Refineries have increased focus on processing unfamiliar opportunity crude oils to improve profitability. However, the introduction of these new crude slates brings uncertainties that can impact refinery operations. One major challenge is crude incompatibility due to asphaltene instability, which affects desalters, emulsion stability, preheat trains and furnace fouling.
For decades, the industry has recognized the importance of tracking asphaltene stability. Suppliers and refineries employ diverse equipment to assess feeds stability including benchtop microscopy and titration equipment. Unfortunately, those methods can require time-consuming offsite laboratory testing.
Now, utilizing a portable, handheld near-infrared (NIR) analyzer, crude oil tanks and other refinery feeds can be assessed for stability and blending suitability with near instantaneous results. NIR spectra from crude oil samples are collected and compared against a database of crudes and crude unit feeds with known asphaltene stability parameters. Asphaltene stability parameters are modeled and reported with a stability assessment.
In the presentation, we will delve into the fundamentals of these available tools, showcasing real-world case studies where they have been successfully applied for crude blends and crude pretreatment to improve and optimize desalter operations and crude preheat train fouling.
3. Preheat Train Monitoring Methods
How do you reprocess slop oil in your refinery? Join us at this Town Hall session to discuss how others in the refining industry handle slop and best practices for success. Come share your experiences with the group and learn from industry experts about effective slop oil reprocessing techniques.
Pyrophoric materials pose significant safety risks during unit shutdown and maintenance activities, and pyrophoric incidents continue to occur across the refining industry. Effective strategies for prevention and mitigation of pyrophoric activity are critical aspects of turnaround planning and execution. This presentation will explore the underlying mechanisms of pyrophoricity and discuss best practices for managing pyrophoric risk, including chemical treatment, engineering, and procedural solutions. Additionally, the presentation will dig into a real industry incident that occurred in 2017, the root causes and the steps taken in the past seven years to prevent recurrence. By providing a comprehensive overview of pyrophoric activity prevention strategies, this session aims to equip refining professionals with the knowledge and tools to mitigate safety hazards and enhance operational integrity in high-risk environments.
Moderators:
Diana Cheek, Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Katie Marshall, Refined Technologies, Inc.
Presenters:
Diana Cheek, Chevron U.S.A. Inc.
Katie Marshall, Refined Technologies, Inc.
Dan Wood, HF Sinclair
1. Slop Oil Reprocessing 2. Vacuum Tower Washbed Maintenance
How do you reprocess slop oil in your refinery? Join us at this Town Hall session to discuss how others in the refining industry handle slop and best practices for success. Come share your experiences with the group and learn from industry experts about effective slop oil reprocessing techniques.
Refineries have increased focus on processing unfamiliar opportunity crude oils to improve profitability. However, the introduction of these new crude slates brings uncertainties that can impact refinery operations. One major challenge is crude incompatibility due to asphaltene instability, which affects desalters, emulsion stability, preheat trains and furnace fouling.
For decades, the industry has recognized the importance of tracking asphaltene stability. Suppliers and refineries employ diverse equipment to assess feeds stability including benchtop microscopy and titration equipment. Unfortunately, those methods can require time-consuming offsite laboratory testing.
Now, utilizing a portable, handheld near-infrared (NIR) analyzer, crude oil tanks and other refinery feeds can be assessed for stability and blending suitability with near instantaneous results. NIR spectra from crude oil samples are collected and compared against a database of crudes and crude unit feeds with known asphaltene stability parameters. Asphaltene stability parameters are modeled and reported with a stability assessment.
In the presentation, we will delve into the fundamentals of these available tools, showcasing real-world case studies where they have been successfully applied for crude blends and crude pretreatment to improve and optimize desalter operations and crude preheat train fouling.
Speakers:
Dan Harbs, Veolia Water Technologies and Solutions
Kevin Harkness, Monroe Energy, LLC
Case studies will be presented highlighting different fouling mechanisms, the impact of fouling on bottoms circuit equipment and MF operation, and methods to mitigate fouling and clean-up the circuit for improved operation.