not only discussed in person but can also be found in the Answer Book at afpm.org. Here is an excerpt:

“Sulfiding with sour feed is usually not preferred in naphtha hydrotreaters because the low feed sulfur results in an H2S partial pressure too low to ad-equately activate the catalyst. So, the catalyst does need to be sulfided in some way.

If oxidized catalyst is used, then the refiner must use a stream with a high H2S content or add a sulfiding agent of some type to activate the catalyst. DMDS is the best sulfiding agent for this service. Other sulfiding agents like polysulfides have the potential to produce solid sulfur when no hydro-gen is present.

There are concerns with personnel exposure and odors with any sulfid-ing agent, and many refiners choose

to avoid these issues by ordering catalyst with the sulfur already on the catalyst. With modern injection systems, leakage of sulfiding agents is usually a minor issue.

Presulfurized catalyst, where the sulfur has been added to the catalyst but has not been activated, can cause problems in naphtha hydrotreater ser-vice. Since the reactions are occurring in the vapor phase, temperature con-trol during the sulfiding step can be difficult, and the operator may experi-ence temperature excursion that could damage the catalyst. This is exacer-bated by the fact that most naphtha hydrotreaters do not have bed thermo-couples, so it is particularly difficult to control the heat release.

Adding presulfurized catalyst as makeup from a reactor skim can usu-ally be done without major problems. In this case, only a small portion of the bed is being replaced, so the exotherm during activation is not so great.

Loading presulfided catalyst, where the catalyst has been fully sul-fided and activated by the supplier, provides the fastest way to bring the unit on line. Presulfided catalyst is more expensive, but can be justi-fied in some instances. Examples of where presulfided catalyst may be justified include units where preheat

is limited and proper activation tem-peratures are hard to reach, or units where a fast startup is required, such as when the only hydrogen source in the refinery is the reformer.

Using catalyst with sulfur already

on it should be done in an inert en-vironment. Loading oxidized catalyst does not require an inert atmosphere, so operators that want to avoid load-ing under these conditions should choose oxidized catalyst.” •

Five panelists were on hand to discuss audience questions on gasoline processes.

eric Streit of KBC Advanced Technologies mulled over several catalyst options.

ronalD gropp of GE Water listened intently to an audience question.


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A best practice approach to refining logisticsSAnjit SHeWALe, Honeywell Process Solutions

This article provides some best practices around refining logistics operations in which value can be un-locked. The specific area of focus is incident mitigation by automating material movement monitoring and where possible the movements them-selves. This issue is so important that Honeywell believes it is possible to justify capital investments in this often neglected part of refining operations.

inVentory monitoringAutomating movements allows the

following monitoring functionality to be built:

Volume reconciliation. The idea behind this functionality is to ensure that what leaves a source reaches its intended

destination. To be able to monitor this, it is necessary to build systems of all tanks and offsite boundary points that are connected through material move-ments, as these are lined up and termi-nated. The capacity in such a volume reconciliation group of connected end-points is then monitored and alarms generated when the total volume de-viates from the intended volume by more than a specific tolerance as this indicates a “leak” from the group.

tank leak detection. On automating offsite movements, one knows which tanks are being used in movements.• Leak: If a tank is not part of a

movement and its volume starts drop-ping this clearly indicates that the tank is leaking and can be alarmed as such.

• Unexpected movement: Once a tank is in a movement but the move-ment is not started and the level or volume changes unexpectedly (exam-ple: source tanks see level increase), this can be alarmed.• Rate of flow change alarming:

Catastrophic failures are often de-tected faster on the basis of large flow rate changes.

movement management. Greatly re-ducing the possibility of contami-nation and spillage is possible by implementing full-scale movement management system consisting of:

• A model of all material flows into and out of the refinery offsites (run-downs, loading arms, pipelines), all tanks, lines, pumps and valves and how they are connected

• Setting up tasks to represent each movement operation. These tasks can represent simple source to destination movement, more complex multiple sources or destinations (i.e. blends, swings) and multiple parallel paths between every source and destination. Once there is a task with defined paths this enables the following:

o Isolation of paths: This term refers to the physical separation of paths in the piping network. This is achieved by closing valves branch-ing off the path to ensure that when

the path is flowing, it is open only to the intended source and destination, thereby avoiding unintended con-taminations or spills.

o Key valve operation: Lining up paths in offsite best practice should bring the task to within one valve op-eration of flow. The term key valve is used for the valve that is left closed. Key valve operation ensures that paths do not flow until the movement task starts.

