Bioremediation of petroleum refinery effluent by Planococcus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In the present investigation, Planococcus halophilus was screened for hydrocarbon degradation and bioremediation of refinery effluent. The test organism, P. halophilus, showed the capability to utilize kerosene as carbon source in minimal medium. Biological treatment of the refinery effluent with P. halophilus reduced the ...

Personal exposure to benzene and 1,3-butadiene during petroleum refinery turnarounds and work in the oil harbour.

Science.gov (United States)

Akerstrom, M; Almerud, P; Andersson, E M; Strandberg, B; Sallsten, G

2016-11-01

Petroleum refinery workers' exposure to the carcinogens benzene and 1,3-butadiene has decreased during normal operations. However, certain occupational groups or events at the refineries still involve a risk of higher exposures. The aim of this study was to examine the personal exposure to benzene and 1,3-butadiene at refinery turnarounds and during work in the oil harbour. Personal exposure measurements of benzene and 1,3-butadiene were taken during work shifts, with a priori assumed higher benzene exposure, using PerkinElmer diffusive samplers filled with Carbopack X. Mean exposure levels were calculated, and repeated exposure measurements, when available, were assessed using mixed effect models. Group and individual compliance with the Swedish occupational exposure limit (OEL) was tested for the different exposure groups. Mean benzene exposure levels for refinery workers during the three measured turnarounds were 150, 610 and 960 µg/m 3 , and mean exposures for oil harbour workers and sewage tanker drivers were 310 and 360 µg/m 3 , respectively. Higher exposures were associated with handling benzene-rich products. Most occupational groups did not comply with the Swedish OEL for benzene nor did the individuals within the groups. The exposure to 1,3-butadiene was very low, between Work within the petroleum refinery industry, with potential exposure to open product streams containing higher fractions of benzene, pose a risk of personal benzene exposures exceeding the OEL. Refinery workers performing these work tasks frequently, such as contractors, sewage tanker drivers and oil harbour workers, need to be identified and protected.

Refinery Integration of By-Products from Coal-Derived Jet Fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Caroline Clifford; Andre Boehman; Chunshan Song; Bruce Miller; Gareth Mitchell

2008-03-31

The final report summarizes the accomplishments toward project goals during length of the project. The goal of this project was to integrate coal into a refinery in order to produce coal-based jet fuel, with the major goal to examine the products other than jet fuel. These products are in the gasoline, diesel and fuel oil range and result from coal-based jet fuel production from an Air Force funded program. The main goal of Task 1 was the production of coal-based jet fuel and other products that would need to be utilized in other fuels or for non-fuel sources, using known refining technology. The gasoline, diesel fuel, and fuel oil were tested in other aspects of the project. Light cycle oil (LCO) and refined chemical oil (RCO) were blended, hydrotreated to removed sulfur, and hydrogenated, then fractionated in the original production of jet fuel. Two main approaches, taken during the project period, varied where the fractionation took place, in order to preserve the life of catalysts used, which includes (1) fractionation of the hydrotreated blend to remove sulfur and nitrogen, followed by a hydrogenation step of the lighter fraction, and (2) fractionation of the LCO and RCO before any hydrotreatment. Task 2 involved assessment of the impact of refinery integration of JP-900 production on gasoline and diesel fuel. Fuel properties, ignition characteristics and engine combustion of model fuels and fuel samples from pilot-scale production runs were characterized. The model fuels used to represent the coal-based fuel streams were blended into full-boiling range fuels to simulate the mixing of fuel streams within the refinery to create potential 'finished' fuels. The representative compounds of the coal-based gasoline were cyclohexane and methyl cyclohexane, and for the coal-base diesel fuel they were fluorine and phenanthrene. Both the octane number (ON) of the coal-based gasoline and the cetane number (CN) of the coal-based diesel were low, relative to

Auxiliary units for refining of high nitrogen content oils: Premium II refinery case

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nicolato, Paolo Contim; Pinotti, Rafael [Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (PETROBRAS), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2012-07-01

PETROBRAS is constantly investing on its refining park in order to increase the production of clean and stable fuels and to be capable to process heavier oils with high contaminants content. Sulfur and nitrogen are the main heteroatoms present in petroleum. They are responsible for some undesirable fuels properties like corrosivity and instability, and also emit pollutants when burnt. Hydrotreating and hydrocracking processes are designed to remove these contaminants and adjust other fuel properties, generating, as byproduct, sour gases and sour water streams rich in H{sub 2}S and NH{sub 3}, which are usually sent to Sour Water Treatment Units and Sulfur Recovery Units. The regeneration of the amine used for the light streams treatment, as fuel gas and LPG, also generates sour gas streams that must be also sent to Sulfur Recovery Units. As the ammonia content in the sour streams increases, some design parameters must be adjusted to avoid increasing the Refinery emissions. Sulfur Recovery Units must provide proper NH3 destruction. Sour Water Treatment must have a proper segregation between H{sub 2}S and ammonia streams, whenever desirable. Amine Regeneration Systems must have an efficient procedure to avoid the ammonia concentration in the amine solution. This paper presents some solutions usually applied to the Petroleum Industry and analyses some aspects related to Premium II Refinery Project and how its design will help the Brazilian refining park to meet future environmental regulation and market demands. (author)

Opportunities and challenges at the interface between petrochemistry and refinery. The BASF perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Blankertz, H.J. [BASF AG, Ludwigshafen (Germany)

2007-07-01

The author of the contribution under consideration reports on the BASF perspective according to opportunities and challenges at the interface between petrochemistry and refinery. This contribution is divided into the following chapters: (a) Overview BASF-Group; (b) Overview BASF Petrochemicals; (c) The refinery-chemistry interface; (d) Main focus refineries; (e) Interface challenges and opportunities; (f) What can BASF do for refineries. BASF employs the Verbund concept, a system that combines production with energy needs in an intelligent way. The idea is to reduce of primary energy carriers both in terms of raw materials and for power and steam generation. The authors describes the petrochemicals of BASF AG (Ludwigshafen, Federal Republic of Germany), the raw material development, evolution of thermal steamcracking and crackerproducts. Major feedstock source of the European petrochemical industry are streams out of refineries which can't be used for transportation fuels. The gap between propylene demand and production out of steam crackers has to be closed by propylene out for FCC's. Demand for aromatics (xylenes and benzene, and to a lesser extent toluene) needs to be filled in by aromatics out of refineries. Market drivers for the refining industry are lowering crude costs, growing clean products, increasing capacity and enhancing E and P integration. BASF has various business with the oil und refining industry and provides solutions for oil field chemicals, process chemicals and performance additives. The author explains which kind of products and services BASF provides for refiners.

Mild Biomass Liquefaction Process for Economic Production of Stabilized Refinery-Ready Bio-oil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gangwal, Santosh [Southern Research, Durham, NC (United States); Meng, Jiajia [Southern Research, Durham, NC (United States); McCabe, Kevin [Southern Research, Durham, NC (United States); Larson, Eric [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States). Princeton Environmental Inst.; Mastro, Kelly [Southern Research, Durham, NC (United States)

2016-04-25

Southern Research (SR) in cooperation with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Bioenergy Technology Office (BETO), investigated a biomass liquefaction process for economic production of stabilized refinery-ready bio-oil. The project was awarded by DOE under a Funding Opportunity Announcement (DE-FOA-0000686) for Bio-oil Stabilization and Commoditization that intended to evaluate the feasibility of using bio-oil as a potential feedstock in an existing petroleum refinery. SR investigated Topic Area 1 of the FOA at Technology Readiness Level 2-3 to develop thermochemical liquefaction technologies for producing a bio-oil feedstock from high-impact biomass that can be utilized within a petroleum refinery. Bio-oil obtained from fast pyrolysis of biomass is a green intermediate that can be further upgraded into a biofuel for blending in a petroleum refinery using a hydro-deoxygenation (HDO) route. Co-processing pyrolysis bio-oil in a petroleum refinery is an attractive approach to leverage the refinery’s existing capital. However, the petroleum industry is reluctant to accept pyrolysis bio-oil because of a lack of a standard definition for an acceptable bio-oil feedstock in existing refinery processes. Also per BETO’s multiyear program plan, fast pyrolysis-based bio-fuel is presently not cost competitive with petroleum-based transportation fuels. SR aims to develop and demonstrate a cost-effective low-severity thermal liquefaction and hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) process to convert woody biomass to stabilized bio-oils that can be directly blended with hydrotreater input streams in a petroleum refinery for production of gasoline and/or diesel range hydrocarbons. The specific project objectives are to demonstrate the processes at laboratory scale, characterize the bio-oil product and develop a plan in partnership with a refinery company to move the technology towards commercialization.

Improving secondary clarifier performance at the Oakville Oil Refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edwards, S.M.; Bagley, D.M.

2002-01-01

The purpose of this study was threefold: to investigate the relationship between settleability and the physical properties of activated sludge, to correlate settleability and key operational parameters such as chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration at the aeration basin inlet and to determine potential operational improvements to the Oakville Oil Refinery Wastewater Treatment Plant. Nine separate sets of stirred sludge-settling tests were conducted over a six-month period to measure settleability. The stirred sludge volume index (SSVI), the zone settling constants, and the Zheng-Bagley compression constants were determined. State point analyses were conducted to determine the maximum solids flux of the clarifiers. The concentrations of Al, Mn, Mg, Fe, Ca, Na, and K were determined to identify potential correlations to settling characteristics. Extracellular polymeric substances were extracted from the sludge and analyzed for the same reason. The performance of the clarifiers was highly variable during the period examined. As the refinery process flows and effluent streams changed, influent COD increased, from an average of 180mg/L to 600mg/L. Concurrently the settleability of the sludge decreased from excellent (SSVI = 68mL/g) to very poor (150mL/g), perhaps as the result of under aeration. State point analyses indicated that the clarifiers are under-sized for process upsets of this magnitude. (author)

Improving secondary clarifier performance at the Oakville Oil Refinery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Edwards, S.M.; Bagley, D.M. [Univ. of Toronto, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

2002-06-15

The purpose of this study was threefold: to investigate the relationship between settleability and the physical properties of activated sludge, to correlate settleability and key operational parameters such as chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration at the aeration basin inlet and to determine potential operational improvements to the Oakville Oil Refinery Wastewater Treatment Plant. Nine separate sets of stirred sludge-settling tests were conducted over a six-month period to measure settleability. The stirred sludge volume index (SSVI), the zone settling constants, and the Zheng-Bagley compression constants were determined. State point analyses were conducted to determine the maximum solids flux of the clarifiers. The concentrations of Al, Mn, Mg, Fe, Ca, Na, and K were determined to identify potential correlations to settling characteristics. Extracellular polymeric substances were extracted from the sludge and analyzed for the same reason. The performance of the clarifiers was highly variable during the period examined. As the refinery process flows and effluent streams changed, influent COD increased, from an average of 180mg/L to 600mg/L. Concurrently the settleability of the sludge decreased from excellent (SSVI = 68mL/g) to very poor (150mL/g), perhaps as the result of under aeration. State point analyses indicated that the clarifiers are under-sized for process upsets of this magnitude. (author)

Refinery water (intake and effluent) quality: Update of 1970s with 1990s toxicity testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, P.M.; Paine, M.D.; Moran, T.; Kierstead, T.

1994-01-01

The quality of two separate refinery intake waters and effluents was investigated: Petro-Canada (Oakville) and Novacor (Corunna Operations). This study comprised eight different test organized and 22 different toxicity end points, was built on and complemented pioneering 1970s work at the Petro-Canada refinery, and was designed to (a) determine any changes in effluent quality, (b) determine any previously unsuspected effluent toxicity, and (c) determine any potential for chronic toxicity in the effluent. Although Petro-Canada has steadily reduced contaminants in its effluent since the earlier study, toxicity has not changed and no new toxic effects were identified. Effect thresholds for the most sensitive animal species (Daphnia pulex) were 1 to 10% effluent in both studies. The Novacor effluent had lesser effects on biota than the Petro-Canada effluent. Intake waters demonstrated toxicity in some tests. Chronic effects on invertebrates and fish in receiving waters are predicted not to occur in the Novacor effluent is diluted 10- to 20-fold and the Petro-Canada effluent is diluted 50- to 100-fold

Yugoslavian Petroleum Refinery development program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ocic, Ozren

1999-01-01

This paper shows the analysis of the world petroleum industry development, being an important factor in planning the development of the Yugoslav petroleum industry and Pancevo Petroleum Refinery, as well. Then Yugoslav petroleum industry development is analysed, including the appropriate balances of crude oil production and crude oil products consumption. The way of realizing the basic targets are also proposed. Likewise, the analysis of the condition within West European refineries has been conducted, from the aspects of technology, energy consumption and environmental protection and the same analysis for Pancevo Petroleum Refinery has been presented, too. The analysis of the condition within the refineries in the European Union countries and comparing it with the condition within Pancevo Petroleum Refinery, makes it mainly possible to recognize the development programmes which should be realized in order that Pancevo Petroleum Refinery could reach the refining level of the EU countries. (Original)

REFINERY INTEGRATION OF BY-PRODUCTS FROM COAL-DERIVED JET FUELS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leslie R. Rudnick; Andre Boehman; Chunshan Song; Bruce Miller; Gareth Mitchell

2005-05-18

This report summarizes the accomplishments toward project goals during the first six months of the second year of the project to assess the properties and performance of coal based products. These products are in the gasoline, diesel and fuel oil range and result from coal based jet fuel production from an Air Force funded program. Specific areas of progress include generation of coal based material that has been fractionated into the desired refinery cuts, acquisition and installation of a research gasoline engine, and modification of diesel engines for use in evaluating diesel produced in the project. The desulfurization of sulfur containing components of coal and petroleum is being studied so that effective conversion of blended coal and petroleum streams can be efficiently converted to useful refinery products. Equipment is now in place to begin fuel oil evaluations to assess the quality of coal based fuel oil. Coal samples have procured and are being assessed for cleaning prior to use in coking studies.

Refinery Integration of By-Products from Coal-Derived Jet Fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leslie R. Rudnick; Andre Boehman; Chunshan Song; Bruce Miller; Gareth Mitchell

2005-11-17

This report summarizes the accomplishments toward project goals during the first six months of the second year of the project to assess the properties and performance of coal based products. These products are in the gasoline, diesel and fuel oil range and result from coal based jet fuel production from an Air Force funded program. Specific areas of progress include generation of coal based material that has been fractionated into the desired refinery cuts, acquisition and installation of a research gasoline engine, and modification of diesel engines for use in evaluating diesel produced in the project. The desulfurization of sulfur containing components of coal and petroleum is being studied so that effective conversion of blended coal and petroleum streams can be efficiently converted to useful refinery products. Evaluations to assess the quality of coal based fuel oil are reported. Coal samples have procured and are being assessed for cleaning prior to use in coking studies.

Refinery Integration of By-Products from Coal-Derived Jet Fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leslie R. Rudnick; Andre Boehman; Chunshan Song; Bruce Miller; John Andresen

2004-09-17

This report summarizes the accomplishments toward project goals during the first twelve months of the project to assess the properties and performance of coal based products. These products are in the gasoline, diesel and fuel oil range and result from coal based jet fuel production from an Air Force funded program. Specific areas of progress include generation of coal based material that has been fractionated into the desired refinery cuts, acquisition and installation of a research gasoline engine, and modification of diesel engines for use in evaluating diesel produced in the project. The desulfurization of sulfur containing components of coal and petroleum is being studied so that effective conversion of blended coal and petroleum streams can be efficiently converted to useful refinery products. Equipment is now in place to begin fuel oil evaluations to assess the quality of coal based fuel oil. Coal samples have procured and are being assessed for cleaning prior to use in coking studies.

Materials And Carbon Flow In A Waste Refinery Process Using Enzymes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tonini, Davide; Woods, M.; Astrup, Thomas

2011-01-01

Recovery of resources from mixed Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is a crucial aspect of waste management practices. In this paper the materials and carbon flows of an innovative waste refinery process using enzymes are presented. Through enzymatic treatment the process produces two main streams from...... the initial mixed MSW: a bioslurry (liquefied paper and organics) and a solid fraction (non-degradable materials). The discussion is based on the performance of the process in separating recyclables and recovery Cbiogenic as well as nutrients from the input MSW. The results of MFA and SFA illustrate...... that the waste refinery has great potential for resource recovery: about 100% of the Cbiogenic and up to 90% of N and P can potentially be recovered in the bioslurry and returned to land after anaerobic digestion. Recovery of ferrous and non-ferrous material is estimated double compared to recovering the same...

Resolution and chemical formula identification of aromatic hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds containing sulfur, nitrogen, or oxygen in petroleum distillates and refinery streams.

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, S; Marshall, A G; Scheppele, S E

1996-01-01

An all-glass heated inlet system has been interfaced to a dual-trap Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer. The inlet vaporizes a mixture of species of widely different boiling points, and the interface maintains a large (factor of 10(10)) pressure gradient between the inlet and the mass spectrometer, making possible the analysis of petroleum distillates and refinery streams at very high mass resolution. Ions generated by low-energy electron ionization in the source trap of the spectrometer are transferred to the analyzer trap, where the pressure is at least 2 orders of magnitude lower. Singly-charged ions from a mass window of ∼20 u are isolated by stored-waveform radial ejection, to reduce space charge and increase digital resolution:  routine mass resolving power >200 000 (based on magnitude-mode peak full width at half-height) is thereby achieved throughout the full mass window. The mass window may be incremented stepwise to cover the full mass range of several hundred units. The FT-ICR mass spectrum of a gas oil aromatic neutral fraction contained peaks resulting from the resolution of ions having 358 distinct formulas over a mass range of ∼42 u. C(3)/SH(4), (13)C/CH, (13)CH/N, CH(2)/N, and other mass doublets were baseline-resolved, yielding typical mass measurement inaccuracies of ∼1 ppm. For example, (13)C(12)C(17)H(20)S(+) and C(21)H(17)(+), which differ by only 0.0011 u at ∼269 u, were clearly resolved. A 40 000 resolving power low-voltage spectrum of the aromatic neutrals, acquired by use of a Kratos MS-50 double-focusing instrument, was processed with a computer-based deisotoping/formula assignment procedure. The algorithm of the program is outlined and illustrated. Remarkably good agreement exists between the FT-ICR and MS-50 results. However, instrumental rather than indirect resolution of ions clearly enhances analytical accuracy and significantly reduces data-processing time. Thus, we have demonstrated

Refinery Upgrading of Hydropyrolysis Oil From Biomass

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roberts, Michael [Gas Technology Inst., Des Plaines, IL (United States); Marker, Terry [Gas Technology Inst., Des Plaines, IL (United States); Ortiz-Toral, Pedro [Gas Technology Inst., Des Plaines, IL (United States); Linck, Martin [Gas Technology Inst., Des Plaines, IL (United States); Felix, Larry [Gas Technology Inst., Des Plaines, IL (United States); Wangerow, Jim [Gas Technology Inst., Des Plaines, IL (United States); Swanson, Dan [Gas Technology Inst., Des Plaines, IL (United States); McLeod, Celeste [CRI Catalyst, Houston, TX (United States); Del Paggio, Alan [CRI Catalyst, Houston, TX (United States); Urade, Vikrant [CRI Catalyst, Houston, TX (United States); Rao, Madhusudhan [CRI Catalyst, Houston, TX (United States); Narasimhan, Laxmi [CRI Catalyst, Houston, TX (United States); Gephart, John [Johnson Timber, Hayward, WI (United States); Starr, Jack [Cargill, Wayzata, MN (United States); Hahn, John [Cargill, Wayzata, MN (United States); Stover, Daniel [Cargill, Wayzata, MN (United States); Parrish, Martin [Valero, San Antonio, TX (United States); Maxey, Carl [Valero, San Antonio, TX (United States); Shonnard, David [MTU, Friedrichshafen (Germany); Handler, Robert [MTU, Friedrichshafen (Germany); Fan, Jiquig [MTU, Friedrichshafen (Germany)

2015-08-31

Cellulosic and woody biomass can be converted to bio-oils containing less than 10% oxygen by a hydropyrolysis process. Hydropyrolysis is the first step in Gas Technology Institute’s (GTI) integrated Hydropyrolysis and Hydroconversion IH2®. These intermediate bio-oils can then be converted to drop-in hydrocarbon fuels using existing refinery hydrotreating equipment to make hydrocarbon blending components, which are fully compatible with existing fuels. Alternatively, cellulosic or woody biomass can directly be converted into drop-in hydrocarbon fuels containing less than 0.4% oxygen using the IH2 process located adjacent to a refinery or ethanol production facility. Many US oil refineries are actually located near biomass resources and are a logical location for a biomass to transportation fuel conversion process. The goal of this project was to work directly with an oil refinery partner, to determine the most attractive route and location for conversion of biorenewables to drop in fuels in their refinery and ethanol production network. Valero Energy Company, through its subsidiaries, has 12 US oil refineries and 11 ethanol production facilities, making them an ideal partner for this analysis. Valero is also part of a 50- 50 joint venture with Darling Ingredients called Diamond Green Diesel. Diamond Green Diesel’s production capacity is approximately 11,000 barrels per day of renewable diesel. The plant is located adjacent to Valero’s St Charles, Louisiana Refinery and converts recycled animal fats, used cooking oil, and waste corn oil into renewable diesel. This is the largest renewable diesel plant in the U.S. and has successfully operated for over 2 years For this project, 25 liters of hydropyrolysis oil from wood and 25 liters of hydropyrolysis oils from corn stover were produced. The hydropyrolysis oil produced had 4-10% oxygen. Metallurgical testing of hydropyrolysis liquids was completed by Oak Ridge National Laboratories (Oak Ridge) and showed the

Taking inventory on VOC releases from Amoco's Yorktown refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klee, H.H. Jr.; Schmitt, R.E.; Harrass, M.C.; Podar, M.K.

1996-01-01

Amoco's Yorktown, Virginia, refinery is a 35-year-old, 53,000 bbl/day facility that manufacturers gasoline, heating oil, liquid petroleum gas, sulfur, and coke. In a cooperative and voluntary effort, Amoco Corporation and the US Environmental Protection Agency conducted a joint project to study pollution prevention opportunities at an operating industrial facility. Source reduction efforts--key to pollution prevention strategies--require knowledge of specific sources of releases. However, data on releases from individual process units are limited in favor of data to monitor existing end-of-pipe pollution control requirements. The study's sampling program sought to portray the distribution of releases within the refinery, their management within the refinery, and ultimate releases leaving the refinery. Subsequent tests of blowdown stack and fugitive emissions further improved total release estimates. The initial study estimated that the refinery generates about 25,000 metric tons (t)/year of potential pollutants. Of these, about half are released from the refinery as airborne, waterborne, or land-disposed releases. Airborne releases comprise the majority of releases by mass, about 12,000 t/year. Most of the airborne releases are volatile organic compound hydrocarbons. The inventory sampling project and subsequent work identified differences with Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) values and standard emission factors (AP-42). The inventory and other data provided an opportunity to consider options for, and limitations of, specific pollution prevention or source reduction strategies

Benchmarking of refinery emissions performance : Executive summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-07-01

This study was undertaken to collect emissions performance data for Canadian and comparable American refineries. The objective was to examine parameters that affect refinery air emissions performance and develop methods or correlations to normalize emissions performance. Another objective was to correlate and compare the performance of Canadian refineries to comparable American refineries. For the purpose of this study, benchmarking involved the determination of levels of emission performance that are being achieved for generic groups of facilities. A total of 20 facilities were included in the benchmarking analysis, and 74 American refinery emission correlations were developed. The recommended benchmarks, and the application of those correlations for comparison between Canadian and American refinery performance, were discussed. The benchmarks were: sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulate, volatile organic compounds, ammonia and benzene. For each refinery in Canada, benchmark emissions were developed. Several factors can explain differences in Canadian and American refinery emission performance. 4 tabs., 7 figs

Complexity index indicates refinery capability, value

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnston, D.

1996-01-01

Refinery size usually is measured in terms of distillation capacity. Relative size, however, can be measured using refinery complexity--a concept developed by W.L. Nelson in the 1960s. Nelson developed the complexity index to quantify the relative cost of components that make up a refinery. It is a pure cost index that provides a relative measure of the construction costs of a particular refinery based on its crude and upgrading capacity. The Nelson index compares the costs of various upgrading units--such as a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit or a catalytic reformer--to the cost of a crude distillation unit. Computation of the index is an attempt to quantify the relative cost of a refinery based on the added cost of various upgrading units and the relative upgrading capacity. A review of complexity calculations, and an explanation of how indices have changed, provide a simple means of determining the complexity of single refineries or refining regions. The impact of complexity on product slate is also examined in this paper

Production planning and scheduling in refinery industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Persson, Jan.

