News & Insights

The Becht Blog

In this section of the site contributing authors submit interesting articles relating
to the various services, industries and research & development efforts of Becht.

News & Blog

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Redesign of the Heating System for a Sulfur Storage Tank

Storage tanks are widely used in refineries and sour gas processing plants for temporary storage of molten sulfur produced in the sulfur recovery units. These tanks are typically constructed with carbon steel and are cylindrical with external insulation on the side and the roof. Corrosion may occur on the external and internal surfaces of the […]

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GDA Webinar draws 80 Regional SME’s

Becht presented a webinar on “Coke Drum Lifecycle Management” to a select pool of over 80 subject matter experts from various refiners in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on 6th March 2024. The webinar was organized by the GDA Plant Reliability & Integrity Technical Committee of the Gulf Downstream Association (GDA), where Becht is an […]

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Turnaround Cost Estimating Rigor

Cost estimates for maintenance turnarounds are notoriously inaccurate and frequently overrun by more than their supposed accuracy range. Until recently there has been little research into why this is, and into how to improve turnaround cost estimates. However, there is now a small body of research that may be worth exploring, for those turnaround teams […]

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Vortex Shedding in a Tee with a Closed Branch

Vortex shedding is a flow-induced phenomenon that takes place when there is a structural element in the flow path, such as a closed branch or a thermowell. Vortex shedding leads to an oscillating flow. Depending on the flow conditions, if the frequency of vortex shedding is close to the natural frequencies of the flow system, […]

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Tank Ignition Source Management: Protecting Storage Tanks from Fires Due to Overfill

By: Earl Crochet and Rafael Rengifo Aboveground Storage Tanks (AST) are used to store large volumes of flammable and combustible liquids in refineries, tank farms, and terminals. When filling ASTs, it is important to keep the flammable or combustible products in the tank, to avoid fires and associated safety and environmental issues.  Part One of […]

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Estimating What the Project Requires, not Merely what is Included on the Drawings

A common error, when assessing and deciding whether to proceed with a capital project is to assume that the cost estimate is more accurate than it really is. Very often, the assessor is lulled into a false sense of security by statements such as “We have firm quotes for 80% of the items on the […]

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UNDER PRESSURE

Hydroprocessing Heat Exchanger Fouling due to Di-olefin Polymerization Over the past few months, I have received several questions about heat exchanger fouling in hydrotreaters due to polymerization of di-olefins and/or other gum precursors in the feed. I have seen plenty of heat exchangers foul in my career due to this mechanism and have found a […]

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Best Practices and Pitfalls for Decoking & Inspection in Delayed Coker Heaters

Serpentine coils in Delayed Coker Heaters are challenging to clean and inspect even while utilizing today’s latest technologies.  Extensive fouling on the coils interior surface often warrants cleaning intervals of two years, or less, depending on online spalling capabilities. Mechanical decoking pigs are now commonly utilized to clean fouling (aka decoking), from the heater coils […]

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Becht at BBTC MENA 2024 in Bahrain

Becht participated in the 10th Bottom of the Barrel Technical Conference (BBTC MENA) as a bronze sponsor in January 2024 in the Kingdom of Bahrain. This event was attended by 28 speakers, 104 delegates, and a dozen exhibitors. Jean-Gaël Le Floc’h participated in a panel session on “From Residue to Valuable Resources: Advancing Bottom of […]

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H2 Rainbow – Is there a pot of gold at the end?

In 1972, John Bockris was the pioneer in introducing the concept of the “Hydrogen Economy,” envisioning a future where hydrogen serves as a sustainable substitute for fossil fuels. This groundbreaking article subsequently gave rise to the term “Green Hydrogen,” which found its way into numerous publications across various industries. Over time, the terminology surrounding hydrogen […]

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