gulfpub_hp_201210.pdf

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RENTECH breaks new trails in the

boiler industry with its focus on custom

engineering and design.

There’s no “on the shelf” inventory at RENTECH because we design and build each and every boiler to operate at peak efficiency in its own unique conditions. As an industry leader, RENTECH provides solutions to your most demanding specifications for safe, reliable boilers. From design and manufacture to installation and service, we are breaking new trails.

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HydrocarbonProcessing.com | OCTOBER 2012

®

PROCESS CONTROL AND

INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Better control systems and equipment vastly improve operations and contribute to increased safety and

reliability, along with higher profits

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Our safety experts talk safety.

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Cover Image: Photo courtesy of Emerson Process Management

OCTOBER 2012 | Volume 91 Number 10

HydrocarbonProcessing.com

SPECIAL REPORT: PROCESS CONTROL AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS

35

Update hydrocracking reactor controls for improved reliability A. G. Kern

41

Use a systematized approach of good practices in pygas hydrogenation via APC

J.-M. Bader and G. Rolland

47

Why don’t we properly train control engineers? M. J. King

51

Consider automated fault detection systems to improve facility reliability

A. J. Szladow

55

Optimize desulfurization of gasoline via advanced process control techniques

V. Yadav, P. Dube, H. Shah and S. Debnath

REFINING DEVELOPMENTS

61

Maximize diesel production in an FCC-centered refinery, Part 2 P. K. Niccum

SULFUR—SUPPLEMENT

S-69

Optimize sulfur recovery from dilute H₂S sources M. P. Heisel and A. F. Slavens

HEAT TRANSFER

83

Identify and control excess air from process heaters S. Ahamad and R. Vallavanatt

ROTATING EQUIPMENT

91

Apply new pump-drive software to test performance K. Bihler, D. Dominiak, B. Keith and J. Johnson

DEPARTMENTS

6 Brief

9 Impact

15 Innovations

19 Construction

26 Construction

Boxscore Update

98 Marketplace

100 Advertiser index COLUMNS

29

Reliability

Equipment life extension involves upgrades

33

Integration Strategies Recent trends shape the future of DCS

102

Water Management

Consider software tools for water reuse projects

67

6

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4OCTOBER 2012 | HydrocarbonProcessing.com

President/CEO John Royall

Vice President Ron Higgins

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| Brief

New fuel standards in the US

The US government recently finalized standards that will increase fuel economy to the equivalent of 54.5 mpg for cars and light-duty trucks by model year 2025. When combined with previous standards, this move will nearly double the fuel efficiency of those vehicles compared to new vehicles currently on the road. In total, the program to improve fuel economy is expected to reduce US oil consumption by 12 billion barrels. The standards issued by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) build on the previously issued standards for cars and light trucks for model years 2011–2016. Those standards raised average fuel efficiency by 2016 to the equivalent of 35.5 mpg.

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Hydrocarbon Processing | OCTOBER 20127 BILLY THINNES, TECHNICAL EDITOR / [email protected]

Brief

Valero has decided to further reduce operations

and reorganize its 235,000-bpd Aruba refinery as a refined products terminal, the company said. The terminal will feature both deepwater berths and smaller berths, and will have the flexibility to load the very largest crude ships. Terminal activities will, however, require a considerably smaller workforce, according to the company. The reorganization and reduction in workforce is expected to be complete before the end of 2012. Valero will continue to supply jet fuel, gasoline, diesel and fuel oil to the island, as well as engage in third-party terminal services. In the terminal operations mode, Valero will continue to invest in Aruba with facility improvements and dock and tankage upgrades, the company said. In the near-term, the refinery will continue to be maintained in a state that would allow a restart, should Valero be successful in the pursuit of alternatives for the refinery prior to the terminal transition. US investment group Carlyle has agreed to buy the performance coatings business of DuPont for $4.9 billion in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2013, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. DuPont Performance Coatings is a global supplier of vehicle and industrial coating systems, with 2012 expected sales of more than $4 billion and more than 11,000 employees. As part of the transaction, Carlyle will assume $250 million of DuPont’s unfunded pension liabilities. Carlyle’s industrial and automotive investments include Allison Transmission, Hertz and PQ Corp., as well as recent commitments to invest in Hamilton Sundstrand Industrial and regional rail freight operator Genesee & Wyoming.

Enterprise Products recently began an open commitment period to determine additional shipper demand for capacity on its Appalachia-to-Texas (ATEX Express) ethane pipeline. The 1,230-mile system will deliver growing ethane production from the Marcellus/Utica Shale areas of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio to Mont Belvieu, Texas. The open commitment period will be used to determine market interest in executing additional 15-year binding transportation agreements. The ATEX Express is expected to begin operations in the first quarter of 2014. Cosmo Oil will permanently close its 140,000-bpd Sakaide refinery in western Japan by July 2013 to meet a government regulation that encourages refining capacity cuts amid falling local demand. The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry set rules in July 2010 requiring refiners to raise residual cracking capacity to a designated percentage of crude refining capacity, as calculated by a formula, by March 2014. By closing the refinery, Cosmo expects to save Y10 billion a year in costs.

Technip has completed the acquisition of the Stone & Webster process technologies and associated oiland gas engineering capabilities. Technip sees this acquisition as a way to further diversify its onshore/offshore segment, adding revenues based on technology supply. It will also use the Stone & Webster brand to expand in promising growth areas such as the US, where downstream markets will benefit from the supply of unconventional gas. To make the most of these strengths, a new business unit, Technip Stone & Webster Process Technology, will be developed within the company’s onshore/offshore segment. Technip paid cash consideration of around €225 million from existing cash resources, which will be subject to customary price adjustments.

