Introduction: Before continuing with CCR Naphtha Reforming Turnarounds it seemed appropriate to explain the cause and effects of unchecked thermal cycles and high catalyst bed pressure. This information is vital to understanding how to mitigate Rx internals damage and improves the ability of operators and engineers to evaluate unit equipment and catalyst performance more effectively. […]
Introduction Scheduled turnarounds (TA’s) on CCR naphtha reforming units are infrequent with customers targeting every 5+ years, and frequently hitting their targets. That leaves little opportunity for many engineers and operators to participate in these events. So, it seemed appropriate to generate an article that shares what I’ve experienced during my career, while keeping each […]
With Contributing Author – Rafael Rengifo Above ground storage tanks (AST) are widely used for the storage of large volumes of flammable liquids in tank farms, depots, and terminals. It is mission critical to effectively manage all ignition sources around and in the proximity of AST due to the high risk of fire escalation that […]
It’s hard to imagine life without electricity. We flip a switch and things start working. It powers your lights, television, refrigerator, air conditioner and so much more. Powerlines deliver electricity to our homes and offices and don’t seem dangerous because they are normally mounted up high and out of reach. The truth is, they have […]
The potential formation of nickel carbonyl is a hazard for all hydroprocessing units – both hydrocrackers and hydrotreaters. Fortunately, there have not been a lot of incidents in the refining industry related to nickel carbonyl, but there have been fatalities due to nickel carbonyl exposure. This blog will cover the risks of nickel carbonyl exposure, […]
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 […]
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 […]
As owner-users continue to rely on existing RBI programs, the question of how to keep an RBI program functioning and compliant continually comes up in discussions. Mechanical integrity professional want to know what needs to be done and when it needs to happen. Let’s start with Code requirements: API 510 10th Edition, 2nd Addendum 6.3.2 […]
