Now That I’ve Found It … How Do I Get It?

“Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping.” -- Bo Derek (American Actress, b.1956)

 

 

Searching for useful articles is one thing.  Shopping for them is another.

 

To put it another way, just because you can FIND an article on the Web doesn’t mean you can read it.  Most of the time you have to pay for that privilege.

 

If you are a solo act, this is not much of a problem.  You just enter your credit card number and download the article.

 

If, however, you operate within a corporate structure, the process becomes more complicated.  In this post, we offer some shopping tips for your situation.  But first, here is a concrete example of what you no doubt have encountered.

 

A Google® Scholar search for biodesulfurization produces the following four results, among others:

 

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Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, March 2013, Volume 97, Issue 5, pp 2193-2200

Kinetic analysis of biodesulfurization of model oil containing multiple alkyl dibenzothiophenes

 

Shi-Han Zhang, Han Chen, Wei Li

Institute of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Zijingang Campus, Hangzhou, 310058, China

source: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00253-012-4048-6#

Purchase on Springer.com: $39.95

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Advanced Materials Research, 825, 508 (2013), Pages 508-511, DOI 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.825.508

Influences of pH Buffers on the Growth of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and Biodesulfurization Efficiency

 

Xiao Rong Liu, Chang Su, Sheng Cai Jiang, Yan Jun Liu, Hui Li

source: http://www.scientific.net/AMR.825.508

Purchase on www.scientific.net: $28.00

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International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, Volume 86, Part C, January 2014, Pages 343–348

Taguchi optimization of dibenzothiophene biodesulfurization by Rhodococcus erythropolis R1 immobilized cells in a biphasic system

 

P. Derikvand (a), Z. Etemadifar (a), D. Biria (b)

a Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Isfahan, Hezarjarib St., 81746-73441 Isfahan, Iran

b Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Sciences and Technology, University of Isfahan, Hezarjarib St., 81746-73441 Isfahan, Iran

source: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964830513003612

Purchase on ScienceDirect: $35.95

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Petroleum Science and Technology, Volume 31, Issue 21, 2013, pages 2250-2257

A Two-stage Immobilized Cell Bioreactor With Bacillus subtilis and Rhodococcus erythropolis for the Simultaneous Production of Biosurfactant and Biodesulfurization of Model Oil

 

A. Amin (a), S. A. Bazaid (b) & M. Abd El-Halim (c)

a Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science , Taif University , Taif , Saudi Arabia

b Department of Biology, Faculty of Science , Taif University , Taif , Saudi Arabia

c Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science , Taif University , Taif , Saudi Arabia

source: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10916466.2011.565292

Purchase on Taylor & Francis: $46.00

 

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Here we have four articles from four different vendors requiring four different transactions.  Again, if you are working solo, this is not such a problem.  But if you are working in a corporate environment, you have to contend with two conflicting imperatives.  They are:

 

• Cost control
• Efficient delivery

 

Here is a structure which works well in many corporations …

 

To ensure cost control, designate two individuals within your corporate unit to act as gatekeepers for document acquisition. One of the two individuals can serve as the primary approver.  The other can serve as an alternate in case the primary is not available for some reason.  A researcher who needs an article can contact one or the other of these two individuals to request purchase of an article.  The request can be approved or denied. If approved, the approver forwards the request for purchase.

 

To ensure efficient delivery, two individuals should be designated as authorized users of one (or two) corporate credit cards.  One of the two individuals can serve as the primary purchaser. The other can serve as an alternate in case the primary is not available for some reason.

 

And here’s another tip: As time goes on, it may become apparent that one or more vendors receive the bulk of article purchase requests.  At this point, it would be worthwhile to consider a subscription that would (a) reduce the time involved in multiple individual purchases, and (b) reduce the cost per item purchased.

 

 

Conference Alert: Bottom of the Barrel Technology Conference

“Tell me what brand of whiskey that Grant drinks. I would like to send a barrel of it to my other generals.” -- Abraham Lincoln (American 16th US President (1861-65), who brought about the emancipation of the slaves. 1809-1865)

Coming up … The 12^th International Bottom of the Barrel Technology Conference (BBTC), 8 & 9 May 2014, Lisbon (http://www.europetro.com/en/bbtc_2014).  It is produced by Euro Petroleum Consultants. The organization also produces the following conferences:

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China Downstream 2014, Beijing
(http://www.europetro.com/china_2014)
18 - 19 June
3rd China Technology Forum for Refining, Residue Upgrading, Petrochemicals