Fig. 1 shows an example task of a tank to tank transfer and its associated sequence requirements during lineup.

Fig. 2 shows an example operator graphic used during movement mon-itoring and displays an active task, in this case multiple source tanks to jetty shipment.

Most tank farms have a consider-able number of manual valves, and what is more: the investment needed to automate or at least equip all valves with position sensors may be prohibi-tive. Does this mean that building a refinery piping model is not worth pursuing? Not necessarily.

Best practice in tank farm opera-tions would deal with the issue as follows:

• Collecting statistics on the num-ber of valve movements per valve

Fig. 1. Task detail displays list of actions for a movement sequence for review by the operator. See reFininG LoGiSticS, page 11


Albemarle cracks tight oils with the same technological innovation,

experience, and expertise that’s earned us a reputation as one of

the world’s foremost suppliers of catalysts for a wide range of feeds.

Our record of service in optimizing customer FCCU operations and

profitability speaks volumes when it comes to our capabilities in tight

oil refining and other clean fuels technology. In fact, Albemarle’s

business structure has transformed to reflect these and other expanded

offerings. It’s part of our commitment to providing added value to our

customers through a continually growing portfolio of technologies and

services with broader application in the refinery process.

For more information on Albemarle catalysts for tight oil processing or the many products and services Albemarle provides,

cAll (281) 480-4747 todAy or visit www.AlbemArle.com

tight oil? totally.

refinery cAtAlyst solutions

with a planned budget to instrument and/or automate the most used valves over time

• Considering the use of emergent technologies such as wireless posi-tion sensors to obtain more remote sensed valve positions into the model

• Implementing operator guid-ance software with portable hand held devices for manual valve opera-tions to include:

o Presenting operators with lists of valves to operate, and guid-ance to where it is in the field

o Positive identification of a valve prior to changing its position to avoid accidentally operating the wrong valve (scanning an identifica-tion tag)

o Positive confirmation of the desired position after the operation

o Timely automatic update of updated valve positions into the pip-ing model.

Delays and damage. Automating the execution of material movements has many further benefits other than en-abling proactive spill and contamina-tion avoidance. Providing tight con-

trol over what is commanded and in what order, enables the following:

• Opening key valves only once there is backpressure avoids backflow

• Starting centrifugal pumps against backpressure protects them against cavitation

• One can ensure that it is never possible to start a pump with the suc-tion path blocked

• It becomes possible to control source and destination replacements (i.e. swings) to happen automatically on, for example, level limits and in such a way that minimizes gravita-tion between tanks while at the same time ensuring uninterrupted flow

• One can automatically stop movements when tanks become empty or full, or there is a reconcili-ation issue detected thereby prevent-ing spills from occurring altogether or reducing their size.

A further best practice area in tank farms is flotation management. The term flotation is used to refer to pres-sure relief in piping systems. Ideally lines should be left floated (pressure relieved) back to tanks. If not, valves can become stuck as the vacuum or

suction drastically increases the stic-tion that needs to be overcome before the valve moves, resulting in costly delays (demurrage, disruptions to re-finery units, etc.) or even worse, lines rupturing (overpressure) or collaps-ing (under vacuum). While it is pos-sible to provide lines with pressure or vacuum relief, doing so is costly

and leaves spill potential. The more optimal approach is to avoid blocking them in, which a movement manage-ment system helps support. • 1 An offsite boundary point is any point where ma-

terial flows into or out of the modelled bounds of the offsites. Examples include refinery rundowns, loading arms, depot loading for rail and road and connections to pipelines.

Fig. 2. Movement management uses tank farm graphic (TFG) to set up, execute and monitor material movements.

reFininG LoGiSticS, continued from page 10

touchScreen ViewaBle in Direct Sunlight

The SRMTR-10.4V Sunlight Read-able touchscreen from TRU-Vu Moni-tors features a 1,000-nits brightness screen. This is 4–5 times brighter than standard monitors, and enables the viewing of clear, sharp, vivid color im-ages, even with bright sunlight falling directly onto the screen.

