August 2015 HYDROCARBONENGINEERING August 2015 www.hydrocarbonengineering.com We create chemistry that makes individual refiners love fueling the world. As the global leader in catalysis, BASF's drive is to fuel the world by providing innovative technologies, products, and services to enhance performance and sustainability for the petroleum refining industry. We create and deliver value to refineries through flexible FCC catalysts and additive solutions, and advanced technical service. When individual solutions solve global problems, it's because at BASF, we create chemistry. www.catalysts.basf.com/refining contents August 2015 Volume 20 Number 8 ISSN 1468-9340 (03) Comment (59) Hydrogen from hydrogen sulfide: part two (05) World News Rasheed A. Adewale, Abdallah S. Berrouk and Satyadileep Dara, Petroleum Institute, UAE, examine new processes for the (12) Russian refining dissociation of hydrogen sulfide into hydrogen and sulfur Nancy Yamaguchi, Contributing Editor, discusses developments in Russia's downstream oil sector, and the push for upgrading (64) Revolutionary sulfur recovery and exports Mark C. Anderson, ThioSolv, LLC, USA, outlines a new process that can help refineries to increase sulfur recovery capacity (26) Mountain high, ocean deep and reduce operating costs Stephen Harrison and Ismail Erilhan, Linde Gases, discuss means to reduce atmospheric emissions from marine shipping (71) The power of connection Marco Salvemini, GE Oil & Gas, Italy, explains how condition (35) Quality not quantity monitoring and remote diagnostics can help to connect At a time of low oil prices, many have started to question people, data and machines in the oil and gas industry whether opportunities for smaller scale gas to liquids remain. Neville Hargreaves, Velocys, UK, explains where these (75) Need an upgrade? opportunities still do exist and why, in this tougher market, Dmitry Moskalenko, Vitaly Tatarinov, Alexey Borovkov and quality counts Denis Pestov, Hoerbiger Moscow, explain how converting an old reciprocating compressor to mini lube operation has (39) Know your stuff cut costs and improved reliability at a Russian petrochemical Ankur Jariwala, Cameron, USA, explains how selecting an facility efficient and cost effective gas treating system calls for thorough self analysis (78) Evolutionary challenges Tom Brown, Elliot Group, USA, considers why the evolution of (45) Putting a trace on components: olefin production poses compression challenges part two Johnny Johnson, Jeff Matthews annd Jane Nichols, URS (85) Precision piping Corporation, USA, discuss optimisation of the application and Medhat Zaghloul, Compressor Controls Corporation, USA, arrangement of process technologies for specific feed gas discusses parallel expander recompressor controls and piping compositions layouts for parallel turbomachinery trains (50) Pioneering ethane technology (89) 21st century reciprocating Christopher Campos, Ebara International Corp., USA, talks compressors through the development of ethane technology, providing a Greg Phillippi, Ariel Corporation, USA, outlines the role, and logistical view of natural gas liquid products development, of reciprocating compressors in the downstream (55) Pinched performance: part two oil and gas industry Ralph Weiland, Nate Hatcher and Scott Alvis, Optimized Gas (95) Compressor Review Treating, Inc., USA, discuss the importance of quantitative Hydrocarbon Engineering provides an overview of the awareness of absorber pinch conditions most advanced compressor technologies available in the downstream processing industry (120) 15 facts on... This month we give you 15 facts on Brazil Two cracked gas compressors at Elliott Group’s Jeannette, Pennsylvania, factory are prepared This month's for shipment to a new ethylene plant along the Gulf Coast. Cracked gas and refrigeration front cover compressors from Elliott’s factories in the USA and Japan are operating in olefin plants throughout the world. 