Carmagen Newsletter
Our newsletter contains information and viewpoints on engineering topics relevant to the process and energy related industries.
The articles provide generalized information and should not be relied upon as
advice for specific applications; nor should the statements or opinions
contained therein be deemed to constitute engineering or consulting advice.
We note that advice can change depending on the factual circumstances unique to
each project.
Contact us to be placed on our mailing list and be notified when a new issue of our newsletter is posted on our website.
January 2012 
The article below is in the January Newsletter
- Nano Refining
The popular perception of a petroleum
refinery generally conjures up images of large-scale towers, vessels,
reactors, pumps, and compressors facilitating processes measured in
thousands of barrels or tonnes of crude oil, steam, and derived
products. What is less appreciated is how much of modern
refining is pinioned on the use of materials whose functions can only
be properly understood and controlled by delving into the world of the
very small. That refineries operate today at a high efficiency,
can largely be attributed in good part to a shift from property-based
processing, reliant on bulk measures such as viscosity, boiling point,
pour point and color, into refining strategies tuned to
transformations at the molecular level enabled by new materials.
Modern refining is the confluence of macro-scale engineering with
nano-scale catalytic chemistry.
November 2011
The article below is in the November Newsletter
- Product Quality and Energy Use Improvements Through Better Process
Control
After a plant has been built, it has a control system that reflects
the "state of the art" at the time of construction and commissioning.
It then typically operates with the "as built" controls for many
years. In a complex refinery or chemical plant, many process
units are typically added or modified over a number of years.
So, we end up with field instrumentation, controls, and control rooms
that are probably very dissimilar. This leads to the usual
maintenance challenges because we must deal with many different
product vendors, spare parts that are becoming harder to get, and
often find ourselves in a situation where modern network technologies
cannot be used to extract and store process data for archiving and
analysis. In addition, there may be too many control rooms that
require significant upkeep, and that do not meet current "best
practices" standards.
October 2011
The article below is in the October Newsletter
- Proprietary CTI
In the July 2011 issue of the Carmagen eNews, George Swan introduced
the use of Competitive Technology Intelligence (CTI) as an important
element in developing a good business plan. That article focused
on patent searching and systematic (computerized) evaluation of
technical threats to a commercial position. Consideration of
patent timing, intensity, and focus can lead to a "map" of competitor
Intellectual Property (IP) strategies. This article continues to
examine CTI tools focusing on the use of non-patent sources to
determine how IP fits into competitor strategies.
September 2011
The article below is in the September Newsletter
- Designing Delayed Coker Drums to ASME VIII Division 2
Coke drums in delayed coker units are pressure vessels that are used
in the oil sands and conventional petroleum refinery processing
industries for the thermal cracking of reduced bitumen to recover
additional saleable gas and liquid product streams. The drums
are typically constructed to the requirements of ASME VIII Division 1,
although they are in a low cycle, thermal-mechanical service
environment. Recent practice has been to introduce design by
analysis considerations from ASME VIII Division 2, even though service
temperatures of the actual equipment exceed the design limits of the
Division 2 Code [1, 2].
August 2011
The article below is in the August Newsletter
- Calculating Safety Valve Fire Relief Loads for Multicomponent
Systems
According to the ASME Code, pressure vessels must be protected against
overpressure caused by exposure to external fires. When a vessel
containing liquid is exposed to an external fire, the contained liquid
will vaporize and, potentially, cause the vessel pressure to exceed
its maximum allowable working pressure unless the resulting vapor is
relieved at a flow rate equal to the vapor generation rate.
July 2011
The article below is in the July Newsletter
- Competitive Technology Intelligence (CTI): Surveying the
Competitor Landscape
An important element of good business plans is knowledge of the
competition, not only their current operations but also probable future
trends. This is particularly relevant for the refining and chemical
process industry where technology evolution is critical to improving
profitability. Benchmarking against the competition provides a basis
for key investment decisions, but benchmarking is often a formidable task
since the required information is not easily accessible. However,
over 90% of valuable competitor technology insights may be found in the
public domain; the challenge is to collect "intelligence" from multiple
sources and then fit the pieces of the puzzle together to create a unified
picture of the competitor landscape.