The monitor offers a 5-wire resis-tive touchscreen, 800 × 600 resolu-tion, and video graphics array input in a rugged, powder-coated steel enclo-sure. It also features exclusive TRU-

Tuff treatment for maximum shock and vibration resistance.

TRU-Tuff Series monitors have been deployed in a wide range of industrial, military and commercial applications including inspection systems, monitor-ing systems, navigation and guidance systems, vehicles, helicopters, offshore drilling rigs and more.

clariant expanDS SunliQuiD BioFuelS technology

Clariant is demonstrating the in-ternational potential of its process for manufacturing sustainable biofuel, expanding its sunliquid technology to

include additional agricultural residue feedstocks.

Following the opening of Germa-ny’s largest demonstration plant for manufacturing ethanol from agricul-tural residues in July 2012, Clariant has discovered that corn stover (the most valuable raw material in North America) and sugarcane bagasse (a cellulose-rich byproduct of sugar and ethanol production in Latin America and Asia) can also be converted ef-ficiently with the process. European wheat straw has primarily been used to date, and has delivered good results.

The high degree of efficiency of the sunliquid process, independent of the raw material used, is achieved largely through the use of raw material-specif-ic, highly optimized enzymes. Clariant intends to market the sunliquid process internationally, making it vital that dif-ferent raw materials can be flexibly and effectively used in the process.

Corn stover is primarily important

in North America, where 570 mil-lion metric tons per year (tpy) of this plant residue are generated from the corn harvest. In Brazil, ethanol pro-duction could be increased by some 50%, compared to current levels, by using excess bagasse. Using these plant residues means that there is no competition with food production or for agricultural land.

Cellulosic ethanol produced using the sunliquid process reduces green-house gas emissions by around 95% compared to fossil fuels. Domestic production of this liquid fuel can also reduce dependence on oil imports and generate economic growth in lo-cal markets.

The next step in commercializing the sunliquid technology is the construc-tion of the first commercial production facility, with a capacity of 50,000 met-ric tpy–150,000 metric tpy, compared with around 1,000 metric tpy of capac-ity at the existing pilot plant. •

innovAtionS


improve safety in confined spaces: Solve the ‘black hole’ dilemmarAy rALPH, Western Refining and LeokAdiA rucinSki, Total Safety

During a typical plant turnaround, a large number of people work together to conduct routine maintenance, and repair and recharge complex equip-ment on a tight schedule and budget. Turnarounds require a high degree of planning, scheduling and coordina-tion so that the right combination of equipment and personnel are avail-able right when needed.

Many turnaround plans focus on mechanical and maintenance as-pects, while neglecting to include critical support services that help to keep activities safe and on schedule. As these jobs are not needed full time at that specific location, sometimes less experienced contract workers are used to compliment a refinery’s permanent staff. These possibly less experienced team members may re-quire more training and supervision, leading to an increase of potential costs and critical path delays.

Most of these inexperienced workers face long, demanding hours and pressure, as the pace during turn-arounds can be intense. Typically, the occasional worker will enter a con-fined space for inspection, mainte-nance, repair, cleanup or similar such tasks. However, most confined spac-es are not designed for continuous worker occupancy and workers may not always realize potential hazards.

hole watch. The need for hole watch and fire watch attendants, along with other trained safety personnel, peaks during turnaround season. The hole watch attendant plays a critical role in confined space operations by keeping accurate records and headcount of the entrants and communicating with workers. During hole watch duties, the attendant often spends countless hours staring into what looks like a simple black hole.

Some employers and contractors may assume that anyone is quali-fied to be an attendant for a confined space. Not true: not all confined spaces are created equal. Permit-re-quired confined spaces, for example, contain at least one of three char-acteristics: a potentially hazardous environment, a material that has the potential to engulf the entrant, or an-other general safety or health hazard. It is impossible to address every po-tential hazard, especially in permit-required confined spaces that have many unknowns.

