The Experts below are selected from a list of 306 Experts worldwide ranked by ideXlab platform
Gavin P. Towler - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Analysis of Refinery Hydrogen Distribution Systems
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2002Co-Authors: Joao J. Alves, Gavin P. TowlerAbstract:Increasingly strict environmental and product-quality regulations, the shrinking market for high-sulfur fuels, and the price benefit of processing heavier and more sour crude oils has pushed oil refiners to increase their hydrocracking and hydrotreating capacities. The resulting increase in hydrogen consumption and limited or even decreased generation are creating tight hydrogen balances in many refineries throughout the world. The efficient use of hydrogen is a necessity, with refineries facing eroded margins due to constrained Refinery operations or the need for significant investments in hydrogen generation and purification. This paper addresses the problem of Refinery hydrogen distribution. A systematic method for the analysis of hydrogen distribution systems based on the concept of hydrogen surplus is proposed. This method sets targets for the minimum flow rate of fresh hydrogen required by the Refinery before any system design. The analysis method is used to provide quantitative insights and to iden...
-
Refinery hydrogen management: Cost analysis of chemically-integrated facilities
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 1996Co-Authors: Gavin P. Towler, Reg Mann, And Arnaud J-l. Serriere, Cecile M. D. GabaudeAbstract:Market forces and environmental legislation are increasing demand for hydrogen in oil refineries, while simultaneously restricting traditional hydrogen sources such as catalytic reforming. Effective recovery and efficient use of hydrogen are necessary if refiners are to maintain feedstock and product flexibility while avoiding unnecessary capital expenditure. A methodology for assessment of hydrogen resources is developed by analogy with the problem of process heat recovery. The effectiveness of hydrogen use is related to the cost of hydrogen recovery and the value added in hydrogen-consuming processes. The costs of hydrogen recovery by pressure-swing adsorption and membrane permeation are described. The value added in hydrogen-consuming processes and the availability of hydrogen are determined by the process chemistry and the prevailing economic conditions. A graphical display of the availability and distribution of hydrogen resources provides insight into Refinery design and operations that supplements the information available from optimization by linear programming.
Michael Wang - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Criteria Air Pollutant and Greenhouse Gases Emissions from U.S. Refineries Allocated to Refinery Products
2019Co-Authors: Pingping Sun, Ben Young, Amgad Elgowainy, Michael Wang, Ben Morelli, Troy HawkinsAbstract:Using Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program data (GHGRP) and National Emissions Inventory data from 2014, we investigate U.S. Refinery greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (CO2, CH4, and N2O) and criteria air pollutant (CAP) emissions (VOC, CO, NOx, SO2, PM10, and PM2.5). The study derives (1) combustion emission factors (EFs) of Refinery fuels (e.g., Refinery catalyst coke and Refinery combined gas), (2) U.S. Refinery GHG emissions and CAP emissions per crude throughput at the national and regional levels, and (3) GHG and CAP emissions attributable to U.S. Refinery products. The latter two emissions were further itemized by source: combustion emission, process emission, and facility-wide emission. We estimated U.S. Refinery product GHG and CAP emissions via energy allocation at the Refinery process unit level. The unit energy demand and unit flow information were adopted from the Petroleum Refinery Life Cycle Inventory Model (PRELIM version 1.1) by fitting individual U.S. refineries. This study fills an important information gap because it (1) evaluates Refinery CAP emissions along with GHG emissions and (2) provides CAP and GHG emissions not only for Refinery main products (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, etc.) but also for Refinery secondary products (asphalt, lubricant, wax, light olefins, etc.)