June 2011
The article below is in the June Newsletter
- About Compressor Drivers in Gas Production and Transmission
Applications
Gas compressors that are used in natural gas production and
transmission applications are fundamentally of two types: positive
displacement and centrifugal or turbo-compressors. Displacement
compressors are reciprocating or rotary screw machines. Displacement
compressors are designed to move relatively small quantities of gas at
high pressure differentials. Smaller and medium sized reciprocating
compressors, and for smaller gas flows lately, rotary screw compressors
are applied in gas production and gathering where high pressure
differentials are required. Turbo-compressors convey gas in large
quantities with a relatively low pressure rise. Larger size
turbo-compressors have been mostly utilized in long distance transmission
services.
May 2011
The article below is in the May Newsletter
- Logistical Forensics
Logistics, the flow of petroleum crude movements and product
distribution, plays a major role in refinery operations. Logistical
problems cause refiners' nightmares. If precipitates overwhelm
desalters, then flows may need to be reduced in the entire refinery.
If a process stream is contaminated, then blended products may be off
spec. If a delivered product is unacceptable to customers, then
entire distribution systems may get backed up. Because any of these
problems may be related to contamination or process failures, they may be
subject to litigation. In such cases, determination of
responsibility falls to "logistical forensics."
April 2011
The article below is in the April Newsletter
- Biodiesels - What are They?
Three distinct types of biodiesels form the bulk of what is available today:
- Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) or Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters (FAEE)
-
Hydrogenated Biomass (Vegetable or Animal Fat) Oils Biodiesel
- Gasified
Biomass Fischer-Tropsch Synthesized Biodiesel
Biodiesels are also categorized by "generations," where FAME-type biodiesels
are the 1st generation, while the hydrogenated biomass oil and Fischer-Tropsch
diesels are part of the 2nd generation.
March 2011
The article below is in the March Newsletter
- Increasing Fired Heater Thermal Efficiency
Increasing the thermal efficiency of a Fired Heater reduces the heater's
carbon footprint and operating costs. For example, assuming a Fired
Heater with a heat release of 100 MBTU/hr, an increase in efficiency of 1%
will result in a savings of $38K/yr at a fuel cost of $4 per MBTU.
February 2011
The article below is in the February Newsletter
- Lowering Your Facility's Carbon Footprint
A facility's carbon footprint is related to the CARBON emitted to the
atmosphere. There has been pressure in recent years to lower the amount
of carbon emitted from industrial facilities. Expectations are that this
pressure will continue via increasingly stringent legislative mandates that
facilities must meet.
January 2011
The article below is in the January Newsletter
- Evaluate New Machinery Purchases Using Life Cycle Costing Tools
Capital costs of new projects attract the most attention of both management
and vendors. However, it must be recognized that operating and
maintenance (O&M) expenses are also as significant. Unfortunately,
evaluating the total cost of ownership of a plant asset on a common basis with
the capital cost is difficult: so managers tend to give priority to
initial cost. In extreme cases, the potential O&M costs might not be
considered at all when specification and purchasing decisions are being made
and are driven only by initial capital cost and schedule considerations.
Consequently, poor reliability and performance of our machinery equipment do
not show up until the plant is actually up and running.
October 2010
The article below is in the October Newsletter
- Process Operating Stress Test (POST) = Pathway to Improved Unit
Profitability
The first step toward maximizing process performance is to assess the overall
“health” of the existing operation.
Analogous to cardiac stress testing, methodology is available for
systematically testing refinery or chemical process units, and extending their
normal operating envelope. The
Process Operating Stress Test (POST) protocol comprises a series of
incremental changes in process variables (typically targeting higher severity
operation) which results in corresponding responses of key process parameters,
e.g., conversion, yields, etc.
Statistical analysis of these responses facilitates diagnosis of probable
process limitations and sets the stage for developing both optimization and
unit debottlenecking strategies.
An important outcome is also a blueprint for addressing identified process
constraints.
September 2010
The article below is in the September Newsletter
- Are Large Amendments Needed for Our Rotating Equipment Specifications?
I heard the complaints of several technical managers of an EPC (Engineering,
Procurement, Construction) company. There were complaining about the
proliferation of voluminous technical specifications for rotating equipment:
reams and reams of paper in addition to commonly used industry standards.
