Facilitator:
Oscar Brown, Valero Energy Corporation
1. Case Study: Boosting Hydrocracking Performance with Celestia™ Catalyst to Double Run Length and Enable Cold-Flow Improvement with MIDW
Presenters:
Christy Anderson, Ketjen Corporation
Mitchel Loescher , ExxonMobil Corporation
2. High throughput testing enables tailored, optimized, and confident catalyst selection for CITGO's Unicracker
Presenters:
Carmen Angelini, CITGO Petroleum Corporation
Ioan-Teodor Trotus, hte GmbH
Facilitators:
Cliff Avery, Ketjen Corpotation
CJ Farley, TPM Solutions
1. Commercial Results of 100% Vegetable Oil Processing in an FCCU
Speaker: Andrea de Rezende Pinho, Petróleo Brasileiro S/A - PETROBRAS
In 2023, Petrobras and the Riograndense Refinery (RPR) successfully processed 100% vegetable oil in a Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) Unit. Petrobras' technology is based on three pillars: i) triglycerides, such as soybean oil used in the commercial test, ii) ReNewFCC line catalyst and iii) unique operating conditions compared to conventional FCCUs. Biogenic products such as renewable aromatic hydrocarbons (BTX - benzene, toluene and xylene), renewable LPG, and renewable propylene were produced during the commercial trial. Commercial yields, quality of the products, operational challenges and technical adaptations for the trial will be presented.
2. U.S. HEFA Co-processing – Past, Present, and Future Projects
Speaker: Eamon Cullinane, Turner, Mason & Company
HEFA co-processing at U.S. oil refineries has historically not seen the same success as standalone RD/SAF refinery conversions. So why has co-processing in the U.S. been limited in the past and why might we see more of it in the future? We will explore historical production levels of co-processing, economics vs standalone RD/SAF facilities, the regulatory landscape and credit incentives (RINs, BTC, CFPC/45Z, CA LCFS, etc.) driving these economics, and future prospects of co-processing in the U.S.
The presentation aims to delve into the critical aspects of process safety in renewable diesel and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) manufacturing, addressing the challenges and opportunities inherent to the transition towards sustainable energy solutions. As renewable technologies, particularly renewable diesel and SAF, continue to evolve, ensuring robust process safety mechanisms is paramount to mitigate risks and enhance operational reliability.
We'll explore various incidents and lessons learned shared by leading operating companies in the renewable sector. These real-world examples will illustrate the complexities and potential hazards associated with renewable diesel and SAF operations, emphasizing the importance of stringent safety protocols, proactive risk management strategies and rapid integration of lessons learned.
Moderator:
Eric Legare, Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Speakers:
Paul J. Dofton, Marathon Petroleum Corporation
Stephanie Hadden, Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Kamyar Keyvanloo, Phillips 66
Maggie McDaniel, Montana Renewables Calumet Speciality Products Partners, L.P.
Gain valuable insights into the best practices for shutting down hydrotreaters. Discover innovative chemical technologies that streamline maintenance steps and significantly reduce downtime. Attendees will learn how to enhance efficiency in reactor shutdown procedures, improve safety, and minimize both mechanical workload and unit downtime.
Are you a professional in hydroprocessing looking to enhance your understanding of feed flexibility? Don't miss this unique opportunity to gain valuable insights and practical knowledge at our upcoming townhall session. Hear from seasoned refiners as they share their firsthand experiences with feed flexibility challenges. Learn about the problems they encountered and the solutions they implemented. Engage with leading technology providers who will discuss innovative approaches to managing feed flexibility concerns. Discover how cutting-edge technologies can help you navigate feed changes effectively. Learn how to assess and evaluate feed changes to optimize your hydroprocessing units. Gain access to best practices and actionable takeaways that you can apply in your own operations.
Moderator:
Derek Blackwell, Chevron Products Company
Speakers:
Oscar Brown, Valero Energy Corporation
Anthony Galando, Chevron Lummus Global
Jacob Lundmark, Flint Hills Resources, LLC
Krishnan Vaidyanathan, Honeywell UOP
As the Energy Transition continues to progress, the airline industry remains one of the more difficult areas to decarbonize. While solar, wind, hydrogen and other non-fossil energy sources provide viable paths for terrestrial applications, aircraft typically require the high energy density associated with traditional liquid hydrocarbon fuels. Hence, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) has emerged as a foundational approach to decarbonization. SAF is not a replacement for jet fuel; it is jet fuel – produced from renewable rather than fossil sources.