-
a comparative assessment of resource efficiency in petroleum refining
Fuel, 2015Co-Authors: Jeongwoo Han, Amgad Elgowainy, Michael Wang, Grant S Forman, Hao Cai, Vincent B DivitaAbstract:Because of increasing environmental and energy security concerns, a detailed understanding of energy efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the petroleum refining industry is critical for fair and equitable energy and environmental policies. To date, this has proved challenging due in part to the complex nature and variability within refineries. In an effort to simplify energy and emissions Refinery analysis, we delineated LP modeling results from 60 large refineries from the US and EU into broad categories based on crude density (API gravity) and heavy product (HP) yields. Product-specific efficiencies and process fuel shares derived from this study were incorporated in Argonne National Laboratory's GREET life-cycle model, along with regional upstream GHG intensities of crude, natural gas and electricity specific to the US and EU regions. The modeling results suggest that refineries that process relatively heavier crude inputs and have lower yields of HPs generally have lower energy efficiencies and higher GHG emissions than refineries that run lighter crudes with lower yields of HPs. The former types of refineries tend to utilize energy-intensive units which are significant consumers of utilities (heat and electricity) and hydrogen. Among the three groups of refineries studied, the major difference in the energy intensitiesmore » is due to the amount of purchased natural gas for utilities and hydrogen, while the sum of Refinery feed inputs are generally constant. These results highlight the GHG emissions cost a refiner pays to process deep into the barrel to produce more of the desirable fuels with low carbon to hydrogen ratio. (c) 2015 Argonne National Laboratory. Published by Elsevier Ltd.« less
-
allocation of energy use in petroleum refineries to petroleum products implications for life cycle energy use and emission inventory of petroleum transportation fuels
International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 2004Co-Authors: Michael Wang, Hanjie Lee, J C MolburgAbstract:Aim, Scope, and Background Studies to evaluate the energy and emission impacts of vehicle/fuel systems have to address allocation of the energy use and emissions associated with petroleum refineries to various petroleum products because refineries produce multiple products. The allocation is needed in evaluating energy and emission effects of individual transportation fuels. Allocation methods used so far for petroleum-based fuels (e.g., gasoline, diesel, and liquefied petroleum gas [LPG]) are based primarily on mass, energy content, or market value shares of individual fuels from a given Refinery. The aggregate approach at the Refinery level is unable to account for the energy use and emission differences associated with producing individual fuels at the next sub-level: individual refining processes within a Refinery. The approach ignores the fact that different Refinery products go through different processes within a Refinery. Allocation at the subprocess level (i.e., the refining process level) instead of at the aggregate process level (i.e., the Refinery level) is advocated by the International Standard Organization. In this study, we seek a means of allocating total Refinery energy use among various Refinery products at the level of individual Refinery processes.
Cecile M. D. Gabaude - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
Refinery hydrogen management: Cost analysis of chemically-integrated facilities
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 1996Co-Authors: Gavin P. Towler, Reg Mann, And Arnaud J-l. Serriere, Cecile M. D. GabaudeAbstract:Market forces and environmental legislation are increasing demand for hydrogen in oil refineries, while simultaneously restricting traditional hydrogen sources such as catalytic reforming. Effective recovery and efficient use of hydrogen are necessary if refiners are to maintain feedstock and product flexibility while avoiding unnecessary capital expenditure. A methodology for assessment of hydrogen resources is developed by analogy with the problem of process heat recovery. The effectiveness of hydrogen use is related to the cost of hydrogen recovery and the value added in hydrogen-consuming processes. The costs of hydrogen recovery by pressure-swing adsorption and membrane permeation are described. The value added in hydrogen-consuming processes and the availability of hydrogen are determined by the process chemistry and the prevailing economic conditions. A graphical display of the availability and distribution of hydrogen resources provides insight into Refinery design and operations that supplements the information available from optimization by linear programming.
