Conference Alert (And Travel Tip)

“He entered the territory of lies without a passport for return.” -- Graham Greene (English novelist, short-story writer, playwright, and journalist, 1904-1991)

Two Saudi conferences are planned for the early part of 2013 …

• 3rd Saudi Downstream Forum & Exhibition 2013 (http://www.saudidownstream.com/index)
• PetrochemArabia: The 3rd Saudi International Petrochemical Exhibition & Forum 13-15 January 2013 (http://www.petrochem-arabia.com/Petrochem/website/Default.aspx?refer=2&id=mainLnk2)

Travel Tip (IMPORTANT!)

If you decide to attend either conference, be sure to start working on your VISA as soon as you can. It can be a time consuming process.

Here is some information on the process from the Saudi Downstream Forum & Exhibition 2011 Web …

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Visas
It is advised that delegates book early to ensure their visa is guaranteed.

Delegates and Exhibitors needing a visa invitation letter to apply for a Saudi Arabian visa MUST provide all of the following to The CWC Group:

A copy of your passport identity page.
If you are a Conference delegate: Your completed and paid Delegate Registration Form.
All delegates/exhibitors are to complete a form (pleae request this from CWC)
A short letter on your company letterhead with a copy of your business card confirming your company’s support of your visit. A template letter can be found below.

When we have all the information, we will send you your letter of invitation to accompany your visa application. Please contact your local Embassy for your Visa Application Form and for any further details.

Source: http://www.saudidownstream.com/2011-microsite/venue_info.html
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Conference Alert: World Refining Technology Summit

“Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness.” -- Charles Dickens (English novelist, 1812-1870)

The 4th Annual World Refining Technology Summit 2012 will be held in Brussels Belgium, 22-23 October 2012
Here is the agenda …

4th Annual World Refining Technology Summit 2012 Agenda
The Current State, Challenges and The Future of The World Refining Industry - Year 2010 And Beyond
Keynote Address
EU Global Policies and Roadmaps to 2050
• The Status of EU Refining
• EU Roadmaps to 2050
• Future for EU Refining
Vision 2050 - Global Energy Supply Scenarios
• Oil And Gas Prices Fluctuation And Its Impact On The Refining Industry
• Tougher Energy Policies And Their Impact On The Refining Industry- European Region Perspective
• Energy Demand Growth - How Long Will Feedstock Last?
Commercial Hydrotreating and Hydrocracking of Petroleum - Update On the Latest Technologies
• Residue Process: Coking, Hydro cracking And Visbreaking
• Upgrade Residue Process: Options And Optimising
• Technical And Commercial Drivers In Heavy And Variable Feedstock Cracking
New Catalyst Technologies and Operating Approach for FCC
• Commercial Aspects Of FCC Technology- Improving Profit Margins
• Optimisation Of The FCC Process - Mass, Heat, And Pressure Balance- Case Study
• FCC Catalysts And Sulphur Reduction In Fuels
• FCC Process Variables And Operating Conditions
Advanced Technologies for Processing High Margin Feedstock
• Feedstock Availability Until 2020
• Increasing Throughput And Providing Constant High Yield Of Quality Refined Products
• Economic Benefits Of Achieving Longer Catalyst Life- Case Study
New Projects and Developments of the Refining Industry in Europe
Regional Update
Roadmap to the Refinery of the Future
• Forging Ahead With New Technologies
• Improving Refinery Performance And Maximising Profit Margins In Tough Economical Landscape
• Refinery Optimisation, Revamping, Upgrading And Newbuilds- The Industry Outlook
Troubleshooting In Oil and Gas Refining
• Due Diligence
• Control Problems In Distillation
• Optimising Pumparounds
• Fouling In Shell And Tube / Heat Exchangers
Special Roundtable Session: Asset Management and Maintenance Planning
• Asset Management - Achieving Higher Utilisation Rates
• Optimal Data Gathering And Rotating Equipment Monitoring
• Utilising Best Practices To Improve Refinery Economics
State-Of-The-Art Sulphur Recovery Technologies
• Update On The Sulphur Recovery Regulations
• Alleviating Operational Difficulties And Overall Sulphur Recovery Improvement - Case Study
• Advanced Sulphur Recovery Technologies- Industry Perspective
Refining In Difficult Economic Times
• Can Technological Advances Help Surviving Through Economical Downturn- Industry Perspective
• Value Chain Management And Optimisation- Case Study
• Clean Fuels Regulations And Hydrogen Management In Refining
• Storage
• Energy Saving In The Oil And Gas Refining Sector
Ground-Breaking Technologies for Difficult Refining Processes
• Heavy Feedstock Processing Technologies
• Delayed Cocking
• Hydrodesulphurization
Refinery Inspection and Security- Next Generation Solutions
• Novel Approaches And Technologies In Refinery Inspection
• Threats And Security In The 21st Century Refining
• Real-Time Asset And People Tracking Solutions
Health Safety and Environment
• Latest Regional update on Environment Norms
• Technology Updates on Health and Safety
• Emission Technologies
Precision Measurement Technologies in Refining
• Best Practices In Precision Measurement For Refineries
• Best-In-Class Flow Measurement For A Large-Scale Refinery
• The Future Of Precision Management
Refinery Automation and Process Control
• Refinery Automation And Process Efficiency
• Optimised Process Control And Refinery Profit Margins
• Refinery Maintenance And Plant Automation