Moscow Refining & Petrochemicals Week
(http://www.europetro.com/moscow_week_2014)
8 - 11 September
Incorporating RPTC, RRTC

Asia-Tech 2014, Kuala Lumpur
(http://www.europetro.com/asia_2014)
8 - 9 October
3rd Asia Technology Forum for Oil Refining, Residue Upgrading & Petrochemicals

Behavioural Safety MENA 2014
(http://www.europetro.com/behaviouralsafety2014)
13 October
Behavioural Safety - Oil & Gas MENA 2014

OpEx MENA 2014, Abu Dhabi
(http://www.europetro.com/opexmena14)
14 - 15 October
Operational Excellence in Oil, Gas and Petrochemicals
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Free Newsletter: Refinery Operations

“How often we recall, with regret, that Napoleon once shot at a magazine editor and missed him and killed a publisher. But we remember with charity that his intentions were good.” -- Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)

According to its Web, Refinery Operations (http://refineryoperations.com/) is a biweekly newsletter focusing on refinery operations, maintenance, automation, safety and reliability. Its editorial content is of relevance to process, operations, automation and maintenance engineers with technical and managerial responsibilities in the refinery. Editor Rene G. Gonzalez is a chemical engineer by academic training, having previously worked as a process engineer in the refining industry. Throughout the year, Refinery Operations provides its refinery readers with a range of articles, updates and direct links to technical literature and white papers that include catalytic and thermal based processes, product recovery, rotating equipment, metallurgical, refractory, instrumentation and control, regulatory and compliance, and safety-related procedures.

The editor welcomes article submissions. Refinery Case studies and technical updates are the primary focus of Refinery Operations biweekly on-line newsletter as well as the Refinery Operations quarterly publication. Technical briefs and updates should be between 300-1000 words. These non-commercial write-ups should be written in succinct “technical” English that is of maximum benefit to the practicing refinery engineer, supported by graphics, photos and references.

Access to past issues of the newsletter is free.  Here are a few paragraphs from lead articles appearing in three issues from 2013.