Matthew Chesnes - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
the impact of outages on prices and investment in the u s oil refining industry
Energy Economics, 2015Co-Authors: Matthew ChesnesAbstract:Abstract This paper considers the effects of Refinery outages (due to planned turn-arounds or unplanned events) on current petroleum product prices and future Refinery investment. Empirical evidence on these relationships is mixed and highly dependent on the size and duration of the outage, the geographic area considered, the level of inventories available at the time of the outage, and the tightness of the market as measured by the capacity utilization rate. Using a detailed database of plant-level Refinery outages for both upstream and downstream refining units, I estimate the effects of outages on product prices controlling for the crude oil price and the ability of operating plants to respond to the outage. I also consider the effect of current market profitability on the likelihood of planned Refinery outages and the effects of high utilization rates and planned maintenance on the prospects for unplanned outages. I then use plant-level capacity data to analyze the effects of outages, profitability, and utilization rates on future investment decisions of the Refinery. Results based on probit and hazard models show that planned outages tend to occur during the spring and fall and during times of relatively low margins as measured by the crack spread, while unplanned outages are negatively associated with the capacity utilization rate. Price regressions show that atmospheric distillation and catalytic cracking outages are positively associated with gasoline prices and the association is stronger the higher is the utilization rate at the time of the outage. The relationship between both upstream and downstream investment and outages is mixed though refiners tend to invest less when nearby plants have made investments in the prior year. While causal relationships between outages, prices, and investment are difficult to estimate due to simultaneity and unobserved variables, these descriptive results show that outages are an important factor affecting refined product prices and future Refinery investment.
-
the impact of outages on prices and investment in the us oil refining industry
2014Co-Authors: Matthew ChesnesAbstract:This paper considers the effects of Refinery outages (due to planned turn-arounds or unplanned events) on current petroleum product prices and future Refinery investment. Empirical evidence on these relationships is mixed and highly dependent on the size and duration of the outage, the geographic area considered, the level of inventories available at the time of the outage, and the tightness of the market as measured by the capacity utilization rate. Using a detailed database of plant-level Refinery outages for both upstream and downstream refining units, I estimate the effects of outages on product prices controlling for the crude oil price and the ability of operating plants to respond to the outage. I also consider the effect of current market profitability on the likelihood of planned Refinery outages and the effects of high utilization rates and planned maintenance on the prospects for unplanned outages. I then use plant-level capacity data to analyze the effects of outages, profitability, and utilization rates on future investment decisions of the Refinery.Results based on OLS and probit models show that planned outages tend to occur during the spring and fall and during times of relatively low margins as measured by the crack spread. The length of time since the last plant turn-around is positively associated with future unplanned outages. Price regressions show that atmospheric distillation and catalytic cracking outages are positively associated with gasoline prices and the association is stronger the higher is the utilization rate at the time of the outage. The relationship between both upstream and downstream investment and outages is mixed though refiners tend to invest less when nearby plants have made investments in the prior year. While causal relationships between outages, prices, and investment are difficult to estimate due to simultaneity and unobserved variables, these descriptive results show that outages are an important factor affecting refined product prices and future Refinery investment.
M Gadalla - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
-
exceeding pinch limits by process configuration of an existing modern crude oil distillation unit a case study from refining industry
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2019Co-Authors: Omar S Bayomie, Omar Abdelaziz, M GadallaAbstract:Abstract Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) represents significant challenge for retrofitting and energy optimisation as the most energy intensive consumer in a conventional crude oil Refinery. Pinch Technology and its based-methodologies are found primary keys for decades to energy savings in refining industries for a range of common economic-based and environmental objectives or applications. Typical benefits in energy savings are reported within 20–40% of original designs. However, such savings are limited and questioned when modern refiners are dealt with. The current paper addresses the revamping of a modern Refinery exhibiting an existing high energy efficiency (≈93%). This implies the maximum potential energy savings would only be 7% at current process conditions. The present research proposes an algorithm that tackles energy recovery of modern refiners, enabling additional savings beyond the energy targets set by the existing process. The algorithm starts by process simulation and validation against real plant data, followed by a network optimisation, e.g. stream splitting, to reach the energy targets set by Pinch Analysis. The energy targets are then moved to another lower level by performing potential process modifications to reduce the energy consumption further. Results showed that the current modern Refinery unit could reach its energy targets by stream splitting modifications with hot energy savings of 2.69 MW. Process modifications resulted in additional energy savings of 31.3% beyond the current level of the existing plant alongside less than a year of payback period for estimated capital investment. An environmental assessment is performed, and comparable reductions were obtained with respect to greenhouse gas, with reduction in CO2 emissions by 45.1%. The proposed retrofit methodology is applicable to minimising energy consumptions of refiners including modern units to achieve energy levels beyond energy targets by new process modifications.