A major downfall within the in-dustrial work environment is that, even within required safety training, access to proper personal equipment, barricades, warning signs, and more, there are still injuries and fatalities that occur as a result of hazardous atmospheres within permit-required

spaces. The current challenge lies in ensuring critical personnel safety while balancing turnaround comple-tions on time and on or below bud-get. Is a well-trained and qualified attendant the single control that de-livers safe confined space worker?

real-time surveillance. One option to ensure safety is to reduce the labor demand on a project and supplement it with real-time surveillance technol-ogy. Western Refining uses trained technicians and advanced technol-ogy to create real-time surveillance technology. The patented system from Z-Systems, globally distributed exclusively by Total Safety, has al-ready been successfully deployed in Europe and will likely serve as a fur-ther supplement to existing confined space safety operations.

This real-time surveillance tech-nology has already been tested by a third-party: The Texas A&M Engi-neering Extension Service Product Development Center (TEEX PDC), at TEEX’s Emergency Services Training Institute, recently tested To-tal Safety’s Confined Space Monitor-ing System to verify compliance with the current interpretation of Occupa-tional Safety and Health Administra-tion’s 29 CFR 1910.146.

The TEEX PDC TESTED trade-mark ensures that products or tech-nologies entering the marketplace perform reliably, with integrity and du-rability as intended, and under accept-able, repeatable real-world conditions.

While ensuring safety standards remains consistently high, introduc-ing an advanced technology-based response to this challenge is simple and effective.

“There is enough benefit to use a centralized confined space monitor-ing system in conjunction with hole watch,” said Andrew Pollak, the vice president for safety and reliability at Western Refining.

Monitoring (which includes au-dio, visual, data collection through

RFID badges on the workers, and continuous atmospheric monitoring) continuously identifies workers with-in permit-required confined spaces through a central control room. The system uses a light-sensitive cam-era that automatically switches from day to night vision, and both audio and visual real-time communications are transmitted wirelessly. Monitor-ing provides an unexpected benefit for the turnaround, by making safety neutral and unbiased.

“A hole watch attendant has to work with these guys but we found that by watching workers remotely on closed-circuit cameras, we had an even greater focus on safety,” Mr. Pollak said.

When faced with a short deadline, monitoring is key to keeping a proj-ect running smoothly. For example, on a recent turnaround, workers were able to electronically badge in and badge out of the confined space. Each badge has its own electronic identifi-cation, so each worker is accounted for: when, where, and for how long.

In addition, during the project, the Total Safety trailer and control center, where trained workers exam-ine all incoming data directly, was directly connected to plant power supply. This was useful because it provided continuous visual and au-dio communication with the workers in the confined space and continuous fixed gas monitoring. It also allowed for recordable monitoring, which would be helpful in the event of a claim or an audit. The trained per-sonnel were also in direct commu-nication with plant managers in case attention was needed, bringing real-time response and safety monitoring to the next level.

key learnings. Western Refining plans to use the confined space moni-toring system again on its upcoming turnaround, which is expected to last between three to six weeks. “There are significant benefits to monitoring, especially for a long turnaround,” ex-plained Mr. Pollak. Longer projects can yield both scale and one-time in-stallation benefits.

Additionally, some future en-hancements are expected. For exam-ple, Western Refining plans to use an independent power supply, such as a generator, that will allow for continu-ous and uninterrupted monitoring in the event of a power surge. Soon, critical gas detection will be more immediate, maintaining visual and audio communications will be faster, and consistent record-keeping will be simpler with continuous monitoring. It may also allow for additional re-search studies into at-risk behaviors that occur within confined spaces or real-world visual examples for future safety discussions and training. •

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CAMER-1058_PRS_refine_AFPM_rev.indd 1 9/24/12 9:08 AM


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Our scientists surpass the norm to create catalyststhat set the standard.

Connect with Criterion at the AFPM Q & A meeting!

The team that brought you CENTINEL GOLD, ASCENT, and CENTERA® is proud to present the next generation in catalyst technology: CENTERA® DC-2635 CoMo and CENTERA® DN-3636 NiMo. Advanced nanotechnologyhelps refiners continue to push beyond ULSD, achieving a 20% increase in performance by elevating the dispersion of active metals, ensuring maximum sulfidation, and enhancing retention activity.

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www.CRITERIONCatalysts.com

cheVron phillipS approVeS new texaS cracker, awarDS epc contractS

Chevron Phillips Chemical (CP-Chem) has received board approval to execute its planned US Gulf Coast (USGC) petrochemicals project, first announced in March 2011.