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Refinery Operations, V. 4, Issue 1, January 2, 2013
Maintaining FCC Catalyst Activity and Bottoms Cracking
How does iron (Fe) affect FCC catalysts? What is tramp iron and how much is normally found on
equilibrium catalyst (E-cat)?
Kenneth Bryden, Manager, Evaluations Research at Grace Catalysts Technologies in Columbia, Maryland, USA
(kenneth.bryden@grace.com)
A distinction must be made between tramp Fe and Fe deposited on the cracking catalyst. Tramp Fe is composed of Fe particles in the catalyst stream that originate from erosion of pipes, vessels and other hardware. To the extent that these particles do not break up in very fine particles that can attach themselves to the cracking catalyst, they have little effect on catalyst activity and selectivity. However, they could affect CO oxidation and SOx emissions.
Fe deposited on the catalyst is in most cases the result of organic, colloidal or other finely dispersed Fe in the feed. It has been recently recognized that this latter form of Fe is an important factor causing FCC catalyst deactivation and observed loss of bottoms cracking. Decreases in average bed density (ABD) have also been reported. In general, the more finely dispersed the depositing Fe is, the more effective it is in causing catalyst deactivation.
Al-sol based catalyst resistance to Fe deactivation
At Grace Catalyst Technologies, we have studied extensively the effects of Fe on cracking catalysts. Using a combination of different techniques and lab deactivation experiments (Figure 1), we have been able to determine that Fe deposits only on the exterior surface of catalyst particles forming Fe-rich rings. In these areas, Fe, Ca and Na oxides mix with silica from the underlying catalyst giving the catalyst a characteristic texture with surface nodules and a “glassy” appearance. The deposition of Fe on the FCC catalyst does not depend on the catalyst used, its properties or composition. However, the deactivation process is greatly affected by the chemical composition of the underlying catalyst.
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Refinery Operations, March 27, 2013 VOL: 4 ISS: 2
Co-Processing Coker Naphtha in ULSD Service
High Olefins in Coker Stocks Requires Planning for Excessive Hydrogen Consumption, Heat Generation, Pressure Drop, Polymerization, Si & Ar Poisoning and Other Concerns that can Quickly Downgrade Hydrotreater Operations
Meredith Lansdown, Brian Watkins and Brian Slemp, Advanced Refining Technologies
Co-processing coker naphtha in ULSD service can have several undesirable effects on performance of the hydrotreater and the catalyst, if the system was not properly designed to handle coker naphtha. In general, coker stocks have a higher level of olefins present from the coking process. Once in the hydrotreater, these olefins will quickly become saturated, thereby consuming additional hydrogen and generating extra heat.
As a general rule of thumb, 1.0 moles of hydrogen is required per mole of carbon-carbon double bond, or between 5-10 times the bromine number reduction in standard cubic feet of hydrogen per barrel (scfhb). This additional heat (130-160 Btu/scf hydrogen consumed), if not spread out through a decent portion of the catalyst bed, will initiate the subsequent reactions creating a much higher temperature rise than expected. This excess temperature can also speed up the coking or polymerization mechanism, which will leads to an increase in pressure drop. This can set an upper limit as to how much coker naphtha can be processed either by a need to limit the heat rise, or from too much hydrogen consumption that could starve the downstream catalysts.
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Refinery Operations, November 18, 2013 VOL: 4 ISS: 3
Custom Catalyst Systems for Higher Diesel Yields: Part I
A critical element with all approaches to increasing diesel yield is the proper design and selection of a catalyst system for the hydrotreater. Part I discusses strategies for taking advantage of the properties of a premium diesel catalyst formulation with appropriate operating conditions.
Brian Watkins and Charles Olsen, Advanced Refining Technologies
Brian Watkins is Manager, Pilot Plants and Technical Service Engineer with Advanced Refining Technologies (ART) in Chicago, Illinois. He has 19 years of experience in hydroprocessing and has held a variety of technical research and research management positions at ART, including managing pilot plant operations. He holds a B.S. degree in Chemistry from Illinois Western Illinois University in Macomb Illinois. Watkins has written and presented numerous technical papers at the NPRA, AFPM and CLG symposiums (brian.watkins@grace.com).
Charles “Chuck” Olsen is Director, Distillate R&D and Technical Services with Advanced Refining Technologies (ART) in Chicago, Illinois. Olsen earned a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign (chuck.olsen@grace.com).
High middle distillate demand provides opportunities for considering custom catalysts for higher diesel yields. Even more so, relatively low cost hydrogen production in certain markets provides further incentive to invest in premium catalyst. Options under consideration have included operating FCC pretreaters in mild hydrocracking mode, switching to maximum LCO mode or extending feed endpoint to a ULSD unit and converting the heavy fraction into diesel range material.1 The use of opportunity feedstocks and synthetic type feedstocks can also be considered.2
These approaches require specialized catalyst systems capable of providing some cracking conversion or changes to traditional unit operation, and careful attention must be given to minimizing production of excess gas and naphtha while maximizing diesel. Another seemingly simple option is to maximize product volume swell from a current ULSD unit through a change in catalyst and understanding demand on operating conditions. This approach to increasing diesel yields requires a detailed understanding of feed and operating conditions such that the hydrotreater can be operated at the maximum product volume swell for the majority of the unit cycle. In this case, increased diesel yield benefits need to be balanced against the potential costs of higher hydrogen consumption and decreased cycle length.
Maximizing Product Volume Swell
It is useful to understand hydrotreating chemistry, particularly with regard to maximizing product volume swell. Table 1 lists several different classes of hydrocarbon compounds found in diesel range feeds, showing that compound density decreases as hydrogen is added to the molecule. This indicates that even some simple reactions involved in hydrotreating result in product density reduction and a resulting product volume increase. This is especially apparent with aromatic species.
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Conference Alert and Call for Papers: World Refining Technology & Shale Processing Summit

“Getting to the top is optional, but getting down is mandatory. A lot of people get focused on the summit and forget that.” -- Edmund Viesturs (born June 22, 1959) high-altitude mountaineer; first American to have climbed all fourteen of the world's eight-thousander mountain peaks

The 6th annual World Refining Technology & Shale Processing Summit 2014 (www.cerebralbusiness.com/wrts) is scheduled for 5-6 November 2014, Houston, TX

One of the speakers at the 2013 conference included Dr.Mabruk Issa Suliman, Head of Inspection, Takreer and Takreer Research and Development.

Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (TAKREER) was established in 1999 to take over the responsibilities of refining operations from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). This covers the crude oil and condensate refining, supply of petroleum products and production of granulated sulfur. Takreer’s main objective is to develop the refining industry in the UAE which started with the inauguration of Abu Dhabi Refinery (earlier known as Umm Al Nar) in 1976 and Ruwais Refinery in 1982.