They felt that there were frequent duplications and contradictions in such
specifications, frustrating them or the vendors, and causing costly delays.
While these specific complaints were directed towards rotating equipment
specifications, especially for compressors, the same can often be said for
other equipment specifications (e.g., pressure vessels, heat exchangers,
storage tanks, etc.).
August 2010
The article below is in the August Newsletter
- Preservation of Process Machinery
In the early nineties, a decommissioned and subsequently mothballed fertilizer
plant located in the United States was purchased, dismantled, and
reconstructed at a location half way around the world. When I visited
this plant about 10 years after it was restarted at its new location, it was
producing fertilizer at a fraction of the investment cost of a brand new
plant. This attested to good storage protection because the plant had
sat idle for a considerable time before it was relocated. This is just
one example demonstrating that long-term storage protection of sensitive
machinery such as compressors, pumps, and associated drivers saves money.
July 2010
The article below is in the July Newsletter
- Agitated Vessel Heat Transfer Design
There has been continued growth of refinery-based downstream processing
involving petrochemicals, polymers and specialty
chemicals such as lube oil additives, high impact, crystal and expandable
polystyrenes, certain synthetic fibers, vat dyes, wire enamels,
automotive/airplane plastics, etc. Therefore, the ability to design for
types of equipment not typically associated with refinery units is now
considered to be a useful tool for the hydrocarbon processing engineer.
Such a design area involves heat transfer in agitated vessels such as
Continuous Stirred Tank Reactors (CSTRs) or in Batch Operations.
June 2010
The article below is in the June Newsletter
- Engineering Coordination Tips During Front-End Engineering Design
This might be a statement of the obvious to many, but it's surprising how
often some fundamental coordination tips for successful front-end engineering
design and execution are forgotten under pressure. There can be
exceptions and additions to any project; so, these tips are not all inclusive.
This article hopes to provide a checklist for such work and why we need to
remember.
May 2010
The article below is in the May Newsletter
- Opportunities for Refinery and Petrochemical Plant Integration
Changes in the transportation fuels industry, dictated by environmental and
political pressures, will significantly impact the demand for conventional
refinery fuel products and put increased pressure on refining margins.
However, refinery facilities are valuable assets that can be used for the
co-production of products other than conventional transportation fuels.
As capacity is freed-up by reduced demand for conventional refinery fuels,
more opportunities become available for production of such alternate
co-products.
April 2010
The article below is in the April Newsletter
- Calculating Blending Profitability
In the current uncertain economic environment, it is extremely important to
determine how much money, if any, you make on every barrel of blended product.
The basic principle is simple.
March 2010
The article below is in the March Newsletter
- Changes to API 650, Eleventh Edition – Welded Steel Tanks for Oil Storage
Two addenda have been issued for the Eleventh Edition of API 650 since it
was published in June 2007. Addendum 1 was issued November 2008, and
Addendum 2 was issued November 2009. The current article highlights
several of the changes that were made and is not all inclusive. Refer
to API 650 for complete information.
February 2010
The article below is in the February Newsletter
- Fluid Cat Cracking – Still a Profitable Refining Process
In the current climate of significantly reduced refining margins, it is critically important to maintain perspective and emphasis on the areas that still produce a good financial return. Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) has been, and remains, one of the most important and most profitable processes in a refinery operation.
January 2010
The article below is in the January Newsletter
- Are you Ready for the Future?
In today's environment of excess capacity, poor profit margin, and capital restraint, should operating plants consider directing their efforts at optimizing process operations and improving reliability? Despite the current downturn and restrictions on expenditures, this is the best time to consider investing in the future. This can be achieved by identifying and resolving persistent reliability problems before utilization increases and profit margins improve.
October 2009
The article below is in the October Newsletter
- Methods to Determine Diesel Cetane Number
ASTM recently published an updated ASTM D7170 test
method for Derived Cetane Number (DCN) measurement using the ignition delay
principle, which provides for an economical and reliable way to determine
the diesel fuel cetane number.
The cetane number is a very important property of diesel oils indicating the
quality of the ignition of the diesel fuel (the higher, the better),
somewhat analogous to octanes for gasoline.