Air Liquide has officially opened its first public hydrogen filling station for passenger cars in Düsseldorf, Germany. This station will be followed by 10 new hydrogen filling stations that will be designed, built and rolled out in the next three years under the auspices of the German government’s major demonstration project. By 2015, Germany will have a supply network of at least 50 public hydrogen filling stations. Driven by the same dynamic, two other stations have been installed recently by Air Liquide in Oslo, Norway, and in Brugg, Switzerland. In Japan, the government sees hydrogen as a promising major energy source for cars and expects to install about 100 hydrogen distribution stations for fuel cell vehicles by 2015. In response to this government policy, Air Liquide Japan has recently set up a specialized team focused on the hydrogen business. So far, they have installed three hydrogen energy stations (in Tokyo, Kawasaki and Saga). One of these stations demonstrated the feasibility of a complete “blue hydrogen” chain, from wood chips to clean mobility.

Western Refining and Glencore International announced that two of their subsidiary companies (York River Fuels and Glencore Ltd.) have entered into a long-term commercial supply and trading agreement. Glencore has agreed to provide global sourcing, supply and trading and inventory and risk management services to support York River’s mid-Atlantic wholesale business. In return, York River has agreed to provide rack marketing and contract and credit management. Glencore has entered into a long-term commitment with Epic Terminals at its terminal in Savannah, Georgia. The Savannah terminal includes over 450,000 bbl of storage capacity for various grades of gasoline, distillates, ethanol, biofuels and fuel blends. The terminal will enable the two companies to expand their wholesale capabilities and provide fuel products to their customers from southern Georgia to northern Maryland.

Western Refining operates refineries in El Paso, Texas, and Gallup, New Mexico. The company also runs products terminals in Albuquerque and Bloomfield, New Mexico.

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Hydrocarbon Processing | OCTOBER 20129

Impact

BILLY THINNES, TECHNICAL EDITOR / [email protected]

Increased coal-to-olefins

processes in China

China’s significant domestic supply of coal, combined with a domestic short-age of several key chemical feedstocks, especially ethylene and propylene, are driving increased Chinese demand for more production of chemical feedstocks from coal, according to a new IHS study that assessed the key technologies and economics of coal-to-olefins (CTO) processes employed in China.

The study noted that, in 2011, China had an ethylene capacity of 15.7 MMt and production of 14.4 MMt. On the demand side, China’s total ethylene equivalent consumption (including im-ports of first-order derivatives such as polyethylene) far exceeded its domestic ethylene supply. China imported nearly 8 million tons of polyethylene alone in 2011, accounting for 42% of total Chi-nese demand.

In a new five-year plan covering 2011–2015, the Chinese set a target that 20% of the country’s ethylene produc-tion will come from other diversified sources, which for China—a country with abundant coal supplies that is a net-importer of oil—practically means coal.

According to IHS, China’s domestic demand for oil was 9.4 million bpd in 2011, of which 57% was imported.

Likewise, China’s propylene produc-tion was 13.1 MMt in 2011. On the demand side, China’s total propylene equivalent consumption, including im-ports of first-order derivatives such as polypropylene, also far exceeded its domestic propylene supply. China im-ported nearly 5 MMt of polypropylene alone in 2011, accounting for 30% of total demand. The propylene shortage in China is projected to stay at about 5 MMtpy until 2020.

The processes studied included the gasification of bituminous coal by GE Texaco or Shell gasifiers to produce synthetic gases (syngas), followed by methanol synthesis and

methanol-to-olefins (MTO) production. The MTO technologies studied included UOP/ Hydro MTO and Lurgi methanol-to-propylene (MTP) technologies. Eco-nomic evaluations were based on a US Gulf Coast location. However, since most coal-based olefin projects are oc-curring in China, the economics in the review were adjusted to reflect produc-tion and capital costs for a Chinese lo-cation. The adjustment was achieved by examining the variations in technolo-gies deployed in China and accounts for capital investment, raw materials, utility and labor costs relative to the design ba-sis used in the report.

To address the country’s chemical feedstock shortage, China has built or is planning many high-capacity, in-tegrated CTO and coal-to-propylene (CTP) plants. Thirteen plants are in the works, with four of those currently operational.

According to the IHS review, all coal-based processes analyzed in the review showed lower direct costs, but higher indirect costs (due to high capital in-vestments) as compared to competing (petroleum-based) processes for CTO and CTP, respectively. To enable base-line comparisons of chemical engineer-ing processes for this review, return on investment (ROI) was the primary fac-tor considered, and the costs were not weighted for environmental impact.

For olefins production, based on the market price of olefins at the time of analysis, the MTO process based on outsourced methanol offers the highest ROI, followed by the integrated GE/ MTO process, and finally, steam-crack-ing of naphtha, which is a petroleum-based process. In terms of propylene production, based on the market price of propylene at the time of analysis, the MTP process based on outsourced methanol offers the highest ROI, fol-lowed by the integrated Shell/MTP pro-cess using bituminous coal, the integrat-ed Shell/MTP using lignite, and finally, the integrated Siemens/MTP.

New nanoscale reference

material to be known

as P25

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a new nanoscale reference material for use in a wide range of environmental, health and safety studies of industrial nanomateri-als. The new NIST reference material is a sample of commercial titanium dioxide powder commonly known as “P25.”

NIST standard reference materials (SRMs) are typically samples of industri-ally or clinicindustri-ally important materials that have been carefully analyzed by NIST. They are provided with certified values for certain key properties so that they can be used in experiments as a known refer-ence point.

Nanoscale titanium dioxide powder may well be the most widely manufac-tured and used nanomaterial in the world, and, not coincidentally, it is also one of the most widely studied (FIG. 1). In the form of larger particles, titanium dioxide is a common white pigment. As nanoscale particles, the material is widely used as a photocatalyst, a sterilizing agent and an ultraviolet blocker (in sunscreen lotions, for example).