Takreer Research Centre (TRC) is a newly established state-of-the- art center that gears up to become, in collaboration with other local and international institutes and universities, a center of excellence in terms of technology transfers and human resources development. The center is responsible, among other things, to oversee process modelling and product development and accumulation of data and technology related to refining activities.
Source: http://www.oilandgasdirectory.com/img/listings/pdf/ABU-DHABI-REFINING-TAKREER.pdf

Conference organizers are inviting papers on the following or related subjects:

Hydrotreating & hydrocracking
Fluid catalytic cracking for olefins production
Refinery automation
Crude oil management
Wastewater treatment
Controlling desalter/CDU corrosion & fouling from shale fracking operations
Protecting & controlling critical processing equipment
Process Improvements
Energy Efficiency
Toxic Combustion
Better Data for Decision
Air Quality Modeling / Standards
 Flare Management & Gas Utilization
Crude unit optimization
Monetizing refinery intermediates/byproducts
Shale Crude Processing Technologies
Refinery/petrochemical interface
Processing shale feedstocks
Ethane based steam cracking
Furnace and Burner Efficiency
Petrochemicals from shale gas
Extending the methanol/olefins value chain from shale gas
Meeting fuel specifications
Modular mini-refineries and gas processing
Midstream mini LNG plant profitability
Hydrogen production
Asset Integrity
Latest Software
Desulfurization
EPC in Refining
Heat Exchanger
Maximizing turbomachinery performance
HSE

Conference Alert: Refining China 2014

“I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him.” -- Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)

REFINING CHINA (http://www.eptq.com/conference/view_conference.aspx?intCID=16), China's international refining technology conference, has now been running for eight years in partnership with SINOPEC. The partnership ensures the continuing strong level of producer company delegates not only from Sinopec but also from CNPC/Petrochina and CNOOC companies. The 8^th Refining China Conference is scheduled for 2-3 April 2014 in Beijing.

By way of context, here are brief descriptions of presentations made at two previous conferences.

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Modcon Systems Ltd gave a presentation at the 7^th Refining China conference on Crude Distillation Unit Optimization during Crude Switching. The paper mainly discusses optimizing the process conditions of the crude distillation unit, which is a main challenge for each refinery. It increases profit by producing the required range of distillates at maximum yield and at minimum cost. To achieve this goal, full and real-time monitoring and control of each incoming stream of crude oil and outgoing distillate stream is an inevitable requirement. The quality and the cost of crude oil depend on its origin. Blending various types of crude oil is required to reduce the cost of the crude oil feed to be distilled and to adapt the crude oil feed so that it can be processed properly by the equipment available in the refinery.
Source: http://www.modcon-systems.com/Modcon/Templates/showpage.asp?DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=10000&FID=435&PID=0&IID=782

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Saudi Aramco presented at the 2011 conference, as described in the following article.

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Refinery Tech Is Focus of China Conference
Materials selection during refinery capital projects is critical to ensuring operational reliability and capital efficiency.
Howard Chiang, an engineer at Aramco Services Co. and an industry-recognized expert in materials and corrosion, delivered that message at the recent Fifth Refining China Conference in Beijing.

The conference is dedicated to refining technology, with the aim of bringing together Chinese and international refining-industry companies.

This year’s event drew more than 170 executives, chief engineers and others primarily representing China’s energy sector, including the China National Petroleum Corp., the China National Offshore Oil Corp. and China Petrochemical Corp. (Sinopec Group).

Saudi Aramco holds substantial joint-venture and investment interests in refining and marketing activities in China.

Chiang gave a presentation titled “A Review of Materials Selection Process for Refinery Capital Projects,” which he co-authored with Abdelhak Kermad, an engineering consultant with the Consulting Services Department at Saudi Aramco who specializes in metals.

The presentation focused on materials selection in a typical refinery project, from conceptual engineering, front-end engineering and detailed design through construction and commissioning.

The presentation also covered topics such as building equipment integrity in capital projects, with a focus on minimizing corrosion risk.

Materials used for fabricating process equipment and piping components commonly succumb to corrosion when exposed to various conditions.

Chiang emphasized the need for documenting assumptions and decisions about all materials selection to better track and mitigate future corrosion damage and achieve reliable refinery operations.

“I wanted the audience to know that Saudi Aramco is not just a leader in the oil and gas business, but also a technology leader that continues to set new standards of excellence throughout the industry,” Chiang said.

(Article by Judi Ottmann)
Source: http://www.saudiaramco.com/en/home/news/latest-news/2011/refinery-tech-is-focus-of-china-conference.html#news%257C%252Fen%252Fhome%252Fnews%252Flatest-news%252F2011%252Frefinery-tech-is-focus-of-china-conference.baseajax.html
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