1999-01-01

In this thesis we consider production planning and scheduling in refinery industry, in particular we study the planning and scheduling at the Nynaes AB refinery and at the Scanraff AB refinery. The purpose is to contribute to the development and the use of optimization models to support efficient decision making. We identify various decision problems concerning the aggregated production planning, the shipment planning, the scheduling of operation modes, and the utilization of pipes and tanks; and we discuss the potential to successfully apply optimization models on these problems. We formulate a mixed integer linear programming model for the scheduling of operation modes at Nynaes. The model concerns decisions about which mode of operation to use at a particular point in time in order to minimize costs of changing modes and costs of keeping inventories, given demands for products. We derive several types of valid inequalities for this mathematical problem and show how these inequalities can improve the lower bound obtained from the linear programming relaxation of the problem. We also show how the valid inequalities can be used to improve the performance of a branch and bound solution approach. Further, a tabu search heuristic is developed for the scheduling problem. The solution methods are tested on data provided by the Nynaes refinery, and the performance of the methods are discussed. We present several extensions of the proposed model, and illustrate how the model can be used to support both operational and strategic decision making at the refinery. 66 refs, 6 figs, 32 tabs. Also published as: Dissertation from the International Graduate School of Management and Industrial Engineering, No 25, Licenciate Thesis

Production planning and scheduling in refinery industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Persson, Jan

1999-07-01

In this thesis we consider production planning and scheduling in refinery industry, in particular we study the planning and scheduling at the Nynaes AB refinery and at the Scanraff AB refinery. The purpose is to contribute to the development and the use of optimization models to support efficient decision making. We identify various decision problems concerning the aggregated production planning, the shipment planning, the scheduling of operation modes, and the utilization of pipes and tanks; and we discuss the potential to successfully apply optimization models on these problems. We formulate a mixed integer linear programming model for the scheduling of operation modes at Nynaes. The model concerns decisions about which mode of operation to use at a particular point in time in order to minimize costs of changing modes and costs of keeping inventories, given demands for products. We derive several types of valid inequalities for this mathematical problem and show how these inequalities can improve the lower bound obtained from the linear programming relaxation of the problem. We also show how the valid inequalities can be used to improve the performance of a branch and bound solution approach. Further, a tabu search heuristic is developed for the scheduling problem. The solution methods are tested on data provided by the Nynaes refinery, and the performance of the methods are discussed. We present several extensions of the proposed model, and illustrate how the model can be used to support both operational and strategic decision making at the refinery. 66 refs, 6 figs, 32 tabs. Also published as: Dissertation from the International Graduate School of Management and Industrial Engineering, No 25, Licenciate Thesis.

Production planning and scheduling in refinery industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Persson, Jan

1999-06-01

In this thesis we consider production planning and scheduling in refinery industry, in particular we study the planning and scheduling at the Nynaes AB refinery and at the Scanraff AB refinery. The purpose is to contribute to the development and the use of optimization models to support efficient decision making. We identify various decision problems concerning the aggregated production planning, the shipment planning, the scheduling of operation modes, and the utilization of pipes and tanks; and we discuss the potential to successfully apply optimization models on these problems. We formulate a mixed integer linear programming model for the scheduling of operation modes at Nynaes. The model concerns decisions about which mode of operation to use at a particular point in time in order to minimize costs of changing modes and costs of keeping inventories, given demands for products. We derive several types of valid inequalities for this mathematical problem and show how these inequalities can improve the lower bound obtained from the linear programming relaxation of the problem. We also show how the valid inequalities can be used to improve the performance of a branch and bound solution approach. Further, a tabu search heuristic is developed for the scheduling problem. The solution methods are tested on data provided by the Nynaes refinery, and the performance of the methods are discussed. We present several extensions of the proposed model, and illustrate how the model can be used to support both operational and strategic decision making at the refinery. 66 refs, 6 figs, 32 tabs. Also published as: Dissertation from the International Graduate School of Management and Industrial Engineering, No 25, Licenciate Thesis

The life and times of a western refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, W.

1998-01-01

An historical account is given of the discovery of oil by Imperial Oil Ltd., at Leduc in 1947, and the opening of a refinery in Edmonton in 1948. The discovery at Leduc was the first major strike to be made in western Canada, but Imperial Oil did not have a refinery at the site to process the new found crude. Given the economic constraints of the postwar era, Imperial Oil decided to dismantle and move an idle and virtually brand-new refinery located at Whitehorse, Yukon. It took 10 months to reassemble the refinery at its newly prepared site at Edmonton. Regular expansions and improvements helped to ensure that the refinery kept up with the advances in technology and market demand. By the early 1970s, small refineries were becoming uneconomical as distribution of products by pipelines became possible. In 1976 Imperial Oil spent more than $300 million to consolidate its four Prairie refineries, those in Calgary, Winnipeg, Regina and Edmonton, into one large facility at the Edmonton site. The role that the refinery plays in today's community and the effort that Imperial Oil makes to comply with stringent environmental regulations were described. Today, the refinery is producing 165,000 barrels a day of fuels and lubricants and another 20,000 barrels of asphalt. The refinery supplies more than 200 different products to customers across Canada, with unit costs which are amongst the lowest of North American refineries. figs

The rise and fall of refineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chretien, D.

2002-01-01

This paper described the rise and fall of refineries in Montreal. Well before Calgary, Montreal was the hub of activity for oil refineries because Montreal was the principle consuming market for petroleum products in Canada. The location was good, particularly since the soil was clay which helped prevent soil infiltration of petroleum. The first refinery in Montreal was constructed in 1916 by Esso, followed by Texaco in 1921 and Gulf in 1931. Initially oil was shipped by boat to the Port of Montreal from Saudi Arabia. Later, the petroleum came mostly from Venezuela. At the beginning of the 1980s many refineries were closed because they became obsolete and upgrading them would have been too costly. Only 3 refineries remain in Quebec, of which 2 are in Montreal. They are owned by Shell and PetroCanada. The third refinery in Quebec is in St-Romuald and is owned by UltraMar. One of the major contributing factors to the decline of the refining industry in Montreal was the decision in 1984 by former Prime Minister Trudeau to force Canadian provinces to purchase their petroleum from Alberta. This caused the petrochemical industry to locate in Sarnia in Ontario, leaving the Montreal refining centre to become obsolete. 3 figs

Amoco/Environmental Protection Agency Pollution Prevention Project, Yorktown refinery. Refinery release inventory. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klee, H.; Kizier, G.J.; Baloo, S.; Hockman, E.L.; Couzens-Roberts, C.

1992-07-01

The report volume summarizes physical data obtained during a 2-year pollution prevention study of Amoco Oil Company's Yorktown Virginia Refinery. The study was jointly sponsored as a cooperative effort of Amoco Corporation and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. A multi-media sampling program was used to identify potential pollution sources within the Refinery. Sampling and analysis included air, surface water, groundwater, and solid waste data. Public perceptions about environmental issues of concern in the vicinity of the Refinery were also surveyed. The inventory showed that nearly 99 percent of the releases were airborne at the facility. Most of the remainder involved land disposal of solid wastes. Specific sources of major pollutants are identified

Life-cycle assessment of a waste refinery process for enzymatic treatment of municipal solid waste

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tonini, Davide; Astrup, Thomas

2012-01-01

for the enzymatic treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) is presented. The refinery produced a liquid (liquefied organic materials and paper) and a solid fraction (non-degradable materials) from the initial waste. A number of scenarios for the energy utilization of the two outputs were assessed. Co......Decrease of fossil fuel dependence and resource saving has become increasingly important in recent years. From this perspective, higher recycling rates for valuable materials (e.g. metals) as well as energy recovery from waste streams could play a significant role substituting for virgin material...... production and saving fossil resources. This is especially important with respect to residual waste (i.e. the remains after source-separation and separate collection) which in Denmark is typically incinerated. In this paper, a life-cycle assessment and energy balance of a pilot-scale waste refinery...

Advanced purification of petroleum refinery wastewater by catalytic vacuum distillation.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Long; Ma, Hongzhu; Wang, Bo; Mao, Wei; Chen, Yashao

2010-06-15

In our work, a new process, catalytic vacuum distillation (CVD) was utilized for purification of petroleum refinery wastewater that was characteristic of high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and salinity. Moreover, various common promoters, like FeCl(3), kaolin, H(2)SO(4) and NaOH were investigated to improve the purification efficiency of CVD. Here, the purification efficiency was estimated by COD testing, electrolytic conductivity, UV-vis spectrum, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and pH value. The results showed that NaOH promoted CVD displayed higher efficiency in purification of refinery wastewater than other systems, where the pellucid effluents with low salinity and high COD removal efficiency (99%) were obtained after treatment, and the corresponding pH values of effluents varied from 7 to 9. Furthermore, environment estimation was also tested and the results showed that the effluent had no influence on plant growth. Thus, based on satisfied removal efficiency of COD and salinity achieved simultaneously, NaOH promoted CVD process is an effective approach to purify petroleum refinery wastewater. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Industrial wastewater reuse in petroleum refinery using the WSD for regeneration systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lídia Yokoyama

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Wastewater reuse practices in the industry require an adequate understanding of the characteristics of the manufacture processes, to minimize the water consumption and the generation of effluent. The objective of this work was to apply the WSD method, used to defining the target of minimum process water consumption in a case study of oil refinery, by means of the reuse and recycling operations, including regeneration processes. The importance and influence of the wastewater treatment plant in the regeneration quality, including intermediate process streams, for the reuse and the recycling operations, were evaluated. Furthermore, centralized and distributed treatment flowsheet configurations were tested. Thus, this work presented the solution of a case study with three contaminants in water streams processes, different interconnections approaches, used to illustrate the application of this procedure showing the reduction of water flow rate and total costs compared to the original flowsheet. The scenarios revealed to be greatly promising, and flowsheet configurations were reached with higher than 4 % and 20 % of reduction in the water flow rate consumption and the total costs, respectively. Regarding the ecoefficiency processes, the results demonstrate that the applied technique is successful when the minimum water consumption is the main goal in the industry.

Assessment of refinery effluents and receiving waters using biologically-based effect methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-01-01

Within the EU it is apparent that the regulatory focus on the use of biologically-based effects methods in the assessment of refinery effluents and receiving waters has increased in the past decade. This has been reflected in a recent refinery survey which revealed an increased use of such methods for assessing the quality of refinery effluents and their receiving waters. This report provides an overview of recent techniques used for this purpose. Several case studies provided by CONCAWE member companies describe the application of biological methods to effluent discharge assessment and surface water monitoring. The case studies show that when biological methods are applied to refinery effluents and receiving waters they raise different questions compared with those obtained using physical and chemical methods. Although direct measurement of the toxicity of effluent and receiving to aquatic organisms is the most cited technique, more recent efforts include tests that also address the persistence of effluent toxicity once discharged into the receiving water. Similarly, ecological monitoring of receiving waters can identify effects of effluent inputs arising from species interactions and other secondary effects that would not always be apparent from the results of biological tests conducted on single aquatic organisms. In light of recent and proposed regulatory developments the objectives of this report are therefore to: Discuss the application of biologically-based effects methods (including ecological monitoring) to refinery discharges and receiving waters; Assess the implications of such methods for future regulation of refinery discharges; and Provide guidance on good practice that can be used by refineries and the downstream oil industry to carry out and interpret data obtained using biologically-based effects methods. While the emphasis is on the toxic effects of effluents, other properties will also be covered because of their interdependency in determining

Assessment of refinery effluents and receiving waters using biologically-based effect methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-01-15

Within the EU it is apparent that the regulatory focus on the use of biologically-based effects methods in the assessment of refinery effluents and receiving waters has increased in the past decade. This has been reflected in a recent refinery survey which revealed an increased use of such methods for assessing the quality of refinery effluents and their receiving waters. This report provides an overview of recent techniques used for this purpose. Several case studies provided by CONCAWE member companies describe the application of biological methods to effluent discharge assessment and surface water monitoring. The case studies show that when biological methods are applied to refinery effluents and receiving waters they raise different questions compared with those obtained using physical and chemical methods. Although direct measurement of the toxicity of effluent and receiving to aquatic organisms is the most cited technique, more recent efforts include tests that also address the persistence of effluent toxicity once discharged into the receiving water. Similarly, ecological monitoring of receiving waters can identify effects of effluent inputs arising from species interactions and other secondary effects that would not always be apparent from the results of biological tests conducted on single aquatic organisms. In light of recent and proposed regulatory developments the objectives of this report are therefore to: Discuss the application of biologically-based effects methods (including ecological monitoring) to refinery discharges and receiving waters; Assess the implications of such methods for future regulation of refinery discharges; and Provide guidance on good practice that can be used by refineries and the downstream oil industry to carry out and interpret data obtained using biologically-based effects methods. While the emphasis is on the toxic effects of effluents, other properties will also be covered because of their interdependency in determining

Analysis of standard and innovative methods for allocating upstream and refinery GHG emissions to oil products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moretti, Christian; Moro, Alberto; Edwards, Robert; Rocco, Matteo Vincenzo; Colombo, Emanuela

2017-01-01

Highlights: •Traditional and innovative methods for allocating emissions at refinery level are reviewed. •Added value has been introduced as a novel allocation method. •Hydrogen-based consistency test has been introduced to validate the allocation methods. •Consistent allocation methods assign negative refinery emissions to heavy products. -- Abstract: Alternative fuel policies need accurate and transparent methods to find the embedded carbon intensity of individual refinery products. This study investigates different ways of allocating greenhouse gases emissions deriving from refining and upstream crude oil supply. Allocation methods based on mass, energy content, economic value and, innovatively, added-value, are compared with the marginal refining emissions calculated by CONCAWE’s linear-programming model to the average EU refinery, which has been adopted as reference in EU legislation. Beside the most important transportation fuels (gasoline, diesel, kerosene/jet fuel and heavy fuel oil), the analysis extends to petroleum coke and refinery hydrogen. Moreover, novel criteria, based on the implications due to hydrogen usage by each fuel pathway, have been introduced to test the consistency of the analyzed approaches. It is found that only two economic-based allocation methods are consistent with the introduced criteria. These two methods also give negative refinery emissions for heavy products, which is coherent with the marginal emissions calculated through the CONCAWE refinery model. The recommended allocation methods are transparent and use only publicly available statistical data, so they may be useful not only for future EU legislation, but also in jurisdictions where a representative refinery model is not available.

Kvanefjeld refinery pilot plant operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krebs, Damien; Furfaro, Domenic

2016-01-01

Greenland Minerals and Energy is a junior project development company which is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (asx:GGG). It is developing the Kvanefjeld rare earth and uranium project located in the southern tip of Greenland. The project has completed a Feasibility Study and is currently in the permitting phase. Last year was a busy time for the company as it completed a Feasibility Study, a mining licence application (draft submitted in December 2015) and pilot plant operations. Beneficiation pilot plant operations were completed at GTK in Finland in April 2015. This pilot plant treated approximately 30 tonnes of ore to producing almost 2 tonnes of rare earth mineral concentrate. Later in the year a hydrometallurgical pilot plant was performed which mimicked the Refinery process. This pilot plant was performed at Outotec’s Pori Research laboratories in Finland from September till October 2015. The pilot plant treated approximately 200 kilograms of concentrate over 4 split operating campaigns. Each campaign was performed to focus on the performance of a specific part of the refinery flowsheet. This allowed for full operating focus on a single unit operation to ensure that it was operating correctly. The pilot plant operations were quite successful with no major issues with the flowsheet identified through continuous operation. Some fine tuning of conditions was required to ensure adequate removal of impurities was performed with recycle streams incorporated. Overall the leach extractions observed in the pilot plant exceeded the design assumptions in the Feasibility Study. These programs were partially funded by the EURARE program. The EURARE program aims to encourage the sustainable development of European based rare earth projects. This has the goal of allowing Europe to become less reliant on importation of these key raw materials. The professionalism and performance of both GTK and Outotec contributed significantly to the success of the pilot plant

Refinery siting workbook: appendices A and B

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-07-01

The objective of this effort is to develop and provide basic refinery-related information for use by state and local government officials as a basis for establishing responsible refinery siting requirements and policies consistent with the federal clean air and water standards and socio-economic concerns. The report will be organized into two volumes. The main text comprises the basic topics of physical concerns, regulatory requirements, and permitting activities, while the second volume includes the detailed appendix materials such as the applicable laws, and the necessary permits, as available and a glossary of pertinent terms. As a means to this objective, three refinery sizes, 200,000, 100,000 and 30,000 barrels per day crude charge will be discussed in technical terms. Process unit configuration will be presented which will maximize either gasoline or heating oil production with either sweet or sour crude oil feedstocks. The major issues affecting the socio-economic impact of siting the refinery in a given locale will be presented. These data will review the factors affecting the human environment and the issues that must be addressed to assess the impact that a refinery will have on a community. The key federal registrations which impact upon a refinery siting decision shall be reviewed. Summaries of these regulations and a simplified decision diagram for the air and water acts shall be presented to assist both government and refinery officials in understanding the scope of regulatory impact. All pertinent procedures required for refinery permitting shall be reviewed under the generalized headings of air, water, health and safety, land use, and miscellaneous permits. This categorization at the federal, state and local levels of government shall be used as a basis for establishing degrees of emphasis.

40 CFR 80.94 - Requirements for gasoline produced at foreign refineries.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... inspection or audit if a baseline petition has not been approved, and any work papers related to refinery... foreign refineries. 80.94 Section 80.94 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... for gasoline produced at foreign refineries. (a) Definitions. (1) A foreign refinery is a refinery...

The miraculously saved refineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cosnard, D.

2005-01-01

During 20 years, refining has been the weak link of the petroleum industry. This sector has always suffered from a chronical overcapacity. Today, on the contrary, there is a lack of facilities and shortage is threatening. The Reichstett refinery (Alsace, France) is the smallest French refinery. It has been several times threatened with closure but today, thanks to the increasing demand, it works at full capacity. This short paper summarizes the history of this facility and its social and environmental impact in the region. (J.S.)

Former Soviet refineries face modernization, restructuring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

A massive modernization and restructuring program is under way in the refining sector of Russia and other former Soviet republics. Economic reforms and resulting economic dislocation following the collapse of the Soviet Union has left refineries in the region grappling with a steep decline and changes in product demand. At the same time, rising oil prices and an aging, dilapidated infrastructure promise a massive shakeout. Even as many refineries in the former Soviet Union (FSU) face possible closure because they are running at a fraction of capacity, a host of revamps, expansions, and grass roots refineries are planned or under way. The paper discusses plans

Testing a community water supply well located near a stream for susceptibility to stream contamination and low-flows.

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart-Maddox, N. S.; Tysor, E. H.; Swanson, J.; Degon, A.; Howard, J.; Tsinnajinnie, L.; Frisbee, M. D.; Wilson, J. L.; Newman, B. D.

2014-12-01

A community well is the primary water supply to the town of El Rito. This small rural town in is located in a semi-arid, mountainous portion of northern New Mexico where water is scarce. The well is 72 meters from a nearby intermittent stream. Initial tritium sampling suggests a groundwater connection between the stream and well. The community is concerned with the sustainability and future quality of the well water. If this well is as tightly connected to the stream as the tritium data suggests, then the well is potentially at risk due to upstream contamination and the impacts of extended drought. To examine this, we observed the well over a two-week period performing pump and recovery tests, electrical resistivity surveys, and physical observations of the nearby stream. We also collected general chemistry, stable isotope and radon samples from the well and stream. Despite the large well diameter, our pump test data exhibited behavior similar to a Theis curve, but the rate of drawdown decreased below the Theis curve late in the test. This decrease suggests that the aquifer is being recharged, possibly through delayed yield, upwelling of groundwater, or from the stream. The delayed yield hypothesis is supported by our electrical resistivity surveys, which shows very little change in the saturated zone over the course of the pump test, and by low values of pump-test estimated aquifer storativity. Observations of the nearby stream showed no change in stream-water level throughout the pump test. Together this data suggests that the interaction between the stream and the well is low, but recharge could be occurring through other mechanisms such as delayed yield. Additional pump tests of longer duration are required to determine the exact nature of the aquifer and its communication with the well.

Olefins production from C4 stream; Producao de olefinas a partir de corrente C4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basso, Julia A.; Feltran, Marina B.; Becker, Patricia Luiza; Rocha, Priscila L. [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2008-07-01

The petrochemical sector in Brazil has been growing in terms of investment and expansion of production capacity, due to increased demand for thermoplastic products. However, the offer of basic petrochemical raw materials obtained by conventional routes is not following this increasing demand which stimulates the search for new competitive technologies. Moreover, there is the opportunity to use low value added C4 streams from FCC process that are available in the Brazilian refineries, for the production of petrochemicals. Several possibilities of C4 stream use to produce butadienes, MTBE, maleic anhydride, ethylene and propylene have been discussed in this work. The production of propylene seems to be the most economically attractive option in Brazil, since its offer will not keep up with the growth in its demand, according to ABIQUIM forecasts. Therefore some propylene production technologies from C4 streams - steam cracking, metathesis and selective cracking - have been evaluated considering their basic characteristics and applications. The goal of this study is to provide preliminary information to support future project evaluations of petrochemical/refinery integration, through comparative analysis of these technologies. (author)

An estimation of cogeneration potential by using refinery residuals in Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marin-Sanchez, J.E.; Rodriguez-Toral, M.A.

2007-01-01

Electric power generation in Mexico is mainly based on fossil fuels, specifically heavy fuel oil, although the use of natural gas combined cycles (NGCC) is becoming increasingly important. This is the main destination that has promoted growing imports of natural gas, currently accounting for about 20% of the total national annual consumption. Available crude oil is becoming heavier; thus refineries should be able to process it, and to handle greater quantities of refinery residuals. If all refinery residuals are used in cogeneration plants serving petroleum refineries, the high heat/power ratio of refinery needs, leads to the availability of appreciable quantities of electricity that can be exported to the public utility. Thus, in a global perspective, Mexican imports of natural gas may be reduced by cogeneration using refinery residuals. This is not the authors' idea; in fact, PEMEX, the national oil company, has been entitled by the Mexican congress to sell its power leftovers to The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) in order to use cogeneration in the way described for the years to come. A systematic way of determining the cogeneration potential by using refinery residuals from Mexican refineries is presented here, taking into account residual quantities and composition, from a national perspective, considering expected scenarios for Maya crude content going to local refineries in the years to come. Among different available technologies for cogeneration using refinery residuals, it is believed that the integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) would be the best option. Thus, considering IGCC plants supplying heat and power to refineries where it is projected to have refinery residuals for cogeneration, the expected electric power that can be sent to the public utility is quantified, along with the natural gas imports mitigation that may be attained. This in turn would contribute to a necessary fuel diversification policy balancing energy, economy and

Developmental toxicity of clarified slurry oil, syntower bottoms, and distillate aromatic extract administered as a single oral dose to pregnant rats

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feuston, M.H.; Mackerer, C.R. [Stonybrook Labs., Princeton, NJ (United States)

1996-09-01

Clarified slurry oil (CSO), syntower bottoms (STB), and distillate aromatic extract (DAE) are refinery streams produced by processing crude oil. Available data indicate that some refinery streams are developmentally toxic by the dermal route of exposure. However, there is no conclusive evidence for their being teratogenic. The present studies were designed to further explore the suspected teratogenic potency of refinery streams while at the same time limiting embryolethality. In general, evidence of maternal toxicity (i.e., decreased body weight gain, decreased thymus weight) was observed at doses greater than or equal to 500 mg/kg. For each refinery stream tested, the incidence of resorption was greatest on GD 11. A common pattern of fetal malformations was observed for all of the refinery streams tested and included cleft palate, diaphragmatic hernia, and paw and tail defects. The incidence and type of malformation observed were influenced by the gestation day of exposure. The incidence and type of malformation observed were influenced by the gestation day of exposure. The incidences of external and skeletal malformations were greatest on GD 11 and 12 for fetuses exposed to CSO; on GD 13 and 14, the incidence of malformation was comparable for CSO- and STB-exposed fetuses. The incidence of visceral anomalies was greatest on GD 11-13 for fetuses exposed to CSO and STB; on Gestation D 14, the incidence was comparable for each of the refinery streams tested. In general, the ability to produce adverse effects on development was greatest for CSO and least for DAE. Effects produced by STB were comparable to or less severe than those observed for CSO. 24 refs., 11 tabs.

Improving profitability in a grassroots refinery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coombs, T. [Star Petroleum Refining Co. Ltd. (Thailand); Kennedy, P.; Bhargava, S. [KBC Process Technology Ltd. (United Kingdom)

1999-05-01

Actions taken to maximise profit at the Star Refinery in Thailand are described. The company made good use of the Profit Improvement Programme (PIP) (which specialises in refinery economics) and the way in which PIP addressed the problem and the benefits derived therefrom is the nub of this paper. The efforts appear to have been more than satisfactory from the aspect of increasing profit margins. (UK)

Assessment of the estrogenic potency of effluents from petrochemical facilities and a petroleum refinery in Ontario

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sherry, J.P.; Trepanier, T.; Tinson, C.; Munro, S.