FIG. 1. The nanoscale crystalline structure of titanium dioxide in NIST SRM 1898 (color added for clarity).

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Impact

10

“Titanium dioxide is not considered highly toxic and, in fact, we don’t certify its toxicity,” said NIST chemist Vincent Hackley. “But it’s a representative industrial nanopowder that you could include in an environmental or toxicity study. It’s impor-tant in such research to include measure-ments that characterize the nanomaterial you’re studying—properties like morphol-ogy, surface area and elemental composi-tion. We’re providing a known benchmark.”

The new titanium dioxide reference material is a mixed phase, nanocrystalline form of the chemical in a dry powder. To assist in its proper use, NIST has devel-oped protocols for properly preparing samples for environmental or toxicologi-cal studies.

The new SRM also is particularly well suited for use in calibrating and testing analytical instruments that measure spe-cific surface area of nanomaterials by the

widely used Brunauer-Emmett-Teller gas sorption method.

Marginal increase forecast

in North American

lubricant market

Although it is estimated that there will be a 3% increase in tonnage carried by private fleet operators in the US through 2016, this is expected to translate to a marginal increase in commercial lubri-cant consumption according to a new lubricants study from Kline and Com-pany. On-highway activity saw a surge in the latter half of 2010 that continued well into 2011. Similarly, the lackluster performance of the construction indus-try between 2008 and 2010 has begun to show signs of a rebound. However, increased service implementation of longer drain interval oils due to a higher penetration of synthetics, growth in oil analysis practices, and an overall increase in commercial vehicles’ mechanical effi-ciency, mean that commercial lubricant consumption is expected to fractionally increase by a compound annual growth rate of just 0.4% to 1.0% to 2016.

Shell remains the leading supplier of lubricants in North America and ac-counts for an estimated 12% of the mar-ket share in 2011, followed by ExxonMo-bil, Chevron and BP.

With the growing realization of the benefits of synthetics and their con-sequent steady uptake, value is rising, while overall demand is being suppressed through inherently longer service inter-vals. Similarly, oil analysis—the labora-tory analysis of a lubricant’s properties, suspended contaminants and wear de-bris—is being increasingly performed during routine preventive maintenance to provide meaningful and accurate in-formation on lubricant and machine condition. By tracking oil analysis sample results over the life of a vehicle, lubricant consumption is optimized.

Re-refined engine oils are slowly mak-ing their way into the commercial auto-motive segment; however, a majority of respondents participating in a survey for the research cited concerns about OEM approvals of such grades and the possible non-availability on the highways, as major deterrents. In particular, the US commer-cial trucking industry generally appears not yet prepared to accept re-refined oils;

A year ago Velan acquired a majority share in ABV Energy (since renamed Velan ABV). Together, we offer a wide range of valves to meet any industrial application, including our latest DTP (discrete tortuous path) choke valves speciﬁcally designed for pressure control where high energy dissipation is required.

So the next time you’re in the market for a valve suitable for oil and gas wellhead control, as well as all type of ﬂuids and aggressive environments, you can rely on Velan ABV. When it comes to valves that offer low emissions, easy maintenance, and long and reliable service, Velan and Velan ABV are the names to trust.

Velan. Quality that lasts.

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Impact

with a majority of equipment/mainte-nance managers interviewed conceding that reliability and logistics issues are prime considerations and impediments.

A number of farmers and farm co-operatives interviewed for this study showed minimal interest in using re-re-fined oils, believing that lubricants made out of re-refined basestocks are of an inferior quality. However, Tushar Raval, director of Kline’s energy practice, notes the opportunity by saying, “An immedi-ate connect can be made by the way of marketing re-refined oils as ‘sustainable’

products and consequently more easily find favor from the farming community.

“Another way of successfully propa-gating the acceptance of these grades is by way of approvals and recommenda-tions from OEMs, such as John Deere,” Mr. Raval said.

Natural gas vehicles

could be gaining traction

A new report from PIRA Energy Group says that the sheer volume of US recoverable gas resources relative to ex-pected demand suggests that benchmark Henry Hub gas prices will remain deeply discounted relative to oil prices beyond this decade. Furthermore, the lengthy period of low-cost gas relative to oil has tremendously broadened support for the view that inexpensive North American gas is here to stay. According to the re-port, by employing off-the-shelf technol-ogies, consumers could be able to accrue substantial savings given the latent ex-pected price advantages of natural gas vs. diesel. Such savings can also be attained in the transportation sector, particularly

with regard to the much discussed devel-opment of natural gas vehicles (NGVs) (FIG. 2). The report concludes that fu-ture gas demand in such NGVs has enor-mous upside potential, led by private sector initiatives, with or without federal government assistance.

Adoption of natural gas into both US commercial trucking and all vari-eties of fleets is approaching a critical threshold, which ultimately could lead to enormous gas demand growth at the expense of diesel fuel. In an overall high case scenario, NGV gas demand would be capable of reaching 14 Bcfd by 2030, suggesting that as much as 2.4 MMbpd of diesel fuel demand could be at risk. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) consumed in Class 8 trucks would be responsible for approximately 70% of that total, 10 Bcfd. Fleet vehicles typically consuming compressed natural gas (CNG) would account for the additional 4 Bcfd. PIRA forecasts natural gas will capture a more moderate, but also impressive, 7 Bcfd share of the US on-highway transporta-tion fuels market by 2030.

FIG. 2. Natural gas vehicles, like this Honda Civic, are starting to gain traction in the US.