Source: http://www.cerebralbusiness.com/wrts/

Stumbling Across the Web

The future is already here — it’s just not very evenly distributed. -- William Gibson (born March 17, 1948), American-Canadian speculative fiction novelist

In my peripatetic wanderings across the Net I stumbled, as I so often do, on a very interesting item. It is a series of sample chapters on petroleum engineering. For the full text, you will have to shell out some money, but you can get a taste of the content for free. Here’s how …

Google® search string:

unesco eolss petroleum engineering

Here is an extract from one of the sample chapters …

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Petroleum Engineering - Downstream (2012)

Future Technology in Heavy Oil Processing

Jorge Ancheyta, Mohan S. Rana

Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, Mexico City, Mexico

Summary

The change in crude oil quality around the world has impacted petroleum refining industry in such a way that current and new refineries are being re-configured and designed respectively to process heavier feedstocks, i.e. blends of various crude oils with elevated amount of heavy petroleum. This is of course due to the reduction of light crude oil and increase of heavy or extra heavy crude oils production. These new feeds are characterized by high amount so impurities (sulfur, metals, nitrogen, asphaltenes) and low distillate yields, which make them more difficult to process compared with light crude oils. Contrarily, the demand of light distillates for producing the so-called clean fuels (e.g. ultra-low sulfur diesel and gasoline) is increasing throughout the world. These circumstances situate not only refineries but also research center, catalyst manufacturers and process developers in a great dilemma, which need to adapt and design future technologies for properly conversion and upgrading of heavy oils. There are various commercially available technologies to upgrade heavy petroleum, which can be classified in carbon rejection and hydrogen addition processes. Their main characteristics, advantages and disadvantages as well as some other emerging technologies are reviewed in this chapter. Special attention has been put for their application for upgrading of heavy petroleum.

source: http://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C08/E6-185-22.pdf

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Catalog Your Desulfurization Collection with LibraryThing

“Only the man who crosses the river at night knows the value of the light of day” -- Chinese Proverb

Most research organizations of any size will employ a librarian to organize the information resources required to support innovative research. An online catalog of library resources is one of the ways that librarians add value to the books, journals, and databases an organization subscribes to.

For those organizations that choose not to employ a librarian, the next best thing is to use a free social cataloging service like LibraryThing.

One of the benefits of using LibraryThing is that you can easily add records of each book in your collection. Once added, the catalog can be viewed by your colleagues. Your colleagues can add their own records. The result of the collaborative effort will enable you to avoid buying a book that has already been purchased by someone else in the organization.

Visit my LibraryThing catalog to see an example of what you can do:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/jsteinha

Living on the Edge: Breakthrough technology and incremental innovation in Oil and Gas Industry

“I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center.” -- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (American Writer, b.1922)

I recommend “Breakthrough technology and incremental innovation in Oil and Gas Industry: The Edge of Innovation in Oil and Gas Industry. Level of R&D, Expenditure Vs Results in Energy Companies,” by Richa Chauhan, Claudio Cannas, and Ashish Kumar (2011)

The report examines R&D efforts of Chevron Texaco, Exxon Mobil, Shell, British Petroleum, Eni, China National Offshore Oil Company, and Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd India in the following categories:

·         Carbon capture and storage

·         Gasification

·         Bio fuels

·         Automotive enhancements

·         Gas to Liquid Technologies

·         Renewable Energies

·         Unconventional resources

·         Seismic Mapping

·         Reservoir Management and Enhanced Oil Recovery Techniques

·         Drilling Technologies

·         Deepwater Resources

·         Refinery and Downstream technologies

Here is an excerpt …

“Eni has established an integrated research programme called Sulphur and H2S Management in E&P Operations which aims at Hydrogen Sulphide Absorption by Condensates, Large-scale storage of sulphur with economic technologies and low environmental impact through Sulphur Box confinement technology; The permanent elimination of sulphur by re-injection through Sulphur slurry injection. At the Milazzo refinery a plant for the removal of H2S is already operating.”