2002-01-01

Studies have shown that wastewater from refineries could induce vitellogenin (Vg) in juvenile rainbow trout. Vg is a biomarker of exposure to estrogenic chemicals. This study reassessed the estrogenic potency of the wastewater from an Ontario refinery and assessed the estrogenicity of wastewater from 3 petrochemical facilities. A 21 day static renewal test was conducted to test the effluents and in which a competitive binding ELISA detected induced Vg. Statistical testing for tank effects was performed in a replicated tank design and the St. Clair River water from upstream industrial facilities was used as a negative reference. The positive control treatment was waterborne 17β-estradiol. Wastewater from the petroleum refinery induced Vg in the treated fish, but wastewater from the petrochemical effluents did not induce detectable levels of Vg in treated trout. The information obtained through this study will be used to determine the potential for responses in feral fish

Refinery profitability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tobin, G.

1998-01-01

Recently there has been considerable shutting down of oil refinery capacity in response to the increasing pressures on profitability. This article examines the situation and the industry's response to it, including the drive for mergers, disposal of fuel oil, downsizing of workforces and strategic alliances. Future trends and their implications are also discussed. (UK)

Feasibility study report for the Imperial Valley Ethanol Refinery: a 14. 9-million-gallon-per-year ethanol synfuel refinery utilizing geothermal energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1981-03-01

The construction and operation of a 14,980,000 gallon per year fuel ethanol from grain refinery in the Imperial Valley of California is proposed. The Imperial Valley Ethanol Refinery (refinery) will use hot geothermal fluid from geothermal resources at the East Mesa area as the source of process energy. In order to evaluate the economic viability of the proposed Project, exhaustive engineering, cost analysis, and financial studies have been undertaken. This report presents the results of feasibility studies undertaken in geothermal resource, engineering, marketing financing, management, environment, and permits and approvals. The conclusion of these studies is that the Project is economically viable. US Alcohol Fuels is proceeding with its plans to construct and operate the Refinery.

Modeling transient streaming potentials in falling-head permeameter tests.

Science.gov (United States)

Malama, Bwalya; Revil, André

2014-01-01

We present transient streaming potential data collected during falling-head permeameter tests performed on samples of two sands with different physical and chemical properties. The objective of the work is to estimate hydraulic conductivity (K) and the electrokinetic coupling coefficient (Cl ) of the sand samples. A semi-empirical model based on the falling-head permeameter flow model and electrokinetic coupling is used to analyze the streaming potential data and to estimate K and Cl . The values of K estimated from head data are used to validate the streaming potential method. Estimates of K from streaming potential data closely match those obtained from the associated head data, with less than 10% deviation. The electrokinetic coupling coefficient was estimated from streaming potential vs. (1) time and (2) head data for both sands. The results indicate that, within limits of experimental error, the values of Cl estimated by the two methods are essentially the same. The results of this work demonstrate that a temporal record of the streaming potential response in falling-head permeameter tests can be used to estimate both K and Cl . They further indicate the potential for using transient streaming potential data as a proxy for hydraulic head in hydrogeology applications. © 2013, National Ground Water Association.

Economic forces push down selling prices of U.S. refineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1996-01-01

Recent data on US refinery sales reveal that selling prices have continued to decline in the 1990s. Reasons for this decrease include increased plant investments to meet regulatory requirements, excess refining capacity, increased imports of refined products, and reduced margins. While these expenditures enable a refinery to continue operating, they do not make the refinery more profitable or valuable. Other factors contributing to reduced selling prices of US refineries are: declining local crude production; unstable crude costs; increased energy conservation; growing competition from alternative fuels

40 CFR 80.1141 - Small refinery exemption.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

.... (a)(1) Gasoline produced at a refinery by a refiner, or foreign refiner (as defined at § 80.1165(a... effective beginning on January 1 of the following calendar year, at which point the gasoline produced at... from the calculation of its Renewable Volume Obligation (under § 80.1107(a)) gasoline from any refinery...

Computer model for refinery operations with emphasis on jet fuel production. Volume 3: Detailed systems and programming documentation

Science.gov (United States)

Dunbar, D. N.; Tunnah, B. G.

1978-01-01

The FORTRAN computing program predicts flow streams and material, energy, and economic balances of a typical petroleum refinery, with particular emphasis on production of aviation turbine fuels of varying end point and hydrogen content specifications. The program has a provision for shale oil and coal oil in addition to petroleum crudes. A case study feature permits dependent cases to be run for parametric or optimization studies by input of only the variables which are changed from the base case.

Petroleum Refinery Effluents Treatment by Advanced Oxidation Process with Methanol

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shoucheng, Wen [Yangtze Univ., HuBei Jingzhou (China)

2014-02-15

Petroleum refinery effluents are waste originating from industries primarily engaged in refining crude oil. It is a very complex compound of various oily wastes, water, heavy metals and so on. Conventional processes are unable to effectively remove the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of petroleum refinery effluents. Supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) was proposed to treat petroleum refinery effluents. In this paper, methanol was used to investigate co-oxidative effect of methanol on petroleum refinery effluents treatment. The results indicated that supercritical water oxidation is an effective process for petroleum refinery effluents treatment. Adding methanol caused an increase in COD removal. When reaction temperature is 440 .deg. C, residence time is 20 min, OE is 0.5 and initial COD is 40000 mg/L, and COD removal increases 8.5%.

Petroleum Refinery Effluents Treatment by Advanced Oxidation Process with Methanol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shoucheng, Wen

2014-01-01

Petroleum refinery effluents are waste originating from industries primarily engaged in refining crude oil. It is a very complex compound of various oily wastes, water, heavy metals and so on. Conventional processes are unable to effectively remove the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of petroleum refinery effluents. Supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) was proposed to treat petroleum refinery effluents. In this paper, methanol was used to investigate co-oxidative effect of methanol on petroleum refinery effluents treatment. The results indicated that supercritical water oxidation is an effective process for petroleum refinery effluents treatment. Adding methanol caused an increase in COD removal. When reaction temperature is 440 .deg. C, residence time is 20 min, OE is 0.5 and initial COD is 40000 mg/L, and COD removal increases 8.5%

The Conversion and Sustainable Use of Alumina Refinery Residues: Global Solution Examples

Science.gov (United States)

Fergusson, Lee

This paper introduces current industry best practice for the conversion of alumina refinery residues (or "red mud") from hazardous waste to benign, inert material. The paper will examine four neutralization methods and Basecon Technology, a sustainable conversion process. The paper will consider ways through which this converted material can be combined and processed for sustainable applications in the treatment of hazardous waste streams (such as industrial wastewater and sludges, biosolids, and CCA wastes), contaminated brownfield sites, and mine site wastes. Recent discoveries and applications, such as the successful treatment of high levels of radium in drinking water in the USA, will also be discussed. Examples of global solutions and their technical merits will be assessed.

Environmental nickel exposure from oil refinery emissions: a case study in Ecuador.

Science.gov (United States)

Harari, Raúl; Harari, Florencia; Forastiere, Francesco

2016-01-01

Nickel is a strong skin and respiratory sensitizer and a recognized carcinogen. Oil refineries are important sources of atmospheric emissions of toxic pollutants, including nickel. Populations residing close to oil refineries are at potential risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the exposure to nickel in a population living close to the largest oil refinery in Ecuador, located in the city of Esmeraldas. We recruited 47 workers from the oil refinery as well as 195 students from 4 different schools close to the plant and 94 students from another school 25 km far from the industry. Urinary nickel concentrations were used to assess the exposure to nickel. Students from the school next to the oil refinery showed the highest urinary nickel concentrations while workers from the refinery showed the lowest concentrations. Median nickel concentrations were > 2µg/L in all study groups. The populations living close to the oil refineries are potentially exposed to nickel from atmospheric emissions. Further studies investigating nickel-related health effects in the population residing close to the refinery of Esmeralda are needed.

Aspects of petrochemistry in a fuels refinery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Esser, J.; Mielicke, C.J.; Maier, T. [MIRO - Mineraloelraffinerie Oberrhein GmbH und Co. KG, Karlsruhe (Germany)

2007-07-01

Classical links between refinery and petrochemical downstream operations are light naphtha, C2-C4-Olefins and various aromatic compounds. Additionally long chain paraffines from dewaxing or even heavy residues can be interesting starting materials for petrochemistry. Some aspects of these links between refining and petrochemistry as well as their impact on refinery operation and product pools are discussed. (orig.)

Current situation of oil refinery in Bulgaria

Science.gov (United States)

Vershkova, Elena; Petkova, Petinka; Grinkevich, Anastasia

2016-09-01

This article deals with the classification approach for oil refineries in international practices. Criteria of refinery estimation group, including its financial status estimation, have been investigated. The analysis object is “Lukoil Neftochim Bourgas” AD (LNCHB) activity. This company is a leading enterprise in Bulgaria. The analysis of LNCHB operating: energy intensity index; index of operating costs and return on investment index have been performed.

Exergy and exergoeconomic analysis of a petroleum refinery utilities plant using the condensing to power method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mendes da Silva, Julio Augusto; Pellegrini, Luiz Felipe; Oliveira Junior, Silvio [Polytechnic School of the University of Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)], e-mails: jams@usp.br, luiz.pellegrini@usp.br, soj@usp.br; Plaza, Claudio; Rucker, Claudio [Petrobras - Petroleo Brasileiro S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)], e-mails: claudioplaza@petrobras.com.br, rucker@petrobras.com.br

2010-07-01

In this paper a brief description of the main processes present in a modern high capacity refinery is done. The methodology used to evaluate, through exergy analysis, the performance of the refinery's utilities plant since it is responsible for a very considerable amount of the total exergy destruction in a refinery is presented. The utilities plant products: steam, electricity, shaft power and high pressure water had their exergy unit cost determined using exergoeconomic approach. A simple and effective method called condensing to power was used to define the product of the condensers in exergy basis. Using this method it is possible to define the product of the condenser without the use of negentropy concept nor the aggregation of condensers to the steam turbines. By using this new approach, the costs obtained for the plant's products are exactly the same costs obtained when the condenser is aggregated to the steam turbine but with the advantage that the information about the stream between condenser and the steam turbine is not lost and the condenser can be evaluated singly. The analysis shows that the equipment where attention and resources should be focused are the boilers followed by the gas turbine, that together, are responsible for 80% of total exergy destruction in the utilities plant. The total exergy efficiency found for the utilities plant studied is 35% while more than 280 MW of exergy is destroyed in the utilities processes. (author)

environmental impact of illegal refineries on the vegetation

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dr. O. M. Adesope

impact of illegal oil refineries in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, the floristic composition of the fresh water swamp forest at refining sites in two river systems and a brackish ... ecosystem of Rivers State, five species of Mangroves and two species of ... Visual observation was made along the Rivers to identify illegal refinery stations.

Treatment of Tehran refinery wastewater using rotating biological contactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghazi, Masoud; Mirsajadi, Hassan; Ganjidoust, Hossien [Tarbeyat Modarres Univ., Teheran (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Environmental Engineering Dept.

1994-12-31

Tehran Refinery is a large plant which produces several petroleum products. The wastewaters are generated from several different refinery processes and units. Because of the wastewaters uniqueness they need to be treated in each specific plant. Currently, an activated sludge system is the main biological wastewater treatment process in Tehran refinery plant. A study was initiated in order to find a more suitable and reliable process which can produce a better treated effluent which might, in case the process be successful, be reused for irrigation lands. 5 refs., 5 figs.

Treatment of Tehran refinery wastewater using rotating biological contactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghazi, Masoud; Mirsajadi, Hassan; Ganjidoust, Hossien [Tarbeyat Modarres Univ., Teheran (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Environmental Engineering Dept.

1993-12-31

Tehran Refinery is a large plant which produces several petroleum products. The wastewaters are generated from several different refinery processes and units. Because of the wastewaters uniqueness they need to be treated in each specific plant. Currently, an activated sludge system is the main biological wastewater treatment process in Tehran refinery plant. A study was initiated in order to find a more suitable and reliable process which can produce a better treated effluent which might, in case the process be successful, be reused for irrigation lands. 5 refs., 5 figs.

Market survey on products from the Tema Oil Refinery carried out as part of the feasibility study on the Tema Oil Refinery expansion project. Export trade information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-10-01

The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), which was commissioned in 1963, is a simple hydroskimming plant which processes crude oil into LPG, gasoline, kerosene, gasoil, and fuel oil. It is the only petroleum refinery in Ghana. Over the years some of the equipment in the refinery has deteriorated or become obsolete necessitating major rehabilitation. A feasibility study is investigating the modernization and expansion of the refinery to meet projected market demands until the year 2005. The report presents the results of a market survey done on products from TOR

Assessment of Petroleum Leakage in Groundwater of the Abadan Refinery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seyed Reza Shadizadeh

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Knowledge of petroleum leakage at oil refineries is vital for environmental study of water and soil pollution. Abadan Refinery is located between the Arvandrud and Bahmanshir rivers in the highly populated area of Abadan city. These rivers supply domestic, industrial, and agricultural water toAbadancity. During the war betweenIranandIraq, enormous volumes of oil and petroleum products leaked from storage tanks and pipelines at Abadan Refinery into the surrounding environment. The resulting pollution is a serious threat and a growing environmental concern for the region. In this work, twenty boreholes were dug to investigate petroleum leaks into the surrounding area both during and after the war. The thickness of petroleum floating on underground waters at the refinery was measured by sampling underground water over a period of one year along with measuring the piezometric heads of groundwater monitoring wells. Also, groundwater movement pattern at Abadan Refinery was determined by measuring the water table in each well over the same period. The results of sampling indicate that oil leaks were observed in just two wells; namely, wells No.3 and No.11. The results also show that the greatest portion of the oil spill in underground layers at Abadan Refinery was absorbed into clay soil.

Maximizing petrochemicals from refineries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Glover, B.; Foley, T.; Frey, S. [UOP, Des Plaines, IL (United States)

2007-07-01

New fuel quality requirements and high growth rates for petrochemicals are providing both challenges and opportunities for refineries. A key challenge in refineries today is to improve of the value of the products from the FCC unit. In particular, light FCC naphtha and LCO are prime candidates for improved utilization. Processing options have been developed focusing on new opportunities for these traditional fuel components. The Total Petrochemicals/UOP Olefin Cracking Process cracks C4-C8 olefins to produce propylene and ethylene. This process can be integrated into FCC units running at all severity levels to produce valuable light olefins while reducing the olefin content of the light FCC naphtha. Integration of the Olefin Cracking Process with an FCC unit can be accomplished to allow a range of operating modes which can accommodate changing demand for propylene, cracked naphtha and alkylate. Other processes developed by UOP allow for upgrading LCO into a range of products including petrochemical grade xylenes, benzene, high cetane diesel and low sulfur high octane gasoline. Various processing options are available which allow the products from LCO conversion to be adjusted based on the needs and opportunities of an individual refinery, as well as the external petrochemical demand cycles. This presentation will examine recent refining and petrochemical trends and highlight new process technologies that can be used to generate additional revenue from petrochemical production while addressing evolving clean fuel demands. (orig.)

Operational planning of refineries; Planejamento operacional de refinarias

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sinay, Maria Cristina Fogliatti de [Instituto Militar de Engenharia (IME), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Bueno, Catia [PETROBRAS S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2004-07-01

The activities integration that compose the petroleum logistic chain makes more complex its planning which is normally done in a joined level, using operation research models in order to find optimized solutions. When this integrated planning is repassed to the companies and its constitutes parts (mainly refinery) uncertainness are generated about the solution that will be adopted in case of new restrictions appear. Then, the purpose of this work is propose a procedure that is capable to adequate and specifies optimized solutions presented by corporative model to refinery operations, using 'What-if' and deterministic simulation technique with optimization. To achieve this objective will be analysed typical activities in refineries and basic principles to their operational planning. (author)

Experience from performance testing of low NOx burners for refinery heaters; Tests de performance avec des bruleurs de raffinerie a basse emission de NOx

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boden, J.C. [Refining Technology, BP Oil International, Sunbury (United Kingdom)

2001-07-01

Developments in low NOx burner technology have resulted in major reductions in NOx emissions from refinery process heaters. However, the techniques used in low NOx burners to reduce NOx emissions can potentially affect other key aspects of burner performance, particularly flame stability and completeness of combustion. BP has evaluated many of the currently available low and ultra-low NOx burners, both natural and forced draught, in its purpose-built test furnace. This extensive test programme has shown that to be a reliable predictor of actual performance a test rig must recreate accurately the real furnace conditions, particularly with respect to furnace and hearth temperatures. The testing has demonstrated the NOx emissions to be expected in practice from different generic types of burner, conventional, low NOx and ultra-low NOx, and has highlighted the sets of conditions most likely to lead to combustion performance problems. (authors)

Multi objective multi refinery optimization with environmental and catastrophic failure effects objectives

Science.gov (United States)

Khogeer, Ahmed Sirag

2005-11-01

Petroleum refining is a capital-intensive business. With stringent environmental regulations on the processing industry and declining refining margins, political instability, increased risk of war and terrorist attacks in which refineries and fuel transportation grids may be targeted, higher pressures are exerted on refiners to optimize performance and find the best combination of feed and processes to produce salable products that meet stricter product specifications, while at the same time meeting refinery supply commitments and of course making profit. This is done through multi objective optimization. For corporate refining companies and at the national level, Intea-Refinery and Inter-Refinery optimization is the second step in optimizing the operation of the whole refining chain as a single system. Most refinery-wide optimization methods do not cover multiple objectives such as minimizing environmental impact, avoiding catastrophic failures, or enhancing product spec upgrade effects. This work starts by carrying out a refinery-wide, single objective optimization, and then moves to multi objective-single refinery optimization. The last step is multi objective-multi refinery optimization, the objectives of which are analysis of the effects of economic, environmental, product spec, strategic, and catastrophic failure. Simulation runs were carried out using both MATLAB and ASPEN PIMS utilizing nonlinear techniques to solve the optimization problem. The results addressed the need to debottleneck some refineries or transportation media in order to meet the demand for essential products under partial or total failure scenarios. They also addressed how importing some high spec products can help recover some of the losses and what is needed in order to accomplish this. In addition, the results showed nonlinear relations among local and global objectives for some refineries. The results demonstrate that refineries can have a local multi objective optimum that does not

Evaluation of treatment efficiency of processes for petroleum refinery`s wastewater

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kee, Kean Chin [National Univ. of Singapore, Kent Ridge (Singapore). Dept. of Civil Engineering

1994-12-31

Processes used in the treatment of a petroleum refinery wastewater included initial API oil separator to be followed by dissolved air flotation and extended aeration system. The use of extended aeration biological system proved to be an improvement but not a solution yet in such kind of treatment. 2 refs., 2 tabs.

Evaluation of treatment efficiency of processes for petroleum refinery`s wastewater

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kee, Kean Chin [National Univ. of Singapore, Kent Ridge (Singapore). Dept. of Civil Engineering

1993-12-31

Processes used in the treatment of a petroleum refinery wastewater included initial API oil separator to be followed by dissolved air flotation and extended aeration system. The use of extended aeration biological system proved to be an improvement but not a solution yet in such kind of treatment. 2 refs., 2 tabs.

Simultaneous speciation of arsenic (As(III), MMA, DMA, and As(V)) and selenium (Se(IV), Se(VI), and SeCN{sup -}) in petroleum refinery aqueous streams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tonietto, Gisele B.; Godoy, Jose M.; Oliveira, Ana Cristina [Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Souza, Marcia V. de [Petrobras/Cenpes, Research and Development Center, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

2010-07-15

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to an ICP-MS with an octapole reaction system (ORS) has been used to carry out quantitative speciation of selenium (Se) and arsenic (As) in the stream waters of a refining process. The argon dimers interfering with the {sup 78}Se and {sup 80}Se isotopes were suppressed by pressurizing the octapole chamber with 3.1 mL min{sup -1} H{sub 2} and 0.5 mL min{sup -1} He. Four arsenic species arsenite - As(III), arsenate (As(V)), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) - and three inorganic Se species - selenite Se(IV), selenate Se(VI), and selenocyanate (SeCN{sup -}) - were separated in a single run by ion chromatography (IC) using gradient elution with 100 mmol L{sup -1} NH{sub 4}NO{sub 3}, pH 8.5, adjusted by addition of NH{sub 3}, as eluent. Repeatabilities of peak position and of peak area evaluation were better than 1% and about 3%, respectively. Detection limits (as 3{sigma} of the baseline noise) were 81, 56, and 75 ng L{sup -1} for Se(IV), Se(VI), and SeCN{sup -}, respectively, and 22, 19, 25, and 16 ng L{sup -1} for As(III), As(V), MMA, and DMA, respectively. Calibration curve R {sup 2} values ranged between 0.996 and 0.999 for the arsenic and selenium species. Column recovery for ion chromatography was calculated to be 97 {+-} 6% for combined arsenic species and 98 {+-} 3% for combined selenium species. Because certified reference materials for As and Se speciation studies are still not commercially available, in order to check accuracy and precision the method was applied to certified reference materials, BCR 714, BCR 1714, and BCR 715 and to two different refinery samples - inlet and outlet wastewater. The method was successfully used to study the quantitative speciation of selenium and arsenic in petroleum refinery wastewaters. (orig.)

Planning and scheduling for petroleum refineries using mathematical programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joly M.

2002-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is the development and solution of nonlinear and mixed-integer (MIP optimization models for real-world planning and scheduling problems in petroleum refineries. Firstly, we present a nonlinear planning model that represents a general refinery topology and allows implementation of nonlinear process models as well as blending relations. The optimization model is able to define new operating points, thus increasing the production of the more valuable products and simultaneously satisfying all specification constraints. The second part addresses scheduling problems in oil refineries, which are formulated as MIP optimization models and rely on both continuous and discrete time representations. Three practical applications closely related to the current refinery scenario are presented. The first one addresses the problem of crude oil inventory management of a refinery that receives several types of crude oil delivered exclusively by a single oil pipeline. Subsequently, two optimization models intended to define the optimal production policy, inventory control and distribution are proposed and solved for the fuel oil and asphalt plant. Finally, the planning model of Moro et al. (1998 is extended in order to sequence decisions at the scheduling level in the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG area for maximization of the production of petrochemical-grade propane and product delivery.

The refinery industry within the Mediterranean area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

During the period 1997-1998 Ome (Observatorie Mediterraneen de l'Energie) within a working group which was formed by the experts among the associated companies, has carried on an analysis on the prospects of refinery industry in the Mediterranean area in view of 2010. The aim of this study was to make clear, to the different operators, the consequences of the political choices in investments on refinery industry in the context of the progressive liberalization of the sector [it

Oil refining in a CO2 constrained world: Effects of carbon pricing on refineries globally

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdul-Manan, Amir F.N.; Arfaj, Abdullah; Babiker, Hassan

2017-01-01

Six aggregated refinery linear programming (LP) models were developed to represent actual refineries in North America, Latin America, Europe (including the CIS), Middle East, Asia (excluding China) and China. The models were used to conduct regional comparative assessments and to evaluate the effects of carbon pricing on refinery operations globally. We found that the average refinery energy efficiencies for the regions were estimated to range from 92.2% to 95.2%. The well-to-refinery gate carbon intensities for gasoline, diesel and jet fuels were estimated to be 17.1 (16.4–19.4), 13.3 (12.5–14.2) and 10.1 (9.6–10.8) gCO2eq/MJ, respectively. If refineries are forced to at least meet the 2014 regional volume demands for oil products, pricing CO 2 would not have an impact on either refinery productions, efficiency or emissions. If refineries are allowed to re-optimize production slates to reduce CO 2 emissions, refineries would opt to increase gasoline yield at the expense of diesel. This is counter intuitive since gasoline has a higher carbon intensity than diesel. The refinery bias against dieselization creates a supply preference toward a less efficient transportation end use. Here, we argue that if carbon pricing is not administered properly, this can lead to emissions leakage from refineries to the road transport sector. - Highlights: • Investigate actual refinery productions in 6 regions globally. • Refineries already operate at the most efficient levels. • Complex refineries tolerate higher CO 2 prices better. • Carbon pricing induces bias against dieselization. • Identify potential emissions leakage.

