Sulfur Limits For Marine Bunker Fuel Oils

“Fortunately in my work there's always a choice: I can choose to do it willingly or unwillingly” -- Ashleigh Brilliant (English Author and Cartoonist, b.1933)

Hydrocarbon Engineering (http://www.energyglobal.com/magazines/latestissue/hydrocarbon-engineering.aspx) is one of my favorite magazines.  It provides a continuing stream of articles describing the latest proven technologies in the field of hydrocarbon processing.

UNfortunately, the magazine’s publishers have chosen to make it very difficult to access without a paid subscription to the magazine.  It is not available in any of the online subscription databases.

FORTUNATELY, every once in a while you can find an article or two on an engineering company’s Web site

For example, an article authored by Garu M. Sieli, Chevron Lummus Global, USA, “explores process options designed to address the International Maritime Organization's fuel oil sulfur limits.”

You can find a PDF version of the article at http://www.cbi.com/media-center/publications/technical-articles-conference-papers/, courtesy of CB&I.  CB&I (www.cbi.com) is, according to its Web site, “one of the world’s leading engineering, procurement and construction companies and a major process technology licensor.”

The author points out that sulfur limits for marine bunker fuel oils are set to go into effect soon.  He offers refiners a number of potential residue treating processing solutions.

He provides, among other things, a list of options available to refiners as they prepare to address the new limits …

1) Continue business as usual. While a change to lower sulfur crude is possible, the higher cost of these crudes makes this a costly option.

2) Exit the residue fuel oil market completely.  Refiners may decide to implement bottom of the barrel upgraders, such as delayed coking and residue desulfurization (RDS) and residue fluid catalytic cracking (RFCC) combination, enabling production of more low sulfur distillates, including marine diesel.

3) Continue to serve the bunker market by investing to reduce the sulfur content of the fuel oil.  Investments should be carefully evaluated to take full advantage of available process options and the associated benefits of these options.

You can find the full text of other articles provided by other companies by Googling “Hydrocarbon Engineering” and browsing the results.

Another thing you can do … add the Desulfurization Blog (http://www.desulf.blogspot.com/) as a feed to your organization’s Web page.