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Innovative Solutions

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Innovations

ADRIENNE BLUME, PROCESS EDITOR

[email protected]

Invensys introduces new

technology offerings

Software and technology provider In-vensys Operations Management recently released a program to help clients mod-ernize and improve the performance of aging control systems and other plant equipment. The program guides clients in calculating modernization costs, re-ducing risk, deploying advanced tech-nology, and approaching plant upgrades strategically and systematically.

Under the program, Invensys will de-liver full-scope consulting, project man-agement, engineering, installation and maintenance services, and products and solutions that minimize the risk of operat-ing obsolete technologies. Invensys starts with an assessment to understand the company’s business initiatives and issues. The input received is used to develop a strategic plan that meets the plant’s busi-ness and technology needs. As part of the assessment, Invensys also helps clients es-tablish return-on-investment targets.

The company’s hardware and software offerings address all operational areas of the plant, including instrumentation, in-put/output (I/O) and human/machine interface (HMI), safety and critical con-trol systems, turbomachinery assets, pro-cess safety lifecycle components, cyber security systems and other assets.

In another development, Invensys has extended its virtualization technology of-ferings. Initially focused on the Microsoft HyperV and VMware platforms within its software product lines, the new In-vensys offering now includes thin client support and intelligent solutions for the company’s Foxboro I/A series distribut-ed control system (FIG. 1).

Intended to lower total cost of own-ership and promote successful project delivery, the new offerings will help cus-tomers cut implementation costs, reduce risks, shorten project schedules, improve scheduling integrity, strengthen the abil-ity to respond to project changes, and im-prove global collaboration.

The hardware offerings are formulat-ed to maximize the advantages of virtual-ization technology. Along with intelligent marshalling and engineering services, the offerings include a new range of servers specifically selected and qualified as an optimized virtual machine-hosting appli-ance, a new range of solid-state operator client terminals, thin client management software, a USB modular alarm annun-ciator keyboard, virtual machine-hosting software, recommendations on cyber-security best practices, guest operating system licenses, and specialized support for Invensys control and safety offerings.

Integrated chromatography

aids fuel producers

Bruker’s Chemical and Applied Mar-kets (CAM) division’s CompassCDS data handling system (FIG. 2) networks gas chromatograph (GC) instruments into closed-loop information systems in industrial and applied environments. The system is capable of interfacing with multiple middleware systems, such as supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems and laboratory infor-mation management systems (LIMS). This ensures an unbroken flow of infor-mation and rapid feedback of analytical results to support optimum processing and product validation. Additionally, by removing the need for human interven-tion, the risk for errors is reduced.

The CompassCDS product is built around a central administrative core, known as the “configuration manager.” There are several customized modules that are specific to the petrochemicals industry, including simulated distilla-tion, hydrocarbon analysis and PIONA+ (paraffins, isoparaffins, olefins, naph-thenes and aromatics, plus oxygenates). A simple graphical user interface allows all operations to be carried out from only two screens, which enables ease of use and expedites training. Additionally, the system’s added IntelliUpdate feature au-tomatically corrects both retention time

and timed events on chromatograms fol-lowing instrumental variation over time.

Largest German cellulosic

ethanol plant starts up

Swiss specialty chemicals company Clariant recently inaugurated Germany’s biggest pilot plant (FIG. 3) in Straubing, Bavaria. The €28 million (MM) plant, which is based on Clariant’s sunliquid

FIG. 1. Invensys’ virtualization system allows the user to consolidate many PCs and servers into a high-availability virtual host server.

FIG. 2. Bruker CAM’s CompassCDS system networks gas chromatograph instruments with infosystems.

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Innovations

technology, will produce up to 1,000 metric tons of cellulosic ethanol from around 4,500 metric tons of wheat straw. The pilot plant will confirm the techno-logical feasibility of the sunliquid tech-nique, and the process will later be used in an industrial-scale plant.

According to studies, Germany po-tentially has around 22 MM metric tons of straw that could be used for energy production, which would be sufficient to cover around 25% of the country’s current gasoline requirements. German Federal Minister Annette Schavan com-mented, “This plant clearly demonstrates that products traditionally based on pe-troleum can be manufactured to the same standard using biomass. This new plant serves as an important contribution to a sustainable bioeconomy.”

Software protects

against cyber attacks

Honeywell’s Management of Change (MOC) is an integrated, add-in module that runs on top of DOC4000 assessment software and leverages Web 2.0 technolo-gies to facilitate information flow and collaboration. MOC enables increased safety and compliance, and it helps protect against threats of cyber attacks and safety

hazards at plants, by effectively managing changes and approvals. FIG. 4 _{illustrates the} workflow process for MOC.

MOC also enables improved handling of critical issues, including undocument-ed changes, enhancundocument-ed regulatory compli-ance, reductions in error-prone manual MOC tasks, and unauthorized changes that increase risk.

The module is specifically designed to automatically detect all automation changes, to reconcile MOC cases to changes in the automation system, and to automatically generate reports of un-reconciled changes, all at a 45% lower cost than manual methods. This enables rapid root-cause analysis to ensure business continuity, and it can reduce potentially significant financial impact on production.

Technology enables ethanol

production breakthrough

As countries and companies evaluate their supply options to meet growing trans-portation fuels demand, they will need to balance four priorities: safe and clean fuel blendstocks, cost, energy security, and global environmental impact. Celanese believes that ethanol produced using Cela-nese TCX Technology (FIG. 5_{) is the best} fuel choice to meet these considerations.

Ethanol has already gained acceptance in most global markets as a high-octane, nontoxic, biodegradable fuel. However, traditional production processes are not economically viable, as they compete for arable land and typically require govern-ment mandates or subsidies.

Celanese TCX Technology produces ethanol in a commercially viable, low-cost manner, from locally available hy-drocarbon resources such as natural gas and coal, rather than from corn or sugar cane. For these reasons, no arable land use or government support is required.

