GE Power & Water
Water & Process Technologies
Water and Process Solutions
Maximizing Refining and Fuel
Production Processes
For more than 100 years, GE has maintained its commitment to providing sustainable solutions that help customers around the globe address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Today, operational efficiency, improved throughput and reduced downtime are a top priority for the refining industry. In addition, concerns about water availability and quality not only threaten human consumption and conservation efforts, but also the significant role this most valuable resource plays in industry. As water scarcity, energy demand, finished product quality demands and environmental regulations increase, GE continues to invest in research and innovative technologies for water and process treatment that allow our customers to operate more efficiently and profitably, while reducing energy and water consumption, and complying with regulatory mandates.
Demand, Supply, and the Economy
As the global economy slowly recovers, refineries can expect to see a positive shift in the demand for finished petroleum products in mature markets and growing, developing regions. Refining facilities around the globe will continue to look for ways to increase production and profit margins, while reducing or
eliminating unscheduled shutdowns and the subsequent untimely cost of cleaning and replacing equipment. In an environment where fluctuating demand and supply are the norm, refineries will also need to address growing environmental challenges and regulations. Planning for a prosperous tomorrow will require charting a strategic path today. GE is well positioned to understand and tackle refineries’ present and future concerns with sound water and process solutions that help them run a safer, more efficient, and more profitable operations.
Hydrocarbon Processing Technology and Solutions
Refining crude oil into high-value fuels and other refined products requires the careful coordination and precision of many complex and expensive systems. We know that your profitability depends on maintaining the quality and efficiency of these key process units, controlling operating costs, meeting environmental requirements and improving efficiencies in every step of the production process, while ensuring final product quality. GE offers a complete portfolio of chemical and equipment solutions to minimize corrosion, reduce fouling, save energy, reuse water and minimize plant down time. Our technology includes:
• Phase Separation: emulsion breaker technology to improve desalter
performance and efficiency, maximize crude throughput and reduce fuel gas consumption.
• Antifoulants to achieve an extended, more efficient operation of critical
equipment to maximize high-quality products.
• Corrosion inhibitors to prevent corrosion in critical production units and extend
equipment life, maintaining throughput and increase operational flexibility.
• Scavengers and Finished Product Additives: GE’s Scavengers and FPA’s ensure
refined fuels and other hydrocarbons meet required specifications and improve final product quality.
• ActNow* Emergency Additive Response provides the right people,
equipment and support services when your off-spec hydrocarbon needs an emergency treatment.
• Complete suite of on-line and off-line monitoring solutions and knowledge management systems to optimize performance and protect assets.
• Utilities solutions that include boiler, cooling, and advanced chemicals to
improve plant productivity and water systems, while safeguarding assets and ensuring environmental protection.
• Wastewater management and water reuse: Integrated wastewater management
and water reuse solutions for water recovery, treatment, and recycling. • GE’s mobile water fleet—the largest in the world—meets demand for
on-site water treatment through emergency, short-term leases, and long-term outsourcing.
• Clarification and Filtration including raw water pre-treatment for process
applications, as well as a range of wastewater treatment applications including oil and solids removal, foam control, bioaugmentation and sludge dewatering.
• Complete portfolio of membrane clarification and water purification technologies that provide influent treatment of a diverse variety of
Investing in Technology Development
GE is synonymous with technology and innovation. As a leader in water and process technologies, our business is committed to helping our customers address the major water challenges they face today and stay ahead of the challenges of tomorrow. To that end, GE employs more than 36,000 researchers tasked with driving innovation at our global research centers. We partner with industry leaders as well as research and educational institutions around the world to find the best ways to develop innovative technological solutions.
R&D for the Refining Industry
GE and ConocoPhillips recently opened the Global Water Sustainability Center in Doha, Qatar. The center, which is located at the Qatar Science and Technology Park, is a joint collaboration between the companies to examine ways of treating and recycling produced water from oil and gas production and refinery wastewater, as well as other projects related to industrial and municipal water sustainability.
Case Study
GE’s Embreak* Achieves 50 Percent Reduction in Overhead Chloride at
Gulf Coast Refinery
A refinery on the Gulf Coast was experiencing poor dehydration in the processing of heavy Venezuelan crude. Water carryover had increased to more than 0.5 percent with salt levels greater than 1.5 PTB. Caustic had been injected at 1.5 PTB to control the overhead chlorides between 10 and 40 ppm, but desalter performance was impacting furnace fuel usage, unit pressure drop, and overhead corrosion control. GE conducted a 60-day evaluation using a new emulsion breaker developed to dehydrate heavy crude oil. GE’s Embreak* was injected into the crude charge at equal dosages compared to the current program. As performance improved, the chemical injection rate was reduced to approximately 60 percent of the historical chemical injection dosages.