Additionally, CPChem awarded an engineering, procurement and con-struction (EPC) contract to a joint venture between JGC and Fluor for the 1.5 million tpy (3.3 billion lb/year) ethane cracker portion of the project.

Meanwhile, the company also awarded an EPC contract to Gulf Coast Partners, a partnership between Technip and Zachry Industrial, to ex-ecute the two new polyethylene facil-ities, each with a capacity of 500,000 tpy (1.1 billion lb/year).

“We remain in the first mover posi-tion as we take another critical step in executing a project that will ben-efit our customers, suppliers, local communities and existing and future employees,” said Pete Cella, CEO of Chevron Phillips Chemical.

“We are able to realize this im-portant milestone thanks to contin-ued strong growth in demand for our products, shale resource development in the US, and the tremendous sup-port of our owners,” he added.

The world-scale polyethylene units will be capable of producing a wide variety of high and linear-low-density polyethylene products, including bi-modal and metallocene-based poly-ethylene polymers.

These facilities will incorporate Chevron Phillips Chemical’s metal-locene technology and proprietary Advanced Dual Loop bimodal tech-nology.

uop FormS alliance with Black & Veatch to DeVelop tranSport lng FuelS

Honeywell’s UOP has formed an alliance with Black & Veatch, a lead-ing global engineering company, to help natural gas producers and fuel providers meet growing demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a transportation fuel and for off-road, high-horsepower applications.

Through the alliance, the two com-panies will offer integrated, small-scale LNG plants capable of process-ing between 50,000 and 500,000 gal/day of LNG per single processing train, with the capability to extend capacity.

LNG can be sold as transportation fuel or used instead of traditional die-sel in high-fuel consumption, high-horsepower applications such as rail-road, marine, mining, or oil and gas exploration and production.

“LNG use is growing in the North American transportation and high-

horse power sectors because of its low cost and environmental benefits, coupled with the rapid introduction of affordable natural gas engine and infrastructure technology,” said Re-becca Liebert, senior vice president and general manager for UOP’s gas processing and hydrogen business.

“Starting this year, this alliance will help deliver fast, economical, efficient and reliable LNG plants to help meet growing demands in North America,” she added.

US natural gas production is ex-pected to increase more than 40% over the next 30 years, and use of natural gas as a road transportation fuel is expected to nearly double from current levels by 2018, according to the International Energy Agency. At the same time, users of off-road, high-horsepower equipment are in-creasingly turning to LNG to replace diesel, both to cut fuel costs and re-duce emissions.

uS chemicalS Sector to keep gloBal coSt aDVantage For DecaDeS

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) lauded a new IHS report that predicts a lasting competitive advan-tage for the US chemical industry thanks to plentiful, affordable natural gas—part of a manufacturing renais-sance that includes industrial expan-sion and new jobs.

“The unconventional revolution is contributing to a shift in global com-petitiveness for the United States by unlocking new production cost ad-vantages,” the report said, which is “particularly pronounced in energy-intensive industries, such as chemi-cals.” The chemical industry will enjoy a “profound and sustained competitive advantage that is expect-ed to last for decades,” according to the report.

“This report from IHS affirms that revitalization of America’s chemical industry will endure,” said Cal Dool-ey, chief executive for the ACC.

“Natural gas supply growth is leading to unprecedented investment and capacity expansion in the United States, in stark contrast with other areas,” he added. “We are truly the bright spot around the world.”

While North American basic chemical and plastics production is expected to more than double by 2020, Western Europe’s will fall by about one-third, according to IHS projections.

By 2025, unconventional energy will help lead to as much as $100 billion in investment in US chemi-cal and plastics facilities and boost industry capacity by nearly 89 mil-lion tons, IHS data showed. A recent ACC report found that investment has already begun, with dozens of companies planning shale-related projects. •

neWS in BrieF


A new name, a long history. Selas Fluid Processing is nowLinde Engineering North America Inc.

www.lindeus-engineering.com

For over 60 years, we’ve been there for our refining customers. Linde Engineering North America Inc. and its Hydro-Chem Division offer single source responsibility for technology, engineering, procurement and construction.

→ Hydrogen and synthesis gas plants → Air separation plants → Selas Fluid refinery and petrochemical fired heaters

→ Oxidation/incineration technologies → Engineered revamps and rebuilds for technology furnaces, fired heaters, and thermal oxidizers

Learn more! Visit us in the exhibit hall, Booth #31

exHiBit HALL FocuS

merichem offered one of the largest display advertisements in the banquet hall.