Result of design and test operation of a coal boiler at Hyogo Refinery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miura, Yasuhiko; Sato, Noriyuki

1987-05-01

This boiler is the first coal boiler for the oil refineries in Japan (Installed in Oct., 1986 at Idemitsu Petrochemical Co.) Causes for using coal as a fuel are a conversion to less expensive fuel and offering a technical service to the users of coal through the combustion of coal and learning of a handling technique. The type of boiler is Babcock single barrel radiant type and has 150 t/d capacity with single fuel combustion of coal. Auxiliary equipments are a pulverizer, a transportation and storage unit, a denitration unit, a dust collector, a desulfurization unit, and an ash disposal unit. Main considerations in the design are measures for the security of finely pulverized coal, clogging prevention for coal and ash. A test operation revealed 7 % of combustible loss and 160 - 250 ppm of NOx content at a charge inlet of denitration unit. Actual operation exhibited no clogging at the denitration unit of troubles due to scaling. Design for raw materials is to blend 4 imported coals (from Australia and Canada, etc) and 3 Japanese ones. (7 figs, 2 tabs)

Api Energia IGCC plant is fully integrated with refinery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Del Bravo, R. [api Energia, Rome (Italy); Trifilo, R. [ABB Sadelmi, Milan (Italy); Chiantore, P.V. [api anonima petroli Italiania Spa, Rome (Italy); Starace, F. [ABB Power Generation, Baden (Switzerland); O`Keefe, L.F. [Texico, White Plains (United States)

1998-06-01

The api Energia integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant being built at Falconara Marittima, on Italy`s Adriatic coast, is one of the three IGCC plants under construction in Italy following the liberalization of the electricity production sector. The plant will take 59.2 t/h of high sulphur heavy oil produced by the Falconara refinery, convert it to syngas and use the gas to generate 280 MW of electricity, plus steam and other gases for use in the refinery. The IGCC plant will be highly integrated into the refining process, with a large number of interchanges between the IGCC unit and the rest of the refinery. (author)

Oil refineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boehmer, S.; Winter, B.

2001-01-01

In refineries in particular attention is paid to the minimization of the generation of waste. Therefor catalysts in many processes are regenerated, absorbents are recycled and oily by-products are re-refined or used as fuels. This study discusses the origin and utilization of by-products from the oil industry. The processing of crude oils causes by-products and waste resulting from the crude oil itself or from cleaning measures for water pre-treatment, effluent treatment and flue gas treatment. (author)

Retrofitting refinery and petrochemical plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kesler, M.G.

1988-06-01

This article focuses on process improvements as the best way to reduce plant energy use. The emphasis on process revamp is well justified, as an energy profile for a typical refinery shows. The diagram shows that 60% of the total heat losses are in water and air cooling. Most of this heat loss results from condensing and cooling in fractionators and recycle systems, intermediate product cooling, and condensing of turbine steam. These losses, of mostly low-level heat, are tied to the basic approach previously used for the process design of existing refineries. Despite the progress to date, there is growing evidence that these heat losses can be further reduced economically by about 20-30% in most refineries and petrochemical plants. One way to reduce the losses is to increase recovery of low-level heat by improved heat exchange, which has been the subject of most publications on plant energy conservation. A better way, presented here, is to develop new process schemes that require less air/water cooling. One useful concept in developing new schemes is to concentrate on heat losses, rather than heat input, as an easier measure of proposed improvements. By an overall heat balance, eliminating a unit of energy loss is equivalent to saving a unit of heat input somewhere in the plant.

Urinary excretion of platinum from South African precious metals refinery workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Linde, Stephanus J L; Franken, Anja; du Plessis, Johannes L

2018-03-30

Urinary platinum (Pt) excretion is a reliable biomarker for occupational Pt exposure and has been previously reported for precious metals refinery workers in Europe but not for South Africa, the world's largest producer of Pt. This study aimed to quantify the urinary Pt excretion of South African precious metals refinery workers. Spot urine samples were collected from 40 workers (directly and indirectly exposed to Pt) at two South African precious metals refineries on three consecutive mornings prior to their shifts. Urine samples were analysed for Pt using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and were corrected for creatinine content. The urinary Pt excretion of workers did not differ significantly between sampling days. Urinary Pt excretions ranged from work area (P=0.0006; η 2 =0.567) and the number of years workers were employed at the refineries (P=0.003; η 2 =0.261) influenced their urinary Pt excretion according to effect size analyses. Directly exposed workers had significantly higher urinary Pt excretion compared with indirectly exposed workers (P=0.007). The urinary Pt excretion of South African precious metals refinery workers reported in this study is comparable with that of seven other studies conducted in precious metals refineries and automotive catalyst plants in Europe. The Pt body burden of workers is predominantly determined by their work area, years of employment in the refineries and whether they are directly or indirectly exposed to Pt. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Allowance Allocation and CO2 intensity of the EU15 and Norwegian refineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nilsson, Kristina; Zetterberg, Lars; Aahman, Markus

2005-02-01

On 1 January 2005, the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) was launched. The launch has been preceded by an allocation process in each of the Member States. The main objective of this study was to analyse the allocation in relation to CO 2 efficiency for the mineral oil refining sector. A CO 2 intensity index for mineral oil refineries has been defined and calculated for the refineries within the EU15 and Norway. The IVL CO 2 intensity index is based both on the Solomon Energy Intensity Index (EII), an assumed fuel mix, and process-specific emissions. Due to uncertainties in input data, the determined values for the individual refineries are quite uncertain. However, the regional values can be used to identify trends. It was concluded that there are substantial differences in the CO 2 intensity between refineries within different regions/countries in the EU and these differences have not been considered in the allocation process. Only a few countries have mentioned energy efficiency or reduction potential due to CO 2 intensity of fuels used. Only one country (Denmark) has explicitly given a benchmark that will be used for allocation to new mineral oil refineries. The allocation has generally been based on historic emissions, which will result in refineries with historically higher emissions being allocated larger amounts than refineries with historically lower emissions. This might be favourable for refineries that recently have performed emission-reducing measures but might be less favourable for refineries that during a long time period have implemented emission-reducing measures

Enterprise Integration of Management and Automation in a Refinery

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chengen

Traditionally, problems in a petroleum refinery were separately modeled and solved with respect to disciplines. The segregated implementations of various disciplinary technologies resulted in considerable barriers impeding the pursuit of global optimal performance. It is recognized that enterprise-wide integration of the managerial and automation systems is of fundamental significance for refineries to promptly respond to global market requirements. In this paper, the technical implementations are disciplinarily categorized into managerial and automatic systems. Then, typical managerial and automatic implementations in a refinery are depicted to give an insight perception of the heterogeneous data sources manipulated by these systems. Finally, an integration approach based on data reconciliation techniques is proposed to link up the heterogeneous data sources.

Influence of ownership capital structure of Refinery's operation and development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hadzhi-Mishev, Dimitar

1999-01-01

Refineries are part of the energetic infrastructure of one country. Their significance is dependent on the geographic country position (whether it has sea exit or not), and on structure of primary energy spends in the country. According these facts, country's attitude to the refineries on its territory could be different. The possibility of ownership structure transformation in refineries and necessary legislation in the energetic sector of the state, needed for transformation realization are analyzed in this paper. Essential conditions for transformation fulfilling are protection 'mechanisms for domestic production in crude oil economy, manners of crude oil products price defining, and manners of excise determination and payment. As a function of these conditions, the conditions under which transformation of ownership structure in refineries is possible, as well as their influence on the operation and development of this part of energetic structure in transition country are defined in this paper. (Original)

Energy efficiency improvement and cost saving opportunities forpetroleum refineries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Worrell, Ernst; Galitsky, Christina

2005-02-15

The petroleum refining industry in the United States is the largest in the world, providing inputs to virtually any economic sector,including the transport sector and the chemical industry. The industry operates 146 refineries (as of January 2004) around the country,employing over 65,000 employees. The refining industry produces a mix of products with a total value exceeding $151 billion. Refineries spend typically 50 percent of cash operating costs (i.e., excluding capital costs and depreciation) on energy, making energy a major cost factor and also an important opportunity for cost reduction. Energy use is also a major source of emissions in the refinery industry making energy efficiency improvement an attractive opportunity to reduce emissions and operating costs. Voluntary government programs aim to assist industry to improve competitiveness through increased energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact. ENERGY STAR (R), a voluntary program managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, stresses the need for strong and strategic corporate energy management programs. ENERGY STAR provides energy management tools and strategies for successful corporate energy management programs. This Energy Guide describes research conducted to support ENERGY STAR and its work with the petroleum refining industry.This research provides information on potential energy efficiency opportunities for petroleum refineries. This Energy Guide introduces energy efficiency opportunities available for petroleum refineries. It begins with descriptions of the trends, structure, and production of the refining industry and the energy used in the refining and conversion processes. Specific energy savings for each energy efficiency measure based on case studies of plants and references to technical literature are provided. If available, typical payback periods are also listed. The Energy Guide draws upon the experiences with energy efficiency measures of petroleum refineries worldwide

Thermodynamic simulation and evaluation of sugar refinery evaporators using a steady state modelling approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, A.E.; Khodabocus, F.; Dhokun, V.; Khalife, M.

2010-01-01

In a sugar refinery, the juice is concentrated through evaporation, with the objective of concentrating the juice to syrup as rapidly as possible. Because the heat of vaporization of water is relatively high, the evaporation process can be highly energy intensive, and therefore the economical use of steam is important in the refinery. This paper reports on the development of a simulation model for the evaporation sections of two Mauritian sugar refineries. The first objective was to use the simulation model to carry out an energy balance over the evaporators in order to assess the economy of steam usage over the refinery. The second objective was to examine to what extent a fundamental steady state model, based on thermodynamics (not kinetics) was capable of predicting the material and energy flows in two operating sugar refineries and thereby to evaluate the applicability of the modelling framework. The simulation model was validated using historical data as well as data from the plant DCS system. The simulation results generally correlated well with the measured values, except for one of the evaporators on one refinery. Some suggestions were made as to the cause of the discrepancy. On balance, it was found that both refineries are extremely efficient in terms of steam and equipment usage and that there is not much scope for energy optimisation within the present configuration - nor for much spare steam capacity for an additional refinery. It was also shown that steady state process simulation, using thermodynamic models, can generate a very useful representation of a working refinery. Besides being able to use the model to 'benchmark' the operation and thus evaluate its performance as a whole as well as across individual units, it could also be used to evaluate refinery performance across refineries, nationally as well as globally.

Reducing refinery CO2 emissions through amine solvent upgrade and optimization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alonso, Thiago V.; Valenzuela, Michelle [The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI (United States)

2012-07-01

Regional initiatives are underway to reduce and limit the emissions of greenhouse gases. With CO2 emissions making up over 80% of the greenhouse gases, cap-and-trade programs will focus on those industries that consume the most energy. Refineries are among the top energy consumers and are seeking opportunities to reduce usage. With tightening margins, energy management programs will not only help refineries meet CO{sub 2} emission regulations, but can also provide a competitive advantage. With the trend towards heavier and higher sulfur containing crudes, refineries are increasing processing capabilities, which can include capital-intensive projects and additional energy consumption. Energy conservation plans should include optimization of these processes. One area to consider includes the acid gas removal systems in refineries. Through the selection and use of optimal solvents and implementation of energy efficiency techniques, which require minimal capital investment and expenditures, refineries can reduce energy usage, overall CO{sub 2} emissions, and total cost in acid gas systems. This paper will discuss these approaches and share case studies detailing the implementation and results. (author)

40 CFR 73.90 - Allowance allocations for small diesel refineries.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... refineries. 73.90 Section 73.90 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) SULFUR DIOXIDE ALLOWANCE SYSTEM Small Diesel Refineries § 73.90 Allowance allocations... application for certification, submitted to the address in § 73.13 of this chapter, shall include the...

A systematic method to customize an efficient organic Rankine cycle (ORC) to recover waste heat in refineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Haoshui; Feng, Xiao; Wang, Yufei; Biegler, Lorenz T.; Eason, John

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Multiple waste heat streams in refinery are recovered for an ORC using a hot water intermediate. • WHCC and GCC are used to identify opportunities to save utility and/or upgrade waste heat. • The methods consider the interaction between the HEN and ORC in an integrated manner. - Abstract: Organic Rankine cycles (ORCs) convert low temperature waste heat into power. When there are multiple waste heat sources in a refinery, operability and safety considerations may make it more practical to use hot water as the medium to recover waste heat. The hot water stream can then release the heat to the organic working fluid in an ORC system. In this paper, how to customize an efficient ORC for a heat exchanger network (HEN) to optimally recover multiple strands of waste heat is investigated. Because the heat exchanger network structure, the hot water loop, and ORC system interact with each other, the coordination and synthesis of these systems ought to be considered simultaneously to maximize the energy performance. A methodology is proposed using the waste heat composite curve (WHCC) and grand composite curve (GCC) to diagnose inefficiencies in an existing heat exchanger network. In addition, the WHCC can be used to solve the problem of the tradeoff between waste heat quality and quantity recovered with an intermediate stream. WHCCs are classified into two types, and procedures for designing the recovery network for each type are presented while considering the interaction with working fluid selection. The methods proposed in this paper can help engineers diagnose problems with the original heat exchanger network, and determine the flowrate of hot water, the structure of the waste heat recovery network, the best working fluid and the operating conditions of ORC system in an integrated manner. The ideas are applied to an illustrative case study in collaboration with Sinopec. The case study shows the effectiveness of this method and compares different

40 CFR 80.1280 - How are refinery benzene baselines calculated?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... benzene). i = Individual batch of gasoline produced at the refinery from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2005. n = Total number of batches of gasoline produced at the refinery from January 1, 2004... PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) REGULATION OF FUELS AND FUEL ADDITIVES Gasoline Benzene Averaging, Banking and Trading...

Evaluation of adsorbent and ion exchange resins for removal of organic matter from petroleum refinery wastewaters aiming to increase water reuse.

Science.gov (United States)

de Abreu Domingos, Rodrigo; da Fonseca, Fabiana Valéria

2018-05-15

The oil refinery industry seeks solutions to reduce its water uptake and consumption by encouraging the reuse of internal streams and wastewater from treatment systems. After conventional treatment the petroleum refinery wastewater still contains a considerable quantity of recalcitrant organics and the adsorption on activated carbon is currently used in Brazilian refineries, although it is still expensive due to the difficulty of its regeneration. This study evaluated the use of adsorbent and ion exchange resins for the removal of organic matter from refinery wastewater after conventional treatment in order to verify its feasibility, applying successive resin regenerations and comparing the results with those obtained for activated carbon process. Adsorption isotherms experiments were used to evaluate commercial resins, and the most efficient was subjected to column experiments, where absorbance (ABS) and total organic carbon (TOC) removal were measured. The adsorption isotherm of the best resin showed an adsorptive capacity that was 55% lower than that of activated carbon. On the other hand, the column experiments indicated good removal efficiency, and the amount of TOC in the treated wastewater was as good as has been reported in the literature for activated carbon. The regeneration efficiency of the retained organics ranged from 57 to 94%, while regenerant consumption ranged from 12 to 79% above the amount recommended by the resin supplier for the removal of organic material from natural sources, showing the great resistance of these recalcitrant compounds to desorption. Finally, an estimate of the service life of the resin using intermediate regeneration conditions found it to be seven times higher than that of activated carbon when the latter is not regenerated. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental treatment of a refinery waste air stream, for BTEX removal, by water scrubbing and biotrickling on a bed of Mitilus edulis shells.

Science.gov (United States)

Torretta, Vincenzo; Collivignarelli, Maria Cristina; Raboni, Massimo; Viotti, Paolo

2015-01-01

The paper presents the results of a two-stage pilot plant for the removal of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) from a waste air stream of a refinery wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The pilot plant consisted of a water scrubber followed by a biotrickling filter (BTF). The exhausted air was drawn from the main works of the WWTP in order to prevent the free migration to the atmosphere of these volatile hazardous contaminants. Concentrations were detected at average values of 12.4 mg Nm(-3) for benzene, 11.1 mg Nm(-3) for toluene, 2.7 mg Nm(-3) for ethylbenzene and 9.5 mg Nm(-3) for xylene, with considerable fluctuation mainly for benzene and toluene (peak concentrations of 56.8 and 55.0 mg Nm(-3), respectively). The two treatment stages proved to play an effective complementary task: the water scrubber demonstrated the ability to remove the concentration peaks, whereas the BTF was effective as a polishing stage. The overall average removal efficiency achieved was 94.8% while the scrubber and BTF elimination capacity were 37.8 and 15.6 g BTEX d(-1) m(-3), respectively. This result has led to outlet average concentrations of 1.02, 0.25, 0.32 and 0.26 mg Nm(-3) for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene, respectively. The paper also compares these final concentrations with toxic and odour threshold concentrations.

Treating refinery wastewaters in microbial fuel cells using separator electrode assembly or spaced electrode configurations

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Fang; Ahn, Yongtae; Logan, Bruce E.

2014-01-01

The effectiveness of refinery wastewater (RW) treatment using air-cathode, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was examined relative to previous tests based on completely anaerobic microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). MFCs were configured with separator

Treatment and disposal of refinery sludges: Indian scenario.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharyya, J K; Shekdar, A V

2003-06-01

Crude oil is a major source of energy and feedstock for petrochemicals. Oily sludge, bio-sludge and chemical sludge are the major sludges generated from the processes and effluent treatment plants of the refineries engaged in crude oil refining operations. Refineries in India generate about 28,220 tons of sludge per annum. Various types of pollutants like phenols, heavy metals, etc. are present in the sludges and they are treated as hazardous waste. Oily sludge, which is generated in much higher amount compared to other sludges, contains phenol (90-100 mg/kg), nickel (17-25 mg/kg), chromium (27-80 mg/kg), zinc (7-80 mg/kg), manganese (19-24 mg/kg), cadmium (0.8-2 mg/kg), copper (32-120 mg/kg) and lead (0.001-0.12 mg/ kg). Uncontrolled disposal practices of sludges in India cause degradation of environmental and depreciation of aesthetic quality. Environmental impact due to improper sludge management has also been identified. Salient features of various treatment and disposal practices have been discussed. Findings of a case study undertaken by the authors for Numaligarh Refinery in India have been presented. Various system alternatives have been identified for waste management in Numaligarh Refinery. A ranking exercise has been carried out to evaluate the alternatives and select the appropriate one. A detailed design of the selected waste management system has been presented.

Benzene exposure in a Japanese petroleum refinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawai, T; Yamaoka, K; Uchida, Y; Ikeda, M

1990-07-01

Time-weighted average (TWA) intensity of exposure of workers to benzene vapor during a shift was monitored by diffusive sampling technique in a Japanese petroleum refinery. The subjects monitored (83 in total) included refinery operators, laboratory personnel and tanker-loading workers. The results showed that the time-weighted average exposures are well below 1 ppm in most cases. The highest exposure was recorded in 1 case involved in bulk loading of tanker ships, in which exposure of over 1 ppm might take place depending on operational conditions. The observation was generally in agreement with levels previously reported.

Test plan: the Czechowice Oil Refinery bioremediation demonstration of a process waste lagoon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Altman, D.J.; Lombard, K.H.; Hazen, T.C.

1997-03-31

The remediation strategies that will be applied at the Czechowice Oil Refinery waste lagoon in Czechowice, Poland are designed, managed, and implemented under the direction of the Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC) for the United States Department of Energy (DOE). WSRC will be assisted in the demonstration by The Institute for Ecology of Industrial Areas (IETU). This collaboration between IETU and DOE will provide the basis for international technology transfer of new and innovative remediation technologies that can be applied in Poland and the Eastern European Region as well.

Fuel specification, energy consumption and CO2 emission in oil refineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szklo, Alexandre; Schaeffer, Roberto

2007-01-01

The more stringent environmental quality specifications for oil products worldwide are tending to step up energy use and, consequently, CO 2 emissions at refineries. In Brazil, for example, the stipulated reduction in the sulfur content of diesel and gasoline between 2002 and 2009 should increase the energy use of Brazil's refining industry by around 30%, with effects on its CO 2 emissions. Thus, the world refining industry must deal with trade-offs between emissions of pollutants with local impacts (due to fuel specifications) and emissions of pollutants with global impacts (due to the increased energy use at refineries to remove contaminants from oil products). Two promising technology options for refineries could ease this clash in the near-to-mid term: the reduction per se of the energy use at the refinery; and the development of treatment processes using non-hydrogen consuming techniques. For instance, in Brazilian refineries, the expanded energy use resulting from severe hydrotreatment to comply with the more stringent specifications of oil products may be almost completely offset by energy saving options and alternative desulfurization techniques, if barriers to invest in technological innovations are overcome. (author)

FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR A PETROLEUM REFINERY FOR THE JICARILLA APACHE TRIBE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, John D.

2004-01-01

A feasibility study for a proposed petroleum refinery for the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation was performed. The available crude oil production was identified and characterized. There is 6,000 barrels per day of crude oil production available for processing in the proposed refinery. The proposed refinery will utilize a lower temperature, smaller crude fractionation unit. It will have a Naphtha Hydrodesulfurizer and Reformer to produce high octane gasoline. The surplus hydrogen from the reformer will be used in a specialized hydrocracker to convert the heavier crude oil fractions to ultra low sulfur gasoline and diesel fuel products. The proposed refinery will produce gasoline, jet fuel, diesel fuel, and a minimal amount of lube oil. The refinery will require about $86,700,000 to construct. It will have net annual pre-tax profit of about $17,000,000. The estimated return on investment is 20%. The feasibility is positive subject to confirmation of long term crude supply. The study also identified procedures for evaluating processing options as a means for American Indian Tribes and Native American Corporations to maximize the value of their crude oil production

U.S. Refinery compliance costs - the elements of and estimate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Musgrove, J.G.; Swain, E.J.

1993-01-01

A recent National Petroleum Council study identified the environmental costs facing the refining industry from 1995 through 2010. Four broad areas were identified: air pollution control, wastewater treatment, solid and hazardous waste treatment, and occupational health and safety. This paper will present the technical issues and engineering information required to produce an estimate of cost impact. For each of the four areas of impact, the kinds of information required of the refinery manager in order to build an estimate will be tabulated and discussed. For air pollution control, issues will include size and type of unit, product mix of output, and the impact of facility location relative to non-attainment issues. For wastewater, issues will include stormwater segregation, benzene NESHAP, and other treatment system requirements. For hazardous waste treatment, issues will include groundwater protection and leak detection and contaminated soil segregation. For occupational health and safety, issues will include process changes required and worker training required. For all issues, the major dollar factors will be identified as a function of the technical data available. The refinery costs in each areas were estimated for seven groups of refinery sizes. The presentation will conclude with tabulation of cost estimates for each area of investigation and each refinery group. The total costs for each refinery group over the fifteen-year period will also be presented

Allowance Allocation and CO{sub 2} intensity of the EU15 and Norwegian refineries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nilsson, Kristina; Zetterberg, Lars; Aahman, Markus

2005-02-01

On 1 January 2005, the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) was launched. The launch has been preceded by an allocation process in each of the Member States. The main objective of this study was to analyse the allocation in relation to CO{sub 2} efficiency for the mineral oil refining sector. A CO{sub 2} intensity index for mineral oil refineries has been defined and calculated for the refineries within the EU15 and Norway. The IVL CO{sub 2} intensity index is based both on the Solomon Energy Intensity Index (EII), an assumed fuel mix, and process-specific emissions. Due to uncertainties in input data, the determined values for the individual refineries are quite uncertain. However, the regional values can be used to identify trends. It was concluded that there are substantial differences in the CO{sub 2} intensity between refineries within different regions/countries in the EU and these differences have not been considered in the allocation process. Only a few countries have mentioned energy efficiency or reduction potential due to CO{sub 2} intensity of fuels used. Only one country (Denmark) has explicitly given a benchmark that will be used for allocation to new mineral oil refineries. The allocation has generally been based on historic emissions, which will result in refineries with historically higher emissions being allocated larger amounts than refineries with historically lower emissions. This might be favourable for refineries that recently have performed emission-reducing measures but might be less favourable for refineries that during a long time period have implemented emission-reducing measures.

77 FR 56421 - Standards of Performance for Petroleum Refineries; Standards of Performance for Petroleum...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-12

... Parts 9 and 60 Standards of Performance for Petroleum Refineries; Standards of Performance for Petroleum...-9672-3] RIN 2060-AN72 Standards of Performance for Petroleum Refineries; Standards of Performance for Petroleum Refineries for Which Construction, Reconstruction, or Modification Commenced After May 14, 2007...

Techno-Economic Evaluation of Technologies to Mitigate Greenhouse Gas Emissions at North American Refineries.

Science.gov (United States)

Motazedi, Kavan; Abella, Jessica P; Bergerson, Joule A

2017-02-07

A petroleum refinery model, Petroleum Refinery Life-cycle Inventory Model (PRELIM), that estimates energy use and CO 2 emissions was modified to evaluate the environmental and economic performance of a set of technologies to reduce CO 2 emissions at refineries. Cogeneration of heat and power (CHP), carbon capture at fluid catalytic cracker (FCC) and steam methane reformer (SMR) units, and alternative hydrogen production technologies were considered in the analysis. The results indicate that a 3-44% reduction in total annual refinery CO 2 emissions (2-24% reductions in the CO 2 emissions on a per barrel of crude oil processed) can be achieved in a medium conversion refinery that processes a typical U.S. crude slate obtained by using the technologies considered. A sensitivity analysis of the quality of input crude to a refinery, refinery configuration, and prices of natural gas and electricity revealed how the magnitude of possible CO 2 emissions reductions and the economic performance of the mitigation technologies can vary under different conditions. The analysis can help inform decision making related to investment decisions and CO 2 emissions policy in the refining sector.