September 2009
The article below is in the September Newsletter
- Effective Lump Sum Contracting
Many project management professionals believe that properly administered
engineering, procurement and construction contracts awarded as the result of
competitive lump sum bidding can save an owner up to 10 percent vs.
reimbursable cost contracts when market conditions are favorable for lump
sum. This has been proven in an examination of contract performance
over the last century. But... and there are a few significant "buts"... the
market conditions must enable the assembly of a competitive slate of
qualified bidders committed to the lump sum, and the bidding development,
commercial and technical bid conditioning review, contract award, and the
administration of the contract must be done in a professional manner.
August 2009
The article below is in the August Newsletter
- Making or Saving Money in Non-Process Engineering Areas for Petroleum
Refineries
This is part two of our series on making and/or saving money in refineries.
What is your best cost-effective tip for refineries is a question we posed to
our 180+ engineers. The majority of our engineers have 35+ years of
experience, so they know what they are talking about. This article
contains their answers for the non-process engineering side of the refining
industry. There are several "repeat tips" from our first article, since
they also apply to the non-process engineering area.
July 2009
The article below is in the July Newsletter
- Independent Project Reviews
For major capital projects, structured reviews of progress and planning are
often done at significant milestones/transition points to validate
activities as being consistent with project objectives. This article
provides a summary of the Independent Project Review Process, which is a key
element to successful capital project execution.
June 2009
The article below is in the June Newsletter
- Making or Saving Money in Process Engineering Areas for Petroleum
Refineries
What is your best cost-effective tip for refineries is a question we posed to
our 180+ engineers. The majority of our engineers have 35+ years of
experience, so they know what they are talking about. The following
are their answers for the process engineering side of the refining industry.
There will be another article that will cover this topic for the non-process
side of the industry as well.
May 2009
The article below is in the May Newsletter
- Research Reality (Part 2): Limitations of Model Compound Research
In Part I of this series on "research reality", we summarized the factors that
limited the application of laboratory research to engineering models (the
Chemical Research Space - Figure 1). To probe process phenomena,
research experiments are based on model compounds in a constant matrix.
In this part of the series, we elaborate on the factors that affect the
choice of model compounds for both upstream and downstream petroleum
research.
April 2009
The article below is in the April Newsletter
- Article 4 - API 579-1 Fitness-For-Service (FFS) - Pitting Assessment
Pitting corrosion is evaluated differently than general corrosion. This
article discusses the evaluation of widely scattered pitting using API
579-1/ASME FFS-1 2007 Fitness-For-Service Level 1 assessment procedures.
March 2009
The article below is in the March Newsletter
- Fuel Reduction Projects for Steam Systems
With today's high cost of fuel, an audit of your steam facilities offers
an opportunity for significant dollar savings by recovering heat now
discharged as waste. Six areas which offer significant energy and fuel
savings are discussed.
September 2008
Below is a list of articles in the September newsletter
- 2008 - A Great Year for Holidays
- Lightning Protection for Instrumentation
- 2008 Survey of Blending On-Line NIR Analyzers
May 2008
Below is a list of articles in the May newsletter
- Changes in API 650, Welded Steel Tanks for Oil Storage
- Article 3, API 579-1 Fitness for-Service (FFS) - Nozzle Assessment
- Changes in API 653, Tank Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and
Reconstruction
February 2008
Below is a list of articles in the February newsletter
- Research Reality
- Article 2 - API RP 579 Fitness-for-Service
- Process Plant Bad Actor Program
December 2007
Below is a list of articles in the December newsletter
- The Ten (Actually Twelve) Commandments for Achieving Successful Turnarounds
- Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit Flue Gas and Transfer Line Refractory Lining System Development
- Those Stinkin' Mercaptans … They're Back
September 2007
Below is a list of articles in the September newsletter
- It's in Refiners' Interest to Train New Blending Engineers Fast
- OSHA Announces Increased Emphasis on Petroleum Refineries
- Article 1: Reduce Your Maintenance Costs With Fitness-For-Service (FFS) Assessments
June 2007
Below is a list of articles in the June newsletter
- Changes Contained in
Addendum 4 of API 570:Piping Inspection Code
- Changes Contained in the 9th Edition of API 510: Pressure Vessel Inspection Code: In-Service Inspection, Rating, Repair and Alteration
- Achieving Full Reliability of Typical Bad Actor Heat Exchangers in Crude Units, Catalytic Reformers, and FCCUs
March 2007
Below is a list of articles in the March newsletter
- A Realistic Approach to Weldor Training and Testing
- Does Your Plant Have A Turnaround Manual?