SAF can be made from many different sources, including inedible fats, oils, and greases (FOGs), biomass, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), biogas, algae and even CO2 to name a few. SAF retains all the benefits of a hydrocarbon fuel and can currently be blended with conventional jet fuel at up to 50% and can be used as a drop-in solution within existing aircraft and infrastructure, so avoiding the need to align new propulsion technologies with global infrastructure developments. This drop-in solution is critical in aligning governments, airlines, aircraft manufacturers and travelers as joint stakeholders, who are sensitive to both speed of deployment and travel costs.
One of the challenges in renewable fuels, is the scarcity of feedstock at an economic price and scale. Feedstock availability can vary widely between regions, countries and even municipalities. No single technology path to SAF satisfies the global demand. A basket of technology solutions is required to enable local feedstocks to be processed in local plants, for local needs. This enables to world to decarbonize, faster. In this presentation we will be discussing eFuels – primarily through methanol-to-jet fuel (MTJ) or Fischer Tropsch pathways, the capital and operating expense stacks, and when each may be a preferred route.
Moderator:
Keith Couch, Honeywell UOP
Speakers:
Alan Gelder, Wood Mackenzie
Kevin Lindemer, S&P Global
In July 2024, Parkland Corporation achieved a significant milestone as the first Canadian refinery to produce and market Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) through co-processing in a diesel hydrotreater (DHT). This accomplishment underscores the expertise and collaboration of our technical and operations teams, marking a pivotal step toward compliance with British Columbia’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) requirements. SAF production has gained global attention, driven by regulatory mandates such as the ReFuelEU Aviation initiative and incentives like Renewable Identification Number (RIN) credits, LCFS credits, and tax benefits under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). While standalone SAF production remains capital-intensive and time-consuming, co-processing within existing units, like the DHT, offers a cost-effective and rapid deployment pathway. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of our SAF production run, during which we successfully produced ASTM-D1655-compliant SAF. It highlights operational challenges, key learnings, and recommendations for optimizing SAF production in a diesel hydrotreater. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of integrating SAF production into existing refining operations with minimal capital investment and rapid scalability. This achievement not only sets the foundation for future SAF production runs at Parkland but also contributes to the global push toward low-carbon aviation fuels. Attendees will gain valuable insights into operational strategies and lessons learned, making this case study a practical blueprint for refineries exploring co-processing as a pathway to decarbonization and regulatory compliance.
The oil refining process generates a significant volume of wastewater that contains a suite of challenging contaminants, from hydrocarbons to heavy metals and organic compounds. Oil production at a refinery relies on efficient and reliable wastewater treatment as it is impossible for the facility to operate without treating its effluent. Issues with the wastewater treatment systems can result in production limitations, as well as significant environmental impacts and violations. These systems can be complex, and they are sensitive to upset conditions due to poor feed quality, unexpected contaminants, or equipment breakdown.
This presentation will discuss a significant upset condition that impacted both the primary and secondary wastewater treatment system at a large West Coast refinery. We will present the processes that allowed for detection of the upset, and the steps taken by the operations group, technical team, and vendor support that helped maintain target production rates and avoid any environmental violations or impacts. The mitigation steps allowed for storage and post-upset treatment of the problematic effluent streams. The technical team evaluated options for treatment and environmental compliance, and the water treatment vendor supplied specialty biological treatment technology to get the system back online as quickly as possible. All of this contributed to a successful upset response and the implementation of best practices that can help all refineries facing a wastewater oil contamination.
Moderator:
Dan Harbs, Veolia
Speakers:
Angela Wharton, Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Kai Zhang, Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
This presentation will discuss the role of benchmarking across refinery peer groups to assess energy inefficiencies and strengths, and will then explore how one refiner performed a deep dive into a major refinery process unit and realized a number of low cost/high value energy reduction opportunities for evaluation. Stepping beyond initial evaluation, with potential energy reductions quantified, road mapping is then explored as a tool used to help allocate resources to allow refiners to strategically move towards organizational energy and sustainability goals.