40 CFR 80.1238 - How is a refinery's or importer's average benzene concentration determined?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... concentration determined? (a) The average benzene concentration of gasoline produced at a refinery or imported... percent benzene). i = Individual batch of gasoline produced at the refinery or imported during the applicable averaging period. n = Total number of batches of gasoline produced at the refinery or imported...

Ashland outlines $261 million in refinery unit construction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that Ashland Petroleum Co. has spelled out $261 million in projects completed, under way, or planned to produce cleaner fuel and further reduce emissions at two U.S. refineries. The company: Started up at $13 million pollution control system at its 213,400 b/cd Catlettsburg, Ky., plant. Started construction on six projects at its 67,100 b/cd St. Paul Park, Minn., refinery that will cost about $114 million and enable the plant to produce cleaner burning diesel fuel and further reduce emissions

Effects of work-related stress on work ability index among refinery workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Habibi, Ehsanollah; Dehghan, Habibollah; Safari, Shahram; Mahaki, Behzad; Hassanzadeh, Akbar

2014-01-01

Work-related stress is one of the basic problems in industrial also top 10 work-related health problems and it is increasingly implicated in the development a number of problems such as cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal diseases, early retirement to employees. On the other hand, early retirement to employees from the workplace has increased on the problems of today's industries. Hereof, improving work ability is one of the most effective ways to enhance the ability and preventing disability and early retirement. The aim of This study is determine the relationship between job stress score and work ability index (WAI) at the refinery workers. This is a cross-sectional study in which 171 workers from a refinery in isfahan in 2012 who were working in different occupational groups participated. Based on appropriate assignment sampling, 33 office workers, 69 operational workers, and 69 maintenance workers, respectively, were invited to participate in this study. Two questionnaires including work related-stress and WAI were filled in. Finally, the information was analyzed using the SPSS-20 and statistic tests namely, analysis of covariance Kruskal-Wallis test. Pearson correlation coefficient, ANOVA and t-test. Data analysis revealed that 86% and 14% of participants had moderate and severe stress respectively. Average score of stress and standard deviation was 158.7 ± 17.3 that was in extreme stress range. Average score and standard deviation of WAI questionnaire were 37.18 and 3.86 respectively. That placed in a good range. Pearson correlation coefficient showed that WAI score had significant reversed relationship with a score of stress. According to the results, mean stress score among refinery worker was high and one fator that affect work abiity was high stress, hence training on communication skills and safe working environment in order to decreses stress, enhance the work ability of workers.

Sensitivity of screening-level toxicity tests using soils from a former petroleum refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pauwels, S.; Bureau, J.; Roy, Y.; Allen, B.; Robidoux, P.Y.; Soucy, M.

1995-01-01

The authors tested five composite soil samples from a former refinery. The samples included a reference soil (Mineral Oil and Grease, MO and G < 40 ppm), thermally-treated soil, biotreated soil, and two untreated soils. They evaluated toxicity using the earthworm E. foetida, lettuce, cress, barley, Microtox, green algae, fathead minnow, and D. magna. The endpoints measured were lethality, seed germination, root elongation, growth, and bioluminescence. Toxicity, as measured by the number of positive responses, increased as follows: biotreated soil < untreated soil No. 1 < reference soil < thermally-treated soil and untreated soil No. 2. The biotreated soil generated only one positive response, whereas the thermally-treated soil and untreated soil No. 2 generated five positive responses. The most sensitive and discriminant terrestrial endpoint was lettuce root elongation which responded to untreated soil No. 1, thermally-treated soil, and reference soil. The least sensitive was barley seed germination for which no toxicity was detected. The most sensitive and discriminant aquatic endpoint was green algae growth which responded to untreated soil No. 1, thermally-treated soil, and reference soil. The least sensitive was D. magna for which no toxicity was detected. Overall, soil and aqueous extract toxicity was spotty and no consistent patterns emerged to differentiate the five soils. Biotreatment significantly reduced the effects of the contamination. Aqueous toxicity was measured in the reference soil, probably because of the presence of unknown dissolved compounds in the aqueous extract. Finally, clear differences in sensitivity existed among the test species

Energy demand analysis of Port-Harcourt refinery, Nigeria and its policy implications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jesuleye, O.A.; Siyanbola, W.O.; Sanni, S.A.; Ilori, M.O.

2007-01-01

This paper analyses energy demand of Port-Harcourt refinery, Nigeria, based on information obtained from its annual publications, backed-up by spot interviews. The analytical approach adopted for the study involves the calculation of energy intensities to determine the refinery's annual energy demand for various energy types considered from 1989 to 2004. The results showed that the actual energy demand per year for processing crude oil into refined products, exceeded, in varying degrees the stipulated refinery standard of 4 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per 100 BOE. It varied from 4.28-8.58 BOE per 100 BOE. In terms of energy demand efficiency, this implies very poor performance of the refinery during the 16-year period under investigation. The excess demand which translates to an average daily wastage of about 2005 BOE is estimated to be $56,196 (US Dollars) based on the 2003 OPEC basket price of $28.0213 per barrel. Lack of optimal fuel utilization-mix and non-compliance with the Turn-Around-Maintenance schedules were attributed to the refinery's inefficient energy demand pattern

First refinery opened in Kyrgyz Republic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1996-01-01

The first oil refinery in the Kyrgyz Republic was opened on 5 October 1996 in Jalalabad in a ceremony attended by the President of the Central Asian country, Askar Akaev. The 10,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) modular refinery has been financed by the Canadian oil junior, Kyrgoil Corporation, which has also formed a joint venture with the national oil company, Kyrgyzneft, to redevelop where viable the 628 underperforming oil wells in the Kyrgyz Republic sector of the Fergana Basin. The opening is the first significant milestone in a programme initiated by Akaev to develop the oil production industry in the Kyrgyz Republic. Currently the country imports more than 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, mostly from Kazakhstan. In the year ending March 1996, 110 million was spent on imports of fuel products, an amount that exceeds the trade deficit over the same period. Built in only eight months, the Pound 12 million refinery will gradually be brought to full capacity. By January, it is expected that more than 5,000 barrels of gasoline, diesel and fuel oil will be produced every day. Although there is some crude oil in storage, the ramping of production is tied into the programme of workovers of the existing wells. There are no current plans to import crude, although most of the infrastructure is in place should it become necessary. (author)

A Steam Utility Network Model for the Evaluation of Heat Integration Retrofits – A Case Study of an Oil Refinery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sofie Marton

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a real industrial example in which the steam utility network of a refinery is modelled in order to evaluate potential Heat Integration retrofits proposed for the site. A refinery, typically, has flexibility to optimize the operating strategy for the steam system depending on the operation of the main processes. This paper presents a few examples of Heat Integration retrofit measures from a case study of a large oil refinery. In order to evaluate expected changes in fuel and electricity imports to the refinery after implementation of the proposed retrofits, a steam system model has been developed. The steam system model has been tested and validated with steady state data from three different operating scenarios and can be used to evaluate how changes to steam balances at different pressure levels would affect overall steam balances, generation of shaft power in turbines, and the consumption of fuel gas.

Refineries in Europe under pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Widdershoven, C.

2008-01-01

Current oil price developments and the economic and financial crisis are leading to a negative situation for the European refining sector. Analysts expect that a number of European oil refineries will lower their production in the coming months as a result of decreased petrol demand. [mk] [nl

More evidence of unpublished industry studies of lead smelter/refinery workers

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

Background Lead smelter/refinery workers in the US have had significant exposure to lead and are an important occupational group to study to understand the health effects of chronic lead exposure in adults. Recent research found evidence that studies of lead smelter/refinery workers have been conducted but not published. This paper presents further evidence for this contention. Objectives To present further evidence of industry conducted, unpublished epidemiologic studies of lead smelter/refinery workers and health outcomes. Methods Historical research relying on primary sources such as internal industry documents and published studies. Results ASARCO smelter/refinery workers were studied in the early 1980s and found to have increased risk of lung cancer and stroke in one study, but not in another. Conclusions Because occupational lead exposure is an on-going concern for US and overseas workers, all epidemiologic studies should be made available to evaluate and update occupational health and safety standards. PMID:26070220

Valve automation in Indian refinery; Armaturenautomatisierung in indischer Raffinerie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herbstritt, M. [AUMA Riester GmbH und Co. KG, Muellheim (Germany)

2006-12-15

The Mahul refinery near Mumbai is the third largest site of its kind in India. It is operated by BPCL, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. During the last few months, the refinery was extended. A plant for manufacturing motor lubricants was built, together with a tank farm for the products (LOBS = lube oil base stock). In April 2006 the new plant sections were put into operation. This article deals with the valve automation for this project. (orig.)

Petroleum Refinery Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) Model User Reference Guide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goldberg, Marshall [MRG and Associates, Nevada City, CA (United States)

2013-12-31

The Jobs and Economic Development Impact (JEDI) models, developed through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), are user-friendly tools utilized to estimate the economic impacts at the local level of constructing and operating fuel and power generation projects for a range of conventional and renewable energy technologies. The JEDI Petroleum Refinery Model User Reference Guide was developed to assist users in employing and understanding the model. This guide provides information on the model's underlying methodology, as well as the parameters and references used to develop the cost data utilized in the model. This guide also provides basic instruction on model add-in features, operation of the model, and a discussion of how the results should be interpreted. Based on project-specific inputs from the user, the model estimates job creation, earning and output (total economic activity) for a given petroleum refinery. This includes the direct, indirect and induced economic impacts to the local economy associated with the refinery's construction and operation phases. Project cost and job data used in the model are derived from the most current cost estimations available. Local direct and indirect economic impacts are estimated using economic multipliers derived from IMPLAN software. By determining the regional economic impacts and job creation for a proposed refinery, the JEDI Petroleum Refinery model can be used to field questions about the added value refineries may bring to the local community.

Oil refinery dusts: morphological and size analysis by TEM.

Science.gov (United States)

Sielicki, Przemysław; Janik, Helena; Guzman, Agnieszka; Broniszewski, Mieczysław; Namieśnik, Jacek

2011-03-01

The objectives of this work were to develop a means of sampling atmospheric dusts on the premises of an oil refinery for electron microscopic study to carry out preliminary morphological analyses and to compare these dusts with those collected at sites beyond the refinery limits. Carbon and collodion membranes were used as a support for collection of dust particles straight on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grids. Micrographs of the dust particles were taken at magnifications from ×4,000 to ×80,000 with a Tesla BS500 transmission electron microscope. Four parameters were defined on the basis of the micrographs: surface area, Feret diameter, circumference, and shape coefficient. The micrographs and literature data were used to classify the atmospheric dusts into six groups: particles with an irregular shape and rounded edges; particles with an irregular shape and sharp edges; soot and its aggregates; spherical particles; singly occurring, ultrafine dust particles; and particles not allocated to any of the previous five groups. The types of dusts found in all the samples were similar, although differences did exist between the various morphological parameters. Dust particles with the largest Feret diameter were present in sample 3 (mean, 0.739 μm)-these were collected near the refinery's effluent treatment plant. The particles with the smallest diameter were found in the sample that had been intended to be a reference sample for the remaining results (mean, 0.326 μm). The dust particles collected in the refinery had larger mean Feret diameters, even 100% larger, than those collected beyond it. Particles with diameters from 0.1 to 0.2 μm made up the most numerous group in all the samples collected in the refinery.

Oil refinery dusts: morphological and size analysis by TEM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sielicki, Przemyslaw; Janik, Helena; Guzman, Agnieszka [Gdansk University of Technology, Department of Polymer Technology, Chemical Faculty, Gdansk (Poland); Broniszewski, Mieczyslaw [Environmental Protection Office, Lotos Group, Gdansk (Poland); Namiesnik, Jacek [Gdansk University of Technology, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Chemical Faculty, Gdansk (Poland)

2011-03-15

The objectives of this work were to develop a means of sampling atmospheric dusts on the premises of an oil refinery for electron microscopic study to carry out preliminary morphological analyses and to compare these dusts with those collected at sites beyond the refinery limits. Carbon and collodion membranes were used as a support for collection of dust particles straight on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grids. Micrographs of the dust particles were taken at magnifications from x 4,000 to x 80,000 with a Tesla BS500 transmission electron microscope. Four parameters were defined on the basis of the micrographs: surface area, Feret diameter, circumference, and shape coefficient. The micrographs and literature data were used to classify the atmospheric dusts into six groups: particles with an irregular shape and rounded edges; particles with an irregular shape and sharp edges; soot and its aggregates; spherical particles; singly occurring, ultrafine dust particles; and particles not allocated to any of the previous five groups. The types of dusts found in all the samples were similar, although differences did exist between the various morphological parameters. Dust particles with the largest Feret diameter were present in sample 3 (mean, 0.739 {mu}m) - these were collected near the refinery's effluent treatment plant. The particles with the smallest diameter were found in the sample that had been intended to be a reference sample for the remaining results (mean, 0.326 {mu}m). The dust particles collected in the refinery had larger mean Feret diameters, even 100% larger, than those collected beyond it. Particles with diameters from 0.1 to 0.2 {mu}m made up the most numerous group in all the samples collected in the refinery. (orig.)

Around the Way: Testing ΛCDM with Milky Way Stellar Stream Constraints

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Biwei; Robertson, Brant E.; Madau, Piero

2018-05-01

Recent analyses of the Pal 5 and GD-1 tidal streams suggest that the inner dark matter halo of the Milky Way is close to spherical, in tension with predictions from collisionless N-body simulations of cosmological structure formation. We use the Eris simulation to test whether the combination of dissipative physics and hierarchical structure formation can produce Milky Way–like galaxies whose dark matter halos match the tidal stream constraints from the GD-1 and Pal 5 clusters. We use a dynamical model of the simulated Eris galaxy to generate many realizations of the GD-1 and Pal 5 tidal streams, marginalize over observational uncertainties in the cluster galactocentric positions and velocities, and compare with the observational constraints. We find that the total density and potential of Eris contributed by baryons and dark matter satisfies constraints from the existing Milky Way stellar stream data, as the baryons both round and redistribute the dark matter during the dissipative formation of the galaxy, and provide a centrally concentrated mass distribution that rounds the inner potential. The Eris dark matter halo or a spherical Navarro–Frenk–White dark matter work comparably well in modeling the stream data. In contrast, the equivalent dark matter–only ErisDark simulation produces a prolate halo that cannot reproduce the observed stream data. The ongoing Gaia mission will provide decisive tests of the consistency between {{Λ }}{CDM} and Milky Way streams, and should distinguish between models like Eris and more spherical halos.

Yields from pyrolysis of refinery residue using a batch process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Prithiraj

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Batch pyrolysis was a valuable process of assessing the potential of recovering and characterising products from hazardous waste materials. This research explored the pyrolysis of hydrocarbon-rich refinery residue, from crude oil processes, in a 1200 L electrically-heated batch retort. Furthermore, the off-gases produced were easily processed in compliance with existing regulatory emission standards. The methodology offers a novel, cost-effective and environmentally compliant method of assessing recovery potential of valuable products. The pyrolysis experiments yielded significant oil (70% with high calorific value (40 MJ/kg, char (14% with carbon content over 80% and non-condensable gas (6% with significant calorific value (240 kJ/mol. The final gas stream was subjected to an oxidative clean-up process with continuous on-line monitoring demonstrating compliance with South African emission standards. The gas treatment was overall economically optimal as only a smaller portion of the original residue was subjected to emission-controlling steps. Keywords: Batch pyrolysis, Volatiles, Oil yields, Char, Emissions, Oil recovery

Semipermeable membrane devices concentrate mixed function oxygenase inducers from oil sands and refinery wastewaters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parrott, J.L.; Hewitt, L.M.

2002-01-01

The health of fish in the Athabasca River was examined to determine the effects of both natural and anthropogenic oil sands exposure on liver mixed function oxygenase (MFO) enzymes. Semipermeable membrane devices (SPMD) were used to concentrate bioavailable compounds that may result in MFO induction. The SPMDs were used for a period of 2 weeks in the Steepbank River as well as in oil refinery wastewater and intake ponds. They were then tested to see if they induced ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity in hepatoma cells, a cell line derived from a liver cancer of a small fish. SPMDs from the wastewater pond contained potent EROD inducers in fish liver cells. SPMDs from the Athabasca River exhibited some EROD inducers, but they were 1/100 as potent as those of the refinery wastewater. The characteristics of MFO inducers from refinery wastewater were different from natural inducers from the oil sands in the Athabasca and Steepbank Rivers. For instance, log Kow was less than 5 for refinery wastewater, but it was greater than 5 for Athabasca River wastewater and from natural oil sands exposure. In the case of the Steepbank River, the pattern of MFO induction was similar to the MFO induction seen in wild fish.The highest MFO inducers were found to be in the area of the mine, suggesting and anthropogenic pollution source. The less potent inducers were in the area of the natural and undisturbed oil sands. Very few inducers were found outside of the oil sands formation

Assessment of accidental refinery wastewater discharge: a case study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bandyopadhyay, Amitava [University of Calcutta, Department of Chemical Engineering, Kolkata (India)

2011-04-15

The physicochemical qualities of an accidental discharge of refinery liquid waste, water, and soil sediment of that effluent-receiving water body (canal) were investigated. Analyses of the discharge, qualities of water, and sediment of the canal showed high parametric concentrations. Investigations revealed that the discharge took place form the spent caustic that was generated from the caustic wash tower of Fluidized Catalytic Cracker of the refinery. A simple but realistic model was suggested for the remediation of sediments of the canal with an estimated cost of about US $1.86 million. Recommendations were made to prevent such discharges and to revise thoroughly the Indian effluent discharge standards in force for petroleum oil refinery. Subsequently, revised standards were notified under Indian guidelines. Interestingly, cyanide besides many other parameters was introduced into these standards. Furthermore, Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) was also stipulated as an emission parameter from the waste water treatment plants. Concentration- and mass-based standards thus promulgated were stricter than the existing standards. (orig.)

40 CFR 80.596 - How is a refinery motor vehicle diesel fuel volume baseline calculated?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 16 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false How is a refinery motor vehicle diesel... Requirements § 80.596 How is a refinery motor vehicle diesel fuel volume baseline calculated? (a) For purposes of this subpart, a refinery's motor vehicle diesel fuel volume baseline is calculated using the...

The application and testing of diatom-based indices of stream water ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The application and testing of diatom-based indices of stream water quality in Chinhoyi Town, Zimbabwe. ... PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH ... test the applicability of foreign diatom-based water quality assessment indices to ...

Feasibility study on the modernization and expansion of the Tema Oil Refinery. Executive Summary. Export trade information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-04-01

The Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), which was commissioned in 1963, is a simple hydro-skimming plant which processes crude oil into LPG, gasoline, kerosene, gasoil, and fuel oil. It is the only petroleum refinery in Ghana. Over the years some of the equipment in the refinery has deteriorated or become obsolete necessitating major rehabilitation. A study of the refinery expansion project takes into consideration earlier studies and, equally important, recognizes the extensive work done by TOR in rehabilitating the refinery. The program, carried out in phases because of funding limitations, has addressed the critical repairs and replacements in the process units and utilities necessary to prolong the life of the refinery and assure reliability and safe operation. It undertook the task of investigating the feasibility of modernizing and expanding the refinery at Tema, Ghana to meet projected market demands until the year 2005. A process planning study was conducted to select the optimal process and utility configuration which would result in economic benefits to Ghana

Ranking environmental liabilities at a petroleum refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lupo, M.

1995-01-01

A new computer model is available to allow the management of a petroleum refinery to prioritize environmental action and construct a holistic approach to remediation. A large refinery may have numerous solid waste management units regulated by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as well as process units that emit hazardous chemicals into the environment. These sources can impact several environmental media, potentially including the air, the soil, the groundwater, the unsaturated zone water, and surface water. The number of chemicals of concern may be large. The new model is able to rank the sources by considering the impact of each chemical in each medium from each source in terms of concentration, release rate, and a weighted index based on toxicity. In addition to environmental impact, the sources can be ranked in three other ways: (1) by cost to remediate, (2) by environmental risk reduction caused by the remediation in terms of the decreases in release rate, concentration, and weighted index, and (3) by cost-benefit, which is the environmental risk reduction for each source divided by the cost of the remedy. Ranking each unit in the refinery allows management to use its limited environmental resources in a pro-active strategic manner that produces long-term results, rather than in reactive, narrowly focused, costly, regulatory-driven campaigns that produce only short-term results

Utilization of the BR-SIPP systems (Integrated Refinery Scheduling System) at the PETROBRAS Capuava refinery; Utilizacao do sistema BR-SIPP - Sistema Integrado de Programacao de Producao PETROBRAS na refinaria de Capuava

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joly, Marcel [PETROBRAS, Maua, SP (Brazil). Refinaria de Capuava (RECAP). Gerencia de Otimizacao]. E-mail: joly@petrobras.com.br; Hassimotto, Marcelo Kenji [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Gerencia de Solucoes de Negocios de Logistica e Planejamento]. E-mail: kenji@petrobras.com.br; Magalhaes, Marcus Vinicius de Oliveira [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Gerencia de Otimizacao]. E-mail: vinicius@petrobras.com.br

2007-04-15

The BR-SIPP is a production scheduling decision support tool for refineries. It is integrated into the Corporate Inventory, Movements and Quality Data Base and is based on events simulation technology for the elaboration and analysis of scheduling scenarios. Its utilization at the Capuava Refinery allows the production programming team to analyze and anticipate difficulties and opportunities, thereby being able to make viable a potential integration of management and people directly involved with the refinery scheduling information, such as planning, logistics and commercial areas. (author)

Standard test method for determining elements in waste streams by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1989-01-01

This test method covers the determination of trace, minor, and major elements in waste streams by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) following an acid digestion of the specimen. Waste streams from manufacturing processes of nuclear and nonnuclear materials can be analyzed. This test method is applicable to the determination of total metals. Results from this test method can be used to characterize waste received by treatment facilities and to formulate appropriate treatment recipes. The results are also usable to process control within waste treatment facilities. This test method is applicable only to waste streams that contain radioactivity levels which do not require special personnel or environmental protection. A list of the elements determined in waste streams and the corresponding lower reporting limit is included

Extra heavy oil and refinery residues upgrading through Eni Slurry Technology : first EST commercial unit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rispoli, G.; Sanfilippo, D.; Amoroso, A [Eni S.p.A., Rome (Italy)

2009-07-01

The production of heavy crude oils is projected to continue to grow in the upstream oil industry given that large reserves of unconventional extra heavy crude and bitumen exist in several geographic areas including Canada and Venezuela. As reserves of conventional crude oil continue to decline, these unconventional feedstocks are becoming an opportunity to pursue, but they require effective technologies for upgrading and meeting the growing demand for light and middle distillate fuels. This paper described the proprietary technology that offers a solution to upstream and downstream oil producers for bottom-of-the-barrel upgrading. En i Slurry Technology (EST) is constructing an industrial plant in its Sannazzaro refinery in Italy. The plant is designed to convert 23,000 BPSD of vacuum residue into high quality diesel and other valuable refinery streams such as liquefied petroleum gas, naphtha and jet fuel. EST is an H-addition process characterized by the use of a special homogeneous isothermal intrinsically safe reactor, and of a nano-dispersed non-ageing catalyst. EST converts more than 98 per cent of any type of residues to about 110 per cent volume of light products and distillates or extra heavy oils to high quality bottomless SCO. In typical performance, HDS is greater than 85 per cent, HDM greater than 99 per cent and HDCCR greater than 97 per cent. EST also achieves the target of zero fuel oil - zero coke. 12 refs., 4 tabs., 5 figs.

Mazeikiai refinery woes deepen on all fronts

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

2007-01-01

Leedu rahandusminister teatas, et riigieelarvet mõjutavad probleemid Mazeikiai tehasega, mis on Leedu suurim maksumaksja. Lisa: Russian oil company to build refinery. Surgutneftegaz teatas plaanist ehitada naftatöötlustehas Peterburi lähedale

Implications of environmental regulations on refinery product specification, operation and investment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amin, M.M.