Not only were the total chlorides cut by 50 percent, but the standard deviation also was significantly reduced, allowing for more steady corrosion control in the crude overheads. This chloride reduction was achieved even with a reduction in caustic injection of nearly 30 percent.
Case Study
ActNow* Reduces Gas Oil Pour Point and Helps Refinery Avoid Crude Unit
Slowdown Penalty
An unscheduled FCC shutdown at a major U.S. Gulf Coast refinery resulted in an excess gas oil inventory that could have caused a significant economic penalty for the refinery. The only solution seemed to be shipping the oil within 48 hours to avoid a crude unit slowdown.
During a routine operations meeting at the refinery, a GE service engineer learned of the situation and recommended treating the gas oil to lower the pour point and meet the required specifications. After obtaining samples, GE determined that the untreated gas oil had a pour of 80ºF (27ºC) and would require a depression of 25ºF (14ºC) to meet the specification. Further testing demonstrated that GE’s ActNow Pour Point Depressant would be very effective, in reducing the pour to required specifications.
Within 24 hours, the ActNow chemical injection and pumping trailers were on site at the refinery, and treatment began during the barge loading operation. During loading, GE continuously monitored the treatment and made necessary adjustments to ensure proper treatment.
The gas oil pour point was reduced to 53ºF (12ºC), meeting the specification required for shipment at 55ºF (13ºC). The refinery was able to maintain full crude charge rates and avoid a severe economic penalty estimated at nearly US$50,000 per day.
Case Study
GE’s MobileRO* System Allows Refinery to Avoid Unexpected Shutdown
During Period of Drought
A period of drought was forcing one of the oldest and largest oil refineries in southern Italy to consider alternative options for its water source. With increased restrictions on the use of city water during this period and to avoid a shutdown, a second source of water was required. The need for the solution was clearly urgent so GE personnel conducted a site review and determined the possibility of recovering the water from the nearby municipal wastewater treatment plant, which could then be reused by the refinery. After running the wastewater through the refinery’s own clarifier and filtration system, GE’s MobileRO reverse osmosis (RO) units were used to provide permeate water for refinery processes. The temporary mobile system was operational within a few days of the equipment arriving on site. GE’s technical team ensured the customer was provided with the precise amount of water, at the correct quality. As drought conditions and demand continued to grow, the flexible nature of the system made it easy to add a third RO unit into the existing system, without interrupting the production of treated water.
Taking the Guesswork Out of Refining
Hydrocarbon processing, by its very nature, can present significant operating and business challenges. GE provides superior technologies and services to the hydrocarbon process and petrochemical industries that reduce overall operating and product costs, while optimizing plant performance and reliability. As the leading provider of water and process treatment solutions to the global refining industry, we have the experience to offer you individualized treatment programs that help you to:
• Maximize refinery throughput • Protect valuable capital assets • Increase profit and yield • Reduce energy use
• Meet specifications for finished fuels
• Comply with environmental health and safety regulations
In keeping with GE’s customer-focused business practices, our dedicated hydrocarbon processing specialists work with you to assist in meeting economic, quality, safety, and environmental performance objectives. Through our unrivaled combination of innovation, technical and on-site support, and field engineering, we can work with you to get the most from every step in the refining process.
Partnering with GE
For decades, GE has been a strategic partner to hydrocarbon processing companies around the world, delivering complete water and process tools and technologies that help meet the industry’s greatest business challenges. Today, we are just as committed to developing proven solutions that will help you meet your business objectives now and in the future—cost-effectively, efficiently, and responsibly. From growing environmental regulations to future trends, our experience and ability to anticipate industry changes gives us the ability to meet the unique needs of oil refineries and petrochemical plants with customized treatment programs that help you stay on top.
Find a contact near you by visiting www.ge.com/water and clicking on “Contact Us”
* Trademark of General Electric Company; may be registered in one or more countries. This information herein may be subject to change without notice and is provided for general guidance only. The dimensions and performance of systems, products and services may vary. Pictures are for example purposes and not to scale. All legal obligations are exclusively as set out in contractual documents. Nothing contained herein constitutes a representation, warranty or undertaking. ©2011, General Electric Company. All rights reserved.
GEA18269B (12/2011)
Learn how GE is helping customers solve their greatest
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GE Power & Water
Water & Process Technologies
Global Headquarters 4636 Somerton Road Trevose, PA 19053-6783 USA Tel. +1 215 355 3300 www.ge.com/water