2015 Member of ABC Audit Bureau of Circulations © Copyright Palladian Publications Ltd 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a Join the retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, follow connect like join without the prior permission of the copyright owner. All views expressed in this journal are those of the respective contributors conversation and are not necessarily the opinions of the publisher, neither do the publishers endorse any of the claims made in the articles or @Energy_Global Hydrocarbon Energy Global Hydrocarbon Engineering Engineering the advertisements. Printed in the UK. Uncaptioned images courtesy of www.shutterstock.com. It’s what we do. Sandvik sulphur solidification solutions Our acquisition of the technology and n Rotoform granulation for premium know-how of the Brimrock Group means quality and small/mid-size capacity we now offer a full range of solidification n Fully automated Brimrock RS1500™ for solutions, from our proven Rotoform fast, reliable high capacity granulation pastillation process and Brimrock n Block pouring for cost effective long RS1500™ granulation to complete block term storage pouring and forming facilities. No wonder n End-to-end process capability – we’re known as The Sulphur Company. from receipt of liquid sulphur to storage, handling and loading Sandvik Process Systems Division of Sandvik Materials Technology Deutschland GmbH Salierstr. 35, 70736 Fellbach, Germany Tel: +49 711 5105-0 · Fax: +49 711 5105-152 · [email protected] www.processsystems.sandvik.com SANDVIK-what-we-do-pastille_granule_block.indd 2 13/06/2014 11:03 comment Claira Lloyd Editor ome sections of our industry are taking a hit due to the sector so much so that there the drop in oil prices, but one segment that appears is very little other nations, such as to be growing in leaps in bounds is petrochemicals. Europe, can do to compete. Europe’s In a recent market report, Transparency Market petrochemicals sector is of course Research said that the global petrochemicals sector benefitting from the cheap feedstock Swas valued at US$558.61 billion in 2013 and is expected to hit prices to an extent, as its main US$885.07 billion by 2020, equating to a compound annual feedstock is naphtha, however, as growth rate (CAGR) of 6.8% between 2014 and 2020. But, I do Ben van Beurden, Chief Executive of wonder, is everyone going to benefit equally? Royal Dutch Shell, said in a recent Frost & Sullivan recently commented on Mexico’s Financial Times article, “in terms of petrochemicals sector. The company reported that fundamental competitiveness, Europe is still behind the US and petrochemicals markets throughout the country are expected the Middle East because the feedstock is still more expensive.” to grow at the highest CAGR from 2014 - 2020, between 11.3% So, Europe seems to be a region that isn’t having such a and 8.7%, respectively. This is a market revenue increase from good run in the petrochemicals sector and sadly the plastics 2013 levels of US$1.06 billion to an estimated US$1.64 billion industry isn’t reaping cheap oil price benefits either. Over in 2020. This growth is coming markedly from the automotive the last 10 years, Europe’s petrochemicals sector has been industry as the industry looks to make vehicles lighter and suffering from chronic under investment, so much so that more efficient, which calls for plastic components rather than EuPC has reported that over the past six months there have metal to save weight. But it doesn’t stop there. Automotive been 41 shutdowns across Europe’s petrochemical plants in manufacturers are (re)locating factories in Mexico to encourage comparison to 26 for the whole of 2014. This has of course petrochemicals growth further as, as Frost & Sullivan has had the knock on effect of keeping petrochemicals prices reported, the nation has multiple trade agreements in place, high, despite lower feedstock prices, due to the cut in output which means that import taxes do not have to be paid by and volumes available on the market. This is obviously not manufacturers, and this has created a very favourable economic good news for plastics companies in the region, as they have environment. to continue paying high prices. So it seems that while the The US is another country benefitting from petrochemicals global petrochemicals sector is moving from strength to sector growth, and I’m sure we all know why. The speedy strength on the whole, the wealth is not equally shared or development of shale gas is providing a cheap and alternative proportional geographically, or necessarily beneficial to those feedstock for the nation’s petrochemicals sector. It is enhancing further down the sector’s supply chain. contact info MANAGING EDITOR James Little PRODUCTION Ben Munro [email protected] [email protected] EDITOR Claira Lloyd WEB MANAGER Tom Fullerton [email protected] [email protected] WEB EDITOR Callum O’Reilly EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Rosalie Starling [email protected] [email protected] CIRCULATION MANAGER Victoria McConnell 15 South Street Farnham Surrey ADVERTISEMENT DIRECTOR Rod Hardy [email protected] [email protected] GU9 7QU ENGLAND SUBSCRIPTIONS Laura Cowell Tel: +44 (0) 1252 718 999 ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER Chris Atkin [email protected] Fax: +44 (0) 1252 718