Veolia’S exhibit featured a demonstration of water solutions for the oil and gas industry.

The Baker hugheS team offered solutions for shale oil processing.

FoSter wheeler’S space included a number of giveaways for AFPM delegates.

inVenSyS officials touted their latest refinery reactor models.

A lengthy lunch line offered AFPM delegates a chance to check out the exhibition booths. According to AFPM event staff, registrations for this year’s Q&A Forum were at 742 and trending upward as of lunchtime Monday.


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improve refinery steam system protection and enhance crude unit reliabilityGreGory roBinSon and roBin kLuck, GE Water & Process Technologies

It is recognized that protecting the efficiency and reliability of the steam plant is crucial to a successful refin-ery operation. Steam condensate and boiler feedwater corrosion control is an integral part of maintaining the entire steam and boiler system.

Traditionally, refineries have used organic amines to neutralize acidic contaminants in the steam conden-sate and raise the pH to an accept-able level to prevent corrosion of metal surfaces. Refineries might also utilize a filming inhibitor, prevent-ing contact of the corrosive con-

taminants with the metal surfaces. An effective filming inhibitor can reduce the requirement for neutral-izing amines by providing corrosion protection at a lower condensate pH. Unfortunately, traditional filming inhibitors must be injected into the steam header to be effective because of their low volatility, limiting their ability to enter the steam phase from the boiler. Additionally, the lower volatility of traditional filming in-hibitors does not allow for effective system coverage, often requiring many remote feed points.

GE has recently introduced a new, volatile, polyamine filming inhibitor technology allowing for improved condensate system coverage and pro-tection, often from one injection lo-cation (Fig. 1).

An additional challenge of steam treatment in refining operations is maintaining reliability of the equip-ment utilizing steam directly in the process. An example is the crude unit atmospheric tower where strip-ping steam is used to help improve fractionation. It is imperative that the steam treatment be chosen to mini-

mize the risk of contributing to amine chloride salt fouling and corrosion.

The potential sources of amines in the crude tower are numerous (Fig. 2). The challenge becomes more directly related to steam treat-ment additives in systems where higher levels of neutralizing amine are required to maintain condensate protection. The problem is com-pounded in fractionation towers op-erating at lower temperatures where the amine chloride salt point can potentially be driven into the distil-lation column.

Fig. 1. Steam-liquid distribution coefficients for polyamine as measured in GE research boilers.

00

2

4

6

8

10

12

200 400 600 800P, psig

Distr

ibutio

n coe

�cie

nt

Average of distribution coe�cients

1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600

taBle 1. Salt point data of amine blends in crude unit overhead

High salt point industry standard Low-salt/ amine blend amine blend polyamine blend

chloride (ppm) Pressure 8.7 psig

10 228 212 184

20 244 224 198

40 261 237 212

70 275 247 223

100 284 254 231

130 291 259 237

160 297 263 241


It is recommended to utilize steam condensate protection that will provide minimum impact on refinery opera-tions. In this regard, there is new con-densate corrosion inhibitor technology being employed utilizing low-salting neutralizing amines for steam treat-ment. In combination with the vola-tile polyamine filming technology, the treatment approach can potentially provide a lower cost and more reliable steam condensate treatment.

integrated approach. A joint effort be-tween GE’s hydrocarbon process, util-ity engineering and research teams has delivered a unique solution to ensuring maximum reliability of crude unit dis-tillation processes while providing su-perior condensate protection.

GE’s proprietary modeling soft-ware has been used in the develop-ment and application of the new tech-nology. Utilizing GE’s LoSalt* ionic equilibrium modeling in combination with GE’s condensate modeling soft-ware, neutralizing amines were select-ed based on compatibility with the re-fining process and their effectiveness in managing corrosion in complex condensate systems. taBle 1 shows comparative salt point temperatures of typical neutralizing amine blends used in refining steam treatments.

A key component, the polyamine volatile filming corrosion inhibitor, is typically included with the Low-Salt amines blend to further enhance sys-tem protection and reduce the tradi-tional neutralizing amine required for corrosion protection. Consequently, the overall “tramp” amine contribu-tion from the stripping steam can be reduced. This technology has culmi-nated in the Steamate* LSA refining product line (Fig. 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 5).