1992-01-01

During the 1980s, refiners mainly in OECD countries were occupied with improving their refinery configurations for producing high-value light products which would not only satisfy the product demand slate but also meet the increasingly restrictive environmental regulations. In the 1990s refiners will continue to be challenged to improve the world's air quality not only by producing products that minimize emissions of toxic and hazardous hydrocarbons, but also through the refinery operation itself by investment in upgrading the industry and products to cope with the constant flow of new regulations. These investments will not only be limited to consuming centres but will also be extended to cover exporting refineries as well due to competition of acquiring market shares for product exports. The additional cost will be directly related to product quality and site regulations and will vary from one country to the other. This paper deals mainly with the air pollution and the impact of related environmental issues on the refining industry. Environmental regulations for refinery products in the USA and Europe are examined and international regulations for the tanker industry are noted. (author)

Treatment of Refinery Waste Water Using Environmental Friendly Adsorbent

Science.gov (United States)

Devi, M. Geetha; Al-Moshrafi, Samira Mohammed Khamis; Al Hudaifi, Alaa; Al Aisari, Buthaina Hamood

2017-12-01

This research evaluates the effectiveness of activated carbon prepared from walnut shell in the removal of pollutants from refinery waste water by adsorption technique. A series of batch experiments were carried out by varying the effluent solution pH, stirring time, stirring speed and adsorbent dosage in the reduction of pollutants from refinery effluent. Characterization of the adsorbent was performed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Brunauer Emmett and Teller (BET) isotherm and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy. The best quality activated carbon was obtained with a particle size of 0.75 µm, activation temperature of 800 °C and activation time 24 h. The maximum BET surface area obtained was 165.2653 m2/g. The experimental results demonstrates that the highest percentage reduction in COD was 79%, using 0.6 g walnut shell powder at an optimum stirring speed of 100 rpm, at pH 6 and 120 min of contact time. The outcome of the result shows that walnut shell carbon is a potentially useful adsorbent for the removal of pollutants from refinery waste water.

Refinery plugging by residual oil gellant chemicals in crude : understanding and preventing the problem through new oil gellant chemistry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taylor, R.S.; Cheng, A.; Tamayo, C.; Funkhouser, G.P. [Halliburton, Calgary, AB (Canada); Stemler, P. [Petro-Canada Oil and Gas, Inc., Calgary, AB (Canada); Lemieux, A. [Omnicon Consultants Inc., Edmonton, AB (Canada)

2004-07-01

Phosphate ester oil gellants are the most prevalent oil gellant technology in use by service companies. However, in 1995, they were found to be responsible for plugging distillation trays at 3 refineries across Canada including Imperial Oil's Strathcona refinery in Edmonton, Petro-Canada's refinery in Oakville, Ontario and Chevron's refinery in Burnaby, British Columbia. Since 1998, additional fouling has occurred in Canada, and in 2002, fouling was detected at a refinery in Pennsylvania while processing Canadian sweet, light crude. Since refiners pay a high cost for unscheduled refinery shutdowns, much effort has gone into solving this problem and to maintain the value of Canadian sweet, light crude. Studies by the Canadian Crude Quality Technical Association (CCQTA) have shown that phosphate esters begin to decompose through hydrolysis of the ester linkage at approximately 240 degrees. Gases cool as they move up the tower through distillation trays. Trays in the temperature range of 230 to 290 degrees C produce most of the volatile phosphorous compounds that condense out of the gas phase and cause plugging, thereby reducing the efficiency of distillation. Phosphate esters are often used with a metal crosslinker such as ferric iron or aluminium to gel hydrocarbons for use as a fracturing fluid. This paper described the advantages of existing ferric iron-crosslinked phosphate ester oil gels over the older, alternative oil gellant chemistries. Carbon dioxide-miscible, gelled hydrocarbon fracturing fluids provide better well stimulation by avoiding capillary pressure effects associated with water-based fluids. The fluid properties of the new phosphonate ester system were compared to those of a conventional phosphate ester system. Field tests from two fracturing treatments were also presented. Plugging did not occur with the new phosphonate ester treatment. 6 refs., 1 tab., 12 figs.

76 FR 42052 - National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From Petroleum Refineries

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-18

...-AO55 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From Petroleum Refineries AGENCY... the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From Petroleum Refineries. EPA is now... signed a final rule amending the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From Petroleum...

Phylogenetic and functional diversity of metagenomic libraries of phenol degrading sludge from petroleum refinery wastewater treatment system.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Cynthia C; Hayden, Helen; Sawbridge, Tim; Mele, Pauline; Kruger, Ricardo H; Rodrigues, Marili Vn; Costa, Gustavo Gl; Vidal, Ramon O; Sousa, Maíra P; Torres, Ana Paula R; Santiago, Vânia Mj; Oliveira, Valéria M

2012-03-27

In petrochemical refinery wastewater treatment plants (WWTP), different concentrations of pollutant compounds are received daily in the influent stream, including significant amounts of phenolic compounds, creating propitious conditions for the development of particular microorganisms that can rapidly adapt to such environment. In the present work, the microbial sludge from a refinery WWTP was enriched for phenol, cloned into fosmid vectors and pyrosequenced. The fosmid libraries yielded 13,200 clones and a comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of the sequence data set revealed a complex and diverse bacterial community in the phenol degrading sludge. The phylogenetic analyses using MEGAN in combination with RDP classifier showed a massive predominance of Proteobacteria, represented mostly by the genera Diaphorobacter, Pseudomonas, Thauera and Comamonas. The functional classification of phenol degrading sludge sequence data set generated by MG-RAST showed the wide metabolic diversity of the microbial sludge, with a high percentage of genes involved in the aerobic and anaerobic degradation of phenol and derivatives. In addition, genes related to the metabolism of many other organic and xenobiotic compounds, such as toluene, biphenyl, naphthalene and benzoate, were found. Results gathered herein demonstrated that the phenol degrading sludge has complex phylogenetic and functional diversities, showing the potential of such community to degrade several pollutant compounds. This microbiota is likely to represent a rich resource of versatile and unknown enzymes which may be exploited for biotechnological processes such as bioremediation.

Formal testing and utilization of streaming media to improve flight crew safety knowledge.

Science.gov (United States)

Bellazzini, Marc A; Rankin, Peter M; Quisling, Jason; Gangnon, Ronald; Kohrs, Mike

2008-01-01

Increased concerns over the safety of air medical transport have prompted development of novel ways to increase safety. The objective of our study was to determine if an Internet streaming media safety video increased crew safety knowledge. 23 out of 40 crew members took an online safety pre-test, watched a safety video specific to our program and completed immediate and long-term post-testing 6 months later. Mean pre-test, post-test and 6 month follow up test scores were 84.9%, 92.3% and 88.4% respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in all scores (p Streaming media proved to be an accessible and effective supplement to safety training in our study.

University of Maine Integrated Forest Product Refinery (IFPR) Technology Research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pendse, Hemant P.

2010-11-23

This project supported research on science and technology that forms a basis for integrated forest product refinery for co-production of chemicals, fuels and materials using existing forest products industry infrastructure. Clear systems view of an Integrated Forest Product Refinery (IFPR) allowed development of a compelling business case for a small scale technology demonstration in Old Town ME for co-production of biofuels using cellulosic sugars along with pulp for the new owners of the facility resulting in an active project on Integrated Bio-Refinery (IBR) at the Old Town Fuel & Fiber. Work on production of advanced materials from woody biomass has led to active projects in bioplastics and carbon nanofibers. A lease for 40,000 sq. ft. high-bay space has been obtained to establish a Technology Research Center for IFPR technology validation on industrially relevant scale. UMaine forest bioproducts research initiative that began in April 2006 has led to establishment of a formal research institute beginning in March 2010.

Metal leaching from refinery waste hydroprocessing catalyst.

Science.gov (United States)

Marafi, Meena; Rana, Mohan S

2018-05-18

The present study aims to develop an eco-friendly methodology for the recovery of nickel (Ni), molybdenum (Mo), and vanadium (V) from the refinery waste spent hydroprocessing catalyst. The proposed process has two stages: the first stage is to separate alumina, while the second stage involves the separation of metal compounds. The effectiveness of leaching agents, such as NH 4 OH, (NH 4 ) 2 CO 3 , and (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 8 , for the extraction of Mo, V, Ni, and Al from the refinery spent catalyst has been reported as a function of reagent concentration (0.5 to 2.0 molar), leaching time (1 to 6 h), and temperature (35 to 60°C). The optimal leaching conditions were achieved to obtain the maximum recovery of Mo, Ni, and V metals. The effect of the mixture of multi-ammonium salts on the metal extraction was also studied, which showed an adverse effect for Ni and V, while marginal improvement was observed for Mo leaching. The ammonium salts can form soluble metal complexes, in which stability or solubility depends on the nature of ammonium salt and the reaction conditions. The extracted metals and support can be reused to synthesize a fresh hydroprocessing catalyst. The process will reduce the refinery waste and recover the expensive metals. Therefore, the process is not only important from an environmental point of view but also vital from an economic perspective.

Genotoxic evaluation of an industrial effluent from an oil refinery using plant and animal bioassays.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues, Fernando Postalli; Angeli, José Pedro Friedmann; Mantovani, Mário Sérgio; Guedes, Carmen Luisa Barbosa; Jordão, Berenice Quinzani

2010-01-01

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are genotoxic chemicals commonly found in effluents from oil refineries. Bioassays using plants and cells cultures can be employed for assessing environmental safety and potential genotoxicity. In this study, the genotoxic potential of an oil refinery effluent was analyzed by means of micronucleus (MN) testing of Alium cepa, which revealed no effect after 24 h of treatment. On the other hand, primary lesions in the DNA of rat (Rattus norvegicus) hepatoma cells (HTC) were observed through comet assaying after only 2 h of exposure. On considering the capacity to detect DNA damage of a different nature and of these cells to metabolize xenobiotics, we suggest the association of the two bioassays with these cell types, plant (Allium cepa) and mammal (HTC) cells, for more accurately assessing genotoxicity in environmental samples.

RStorm: Developing and Testing Streaming Algorithms in R

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kaptein, M.C.

2014-01-01

Streaming data, consisting of indefinitely evolving sequences, are becoming ubiquitous in many branches of science and in various applications. Computer scientists have developed streaming applications such as Storm and the S4 distributed stream computing platform1 to deal with data streams.

RStorm : Developing and testing streaming algorithms in R

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kaptein, M.C.

2014-01-01

Streaming data, consisting of indefinitely evolving sequences, are becoming ubiquitous in many branches of science and in various applications. Computer scientists have developed streaming applications such as Storm and the S4 distributed stream computing platform1 to deal with data streams.

Removal of hydrocarbon from refinery tank bottom sludge employing microbial culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Saikia, Rashmi Rekha; Deka, Suresh

2013-12-01

Accumulation of oily sludge is becoming a serious environmental threat, and there has not been much work reported for the removal of hydrocarbon from refinery tank bottom sludge. Effort has been made in this study to investigate the removal of hydrocarbon from refinery sludge by isolated biosurfactant-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa RS29 strain and explore the biosurfactant for its composition and stability. Laboratory investigation was carried out with this strain to observe its efficacy of removing hydrocarbon from refinery sludge employing whole bacterial culture and culture supernatant to various concentrations of sand-sludge mixture. Removal of hydrocarbon was recorded after 20 days. Analysis of the produced biosurfactant was carried out to get the idea about its stability and composition. The strain could remove up to 85 ± 3 and 55 ± 4.5 % of hydrocarbon from refinery sludge when whole bacterial culture and culture supernatant were used, respectively. Maximum surface tension reduction (26.3 mN m(-1)) was achieved with the strain in just 24 h of time. Emulsification index (E24) was recorded as 100 and 80 % with crude oil and n-hexadecane, respectively. The biosurfactant was confirmed as rhamnolipid containing C8 and C10 fatty acid components and having more mono-rhamnolipid congeners than the di-rhamnolipid ones. The biosurfactant was stable up to 121 °C, pH 2-10, and up to a salinity value of 2-10 % w/v. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing the potentiality of a native strain from the northeast region of India for the efficient removal of hydrocarbon from refinery sludge.

Standard test method for determining elements in waste Streams by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2010-01-01

1.1 This test method covers the determination of trace, minor, and major elements in waste streams by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) following an acid digestion of the sample. Waste streams from manufacturing processes of nuclear and non-nuclear materials can be analyzed. This test method is applicable to the determination of total metals. Results from this test method can be used to characterize waste received by treatment facilities and to formulate appropriate treatment recipes. The results are also usable in process control within waste treatment facilities. 1.2 This test method is applicable only to waste streams that contain radioactivity levels that do not require special personnel or environmental protection. 1.3 A list of the elements determined in waste streams and the corresponding lower reporting limit is found in Table 1. 1.4 This test method has been used successfully for treatment of a large variety of waste solutions and industrial process liquids. The com...

Allocating the CO2 emissions of an oil refinery with Aumann-Shapley prices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pierru, A.

2005-06-01

Linear programming is widely used by multi-product oil-refining firms, which minimize a refinery's variable cost under a set of constraints. In addition to operating costs, this variable cost can include the cost associated with the refinery's CO 2 emissions. We suggest a quite general approach combining use of Aumann-Shapley cost-sharing method and breakdown of the objective function of the linear program. This approach determines an appropriate rule for the allocation of the refinery's CO 2 emissions (or, in general, variable costs) among the various finished products, which can be used for purposes of Life Cycle Assessment. A numerical application to a simplified refining model is presented. (author)

Inefficiency of Malaysian palm oil refineries and the impact of different factors on its inefficiency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahra Shahverdi

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to analyze changes in the inefficiency of Malaysian palm oil refineries using DEA window analysis method over the period 1996 to 2009. We investigated the effects of different factors on inefficiency of Malaysian palm oil refineries. Based on empirical results, the effect of all factors such as vertical integration, types of ownership, foreign investment, location, experience, and liberalization on inefficiency of refineries was significant. Experience, liberalization, and joint venture between private and public sectors showed an increase in efficiency, while joint venture between local and foreign investment and vertical integration increased refineries’ inefficiency. However, palm oil refineries which were located in the states of Sabah and Sarawak were less technically inefficient than those located in peninsular Malaysia.

Oil prices: The role of refinery utilization, futures markets and non-linearities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaufmann, Robert K.; Mann, Michael; Dees, Stephane; Gasteuil, Audrey

2008-01-01

We test the hypothesis that real oil prices are determined in part by refinery capacity, non-linearities in supply conditions, and/or expectations and that observed changes in these variables can account for the rise in prices between 2004 and 2006. Results indicate that the refining sector plays an important role in the recent price increase, but not in the way described by many analysts. The relationship is negative such that higher refinery utilization rates reduce crude oil prices. This effect is associated with shifts in the production of heavy and light grades of crude oil and price spreads between them. Non-linear relationships between OPEC capacity and oil prices as well as conditions on the futures markets also account for changes in real oil prices. Together, these factors allow the model to generate a one-step ahead out-of-sample forecast that performs as well as forecasts implied by far-month contracts on the New York Mercantile Exchange and is able to account for much of the $27 rise in crude oil prices between 2004 and 2006. (author)

Treatment of petroleum refinery sourwater by advanced oxidation processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coelho, Alessandra; Castro, Antonio V.; Dezotti, Marcia; Sant'Anna, G.L.

2006-01-01

The performance of several oxidation processes to remove organic pollutants from sourwater was investigated. Sourwater is a specific stream of petroleum refineries, which contains slowly biodegradable compounds and toxic substances that impair the industrial biological wastewater treatment system. Preliminary experiments were conducted, using the following processes: H 2 O 2 , H 2 O 2 /UV, UV, photocatalysis, ozonation, Fenton and photo-Fenton. All processes, except Fenton and photo-Fenton, did not lead to satisfactory results, reducing at most 35% of the sourwater dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Thus, further experiments were performed with these two techniques to evaluate process conditions and organic matter removal kinetics. Batch experiments revealed that the Fenton reaction is very fast and reaches, in a few minutes, an ultimate DOC removal of 13-27%, due to the formation of iron complexes. Radiation for an additional period of 60 min can increase DOC removal up to 87%. Experiments were also conducted in a continuous mode, operating one 0.4 L Fenton stirred reactor and one 1.6 L photo-Fenton reactor in series. DOC removals above 75% were reached, when the reaction system was operated with hydraulic retention times (HRT) higher than 85 min. An empirical mathematical model was proposed to represent the DOC removal kinetics, allowing predicting process performance quite satisfactorily

Relation between sensitization and failures of welded joints at furnaces of Cienfuegos refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dominguez, H.; Menendez, C.M.; Sendoya, F.A.

1992-01-01

This work is concerned about the possible relation between sensitization and failures of welded joints at furnaces of Cienfuegos Refinery. This failures were detected in austenitic pipes by hydraulic testing. For determined the tendency to sensitization of heat affected zones (HAZ) of welded joints and piping, have been used standardized test methods AM and AMU (GOST 6032-89). In addition, the Electrochemical Potentiokinetic Reactivation (EPR) test was employed to quantity the tendency to intergranular corrosion. It was found that degree of sensitization was higher at HAZ and as a possible explanation is proposed the overheating during welding

The Implementation and Maintenance of a Behavioral Safety Process in a Petroleum Refinery

Science.gov (United States)

Myers, Wanda V.; McSween, Terry E.; Medina, Rixio E.; Rost, Kristen; Alvero, Alicia M.

2010-01-01

A values-centered and team-based behavioral safety process was implemented in a petroleum oil refinery. Employee teams defined the refinery's safety values and related practices, which were used to guide the process design and implementation. The process included (a) a safety assessment; (b) the clarification of safety-related values and related…

Analysis and control of odors from petroleum refineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Brien, M.A.; Duffee, R.A.; Ostojic, N.

1992-01-01

This paper presents a proven approach used to effectively solve odor problems associated with atmospheric emissions from petroleum refineries. A systematic evaluation is first conducted to identify all emissions with the potential for off-site odor impacts. Sampling is then conducted and dynamic dilution olfactometry is used to quantify the odor emission rates of each source. Community odor surveys are performed simultaneously with the source sampling to quantitatively document the downwind odor impacts. Atmospheric dispersion modeling specifically designed for odor is then used to predict instantaneous odor occurrences at various receptor sites under meteorological conditions not actually encountered during the field study. The findings make it possible to rank sources by their odor emission rates and potential for odor impacts in the community. It is then possible to determine how much odor reduction is required to bring the present odor impacts of the individual sources to an acceptable level under worst-case meteorological conditions. Once the degree of control required is determined, control alternatives are selected and evaluated. Case histories have been selected to illustrate the application of this approach at petroleum refineries. They provide descriptions of odor assessment and abatement studies conducted specifically for refinery effluent treatment plant sources as well as process unit emission sources. The sources identified as needing control and the odor abatement measures taken are discussed

Air Pollution Dispersion Modeling of Abadan oil Refinery Using SCREEN3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hedayati Rad, F.; Salman-Mahini, A.; Mirkarimi, H.

2016-01-01

Air pollution is a major problem that has been recognized throughout the world. Refineriers normally create environmental pollution through emissions of pollutants gaseous from a variety of sources. Analysing air pollution distribution and dispersion can help in reducing the negative effects. In this study NO_X and SO_2 emissions and distributions were investigated for Abadan oil refinery using SCREEN3 software. In this softweare, wind speed and direction, air temperature, location and physical characteristics of chimnies and atmospheric stability were taken into consideration.The concentration of pollutants in different distances from the stacks in the range 25 km were predicted and mapped in Idrisi software. The output from software SCREEN3 for emissions from stacks were also examined and compared with the standard output of the refineries. According to our results, the concentration of pollutants in summer and autumn seasons exceeds of the environmental standards.

Integration : OPEC is now in 35 foreign refineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Terzian, P.

1994-01-01

Seven countries from OPEC own now share holdings in 35 foreign refineries. By this process of downstream reintegration, these countries hope to reach a better stability of crude oil prices. (Author). 3 tabs

Genotoxic evaluation of an industrial effluent from an oil refinery using plant and animal bioassays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Postalli Rodrigues

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs are genotoxic chemicals commonly found in effluents from oil refineries. Bioassays using plants and cells cultures can be employed for assessing environmental safety and potential genotoxicity. In this study, the genotoxic potential of an oil refinery effluent was analyzed by means of micronucleus (MN testing of Alium cepa, which revealed no effect after 24 h of treatment. On the other hand, primary lesions in the DNA of rat (Rattus norvegicus hepatoma cells (HTC were observed through comet assaying after only 2 h of exposure. On considering the capacity to detect DNA damage of a different nature and of these cells to metabolize xenobiotics, we suggest the association of the two bioassays with these cell types, plant (Allium cepa and mammal (HTC cells, for more accurately assessing genotoxicity in environmental samples.

Controls on stream network branching angles, tested using landscape evolution models

Science.gov (United States)

Theodoratos, Nikolaos; Seybold, Hansjörg; Kirchner, James W.

2016-04-01

Stream networks are striking landscape features. The topology of stream networks has been extensively studied, but their geometry has received limited attention. Analyses of nearly 1 million stream junctions across the contiguous United States [1] have revealed that stream branching angles vary systematically with climate and topographic gradients at continental scale. Stream networks in areas with wet climates and gentle slopes tend to have wider branching angles than in areas with dry climates or steep slopes, but the mechanistic linkages underlying these empirical correlations remain unclear. Under different climatic and topographic conditions different runoff generation mechanisms and, consequently, transport processes are dominant. Models [2] and experiments [3] have shown that the relative strength of channel incision versus diffusive hillslope transport controls the spacing between valleys, an important geometric property of stream networks. We used landscape evolution models (LEMs) to test whether similar factors control network branching angles as well. We simulated stream networks using a wide range of hillslope diffusion and channel incision parameters. The resulting branching angles vary systematically with the parameters, but by much less than the regional variability in real-world stream networks. Our results suggest that the competition between hillslope and channeling processes influences branching angles, but that other mechanisms may also be needed to account for the variability in branching angles observed in the field. References: [1] H. Seybold, D. H. Rothman, and J. W. Kirchner, 2015, Climate's watermark in the geometry of river networks, Submitted manuscript. [2] J. T. Perron, W. E. Dietrich, and J. W. Kirchner, 2008, Controls on the spacing of first-order valleys, Journal of Geophysical Research, 113, F04016. [3] K. E. Sweeney, J. J. Roering, and C. Ellis, 2015, Experimental evidence for hillslope control of landscape scale, Science, 349

The energy efficiency of crude oil refining in Brazil: A Brazilian refinery plant case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lima, Romulo S. de; Schaeffer, Roberto

2011-01-01

This article evaluates energy efficiency in Brazilian crude oil refining in comparison with the crude oil refining in the United States between 1930 and 2008. It aims to show that increased refinery complexity reduces the energy consumption of products of high value added. Moreover, the article shows that improvements in energy efficiency result in higher quality products and increased processing of oil. A Brazilian refinery with a capacity of 157,000 barrels per day (kbpd) was modernized in 2008 at a cost of US $1.3 billion. As a result, its capacity increased by 17%, from 157 to 189 kbpd. Its complexity index also rose from 3.2 to 6.8, allowing an improvement in the EII (energy intensity index) from 110% to 93%. In relation to the crude oil processed before being modernized, energy consumption fell from 0.75 to 0.52 MBtu (million British thermal units) per barrel processed. These proceedings show that increases in complexity reduce the energy consumed in the production of final products with high value added, such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. -- Highlights: → Increased refinery complexity reduces the energy consumption of products of high value added. → Improvements in refinery energy efficiency result in higher quality products and increased processing of oil. → Brazilian refineries were not affected significantly in the 2008 crisis, such as the US refineries, due to many factors. → The EII of Brazilian refining presents real opportunities for gains through changes in the profile of energy consumed.

Integrated pollution control for oil refinery complexes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kiperstok, A [Bahia Univ., Salvador, BA (Brazil); Sharratt, P N [Manchester Univ. (United Kingdom). Inst. of Science and Technology

1994-12-31

Improving environmental performance of oil refineries is a complex task. Emission limits, operating constraints, available technologies, operating techniques, and local environment sensitivity must all be considered. This work describes efforts to build an interactive software to deal with this problem. 8 refs., 5 figs.

Integrated pollution control for oil refinery complexes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kiperstok, A. [Bahia Univ., Salvador, BA (Brazil); Sharratt, P.N. [Manchester Univ. (United Kingdom). Inst. of Science and Technology

1993-12-31

Improving environmental performance of oil refineries is a complex task. Emission limits, operating constraints, available technologies, operating techniques, and local environment sensitivity must all be considered. This work describes efforts to build an interactive software to deal with this problem. 8 refs., 5 figs.

Cleaner shipping. Trade off between air pollution, costs and refinery CO2 emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Wilde, H.P.J.; Kroon, P.

2008-05-01

Still subject to final approval in October 2008, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) agreed on a maximum sulphur content of 0.5% for shipping fuels in 2020. This target will induce major changes in the global refinery industry. We have estimated the impact on the Dutch refinery industry, which annually produces about 8 million tons of heavy fuel oil for sea shipping, with refinery residues as main component. It is technically possible to convert all residues, although this process will cause an additional energy use of about one million tons of crude oil and a related CO2 emission of about 4 million tons. The investment costs for these major changes in the Dutch refinery industry are estimated at about 1.5 tot 2 billion euros. The recent IMO agreement enables a gradual introduction of cleaner shipping fuels, which will reduce market disruptions and peak prices. Nevertheless, Rotterdam may not necessarily be able to develop a similar position in import, export and bunkering of future low sulphur fuels, compared to its present strong position in the market of heavy marine bunkers. Extrapolation of our national study to the global scale suggests that the deep conversion of 350 million tons of heavy fuel oil for shipping would require refinery investments in the order of 70-100 billion euros. The associated CO2 emissions would amount up to 175 Mton. The net additional CO2 emission, however, would be smaller since lighter shipping fuels result in less CO2 emissions at sea. On balance, we expect that the improvements in fuel economy, driven by the expensive low-carbon shipping fuels, will decrease CO2 emissions more than the increase in CO2 emissions from additional desulphurization in the refineries. Nevertheless CO2 emissions from sea shipping will continue to increase since marine transport is rapidly growing

Multi-media pollution prevention: A case study of a refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmitt, R.E.; Podar, M.K.

