In this section of the site contributing authors submit interesting articles relating
to the various services, industries and research & development efforts of Becht.
A look back on my career and customers that faced significant MCC formation/damage and insight into how to avoid the same fate. Metal Catalyzed Coking is a term that is known by most within the Catalytic Naphtha Reforming community. Particularly those that run in Aromatics Mode, but also those that run in Motor Fuels. MCC is unique […]
A topic that frequently comes up in consultation is how to posture a hydrotreater or hydrocracker when a short, temporary shutdown is needed (with no catalyst change). These short outages can last from a few hours to a few weeks and sometimes, rarely, a few months. Often, the biggest choice in how to posture a […]
With contributing author Wulston Paul Industrial projects have a significant impact on carbon emissions due to the nature of activities involved. These projects often require the use of fossil fuel-powered machinery, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Additionally, the energy consumption during outage/turnaround periods, along with the transportation of materials and workers, […]
A quantitative method for selecting emergency actions could prevent hydrocracker reactor temperature excursion and runaway while avoiding flaring. Recently published article in PTQ Q3 2023 Issue (digitalrefining.com). An excerpt from the article is below… Refiners use multiple emergency actions to react to a reactor temperature excursion or reactor runaway in a hydrocracking unit. Automatic depressuring […]
There are numerous standards, recommended practices, and guidelines which provide clear direction on how to manage equipment integrity. By now, many petrochemical operators have implemented Risk-Based Inspection (RBI), Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM), and Root Cause Analyses (RCA). All these risk management controls, as well as many others, are critical: Equipment, which is well designed to […]
Just another late night shift. Just like it’s been many times before. Tough to stay focused when everything is carving straight lines. And then the alarms start. Things go south – REALLY south. The board operator has seen this before. They recognize the pattern – the “footprint” – of the alarms and the problem and […]
With contributing author Jessica Hofmann The oil and gas industry alone, directly and indirectly, contributes to 42 per cent of global emissions. As a result, refineries worldwide, as part of the wider O&G value chain, are facing increasing pressure to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and align with climate-change goals set by regulators. Refineries […]
I had multiple requests to discuss how to evaluate purchased feedstocks for hydroprocessing units. As always, I’ll present some ideas and welcome further comments and thoughts. Jack be nimble, Jack be quick! In my background, the question of whether to purchase a feedstock for a hydroprocessing unit comes up with very little notice and sometimes […]
Refractory linings are common throughout the refinery and found in many different units including the FCCU, fired heaters, and Claus thermal reactors. In the previous posting of Becht Blogs: Refractory series, we gave a cursory overview of several refractory types and where they are typically applied (Introduction to Refractory). These materials come from the family […]
Do you feel lucky, well do ya? Famous words uttered by Inspector Harry Callahan in one of my favorite Clint Eastwood movies is certainly no way to run a refinery, chemical plant or other hazardous operation. However, in real life we find operations relying on luck, tribal knowledge, personnel memory vs. standards and procedures and […]