In application, the combined propri-etary modeling and treatment approach allows the refiner and specialty chemi-cal supplier to work together to opti-mize refinery operations while main-taining the required process and water treatment reliability.

application. Steamate LSA is a patent pending technology that can provide an opportunity to help optimize refin-ery reliability and production goals. Several refiners have reported that they have been limited in optimizing refin-ing economics because of tramp am-monia/amines, often when running at lower tower top temperatures to maxi-mize mid-distillate production. It is sometimes the amines in the stripping steam that can be the limiting factor and the low-salting amines available in Steamate LSA were recommended to help reduce/eliminate the bottleneck.

Refineries utilizing high alkalinity boiler feedwater can generate elevat-ed levels of corrosive carbonic acid in the condensate. Similarly, very high corrosion potential is placed on users of low pressure steam from conden-sate flash tanks because of the high volatility of CO2 to the flashed steam (Fig. 6).

Under both of these circumstances it can become very difficult and ex-pensive to maintain corrosion protec-tion by relying solely on neutralizing amines. In addition, the high use of amines can have an adverse impact on the refining operation. Consequently, it is often best to incorporate the poly-amine filming technology provided in Steamate LSA.

case study. A US refinery was in the scenario of having high condensate corrosion potential and ammonia/amine chloride salt fouling in their crude unit operation. Computer mod-eling was conducted to predict, select and validate the Steamate LSA technol-ogy that would be appropriate for this refinery to replace the standard amine steam treatment currently in place.

Upon implementation of the low-salting/polyamine chemistry, the amine chloride salting potential from the steam treatment amine was prac-tically eliminated by removing nearly all of the higher salt point amines from the steam treatment. After several weeks of achieving excellent corrosion

results, the Steamate LSA feedrate was decreased further. This had the impact of further reducing the overall amine contribution from the stripping steam in the crude tower while improving economics around chemical spend. However, this also included carrying a lower pH at some critical, non-vented reboilers in the system placing more of the corrosion protection responsibility on the polyamine.

After several more weeks of analy-sis, the corrosion protection had im-proved at the lower pH level in most cases while many of the samples in the system showed less than detect-able iron and copper levels (taBle 2 and Fig. 7).

Summary. Refineries must be able to balance profitability and reliability in their operation. Utilizing new technol-ogy in low-salting neutralizing amines and volatile filming technology hold the potential of helping the refinery make their desired production targets while maintaining the integrity of their process units and steam systems.

Computer process and condensate modeling can help determine how the newer technology will impact a refin-ery process and steam condensate sys-tem from a performance and economic perspective. GE Water & Process Technologies approach is to evaluate each specific refinery to determine the best technology for their systems.

The Steamate LSA technology is a key element in an integrated solution and is complemented by:

• Patented LoSALT* neutralizer chemistries, which prevent process fouling and corrosion caused by the salt deposition experienced with tradi-tional amine neutralizers.

• pHilmPLUS* state-of-the-art pro-cess overhead filmer technologies that exhibit an extraordinary range of pH stability and complement the use of neutralizers.

• A LoSALT ionic equilibrium soft-ware model that uses advanced ther-modynamic chemical relationships to determine system salt points, provid-ing a mechanism for refineries to reli-ably optimize atmospheric distillation fractionator overhead conditions to in-crease middle distillate production.

• TrueSense* for process/crude overhead monitoring system that con-tinuously monitors, applies and opti-mizes the delivery of chemicals into the crude process stream to control corrosion.

• InSight*cloud-based knowledge management platform that helps maxi-mize reliability through visualization and diagnostics related to keeping sys-tem performance and the contributing parameters on track.

“This is a great example of GE’s advanced integrated innovations in chemistry, automation and control, as well as software and analytics to pro-duce a better operating result for our customers,” said Ava Drayton-Elder, global product leader for water servic-es at GE. “We are focused on the inter-relationships between unit processes in the refinery. We consider the total situation and make all the connec-tions we can, both water and process related, that improves the productivity of the overall system and delivers the best solution for our customers.” •*A trademark of General Electric. May be registered in one or more countries.

Fig. 2. Amine sources and recycle loops.