1994-01-01

In late 1989, Amoco Corporation and the United States Environmental Protection Agency began a voluntary, joint project to study pollution prevention opportunities at an industrial facility. Amoco proposed use of its refinery at Yorktown, Virginia, to conduct a multi-media assessment of releases to the environment, then to develop and evaluate options to reduce these releases. A Workgroup composed of state, federal, and Amoco representatives provided oversight to the Project. Monthly Workgroup meetings provided Project oversight, a forum for presentations on different Project components, and an opportunity for informal discussion of different viewpoints about environmental management. The Workgroup identified four objectives for this study: (1) Inventory refinery releases to the environment to define their chemical type, quantity, source, and medium of release; (2) develop options to reduce selected releases identified, as well as rank and prioritize the options based on a variety of criteria and perspectives; (3) identify and evaluate factors as technical, legislative, regulatory, institutional, permitting, and economic, that impede or encourage pollution prevention; and (4) enhance participates' knowledge of refinery and regulatory systems

U.S. petroleum refining: Meeting requirements for cleaner fuels and refineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warden, R.B.

1993-01-01

A review is presented of a study carried out by the National Petroleum Council that assessed the ability of the U.S. oil industry to manufacture and supply the quantity and quality of products required in the 1990s and beyond. The competitiveness of domestic supply vs product imports was analyzed and the investment requirements and other costs associated with meeting new environmental legislation and regulations on petroleum products and refineries were addressed. In particular, the requirements of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments and other environmental, health, and safety initiatives, both current and prospective, were evaluated. Refineries and the logistics system were studied but not crude oil supply or service stations. The costs of stationary source health, safety and environmental regulations and requirements were evaluated for the years 1995, 2000 and 2010, and sources of U.S. light products and U.S. refinery utilization were modelled for these years. Three demand scenarios were considered: growth, no-growth, and decline. Annual expenditures for health, safety and environment programs inside refineries are expected to double in the 1990s. Expenditures of $106 billion are projected over the period 1990-2010 for new facilities and programs necessary for current and anticipated stationary source regulations. Refining and logistics costs will increase substantially. Other conclusions related to capital expenditures, refining capability, product compatibility, oxygenates and foreign product supply cost are drawn. 26 figs

Eldorado Port Hope refinery - uranium production (1933-1951)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arsenault, J.E.

2008-01-01

Since the discovery of pitchblende in 1930 by Gilbert LaBine at Great Bear Lake (GBL), North West Territories, uranium has played a central role in the growth of the Canadian mining sector and it in turn has propelled the country into it's present position as the world's top uranium producer. The rich ore mined there was used originally by Eldorado Gold Mines Limited to build a business based on the extraction of radium, which was selling at $70,000 a gram at the time, and silver which was present in the ore in commercial amounts. The mine site on GBL became known as Port Radium. In 1933 Eldorado brought a refinery on-line at Port Hope, Ontario nearly 4,000 miles away from the mine, and began to produce radium, silver and uranium products. Initially uranium played a minor role in the business and the products were sold into the ceramics industry to manufacture a variety of crockery with long-lasting colours. In addition, there were sales and loans of uranium products to research laboratories that were exploring nuclear energy for possible use in weapons and power generation, as the potential for this was clearly understood from 1939 onwards. These laboratories included the National Research Council (George Laurence), Columbia University (Enrico Fermi) and International Chemical Industries (J.P. Baxter). With the beginning of World War II the radium business suffered from poor sales and by 1940 the mine was closed but the refinery continued operation, using accumulated stockpiles. By 1942 uranium had become a strategic material, the mine was reopened, and the refinery began to produce large quantities of uranium oxide destined for The Manhattan Project. As events unfolded Eldorado was unable to produce sufficient ore from GBL so that a large quantity of ore from the Belgian Congo was also processed at Port Hope. Ultimately, as a result of the efforts of this enterprise, World War II was finally ended by use of atomic weapons. After World War II the refinery

Eldorado Port Hope refinery - uranium production (1933-1951)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arsenault, J.E

2008-03-15

Since the discovery of pitchblende in 1930 by Gilbert LaBine at Great Bear Lake (GBL), North West Territories, uranium has played a central role in the growth of the Canadian mining sector and it in turn has propelled the country into it's present position as the world's top uranium producer. The rich ore mined there was used originally by Eldorado Gold Mines Limited to build a business based on the extraction of radium, which was selling at $70,000 a gram at the time, and silver which was present in the ore in commercial amounts. The mine site on GBL became known as Port Radium. In 1933 Eldorado brought a refinery on-line at Port Hope, Ontario nearly 4,000 miles away from the mine, and began to produce radium, silver and uranium products. Initially uranium played a minor role in the business and the products were sold into the ceramics industry to manufacture a variety of crockery with long-lasting colours. In addition, there were sales and loans of uranium products to research laboratories that were exploring nuclear energy for possible use in weapons and power generation, as the potential for this was clearly understood from 1939 onwards. These laboratories included the National Research Council (George Laurence), Columbia University (Enrico Fermi) and International Chemical Industries (J.P. Baxter). With the beginning of World War II the radium business suffered from poor sales and by 1940 the mine was closed but the refinery continued operation, using accumulated stockpiles. By 1942 uranium had become a strategic material, the mine was reopened, and the refinery began to produce large quantities of uranium oxide destined for The Manhattan Project. As events unfolded Eldorado was unable to produce sufficient ore from GBL so that a large quantity of ore from the Belgian Congo was also processed at Port Hope. Ultimately, as a result of the efforts of this enterprise, World War II was finally ended by use of atomic weapons. After World War II the

Allocating the CO2 emissions of an oil refinery with Aumann-Shapley prices. Comment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tehrani Nejad Moghaddam, Alireza

2010-01-01

The allocation of CO 2 emissions of petroleum refineries to their oil products is a necessary step in the retrospective Well-to-Tank (WTT) analysis. These allocated emissions are used to evaluate the environmental impacts of automotive fuels' production within the refinery. Oil refining is a complex joint production system and there exists no simple and unique answer to this allocation question. Recently, Pierru proposed adapting the Aumann-Shapley cost sharing method to deal with this issue. Our paper aims at describing the conceptual and technical difficulties of this adaptation to the WTT context. Moreover, we show that this approach, as proposed by Pierru, is not applicable to any real-type refinery model. Different suggestions are provided to improve its applicability (when it is possible) in real situations. A simple numerical example as well as a real-type refinery case study is provided for illustrations. Finally, we discuss an alternative allocation approach which we believe more adapted to the WTT context. (author)

Hazard evaluation of soil contaminants from an abandoned oil refinery site with chemical and biological assays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramanathan, A.; Yates, C.W.; Burks, S.L.

1993-01-01

The phytotoxic characteristics of soil and leachates of soil from an abandoned oil refinery site were evaluated with rice (Oryza sativa L.) seed germinations and root elongation assays. Toxicity of soil leachates to aquatic animals was determined with acute and martial chronic toxicity tests with Ceriodaphnia dubia, fathead minnows, and Microtox reg-sign. Soil samples from uncontaminated (control) and selected contaminated areas within the old refinery were extracted with Toxic Characteristics Leachate Procedure (TCLP), an aqueous procedure and a supercritical carbon dioxide method. Aqueous extracts of soil from the oil leaded gasoline storage area exhibited greatest effects in all tests. Aqueous extracts from this site also caused a significant reduction in rice root development. Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction proved to be a quick and non-toxic procedure for isolating non-polar organics for assay with aquatic toxicity tests. Subsequent supercritical extracts collected in solvent can help characterize the class of toxicants through HPLC and Gas Chromatography. The toxic constituents were characterized with a Toxicity Identification/Toxicity Reduction Evaluation protocol to fractionate the contaminants into conventional non-polar organics, weak acids, base-neutrals, or heavy metals for subsequent analysis

Pursuing the pre-combustion CCS route in oil refineries – The impact on fired heaters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weydahl, Torleif; Jamaluddin, Jamal; Seljeskog, Morten; Anantharaman, Rahul

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► The aim is to approach Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) to refinery fired heaters. ► An identical simplified burner configuration is applied where refinery fuel is replaced with hydrogen. ► Initial simulations indicate that hydrogen replacement do not alter heater operation in a negative way. ► Despite the higher flame temperature in the hydrogen case, the NO x emissions are not higher. ► The prompt-NO mechanism contributes significantly in the refinery fuel case. -- Abstract: The work presented in this paper investigates the effect of replacing refinery fuel gas in the radiant section burners of a fired heater with hydrogen. The aim is to approach pre-combustion CCS to refinery fired heaters by identifying the impact on heat-, flow- and radiation distribution in the lower radiant section of the fired heater when simply switching refinery gas with hydrogen at equivalent power using the same burner geometrics. Additionally the formation of NO x is considered. The investigations are performed using a conventional Reynolds Average Navier Stokes (RANS), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach using detailed reaction kinetics consisting of 325 elementary reactions and 53 species. Simplified and generalized furnace and burner geometries are used in the present work. The results show that approximately the same average wall heat flux density is achieved when the refinery fuel is replaced by hydrogen. However, the distribution of heat on the inner surfaces changes. The hydrogen case has, as expected, a higher flame temperature than the base case, nevertheless, the nitric oxide (NO x ) emissions are comparable to base case emissions. Several indications point in the direction of a significant contribution to the base case emissions from the less temperature dependent prompt-NO mechanism, which obviously is not contributing to the hydrogen case emissions.

Environmental monitoring near urban lead refineries by photon and neutron activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paciga, J.J.; Chattopadhyay, A.; Jervis, R.E.

1974-01-01

Photon activation has been used in conjunction with neutron activation for multielement determinations in airborne particulates, soil, and hair samples collected near two secondary lead refineries in Metropolitan Toronto. Particle size distributions of suspended particulates collected with a high volume Andersen sampler are reported for Al, Sb, As, Br, Cl, Mn, Na, Pb, Ti and V. Increases in the concentrations of Pb, As and Sb associated with particles >3.3 μm diameter on certain days near the refineries has resulted in localized contamination as reflected in higher concentrations of these elements in soil. To assess Pb accumulation in local residents compared with control groups, approximately 250 hair samples were analyzed for Pb by photon activation analysis. Children living close to the refineries, especially boys, exhibit the most elevated levels: up to 20 times urban control values in some cases

Corrosion resistance of high performance stainless steels in cooling water and other refinery environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kovach, C.W.; Redmerski, L.S.

1984-01-01

The recent successful introduction of high performance stainless steels as tubing for seawater cooled electric utility condensers suggests that these alloys can also provide useful service in refinery heat exchanger applications. Since many of these applications involve higher temperature exposure than steam condensers, a study was conducted to evaluate crevice corrsion resistance over a range of cooling water temperature and chloride concentrations, and also to evaluate general corrosion resistance in some strong chemical and refinery environments. These stainless steels display excellent crevice corrosion resistance as well as good resistance to a variety of chemical environments that may be encountered in refinery, petrochemical and chemical plant service

Continues treatment of oily sludge at Colombian refineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Echeverria, Victor; Monsalve, Gladys; Vidales, Humberto

2002-01-01

The Colombian Petroleum institute - ICP, the research and development branch of Ecopetrol has developed a unique technological package used to treat oily sludge in a continuous way. The sludge comes from a refinery with 220000 barrels of crude per day load, located in the Middle Madgalena River Valley in Colombia. The technological package allows for a) the recovery of the hydrocarbon contained in oily wastes (up to 50%) b) the elimination of the oil contained in solid using a biodegradation process and, c) the availability economically and technically feasible solution to handle oily sludge generated in the refinery. The oily treated in this process come from maintenance of refinery's equipment and also from the physical chemical separation process at the industrial wastewater treatment plant. Oily sludge is a complex system where light and heavy oils, contaminated water and contaminated solids coexist in the form of direct, inverse and multiple emulsions. The comprehensive technological package allows the treatment of oily sludge in a cost effective way. ICP technological package developed includes technologies combining mechanical, thermal, chemical and electrostatic dehydration techniques and stimulated and intensive bioremediation to decontamination of solids saturated with residual oil. This technological package brings a solution to old environmental problem caused by the inappropriate final disposal of oily wastes such as storage in ponds, marshes and open pits: Nowadays wastes generated are treated in a continuous process that is environmentally friendly and economically profitable

Pemex to acquire interest in Shell Texas refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that Petroleos Mexicanos and Shell Oil Co. have signed a memorandum of understanding to form a joint refining venture involving Shell's 225,000 b/d Deer Park, Tex., refinery. Under the agreement, Mexico's state owned oil company is to purchase a 50% interest in the refinery, and Shell is to sell Pemex unleaded gasoline on a long term basis. Under the venture, Shell and Pemex plan to add undisclosed conversion and upgrading units tailored to process heavy Mexican crude. The revamp will allow Pemex to place more than 100,000 b/d of Mayan heavy crude on the U.S. market. Mayan accounts for 70% of Mexico's crude oil exports. In turn, Shell will sell Pemex as much as 45,000 b/d of unleaded gasoline to help meet Mexico's rapidly growing demand

Prevention of refinery tower plugging by residual oil gellant chemicals in crude-pilot plant evaluation of alternative oil gellants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taylor, R.S.; Fyten, G.C.; Cheng, A. [Halliburton Energy Services, Calgary, AB (Canada); Stemler, P.S. [Petro-Canada Oil and Gas Inc., Calgary, AB (Canada); Lemieux, A. [Omnicon Consultants Inc., Calgary, AB (Canada)

2006-07-01

Tower fouling at petroleum refineries is related to background volatile phosphorus components originating from phosphate ester oil gellants. In an attempt to reduce the cost of unplanned refinery shut downs, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) may institute a new specification in July 2006 of 0.5 ppm maximum volatile phosphorus in crude. In concept, volatile phosphorus can be removed from phosphate esters by eliminating volatile components in the original phosphate ester gellant. However, the issue of of whether modified phosphate esters can really reduce refinery tower fouling has been questioned. For that reason, this study focused on water hydrolysis which may occur in a distillation tower, causing localized areas of acidity and causticity. Halogenation reactions could occur in the presence of acid at high temperatures if halogen ions are present. The source of halide ions could be any salts that have not been removed in the de-salters. Full-scale testing at a pilot plant facility was conducted over several days with flowback captured after actual fracturing treatments. Fouling of distillation tower trays was measured along with fouling of the packing material. The study examined how fouling was influenced by changes in operating parameters such as rate, temperature, or pressure during each test. Three full-scale pilot evaluations were conducted using actual flowback fluids from fracturing treatments conducted with 3 different oil gellants: conventional phosphate ester, modified phosphate and phosphonate ester. The comparison of actual tower fouling between these alternative gellants can be used as a guide when choosing oil gellant systems to reduce refinery tower and heat exchanger fouling. It was concluded that phosphonate gellants are hydrolytically stable at higher temperatures and should minimize volatile phosphorus created through the hydrolysis of phosphate esters. However, they are more expensive since they are more complex to create

Carbon flow analysis and Carbon emission reduction of FCC in Chinese oil refineries

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Fengrui; Wei, Na; Ma, Danzhu; Liu, Guangxin; Wu, Ming; Yue, Qiang

2017-08-01

The major problem of the energy production in oil refineries is the high emission of CO2 in China. The fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCC) is the key source of carbon emission in the oil refineries. According to the statistical data, the carbon emission of FCC unit accounts for more than 31% for the typical oil refineries. The carbon flow of FCC in the typical Chinese oil refineries were evaluated and analysed, which aimed at the solution of CO2 emission reduction. The method of substances flow analysis (SFA) and the mathematical programming were used to evaluate the carbon metabolism and optimize the carbon emission. The results indicated that the combustion emission of the reaction-regeneration subsystem (RRS) was the major source of FCC. The quantity of CO2 emission of RSS was more than 90%. The combustion efficiency and the amount of residual oil affected the carbon emission of RRS most according to the optimized analysis of carbon emission reduction. Moreover, the fractionation subsystem (TFS) had the highest environmental efficiency and the absorption-stabilization subsystem (ASS) had the highest resource efficiency (approximately to 1) of carbon.

Risk analysis of the sea desalination plant at the 5th refinery of south ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

In this study, hazards in the desalination unit of a gas refinery in Asaluyeh, south of Iran was evaluated, using the PHA-PRO6 software, for which recommendations were made to avoid potential risks involved. Based on 8-years history of the refinery operation, maintenance records, accidents, safety vulnerabilities of the plant ...

Assessment of volatile organic emissions from a petroleum refinery land treatment site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wetherold, R.G.; Eklund, B.M.; Blaney, B.J.; Throneloe, S.A.

1990-01-01

This paper reports on a field assessment performed to measure the emissions of volatile organics from a petroleum refinery land treatment site. As part of this study, the emissions of total volatile organics from surface-applied and subsurface-injected oily sludge were measured over a 5-week period. The effect of soil tilling on the emissions also was monitored. Volatile organics emission rates were measured using the emission isolation flex chamber method. Soil samples were collected during the test periods to determine soil properties, oil levels and microbe count. Soil surface and ambient temperatures, both inside and outside the flux chambers, were measured throughout the test periods

The acid refinery wastes in environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samesova, D.; Ladomersky, J.; Hroncova, E.

2003-01-01

The aim of our paper is to assign ways and means of the pollution extension from the old landfills of the petrochemical sludges. In the past the sludges were deposited in sludge landfills. Nowadays remediation of the landfills is a key problem. We analyse condition of the refinery sludges latching. We found out the meaning influences of leachate time, temperature, concentration and liquid kind. (authors)

Mixing of process heels, process solutions, and recycle streams: Results of the small-scale radioactive tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lumetta, G.J.; Bramson, J.P.; Farmer III, O.T.; Greenwood, L.R.; Hoopes, F.V.; Mann, M.A.; Steele, M.J.; Steele, R.T.; Swoboda, R.G.; Urie, M.W.

2000-01-01

Various recycle streams will be combined with the low-activity waste (LAW) or the high-level waste (HLW) feed solutions during the processing of the Hanford tank wastes by BNFL, Inc. In addition, the LAW and HLW feed solutions will also be mixed with heels present in the processing equipment. This report describes the results of a test conducted by Battelle to assess the effects of mixing specific process streams. Observations were made regarding adverse reactions (mainly precipitation) and effects on the Tc oxidation state (as indicated by K d measurements with SuperLigreg s ign 639). The work was conducted according to test plan BNFL-TP-29953-023, Rev. 0, Small Scale Mixing of Process Heels, Solutions, and Recycle Streams. The test went according to plan, with only minor deviations from the test plan. The deviations from the test plan are discussed in the experimental section

The effects of the natural coagulant Moringa oleifera and alum in wastewater treatment at the Bandar Abbas Oil Refinery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohsen Dehghani

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Background: The refining process generates large volumes of wastewater containing a variety of chemical contaminants. The use of natural substitutes in treating wastewater which have fewer harmful effects is considered an effective step towards protecting the environment and sustaining the development of these industries. This study focused on the use of Moringa oleifera and alum at the Wastewater Unit at Bandar Abbas Refinery. Methods: This study was performed in 2014 in a laboratory using jar apparatus. These experiments were conducted in batch system and effective parameters including pH, coagulant dose and contact time were investigated on the wastewater obtained from Bandar Abbas Oil Refinery. Results: The jar test experiment showed that M. oleifera at 70 mg/L, optimum temperature, pH, and mixing speed could remove 38.60% of chemical oxygen demand (COD, 63.70% of turbidity, and 62.05% of total suspended solids (TSS. Also, alum at 40 mg/L removed COD, turbidity, and TSS by 51.72%, 92.16%, and 85.26% respectively from the refinery wastewater. Moreover, when M. oleifera and alum was used together with a 2:1 dosage ratio (alum at 80 mg/L and M. oleifera at 70 mg/L, they will remove COD, turbidity, and TSS by up to 50.41%, 86.14%, and 81.52% respectively. Conclusion: The use of M. oleifera as a natural coagulant is important in treating refinery wastewater not only from an environmental but also an economic point of view.

Monitoring coastal pollution associated with the largest oil refinery complex of Venezuela

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aldo Croquer

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This study evaluated pollution levels in water and sediments of Península de Paraguaná and related these levels with benthic macrofauna along a coastal area where the largest Venezuelan oil refineries have operated over the past 60 years. For this, the concentration of heavy metals, of hydrocarbon compounds and the community structure of the macrobenthos were examined at 20 sites distributed along 40 km of coastline for six consecutive years, which included windy and calm seasons. The spatial variability of organic and inorganic compounds showed considerably high coastal pollution along the study area, across both years and seasons. The southern sites, closest to the refineries, had consistently higher concentrations of heavy metals and organic compounds in water and sediments when compared to those in the north. The benthic community was dominated by polychaetes at all sites, seasons and years, and their abundance and distribution were significantly correlated with physical and chemical characteristics of the sediments. Sites close to the oil refineries were consistently dominated by families known to tolerate xenobiotics, such as Capitellidae and Spionidae. The results from this study highlight the importance of continuing long-term environmental monitoring programs to assess the impact of effluent discharge and spill events from the oil refineries that operate in the western coast of Paraguaná, Venezuela.

Allocating the CO{sub 2} emissions of an oil refinery with Aumann-Shapley prices. Comment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tehrani Nejad Moghaddam, Alireza [Department of Economic Studies, Institut Francais du Petrole (I.F.P.), 92852, Rueil-Malmaison (France)

2010-01-15

The allocation of CO{sub 2} emissions of petroleum refineries to their oil products is a necessary step in the retrospective Well-to-Tank (WTT) analysis. These allocated emissions are used to evaluate the environmental impacts of automotive fuels' production within the refinery. Oil refining is a complex joint production system and there exists no simple and unique answer to this allocation question. Recently, Pierru proposed adapting the Aumann-Shapley cost sharing method to deal with this issue. Our paper aims at describing the conceptual and technical difficulties of this adaptation to the WTT context. Moreover, we show that this approach, as proposed by Pierru, is not applicable to any real-type refinery model. Different suggestions are provided to improve its applicability (when it is possible) in real situations. A simple numerical example as well as a real-type refinery case study is provided for illustrations. Finally, we discuss an alternative allocation approach which we believe more adapted to the WTT context. (author)

Conservation and reuse of water in Brazilian petroleum refineries; Conservacao e reuso de agua em refinarias de petroleo no Brasil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pombo, Felipe Ramalho; Magrini, Alessandra; Szklo, Alexandre Salem [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (PPE/COPPE/UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia. Programa de Planejamento Energetico], Emails: frpombo@ppe.ufrj.br, ale@ppe.ufrj.br, szklo@ppe.ufrj.br

2010-07-01

This paper views to present the main technologies for effluent treatment of petroleum refineries having as target the reuse. An analysis of international and Brazilian experiences of water reuse in petroleum refineries is performed viewing to support the proposition of recommendations for Brazilian refineries.

76 FR 64943 - Proposed Cercla Administrative Cost Recovery Settlement; ACM Smelter and Refinery Site, Located...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-19

... Settlement; ACM Smelter and Refinery Site, Located in Cascade County, MT AGENCY: Environmental Protection... projected future response costs concerning the ACM Smelter and Refinery NPL Site (Site), Operable Unit 1..., Helena, MT 59626. Mr. Sturn can be reached at (406) 457-5027. Comments should reference the ACM Smelter...

Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs for Refinery Wastewater Treatment Contains High Phenol Concentration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azizah Alif Nurul

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Petroleum Refinery wastewater is characterized by a high phenol content. Phenol is toxic and resistant to biological processes for treatment of the petroleum refinery wastewater. The combination of an AOP and a biological process can be used for treatment of the refinery wastewater. It is necessary to conduct a study to determine the appropriate condition of AOP to meet the phenol removal level. Two AOP configurations were investigated: H2O2 / UV and H2O2 / UV / O3. From each process samples, COD, phenol and pH were measured. The oxidation was carried out until the targeted phenol concentration of treated effluent were obtained. The better result obtained by using process H2O2 / UV / O3 with the H2O2 concentration 1000 ppm. After 120 minutes, the final target has been achieved in which phenol concentration of 37.5 mg/L or phenol degradation of 93.75%.