Find the full text of the report at:

http://www.iaasm.net/%5CUserFiles%5Cattach%5C201122111451343Cannas%20Richa%20Kumar.pdf

Conference Alert (Thanks to George Boole)

“Thanks to words, we have been able to rise above the brutes; and thanks to words, we have often sunk to the level of the demons” -- Aldous Huxley (English Novelist and Critic, 1894-1963)
Here are a few upcoming conferences …

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SPE Heavy Oil Conference, 12 - 14 June 2012, Calgary, CanadaThe inaugural SPE Heavy Oil Conference -- Canada will provide international perspectives on best practices and technological advances in the exploration and production of heavy oil, as well as the opportunities and challenges faced in the process
source: http://www.spe.org/events/ihoc/2012/
Foster Wheeler 2012 Heavy Oil Conference, 14 - 16 May, 2012Join Foster Wheeler and key industry experts to discuss state of the art technologies in heavy oil processing while learning the advancements that address today's industry issues. Experts will discuss trends in heavy oil processing and a view of tomorrow's market
source: http://www.fwc.com/heavyoil2012/
Diesel Emissions Conference 2012, 30 May - 1 June, 2012, Düsseldorf. GermanyThe Diesel Emissions Conference 2012, now in its 8th year, is the flagship conference in Integer’s Diesel Emissions Conference Series. It is a meeting hub for leading on- and non-road OEMs and diesel emissions stakeholders from over 30 different countries, discussing progression towards the world’s most advanced diesel emissions legislation and technologies.
source: http://www.integer-research.com/conferences/dec-europe/
China Sulphur / Sulphuric Acid International Conference & Exhibition 2012, 20 - 22 June 2012, Shanghai, ChinaFollowing the huge success of the inaugural event in 2011, CRU and China Chemical Fiber Economic Information Network (CCFEI) will be hosting the 2nd China Sulphur / Sulphuric Acid International Conference & Exhibition from 20-22 June 2012 in Shanghai. The conference provides delegates with the opportunity to exchange ideas and acquire information on market dynamics and perspective for 2012, learn from sulphur suppliers, petrochemical manufacturers and industry experts from China and overseas, and establish cooperative relationships with Chinese and international players.
source: http://www.crugroup.com/events/chinasulphuracid/ ///////

We found the conferences by Googling® the following search string …

conference AND 2012 AND "sulfur OR desulfurization OR heavy" –coal
Today’s tip: Go Boolean

If you are familiar with Boolean search operators, use them in your Google search box to focus your search results.

If you are not familiar with Boolean search operators, study the above search string and modify as needed to suit your purpose.

Opportunity Crudes Report

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” -- Charles R. Swindoll (American Writer and Clergyman, b.1934)
This looks interesting.  At $8500, it better be.  Here is the description …

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OPPORTUNITY CRUDES REPORT II: TECHNOLOGIES & STRATEGIES FOR MEETING EVOLVING MARKET & ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES
Publication date:June 2011
At a time of volatile oil prices and crude supply uncertainty, many refiners around the world are again turning their attention to relatively less expensive, unconventional or opportunity crudes (opcrudes). Opcrudes generally include heavy sour grades, oilsand/bitumen, extra heavy oil, high TAN crudes, and oil shale. Refineries without a capability of handling opcrudes will lose out to the competition in the long term.

Why? There are four major reasons.

Political upheaval in the Middle East and North Africa in early 2011 has sent a wake-up call to refiners that crude diversity is the key to business sustainability. Recently lofty oil prices caused by a threat of economic embargo against Iran confirms this call for securing and diversifying crude supplies.

Weak fuel demand compounded with rising oil prices since 2010 have devastated refining margins of many less sophisticated, crude-constrained refineries in the US and Western Europe resulting in plant sales or closures. On the other hand, coking refineries processing Maya heavy oil consistently outperform cracking refineries handling light sweet Brent crude, based on historical data.

Fossil fuels remain the predominant energy source as developing countries with growing population and expanding economies like Brazil, China, and India continue to drive up global demand despite increasing use of biofuels and higher vehicle fuel efficiency.

The world has significant opcrude deposits with a 5 to 1 reserve ratio of heavy crude oil and natural bitumen to conventional crude oil.

However, securing supply of opcrudes is not the end-game and cannot guarantee healthy margins as discussed in the published report. Fuel market dynamics have shifted and environmental regulations have been tightening since we published the first, authoritative opportunity crudes study in 2006.

We have identified critical drivers behind the success of processing opportunity crudes to 2030. This 1400+ page, comprehensive report is well researched and analyzed, providing details of the technologies and strategies refiners can deploy to improve profitability and sustain business goals when processing opcrudes. The study also includes a global survey of oil companies' perspectives.

Order today to receive a complimentary registration for the 3rd Opportunity Crudes conference in Houston, TX (US), May 6-8, 2012. For further questions, please contact us at mcreports@hydrocarbonpublishing.com or 610-408-0117.

Source: http://www.hydrocarbonpublishing.com/store10/product.php?productid=C01100&srchkey=

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