- Experience With 100% Mechanical Reliability of Refineries' Bad Actor Heat Exchangers
- Calculating the Potential Surge Pressure in Liquid Filled Piping Systems
December 2006
Below is a list of articles in the December newsletter
- Computerized Inspection Management Systems
- Changes Contained in Addendum 2 of API 653, Tank Inspection, Repair, Alteration and Reconstruction
- Changes in API 650, Welded Steel Tanks for Oil Storage
- Cost Management - Part 3 Data Collection and Analysis
September 2006
Below is a list of articles in the September newsletter
- Cost Management - Part 2, Cost Control
- Risk Based Inspection
- How FCCU Trickle Valves Affect Catalyst Losses - Part 2
June 2006
Below is a list of articles in the June newsletter
- Cost Management - Part 1
- NIR Analyzer Precision Targets for Gasoline Blending Applications
- How FCCU Trickle Valves Affect Catalyst Losses - Part 1
April 2006
Below is a list of articles in the April newsletter
- Transition in the Chemical Industry
- Significant Energy Savings Achievable Even At "Smaller" Refineries
- Invention Disclosures and Documentation
- Training the Current and Next Generation of Refinery Engineers
February 2006
Below is a list of articles in the February newsletter
- Guidelines Will Enable Determination of Unknown Loss in Refineries and Terminals Promoting Closure of Mass/Volume Balances
- Managing Boiler Water Treatment Steps is Critical
- The Choice is Yours … Protecting Proprietary Technology
November 2005
Below is a list of articles in the November newsletter
- Application of Temperature Activated Relief Devices
- Part 2 - How to Develop NIR Property Models That Work
- Special Safety Considerations for Hot Tapping
August 2005
Below is a list of articles in the August newsletter
- Application of Temperature Activated Relief Devices
- Part 1 - Comparing Knock Engines With NIR Analyzers for In-Line Blending
- Hot Tap Inspection Considerations
- Hot Tap Installation Considerations
May 2005
Below is a list of articles in the May newsletter
- Applied Chemistry Puts Specialty Process Back On Track
- How Thick Does A Nozzle Neck Have To Be On An Existing API-650 Storage Tank?
- Hot Tap Location and Design Considerations
- Resonance and Magnification in Piping System Vibration
February 2005
Below is a list of articles in the February newsletter
- Applied Chemistry Spans Molecules, Models, and Refinery Reality
- Controlling Piping System Vibration
- Hot Tap Guidelines
December 2004
Below is a list of articles in the December newsletter
- Unit Integrity Audit - the "Carmagen Engineering" Way
- Screening Piping Vibration Problems
- More Energy Efficiency Improvement Tips
- Can You Afford Not to Apply R&M Principles On Your Next Capital Project?
- Hot Bolting for Flange Leakage Control
October 2004
Below is a list of articles in the October newsletter
- How Much Cash Is Going Up In Smoke?
- Common Causes of Flange Leakage
- Common Causes of Piping Vibration
July 2004
Below is a list of articles in the July newsletter
- Fouling and Plugging Cause High Reactor Pressure Drop and Premature Shutdown in Hydroprocessing Units
- Flange Joint Assembly and Bolt-up Procedures
- Flange Bolt Tightening Methods
- All About Nickel Alloy Welding Electrodes
March 2004
Below is a list of articles in the March newsletter
- Thoughts On Crane Safety
- Prequalification of Suppliers
- Assessing the Creep Life of FCCU Internals
- New Appendix G of API-653 Provides for Tank Bottom Inspection Qualification Guidelines
- New Requirements for Welded-on Plates to Storage Tank Bottoms
September 2003
Below is a list of articles in the September newsletter
- Processing High TAN or Corrosive Crudes
- Let Weld Metal Match Base Metal
- Contemporary Problems in Blending Automation
- Vaccinate Against the Tube-to-Tubesheet Plague
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