Yokogawa’s controller

certified as flow computer

Yokogawa Electric Corp.’s STARDOM FCN autonomous controller (FIG. 6) was recently certified by Measurement Cana-da for use as a flow computer. The certifi-cation is based on the determination that the controller has the same accuracy as a conventional flow computer. Devices sub-ject to its approval are used to measure gas, electricity, mass and volume, and they are tested on a broad range of criteria includ-ing design, construction, markinclud-ing, accu-racy and sealing method.

While conventional flow computers meet all metering requirements, there is now a trend toward embedding this func-tionality in programmable logic control-lers (PLCs) and remote telemetry units (RTUs), which are valued for their du-rable construction and versatile control capabilities.

In addition to conventional analog transmitter signals, which can be affected by noise and variations in the ambient temperature, the STARDOM FCN con-troller supports field digital communica-tion protocols such as HART, Modbus, and Foundation fieldbus for use with a wide range of transmitters. Yokogawa’s plant resource manager (PRM) asset management system increases maintain-ability while reducing both engineering time and the cost of monitoring widely distributed facilities.

SPECTRO wins ACHEMA

Innovation Award

At the ACHEMA chemical engineer-ing and biotechnology trade show in Frankfurt, Germany, in June, SPECTRO Analytical Instruments received the In-novation Award for its SPECTROBLUE ICP-OES spectrometer (FIG. 7_).

Introduced in 2011, the SPECTRO-BLUE ICP-OES spectrometer is targeted for environmental laboratories in need of quick and accurate analyses of wa-ter, wastewawa-ter, sewage sludge and soil samples for toxic heavy metals. SPEC-TROBLUE’s air-cooled, optical plasma interface diverts heat away with an air stream, marking an advance in spectrom-eter technology.

Another innovative feature of SPEC-TROBLUE is its improved sample in-troduction. SPECTRO has significantly FIG. 3. Clariant’s cellulosic ethanol pilot plant

in Straubing is the largest in Germany.

FIG. 4. Honeywell’s MOC software helps protect plants against safety threats.

FIG. 5. Celanese’s TCX Technology produces ethanol from hydrocarbons.

FIG. 6. Yokogawa’s STARDOM FCN controller has been certified for use as a flow computer.

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Innovations

17 shortened the path of the sample into the

plasma, which decreases the duration of the analysis and reduces carryover effects.

SPECTROBLUE’s operating software also includes new, user-friendly functions, such as a comprehensive Smart Analyzer Vision software package and a Smart User Interface that simplifies routine operation.

Mobile tool enables

portable pH reading

Sensorex has developed a mobile ac-cessory for pH measurements that is com-patible with Apple iPod, iPhone and iPad devices. The patent-pending PH-1 pH meter accessory (FIG. 8) measures and re-cords pH values in the lab or field for use in environmental, educational and indus-trial applications.

The PH-1 accessory plugs into the standard Apple dock connector and is powered from the Apple device, requiring no supplemental energy source. It uses a Sensorex pH electrode to measure pH in a range of 0–14, with accuracy to 0.01 pH. It operates in ambient temperatures of 0°C–40°C and in solutions of 0°C–100°C.

The free Sensorex app displays pH, millivolts, ambient temperature and so-lution temperature in real time. The CE-marked device supports one, two, three or more calibration points, and it sends readings by email for later analysis. Also, when used with a GPS-enabled device, the pH meter application will record measurements with both timestamp and

geographic coordinates, eliminating tran-scription errors and improving efficiency.

French consortium

eyes BioOil upgrading

Axens, IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEn) and Dynamotive recently an-nounced completion of agreements for the development, industrialization and commercialization of a proprietary pro-cess to produce transportation fuels from Dynamotive’s BioOil pyrolysis oil. The process is said to have competitive advan-tages compared to existing processes and competing technologies.

Dynamotive will provide pyrolysis oil to IFPEn for the development program, while Axens will lead the development, industrialization and commercialization of the upgrading technology. Laboratory-scale units have been developed and oper-ated in Canada and at IFPEn facilities in Lyon, France, where Dynamotive’s BioOil was upgraded to synthetic hydrocarbons.

Dynamotive’s BioOil technology is based on the application of fast

pyroly-sis (burning without oxygen) to biomass waste (agricultural and forestry) to pro-duce a high-quality, versatile and eco-nomic biofuel. BioOil can be further con-verted into vehicle fuels and chemicals.

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— Bret Pardue, CEO and President, USA Environment

FIG. 7. SPECTRO Analytical Instruments was awarded at ACHEMA for its SPECTROBLUE spectrometer.

FIG. 8. Sensorex’s mobile accessory for pH measurements is compatible with a range of Apple devices.

(19)

Select 55 [email protected] at www.HydrocarbonProcessing.com/RS

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Construction

HELEN MECHE, ASSOCIATE EDITOR

[email protected]

North America

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has a contract from Methanex Corp. to provide engineering, procurement and construction services for a methanol production facility in Louisiana. Offi-cials estimate the construction value to be $550 million.

Jacobs is already executing site-specif-ic engineering and construction manage-ment for the 225-acre location in Geis-mar, Louisiana, from its offices in Baton Rouge, with support for the disassembly from its Santiago, Chile, office. The plant is expected to be operational in the sec-ond half of 2014.

KBR has a general works contract for phase-two construction at a raw gas-processing and compression facility near Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Can-ada. KBR’s Canadian subsidiary, KBR Wabi, will execute construction and relat-ed site support for the facility’s expansion, increasing the existing capacity to 100 million scfd. The award follows KBR’s re-cent work—delivering pipe-rack fabrica-tion and module assembly for phase one of the Dawson Creek plant.

