Sweet and Sour: Designing for a sourer future

The Q2 2018 edition of PTQ – Petroleum Technology Quarterly (http://www.eptq.com/ ) is ready to read.  One of the articles in this issue is …

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Designing for a sourer future
Debopam Chaudhuri And Srinivasa Oruganti
Fluor
Refiners around the world are processing a wider crude slate. They are also faced with the challenge of meeting a tighter sulphur specification for the products, hence the role of the sulphur plant and its design are gaining more importance. A proper sulphur plant configuration needs to cater to the operational flexibility of the refinery. This needs to be decided based not only on the refinery turndown operation but also on the various crude assays that are being handled. The best sulphur plant configuration avoids bottlenecks in refinery operation with minimum economic investment. This article will present several case studies on achieving the optimum sulphur plant configuration with varying crude compositions, refinery configurations and capacities, and provide generic guidelines for making decisions related to sulphur plant design during the refinery configuration phase. The feasibility of a petroleum refinery depends on the inherent interaction between the choice of crude oil used and the desired type and quality of finished products to be generated. Using a more expensive light, sweet crude oil requires a simpler refinery configuration and hence a lower capital investment. But supplies of light, sweet crude oil are decreasing, and at the same time the gap between heavier and sourer crude prices is increasing. Refinery configurations are also inherently defined by the type of products expected and the quality to be achieved. Meeting the quality specifications of the final products is of utmost importance as environ- Achieving the right sulphur plant capacity and configuration is crucial to the proper operation of a refinery …
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According to the short bios at the end of the article …

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Debopam Chaudhuri is a Process Engineer with Fluor New Delhi. With 17 years’ experience in petroleum refining, petrochemical complex and upstream projects, he holds bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering from the University of Calcutta.
Srinivasa Oruganti is a Department Manager for Process Technology & HSE with Fluor New Delhi. He holds a bachelor of technology degree in chemical engineering from Andhra University and is a master of technology in industrial engineering and management from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.
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TIP: LinkedIn members can find LinkedIn profiles for both authors. Another way to find the profiles is to Google® …

Debopam Chaudhuri Fluor
Srinivasa Oruganti Fluor

Conference Vetting: Some Google Fun

“Even bad books are books and therefore sacred.” --  Gunter Grass, born 16 October 1927; German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, sculptor and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature

The 3^rd Annual LARTC – Latin American Technology Conference (http://events.gtforum.com/lartc) approaches … 9-10 April 2014 in Cancun, Mexico.  When deciding whether to spend valuable time and money on a conference, consider Googling® the people, processes and organizations featured in the conference brochure.  Por ejemplo …

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Google®: krish nangia fluor
Construction of the new Pemex Grass Root Refinery in Tula, Hidalgo, Mexico
Dr. Krish K. Nangia, Technical Director for the Fluor Pemex Tula Grass Roots Refinery Project, will speak about building the new refinery in Tula Hidalgo, Mexico, and the process involved in completing the facility. Dr. Nangia has been with Fluor since 1975. He has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from McGill University in Montreal Canada, and is a licensed chemical engineer. Dr. Nangia has over 40 plus years of experience in project development, screening and feasibility studies, project economic/financial analysis, process technology selection and process guarantee development. His experience also includes front end design, cost estimating support, detailed engineering, safety and hazard assessment. Additional experience includes construction support, startup and performance testing for projects in the area of petroleum refining, heavy crude upgrades, gas processing, off-sites and utilities, power generation and petrochemical plants. At Fluor, Dr. Nangia is responsible for management and execution of “Mega Projects” in the Middle East, South Africa, South America and Europe, requiring coordination between several licensors and integration of units within the complex.  
source: http://www.isa.org/~oranc/DOC/Chart/2013/Chart1307.pdf

Google®: krish nangia fluor
PTQ July 2010
Designing for sulphur removal and storage: part II
Selection of technologies for the sulphur block must serve legislative demands and the efficient operation of upstream processes
Shamim Gandhi, Wayne Chung and Krish Nangia
Fluor Corporation
source: http://www.digitalrefining.com/article/1000498,Designing_for_sulphur_removal_and_storage__part_II.html

Google®: claudio schlosser petrobras
Capital GR
Petrobras: Domestic Market Is Best Way To Profit From Oil Refining
--Underpinning domestic market growth is demand for diesel and jet fuel in Brazil, official says
--Petrobras expects strong growth for these products to continue
By Jenny Gross
Dow Jones Newswires
BARCELONA -(Dow Jones)- A refining executive at Brazilian state-run energy giant Petroleo Brasileiro (PBR, PETR4.BR), or Petrobras, said costs associated with transporting oil products to hubs in Europe, the U.S. and Asia make it less practical than using production domestically.
Claudio Romeo Schlosser, Petrobras executive manager of refining, said on the sidelines of the Global Refining Summit in Barcelona that investing in Brazil is the best way to cash in on the country's oil reserves. Petrobras plans to build five new refineries in the next few years so it can meet Brazil's demand for oil products without having to import large amounts of gasoline and diesel.
source: http://english.capital.gr/News.asp?id=1507511

Google®: isomalk
Isomalk-2SM: C5/C6 Isomerization Process with Benzene Reduction
Isomalk-2 is a low-temperature isomerization technology that has been commercially proven in grassroots applications, revamps of semi-regenerative reforming units, and replacement of other isomerization technologies. This flexible process utilizes a robust platinum-containing mixed metal oxide SI-2 catalyst that works effectively at the low temperatures of 120-140°C (250-285°F), while delivering great stability against the influence of catalytic poisons. Isomalk-2 is a competitive alternative to the three most commonly used light gasoline isomerization processes: zeolite, chlorinated aluminum oxide and sulfated zirconium oxide catalysts, applicable for simple replacement of these catalyst types. This technology has been commercialized in all possible modes of configuration. By applying the full recycle configuration, an isomerate with a 92.5 RON value has been achieved in a world-scale reference unit.
source: http://www.digitalrefining.com/data/literature/file/2097459720.pdf

Google® ecopetrol grace diesel
Dos grandes organizaciones unidas por un catalizador
La empresa más grande de Colombia, Ecopetrol, y el líder mundial en el mercado de catalizadores, Grace, unieron talento y recursos. Los resultados son un insumo con proyección internacional para incrementar la  producción de diesel; la prueba con hechos tangibles de la efectividad de las alianzas estratégicas en Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación; y una nueva evidencia de que en Ecopetrol el talento es de clase mundial.
source: http://www.ecopetrol.com.co/especiales/RevistaInnova5ed/idi.htm

Google® haldor topsoe petrobras RNEST
Petrobras using Topsøe SNOXTM sulphuric acid technology for flue and sour gas treatment in the new RNEST oil refinery in Pernambuco, Brazil
source: http://www.h2so4.com.br/downloads/COBRAS-2013/COBRAS-2013-PETROBRASandTOPSOE-SNOXTechnology.pdf
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