Amine sources include:• Overhead neutralizers• Crude oil• Slop oil• Alkanolamine unit• Sour water strippers• H2S scavengers• Cold wet reflux

Amine

Wash water

Aminerecycle

Aminerecycle

Strippingsteam

Fractionationcolumn

Desalter

Tank farm

Neutralizer Water wash

Tower topreflux

Accumulator

Fig. 3. The hydrophobic nature of the polyamine provides a non-wettable

surface maximizing corrosion protection.

Fig. 4. Mild steel coupon prior to establishing polyamine film.

Fig. 5. Mild steel and copper coupon after establishing polyamine film.

Fig. 6.

pH = 10.00.7 ppm CO227 ppm amine

pH = 6.1108 ppm CO284 ppm amine

CondensatepH = 8.914 ppm CO234 ppm amine

Flash tank bottoms

Flash steam to reboiler

Flash tank

87% flow

13% flow

Fig. 7. Comparative amine impacts on corrosion.

Industry standard amine blendLow-salt polyamine blend

Main BFW

Tota

l iron

, ppb

(acid

-dige

sted I

CP iro

n)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Splitter cond. Plant 1 cond. Plant 2 cond.

taBle 2. Steam treatment spend comparison

cost to treat Steam Final condensate $/MMlbs of steam pH pH

Industry standard amine blend X 8.38 9.67

equivalent steam pH to standard Low-salt/polyamine 0.95X 8.38 9.33

Lower pH/cost to standard Low-salt/polyamine 0.79X 7.84 9.29


SceneS FroM tHe 2013 AFPM Q&A And tecHnoLoGy ForuM

choi Jin-woo, Hyundai Oilbank, and Victor trailer, Commonwealth Engineering, discussed similarities and differences between the US and Korean refining markets.

wenDy wilDenBerg, Flint Hill Resources, and Sal torriSi, Criterion, said they both believe process safety is a crucial refining building block.

BoB hegger, Applied Instrument Technologies, luiS Santiago, Haldor Topsoe, and DaViD Vannauker, Haldor Topsoe, will be attending the Q&A sessions.

Brent Schier, Technip, Stone and Webster, tom hightower, DuPont Chemicals and JeFF crouch, DuPont Clean Technologies, gave high marks to the opening reception.

rhonDa warzecha and Stephen hoDgeS are part of the Athlon Solutions team at the Forum.

Representatives from grace and philaDelphia energy SolutionS consider the AFPM conference essential for networking.

uop’S Sunday suite featured the tailgating game cornhole and NFL football on television.

mr. anD mrS. rich nauman, CHS, chatted with emery uDVari of Grace.

chriS mcDowell, Tesoro, and Bill wallenDorF, Technip, Stone and Webster, possess vast knowledge about the history of this meeting.

Attendees trickled in late Sunday to pick up Q&A registration materials.

DorF ketal chemicalS sought out guests to try bourbon samples.

Small bites such as hot wings, cheese-stuffed jalapeños and chips and salsa were offered at the opening reception.

Plan to join us at the industry’s most important event of 2014

Peabody HotelOrlando, FloridaMarch 23 – 25, 2014

The AFPM Annual Meeting brings together the refining industry’s most important players each year. Be a part of the action. The 2014 program has something for everyone; keynote sessions feature top

government officials and corporate CEOs; breakout sessions cover nearly every facet of refining technology, as well as public policy issues impacting the industry; and networking opportunities abound at our receptions and affiliate-hosted events. So mark your calendar and plan to broaden your horizons at the AFPM Annual Meeting in Orlando!

Registration at www.afpm.org opens in November.

afpm.org

ATTEND THE 2014 AFPM ANNUAL MEETING IN ORLANDO

BROADEN YOUR HORIZONS

status quo loves changeChallenge the status quo and discover transformational change in your refinery. BASF’s innovative FCC products, services and solutions deliver value to enhance sustainability and performance.

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future.

www.catalysts.basf.com/refining

Visit BASF in Booths 39/40 at the AFPM Q & A and Technology Forum • October 7 - 9, 2013

Tuesday, October 8, 5:30 PM - Midnight BASF Hospitality Suite City View 6

Wednesday, October 9, 8:00 AM FCC Catalyst Selection Workshop, FCC Principles & Practices Session

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