A joint-development agreement, fo-cusing on bio-based butadiene, has been signed by INVISTA and LanzaTech to de-velop one-step and two-step technologies for converting industrial waste-gas carbon-monoxide (CO) into butadiene. Initial commercialization is expected in 2016.

Initially, the focus will be on producing butadiene in a two-step process from Lan-zaTech CO-derived 2,3-butanediol (2,3 BDO). A direct single-step process will also be developed to produce butadiene di-rectly through a gas-fermentation process.

INVISTA and LanzaTech will also jointly collaborate on developing tools that will extend this technology—once developed—to directly produce other industrial chemicals. These include ny-lon intermediates, from CO containing waste gases, using LanzaTech’s

gas-fer-mentation technology and proprietary biochemical platform. INVISTA is build-ing internal biotechnical capability to develop biological routes to its products and feedstocks.

Praxair, Inc., has broken ground on its new air-separation unit in Memphis, Tennessee. With a capacity of 600 tpd, the new plant is scheduled to start up in the second quarter of 2013.

INVISTA has selected its production facility in Orange, Texas, as the initial location to install its next-generation adi-ponitrile (ADN) technology. ADN is a critical intermediate chemical used in the manufacture of nylon 6,6.

The project to convert the Orange site to the new technology is well underway, and INVISTA is expected to invest more than $100 million at the facility in the next 18 months.

The technology, a new butadiene-based chemistry, is said to improve prod-uct yields and ease of operations, while requiring a lower annual-maintenance investment compared to existing tech-nology. Evidenced through operation of a pilot-scale facility, also located in Orange, the technology also delivers significant air emission and waste reductions. The company hopes to be in full production by mid-2014.

Cheniere Energy Partners, L.P. has completed all milestones and has issued Bechtel Oil, Gas and Chemicals, Inc., with a full notice to proceed on construc-tion of the Sabine Pass Liquefacconstruc-tion Proj-ect’s first two liquefaction trains. The first liquefaction train is expected to start op-erations as early as 2015. The second liq-uefaction train is expected to commence operations six to nine months after the first train’s startup.

Flint Hills Resources is considering spending more than $250 million to en-able its West refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, to process more Eagle Ford crude

oil, while extending its ability to reduce criteria air emissions. The company op-erates two Corpus Christi refineries: the West refinery, with a capacity of about 230,000 bpd, and the East refinery, with a capacity of about 70,000 bpd.

Flint Hills Resources expects to sub-mit the persub-mit applications to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the US Environmental Protection Agency in the coming weeks.

South America

A subsidiary of Foster Wheeler AG’s Global Engineering and Construction Group has a contract from Petrobras for a world-scale grassroots gas-to-chemicals complex—Complexo Gás-Químico UFN-IV—in Linhares, Espirito Santo State, Brazil. Foster Wheeler will provide basic engineering design (BED), front-end engineering and design (FEED), as well as technical assistance and training during the engineering, procurement and con-struction (EPC) phase through to success-ful completion of plant performance tests. The BED and FEED will be included in the company’s third-quarter 2012 bookings. The provision of technical as-sistance and training will be booked at a later date, after the FEED is complete, when Petrobras advises that it is proceed-ing with the project’s EPC phase.

TREND ANALYSIS FORECASTING

Hydrocarbon Processing maintains an extensive database of historical HPI project information. The Construction Boxscore Database is a 45-year compilation of projects by type, operating company, licensor, engineering/constructor, location, etc. Many companies use the historical data for trending or sales forecasting. The historical information is available in comma-delimited or Excel®_{and can be custom sorted}

to suit your needs. The cost depends on the size and complexity of the sort requested. You can focus on a narrow request, such as the history of a particular type of project, or you can obtain the entire 45-year Boxscore database or portions thereof. Simply send a clear description of the data needed and receive a prompt cost quotation. Contact Lee Nichols at 713-525-4626 or [email protected]

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Construction

Foster Wheeler will act as integrator for the entire complex, managing the overall BED and FEED, including managing the process licensors and Brazilian subcon-tractors. The BED/FEED phase is sched-uled for completion at the end of 2013.

The complex is expected to produce in excess of 1 million tpy of ammonia and urea fertilizers, methanol, acetic acid, plus formic acid and melamine, helping to re-duce Brazil’s imports of these products.

Europe

Clariant has inaugurated what is said to be Germany’s biggest pilot plant for producing climate-friendly cellulose ethanol from agricultural waste. Located in Straubing, Bavaria, and supported by the Bavarian government and the Feder-al Ministry for Education and Research, the futuristic project will produce up to 1,000 tons of cellulose ethanol from around 4,500 tons of wheat straw based on Clariant’s sunliquid technology. It represents an investment of around €28 million. The sunliquid process is an in-novative biotechnological method that turns plant waste products, such as grain straw and corn straw, into second-gener-ation cellulose ethanol.

Marquard & Bahls, through its sub-sidiary Bomin, and The Linde Group, will establish a joint-venture (JV) com-pany to build infrastructure for liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Europe’s maritime sector. The transaction is subject to the ap-proval of the relevant antitrust authorities. The 50/50 JV is due to start its operations in the latter part of 2012, with its head-quarters based in Hamburg, Germany.

The JV will set out to establish an LNG supply chain and to provide reli-able, safe and environmentally friendly fuel to ship owners and operators. Linde will contribute its vast experience in cryogenics and its best-in-class engineer-ing know-how, while Bomin will support the JV with its excellent track record in maritime bunker-fuel trading and op-erations. The new company will estab-lish operations in a number of key ports throughout the so-called “emission con-trol areas” in Northwest Europe.

CB&I has an award from BASF for the engineering, procurement and construc-tion management of a new butadiene-extraction plant in Antwerp, Belgium.

The contract, which is valued in excess of $50 million, is an essential part of the to-tal BASF investment amount, which will be in the high double-digit million euro range. The plant is scheduled to start up during 2014.

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has a five-year enterprise frame agreement (EFA) from Shell Global Solutions International B.V. to provide engineer-ing and project management services to Shell’s European downstream assets.

The contract has the options to be re-newed for an additional five years and/or to be extended to other Shell businesses such as upstream, and beyond Europe to the Middle East and Africa. Under the EFA, Jacobs will provide services rang-ing from feasibility studies and small plant modifications to discrete projects for Shell’s major refining and chemical sites in Pernis, The Netherlands, and in Rhineland, Germany.

UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, has been selected by Lukoil to provide technology to produce blending compo-nents used to make high-octane gasoline and petrochemicals at Lukoil’s facility in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.

Lukoil will license an integrated suite of Honeywell’s UOP technologies to produce high-quality gasoline-blending components, propylene and other petro-chemicals.

The new units, expected to start up in 2015, will produce more than 1 million metric tpy of gasoline-blending compo-nents and more than 170,000 metric tpy of propylene. In addition to technology licensing, Honeywell’s UOP and a num-ber of its affiliates will provide engineer-ing design, catalysts, adsorbents, equip-ment, staff training and technical service for the project.

Honeywell’s UOP technology to be used in this project includes: Honeywell’s UOP FCC process, to convert straight-run atmospheric gasoils, vacuum gasoils, certain atmospheric residues and heavy stocks recovered from other refinery op-erations into high-octane gasoline, pro-pylene and light fuel oils; Honeywell’s UOP HF Alkylation process to produce a high-quality gasoline-blending com-ponent, typically referred to as alkylate; Honeywell’s UOP Caustic Merox process to remove sulfur from liquefied petro-www.ﬂexim.com

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Construction

leum gas (LPG) streams; Honeywell’s UOP Huels Selective Hydrogenation Process (SHP) to minimize acid con-sumption in the alkylation unit, produce 2-butene and maximize alkylate yields; and Honeywell’s UOP Butamer process to convert butane to isobutane, a primary feedstock used to produce alkylate in the HF Alkylation process.

LANXESS has chosen Burckhardt Compression to deliver one process gas compressor for its chemical production site in Leverkusen, Germany. The com-pressor will be used to compress ethylene from 17 bara to 495 bara. In addition, Burckhardt Compression (Deutschland) GmbH has been awarded an order from LANXESS to revamp two existing process gas compressors.

A gas-to-liquids (GTL) project in Uz-bekistan was named OLTIN YO’L GTL at a formal ceremony in Tashkent involv-ing representatives from the three joint-venture (JV) companies: Uzbekneft-egaz, Sasol and PETRONAS.

The naming of the JV project fol-lowed a ceremony to mark the start of infrastructure development by the Gov-ernment of Uzbekistan at the proposed GTL plant site at Shurtan in the south of Uzbekistan. It also aimed at support-ing the project schedule to enable a final investment decision, which is expected during the second half of 2013.

When commissioned, the 38,000-bpd plant will produce a combination of GTL diesel and GTL naphtha and, in an im-portant development in the application of GTL fuels, GTL kerosine for the avia-tion sector.

Neste Oil has completed the first phase of its project to build a pilot plant for producing microbial oil. Plant con-struction is on schedule and on budget. The first phase will enable the growth of oil-producing microorganisms, and the following phases will concentrate on raw material pretreatment and oil recovery. The goal is to develop the technology so that it is capable of yielding commer-cial volumes of microbial oil for use as a feedstock for NExBTL renewable diesel. Commercial-scale production is expect-ed by 2015 at the earliest.

The pilot plant is expected to be fully complete in the second half of 2012, and

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(23)

Construction

it represents an investment of approxi-mately €8 million by Neste Oil.

Microbial oil technology is attractive because of its efficiency and sustainabil-ity. Neste Oil has carried out pioneering research in the field and has applied for numerous patents covering its micro-bial oil technology. A number of partners have been involved in this work, includ-ing Aalto University.

In May 2012, ThyssenKrupp Uhde won a front-end-engineering and design contract for a single-train polypropylene (PP) plant based on LyondellBasell’s Spheripol process technology for Zap-SibNeftekhim L.L.C, a wholly owned subsidiary of SIBUR.

The 500,000-tpy plant is planned to be constructed in Tobolsk, Russian. The plant will produce a wide range of high-quality PP brands.

Evonik Industries has laid the foun-dation stone for a new, large plant to produce functionalized polybutadienes in Marl, Germany. The plant, with a

ca-pacity of several thousand metric tpy, is scheduled for completion in mid-2013. The investment, in the company’s largest production site worldwide, is in the mid double-digit million euro range.

The new plant can make optimum use of the existing infrastructure and raw ma-terial supplies, and utilize synergies with the current polybutadiene plants in the Marl Chemical Park.

Middle East

KAR Group has announced the third expansion of its Kalak refinery to 185,000 bpd. Process units and utilities are being provided by Ventech Engineers LLC of Pasadena, Texas. Ventech has provided modularized crude-distillation units, naphtha hydrotreaters, catalytic reform-ers, isomerization units and demercapta-nization systems, as well as gas plants and supporting utilities to the project.

This is the refinery’s third expan-sion, and is a continuation of Ventech’s modular construction methods. The first phase utilized 26 process modules to add 20,000 bpd of refining capacity to KAR’s

existing 20,000-bpd plant. The subse-quent second phase provided an addi-tional 60,000 bpd of total refining capac-ity and was completed in 2011.

The third expansion consists of two 30,000-bpd modular complexes at the same site, as well as a 15,000-bpd con-densate-processing facility. Once this latest phase is complete and operational, total capacity at the Kalak refinery will be over 185,000 bpd, and it will report-edly remain the country’s sole producer of unleaded gasoline, as well as the largest privately owned refinery in Iraq.

Construction has started in Abu Dha-bi, of what is said to be the largest Claus plant in the world. By the end of 2013, once construction is complete, Haldor Topsøe will supply the plant with 380 tons of the gas-treating catalyst TK-220.

TK-220 is a CoMo hydrotreating catalyst specifically developed for treat-ing tail gases derived from Claus or other similar units. The delivery is part of an agreement that Haldor Topsøe has made with BASF.

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Construction

Asia-Pacific

Jilin Qianyuan Energy Development has selected Chemtex, along with Black & Veatch’s patented PRICO LNG tech-nology, to deliver a major liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility. Expected to be com-pleted in late 2013, the 500,000-Nm3/d plant will reportedly be the largest of its kind in Northeast China. It will be deliv-ered by the Chemtex/Black & Veatch team using a complete lump-sum engineering, procurement and construction package.

The new facility will liquefy inlet pipe-line natural gas. The LNG will be used primarily by trucks and other vehicles as an alternative fuel to diesel and petrol.

In addition to utilizing PRICO technol-ogy, the plant integrates a nitrogen-strip-ping process. This will contend with high nitrogen levels in the pipeline feed gas. A special boil-off gas reliquefaction system will also be installed to prevent unneces-sary fuel loss and increase plant efficiency. GTC Technology US, LLC, is licens-ing its GT-BTX extractive distillation

process to produce high-purity aromat-ics at Reliance Industries’ Jamnagar refining and petrochemical complex in Gujarat, India. This license is part of a consortium with CB&I Lummus Tech-nology to supply techTech-nology for a multi-unit complex for benzene and paraxy-lene production.

Australia Pacific LNG has selected technology developed by Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) Advanced Solutions business to deliver a data con-solidation and reporting technology framework. The solution, built on Intu-ition Executive, will support the produc-tion, operations and asset-management functions of its world-class coal-seam gas (CSG) to liquefied natural gas (LNG) project. Origin, the upstream operator of the Australia Pacific LNG project, is the largest producer of CSG in Australia, supplying gas to power stations to pro-duce electricity with lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Australia Pacific LNG’s operational framework, built on Intuition Executive,

will support improved communication and data management, cross functional workflows and improved notification of key operational events to better analyze, prioritize, automate, and manage opera-tional tasks and abnormal situations.

Air Liquide has laid the first stone of a new hydrogen plant through a long-term agreement with Zhejiang Huafon Spandex Co., Ltd. (Huafon) to supply hydrogen for its 120,000-tpy cyclohexa-none project located in Liaoyang Aro-matics and Fine Chemical Park, Liaoyang city, China.

Under the agreement, Air Liquide will invest in a new steam methane reformer (SMR) unit that will supply 13,000 Nm3_/ hr of hydrogen, as well as steam to Hua-fon via pipelines. This new unit, which is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2013, uses Lurgi’s latest technologies providing high reliability, world-class safety and energy efficiency, and will be designed and manufactured by the Air Liquide engineering and construction team based in Shanghai.

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Construction

SIBUR Petrochemical India, a sub-sidiary of SIBUR, has started operations in Mumbai, India. The company’s pri-mary focus is to construct a butyl-rubber facility in Jamnagar. The plant, which will operate at a capacity of 100,000 tpy, is being built as a joint venture with Reli-ance Industries. The new subsidiary will work alongside Indian partners, as well as provide support to SIBUR employees coming to India to carry out installation and startup work at the new plant.

Synthesis Energy Systems, Inc.’s syngas production facility for its Yima joint-venture (JV) coal-to-methanol project in Henan Province, China, com-pleted a test run of the first of three gas-ifiers currently under commissioning.

During the commissioning phase, each of the three gasifiers will be oper-ated under various test conditions to vet the gasifier and support systems to prepare the facility for commercial op-eration. This test was the first for this gasifier system operating on oxygen from the project’s air-separation unit.

Coal supplied by Yima was introduced into the gasifier, which operated for sev-eral hours while the Yima JV team suc-cessfully gathered data that will help in preparation for plant startup. The proj-ect will continue in the commissioning phase for several more weeks and is ex-pected to move into commercial opera-tion later in 2012.

Intergraph has a contract with San-tos for the use of SmartPlant Enterprise for Owner Operators (SPO), along with other SmartPlant Enterprise solutions. Santos will use Intergraph technol-ogy to manage its existing facilities and those in its Gladstone liquefied natural gas (GLNG) project in Queensland, Australia.

Santos GLNG will use world-lead-ing technology to process coal-seam gas (CSG) into LNG. The project is a partnership between Santos (operator), PETRONAS, Total and KOGAS.

SPO enables Santos to address in-teroperability issues, while enhancing plant safety and reliability, quality and

productivity. In addition to SPO, San-tos has implemented SmartPlant 3D, SmartPlant Foundation, SmartPlant In-strumentation, SmartPlant Electrical, SmartPlant P&ID and Leica Geosys-tems laser-scanning solutions, and also used the Intergraph Data Conversion Center for converting P&ID drawings into intelligent data. Besides the GLNG project, Santos will also use these design and engineering solutions for the entire life cycle of its facilities for both green-field and browngreen-field projects, with plans to extend these solutions to its existing facilities within the Asia-Pacific region.

CB&I has a contract with the Hebei Haiwei Group for the license and basic-engineering design of a grassroots pro-pane dehydrogenation unit to be located in Jingxian, Hebei Province, China. The unit will use the CATOFIN propane de-hydrogenation process from Lummus Technology, which uses Süd-Chemie’s latest CATOFIN catalyst to produce 500,000 metric tpy of propylene. The unit is expected to start up in 2015.

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