Impact of Energy Production on Respiratory Outcomes: Evidence from the Flandres Refinery in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lavaine, Emmanuelle

2016-01-01

This article examines the impact of sulphur dioxide (SO_2) concentration on respiratory admissions in the north of France at municipal level from 2007 to 2011. The Flandres refinery closure in the north of France, in September 2009, is used as a natural experiment. First, this study shows that the halt in the refinery's operations, followed by its closure in 2010, reduces SO_2 concentration. We then use this exogenous shock to analyse the health impact of the high SO_2 concentration generated by energy production. Our estimates highlight that the reduction in SO_2 concentration has significantly reduced the severity of respiratory outcomes. Additionally, the refinery closure has had statistically significant effects on the revenue of municipalities in the area

Predicting refinery effluent toxicity on the basis of hydrocarbon composition determined by GCxGC analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Whale, G. [and others

2013-04-15

A high resolution analytical method for determining hydrocarbon blocks in petroleum products by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC) was used for the analysis of petroleum hydrocarbons extracted from refinery effluents. From 105 CONCAWE refineries in Europe 111 refinery effluents were collected in the period June 2008 to March 2009 (CONCAWE, 2010). The effluents were analysed for metals, standard effluent parameters (including Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), oil in water (OiW), GCxGC speciated hydrocarbons, BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylenes) and volatile organic compounds. This report describes the subsequent analysis of the GCxGC data, as described in hydrocarbon blocks, and uses the PETROTOX model, to predict the environmental toxicity (i.e. ecotoxicity) of the discharged effluents. A further analysis was undertaken to address the potential environmental impact of these predicted effects initially using default dilution factors and then,when necessary site specific factors. The report describes all the methods used to arrive at the predictions, and shows that for the majority of refinery effluents direct toxicity effects in the effluents are not anticipated. Furthermore, when applying either the EU Risk Assessment Technical Guidance Document (TGD) default dilution factors or site specific dilution factors, none of the refineries are predicted to exerting either acute or chronic toxicity to organisms in the receiving aquatic environment, based on their hydrocarbon composition present in the effluent samples.

Chemical composition of individual aerosol particles from working areas in a nickel refinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Höflich, B L; Wentzel, M; Ortner, H M; Weinbruch, S; Skogstad, A; Hetland, S; Thomassen, Y; Chaschin, V P; Nieboer, E

2000-06-01

Individual aerosol particles (n = 1170) collected at work stations in a nickel refinery were analyzed by wavelength-dispersive electron-probe microanalysis. By placing arbitrary restrictions on the contents of sulfur and silicon, the particles could be divided into four main groups. Scanning electron images indicated that most of the particles examined were relatively small (refinery intermediates. The implications of the findings for aerosol speciation measurements, toxicological studies and interpretation of adverse health effects are explored.

HERA an HTR for use in a refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaubernard, P.

1977-01-01

It is shown that it was technically possible to use a High Temperature Reactor to provide a large part of the energy (process heat, steam, electricity) consumed in a refinery. Nevertheless, economic calculations have lead to a prime cost of spared crude oil twice the existing price

Petrochemical refinery and integrated petrochemical complexes; Refinaria petroquimica e complexos petroquimicos integrados

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santos, Patricia C. dos; Seidl, Peter R.; Borschiver, Suzana [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Escola de Quimica

2008-07-01

Global demand for light olefins points to strong prospects for growth, stimulating investments in overall productive capacity. With propylene demand growing slightly faster than that of ethylene, rising prices and difficulties in supplies of petrochemical feedstocks (mainly naphtha and natural gas), steam crackers alone are not able to fill the light olefins gap nor do they allow extraordinary margins. As petrochemical market dynamics also influence refining activities, there has been significant progress in the development of technologies for petrochemical refining, such as Petrochemical FCC. This petrochemistry-refining integration offers great opportunities for synergism since both industries share many common challenges, like more severe environmental requirements and optimizing the use of utilities. However, in the case of valuation of non-conventional oils (which tend to increase in importance in oil markets), to take full advantage of this opportunity to add value to low cost streams, deep conversion and treatment processes are of great significance in refining scheme to have enough feedstock for cracking. In this context, a petrochemical refinery seems to be an important alternative source of petrochemicals and may be integrated or not to a petrochemical complex. (author)

Well-to-Wheels Greenhouse Gas Emission Analysis of High-Octane Fuels with Ethanol Blending: Phase II Analysis with Refinery Investment Options

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Han, Jeongwoo [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Energy Systems Division; Wang, Michael [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Energy Systems Division; Elgowainy, Amgad [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Energy Systems Division; DiVita, Vincent [Jacobs Consultancy Inc., Houston, TX (United States)

2016-08-01

Higher-octane gasoline can enable increases in an internal combustion engine’s energy efficiency and a vehicle’s fuel economy by allowing an increase in the engine compression ratio and/or by enabling downspeeding and downsizing. Producing high-octane fuel (HOF) with the current level of ethanol blending (E10) could increase the energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity of the fuel product from refinery operations. Alternatively, increasing the ethanol blending level in final gasoline products could be a promising solution to HOF production because of the high octane rating and potentially low blended Reid vapor pressure (RVP) of ethanol at 25% and higher of the ethanol blending level by volume. In our previous HOF well-to-wheels (WTW) report (the so-called phase I report of the HOF WTW analysis), we conducted WTW analysis of HOF with different ethanol blending levels (i.e., E10, E25, and E40) and a range of vehicle efficiency gains with detailed petroleum refinery linear programming (LP) modeling by Jacobs Consultancy and showed that the overall WTW GHG emission changes associated with HOFVs were dominated by the positive impact associated with vehicle efficiency gains and ethanol blending levels, while the refining operations to produce gasoline blendstock for oxygenate blending (BOB) for various HOF blend levels had a much smaller impact on WTW GHG emissions (Han et al. 2015). The scope of the previous phase I study, however, was limited to evaluating PADDs 2 and 3 operation changes with various HOF market share scenarios and ethanol blending levels. Also, the study used three typical configuration models of refineries (cracking, light coking, and heavy coking) in each PADD, which may not be representative of the aggregate response of all refineries in each PADD to various ethanol blending levels and HOF market scenarios. Lastly, the phase I study assumed no new refinery expansion in the existing refineries, which limited E10 HOF production to the

Bio-refinery approach for spent coffee grounds valorization.

Science.gov (United States)

Mata, Teresa M; Martins, António A; Caetano, Nídia S

2018-01-01

Although normally seen as a problem, current policies and strategic plans concur that if adequately managed, waste can be a source of the most interesting and valuable products, among which metals, oils and fats, lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses, tannins, antioxidants, caffeine, polyphenols, pigments, flavonoids, through recycling, compound recovery or energy valorization, following the waste hierarchy. Besides contributing to more sustainable and circular economies, those products also have high commercial value when compared to the ones obtained by currently used waste treatment methods. In this paper, it is shown how the bio-refinery framework can be used to obtain high value products from organic waste. With spent coffee grounds as a case study, a sequential process is used to obtain first the most valuable, and then other products, allowing proper valorization of residues and increased sustainability of the whole process. Challenges facing full development and implementation of waste based bio-refineries are highlighted. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reducing the toxicity of refinery effluent using seed extract and micro porous carbon from seed husks of moringa oleifera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gbem, T. T.; Balogun, J. K.; Lawal, F. A.

1998-01-01

Contamination of the environment with industrial chemicals and/or effluent has become a major problem. In this study, the toxicity of an NNPC refinery effluent was tested by exposing a commonly occurring invertebrate, Chironomus sp. (early larva stage) using the 96-h static bioassay to establish the LC 5 0 value. Seed extract from a widely distributed tropical plant, moringa oleifera was used to treat the effluent employing a modified laboratory jar test procedure. Hardness and alkalinity were reduced to between 19 and 30% with reduction found to be dose-dependent. Adsorption isotherms were established and were found to approximate the Langmuir type. Char from M. oleifera seed husks was also used to test the sorption of toxicants. A single toxicant from the effluent phenol, was used for sorption studies using pseudo-equilibrium batch contact experiments. Sorption was found to obey a Freundlich type adsorption isotherm (of the form q = KC), Retesting the toxicity of the effluent by re-introducing a different set of the test organism after treatment yielded no significant mortality. Moringa oleifera seed extract, char and possibly activated carbon from seed husks hold a promise to further reduction of the toxicity of refinery effluent

Sounding pollution and the refinery environmental risks; A poluicao sonora e os riscos ambientais das refinarias

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-07-01

This chapter gives a general overview on the effects of the sound pollution, the principal pollutants emitted by the oil refineries, control actions for the sound waves emissions, the minimization actions, the risk concepts and evaluation, the risk perception and the accidents in refineries.

77 FR 44685 - ConocoPhillips Company, Trainer Refinery, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Shrack, Young...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-30

..., Trainer Refinery, Including On-Site Leased Workers From Shrack, Young, and Associates, Inc., and Project Control Associates, Trainer, PA; Notice of Revised Determination on Reconsideration On April 30, 2012, the... applicable to workers and former workers of ConocoPhillips Company, Trainer Refinery, Trainer, Pennsylvania...

Economics and the refinery's CO2 emissions allocation problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pierru, A.

2007-01-01

The establishment of a market for CO 2 emission rights in Europe leads oil-refining companies to add a cost associated with carbon emissions to the objective function of linear programming models used to manage refineries. These models may be used to compute the marginal contribution of each finished product to the CO 2 emissions of the refinery. Babusiaux (Oil. Gas Sci. Technol., 58, 2003, 685-692) has shown that, under some conditions, this marginal contribution is a relevant means of allocating the carbon emissions of the refinery. Thus, it can be used in a well-to-wheel Life Cycle Assessment. In fact, this result holds if the demand equations are the only binding constraints with a non-zero right-hand side coefficient. This is not the case for short-run models with fixed capacity. Then, allocating CO 2 emissions on a marginal basis tends to over-value (or undervalue) the total volume of emissions. In order to extend the existing methodology, we discuss two distinct solutions to this problem, inspired by economic theory: adapting either the Aumann-Shapley cost sharing method (Values of non-atomic games, 1974, Princeton University Press) or the Ramsey pricing formula (Econ. J., 37, 1927, 47-61; J. Econ. Theory, 3, 1971, 219-240). We compare these two solutions, with a strong argument in favour of Ramsey prices, based on the determination of the optimal environmental tax rate to which imported finished products should be subject. (author)

Operation : motor city : Michigan's only refinery to handle an increased slate of heavy Canadian crude

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaremko, D.

2008-01-01

A planned $1.9 billion upgrade and expansion will see a Detroit, Michigan refinery producing nearly 100 per cent Canadian crude oil. The upgrade will have important social, economic, and environmental implications for the oil sands industry, and is being seen as an important step for the future of the entire energy industry. The site was selected after a consultation of pipeline routes in North America. The refinery's coking capacity will help to ease the market constraints that Canadian crude is currently facing in the United States. The Midwest downstream oil and gas industry is well-positioned to help maximize the value of Canada's bitumen resources. In addition to expanding processing facilities, the refinery will also add capacity of approximately 15,000 barrels per day, as well as a delayed coker, sulphur recovery complex, ultra-low nitrogen oxide (NO x ) burners, a 33,000 barrel-per-day distillate hydrotreater, and a hydrogen plant. It was concluded that construction of the refinery will be completed by 2010. 2 figs

Refinery siting workbook: appendices C to O

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-07-01

Applicable laws and permits available for the selection and building of petroleum refineries are enclosed. A glossary of pertinent terms is also included. References related to the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Air Act, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Toxic Substance Control Act, and Wetlands and Coastal Zone are included. Permit information is also presented. (DC)

Challenges and technological opportunities for the oil refining industry: A Brazilian refinery case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castelo Branco, David A.; Gomes, Gabriel L.; Szklo, Alexandre S.

2010-01-01

The worldwide oil refining industry currently faces strong challenges related to uncertainties about future feedstock and characteristics of oil products. These challenges favor two main strategies for the sector: the first strategy is increasing refinery complexity and versatility; the second is integrating the refining and petrochemical industries, adding value to the crude oil while guaranteeing market share to premium oil products. Both strategies aim at increasing production of highly specified oil products, simultaneously reducing the environmental impacts of the refining industry. This paper analyses the case of a Brazilian refinery, Gabriel Passos Refinery (REGAP), by proposing additional investments to alter and/or expand its current production scheme. All the proposed options present relatively low investment rates of return. However, investments in a hydrocracking based configuration with a gasification unit providing hydrogen and power can further improve the operational profitability, due to reduced natural gas consumption.

Industrial application of gasoline aromatization and desulfurization technology in Hohhot refinery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Zixia

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Gasoline aromatization and desulfurization (GARDES technology is extensively used in refineries of Petrochina, aiming to produce high quality ultraclean fluid catalytic cracking (FCC gasoline. This article introduces the industrial application results on the hydrodesulfurization unit of the Hohhot refinery, which plays an important role in guiding next round gasoline upgrading. The characteristics and the principle of GARDES technology were elaborated by analyzing the distribution of sulfur and hydrocarbon compounds in the feed and product. The analysis results proved that the presence of broad ranged sulfur types in the feed can be removed at different stages. Olefin can be decreased by saturation and conversion into i-paraffins and aromatics. The sulfur content of the blend product can be limited under 10 mg/kg, showing GARDES technology has excellent sulfur removal ability. The olefin reduction can also satisfy the ever-increasing severe requirement about the olefin limitation, while the loss of research octane number (RON can be minimized to an acceptable level. Furthermore, according to the demand of gasoline upgrading, GARDES technology has great flexibility by adjusting operation condition without any further investment, which brings more economic benefits for refinery.

Smart microgrids in refineries, Mexico case; Microrredes inteligentes en refinerias, caso Mexico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Estrada Garcia, Javier Alejandro; Linan Garcia, Roberto; Picasso Blanquel, Cuitlahuac; Silva Farias, Jose Luis [Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas, Cuernavaca, Morelos (Mexico)

2013-03-01

In this paper we present the technological trends on smart microgrids for refineries, case Mexico. Distributed generation on refineries is a model of microgrid with great challenges to solve, considering renewable energy. Also it discusses the scenario in bidirectional connection from refineries to the utility supergrid Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE by its acronym in Spanish) and how to reach the development of a smart microgrid. We look different scenarios in power systems refineries, and the feasibility to achieve and develop the technology concepts in smart grid, such as: demand response in real time, exchange of energy between microgrid with supergrid-CFE and viceversa, energy efficiency, microgrid automation, selfhealing/real time autorecovery fault in power systems, storage energy and its application on power systems blackout in refineries. Finally we discussed the concepts that represent the greatest challenges to be solved on the smart microgrids and consider obtaining alternatives solution in medium or long term. [Spanish] En este documento se presentan las tendencias tecnologicas en micro redes inteligentes para refinerias, en el caso de Mexico. La generacion distribuida en refinerias es un modelo de micro red con grandes desafios por resolver, considerando la energia renovable. Se analiza tambien el escenario en conexion bidireccional de refinerias a la super red de la Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE), la empresa electrica mexicana, y como lograr el desarrollo de una micro red inteligente. Se consideran diferentes escenarios en refinerias de sistemas de potencia, y la factibilidad de alcanzar y desarrollar los conceptos de tecnologia en una red inteligente, tales como: respuesta de demanda en tiempo real, intercambio de energia entre la micro red con la super red de la CFE y viceversa, eficiencia de energia, automatizacion de micro redes, autorrecuperacion de fallas en autoarreglo/tiempo real. En sistemas de potencia, almacenamiento de

Assessment of the effect of effluent discharge from coffee refineries ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Admin

2Department of Environmental Health, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia. ... cherries, transport them hydraulically through the pulping ..... Table 2. Interaction effects of effluent discharges by coffee refineries on physical characteristics between.

CARBON ACCOUNTING INITIATIVES: CASE STUDY OF A PETROLEUM REFINERY IN MALAYSIA TO PREPARE FOR FUTURE CARBON MARKET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AMANDA H.L. CHEE

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Petroleum refining process produces a large amount of atmospheric pollutants including greenhouse gases which are attributed to global warming. The international community inevitably addressed the global warming issue by introducing a market-based mechanism known as Emission Trading Systems (ETS under the Kyoto Protocol which imposes binding limits to developed nations using three flexibility mechanisms, including the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM. This case study was carried out in a petroleum refinery in Malaysia to explore the possibility for the refinery to participate in CDM. Information was collected through observatory field survey at the refinery and documentation review. Results show that the current monitoring tool using indirect calculation of fuel consumption provides a comprehensive coverage of emission sources but the reporting frequency should be increased for data accuracy. An accounting system was then created to predict the emissions gap of the refinery with reference to the baseline-year set by the Kyoto Protocol. It was concluded that the refinery showed promising potential to participate in CDM to benefit from technology transfer by selling their ‘credits’ to Annex I countries despite the uncertainty on the impact of the carbon market in a Non-Annex I country.

Assessment of cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of refinery waste effluent using plant, animal and bacterial systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Amit Kumar; Ahmad, Masood

2012-01-30

The work described here presents the toxic effect of Mathura refinery wastewater (MRWW) in plant (Allium cepa), bacterial (E. coli K12) and human (blood) system. The samples were collected from adjoining area of Mathura refinery, Dist. Mathura, U.P. (India). Chromosomal aberration test and micronucleus assay in (A. cepa) system, E. coli K12 survival assay as well as hemolysis assay in human blood were employed to assess the toxicity of MRWW. MRWW exposure resulted in the formation of micronuclei and bridges in chromosomes of A. cepa cells. A significant decline occurred in survival of DNA repair defective mutants of E. coli K12 exposed to MRWW. On incubation with MRWW, calf thymus DNA-EtBr fluorescence intensity decreased and percent hemolysis of human blood cells increased. An induction in the MDA levels of MRWW treated A. cepa roots indicated lipid peroxidation also. Collectively, the results demonstrate a significant genotoxic and cytotoxic potential of MRWW. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Standard practice for evaluation of disbonding of bimetallic stainless alloy/steel plate for use in high-pressure, high-temperature refinery hydrogen service

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2001-01-01

1.1 This practice covers a procedure for the evaluation of disbonding of bimetallic stainless alloy/steel plate for use in refinery high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) gaseous hydrogen service. It includes procedures to (1) produce suitable laboratory test specimens, (2) obtain hydrogen charging conditions in the laboratory that are similar to those found in refinery HP/HT hydrogen gas service for evaluation of bimetallic specimens exposed to these environments, and (3) perform analysis of the test data. The purpose of this practice is to allow for comparison of data among test laboratories on the resistance of bimetallic stainless alloy/steels to hydrogen-induced disbonding (HID). 1.2 This practice applies primarily to bimetallic products fabricated by weld overlay of stainless alloy onto a steel substrate. Most of the information developed using this practice has been obtained for such materials. The procedures described herein, may also be appropriate for evaluation of hot roll bonded, explosive bonded...

Simultaneous heat integration and techno-economic optimization of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) for multiple waste heat stream recovery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Haoshui; Eason, John; Biegler, Lorenz T.; Feng, Xiao

2017-01-01

In the past decades, the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) has become a promising technology for low and medium temperature energy utilization. In refineries, there are usually multiple waste heat streams to be recovered. From a safety and controllability perspective, using an intermedium (hot water) to recover waste heat before releasing heat to the ORC system is more favorable than direct integration. The mass flowrate of the intermediate hot water stream determines the amount of waste heat recovered and the final hot water temperature affects the thermal efficiency of ORC. Both, in turn, exert great influence on the power output. Therefore, the hot water mass flowrate is a critical decision variable for the optimal design of the system. This study develops a model for techno-economic optimization of an ORC with simultaneous heat recovery and capital cost optimization. The ORC is modeled using rigorous thermodynamics with the concept of state points. The task of waste heat recovery using the hot water intermedium is modeled using the Duran-Grossmann model for simultaneous heat integration and process optimization. The combined model determines the optimal design of an ORC that recovers multiple waste heat streams in a large scale background process using an intermediate heat transfer stream. In particular, the model determines the optimal heat recovery approach temperature (HRAT), the utility load of the background process, and the optimal operating conditions of the ORC simultaneously. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated with a case study that uses a refinery as the background process. Sensitivity of the optimal solution to the parameters (electricity price, utility cost) is quantified in this paper. - Highlights: • A new model for Organic Rankine cycle design optimization is presented. • Process heat integration and ORC are considered simultaneously. • Rigorous equation oriented models of the ORC are used for accurate results. • Impact of working

Oil refinery wastewater treatment using physicochemical, Fenton and Photo-Fenton oxidation processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Tony, Maha A; Purcell, Patrick J; Zhao, Yaqian

2012-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the application of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) to the treatment of wastewaters contaminated with hydrocarbon oil. Three different oil-contaminated wastewaters were examined and compared: (i) a 'real' hydrocarbon wastewater collected from an oil refinery (Conoco-Phillips Whitegate refinery, County Cork, Ireland); (ii) a 'real' hydrocarbon wastewater collected from a car-wash facility located at a petroleum filling station; and (iii) a 'synthetic' hydrocarbon wastewater generated by emulsifying diesel oil and water. The AOPs investigated were Fe(2+)/H(2)O(2) (Fenton's reagent), Fe(2+)/H(2)O(2)/UV (Photo-Fenton's reagent) which may be used as an alternative to, or in conjunction with, conventional treatment techniques. Laboratory-scale batch and continuous-flow experiments were undertaken. The photo-Fenton parametric concentrations to maximize COD removal were optimized: pH = 3, H(2)O(2) = 400 mg/L, and Fe(2+) = 40 mg/L. In the case of the oil-refinery wastewater, photo-Fenton treatment achieved approximately 50% COD removal and, when preceded by physicochemical treatment, the percentage removal increased to approximately 75%.

Towards effective waste management. Knowledge centre Waste Refinery Activity Report 2007-2009; Mot effektivare avfallshantering. Kunskapscentrum Waste Refinery Verksamhetsrapport 2007-2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2011-07-01

This report aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the areas that have been discussed and developed during the knowledge centre Waste Refinery first three years. Details and depth analyzes of each area are contained in project reports, which can be downloaded free of charge through our website www.wasterefinery.se

40 CFR 80.410 - What are the additional requirements for gasoline produced at foreign refineries having...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... inspections and audits of the foreign refinery. (i) Inspections and audits may be either announced in advance... prohibitions in this section and § 80.385; and (vi) The independent audit requirements under § 80.415... of the refinery at which the gasoline was produced, assurance that the gasoline remained segregated...

Radioisotope techniques for problem-solving on refineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charlton, J.S.; Webb, M.

1994-01-01

Increasingly, refineries worldwide are recognizing the value of radioisotope technology in studying the operation of on-line plant. Using case studies, this paper illustrates the versatility of radioisotope techniques in a wide range of investigations: the density-profiling of distillation columns; the investigation of leaks on feed/effluent exchangers; on-line flowrate measurement; underground leakage detection. The economic benefits deriving from radioisotope applications are indicated

Profitability diagnosis of refinery and improvement proposal; Seiyusho no shueki shindan to kaizen teian

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aoyama, H.

2000-07-01

Based on consulting service RPS-J under joint operation of Nikki, UOP LLC of U.S.A. and Nikki Universal, approaching ways applied for profitability improvement and improvement proposal for refineries and analyzing techniques used for resolution of process bottlenecks were described. In RPS-J, themes of (1) energy saving, (2) quality upgrading, (3) improvement of disintegrating ratio, (4) reduction of give-away, (5) improvement of equipment operation ratio, (6) reduction of maintenance cost, (7) effective utilization of catalysts, are considered for profitability improvement fields. Procedures from idea excavation for profitability improvement to realization of profitability improvement are carried out in the order of, (1) Grasping of the present state, (2) Excavation of improving items and selection, (3) Quantitative evaluation of draft profitability improvement plan and focusing, (4) Profitability improvement by operation improvement, (5) Profitability improvement by minor improvement, (6) Profitability improvement in middle- and long-term vision, (7) Final focusing by feasibility study. Afterwards, examination to economically solve bottlenecks of critical facilities, examination on bottlenecks of distillation tower and refining tower and utility analysis are carried out. RPS-J was already applied to 4 refineries including Muroran Refinery and Negishi Refinery of Nisseki Mitsubishi, and profitability improvement themes were found to improve profitability of 50 to 150 cents per barrel. (NEDO)

Health implications of petroleum refinery air emissions: Part I main report : Final : Executive summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-03-01

This report provides a review of recent public health risk assessments performed in the field of petroleum refineries, and epidemiological or community health studies of populations residing close to petroleum refineries. The objective was to identify and access information concerning possible health impacts specific to this industry. The small number of studies performed on the topic as well as shortcomings in study design, concomitant exposure to other industrial sources and somewhat inconsistent findings make the data difficult to interpret. Potential concerns include short-term respiratory effects from exposure to sulphur dioxide and other substances, and cancer risks from benzene and other substances. There was very limited support for these findings in epidemiology studies of populations in the vicinity of petroleum refineries. This review provides additional support concerning cardiac and respiratory effects of air pollution including particulate matter (PM) and ground level ozone

Refinery production planning and scheduling: the refining core business

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Joly

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Intelligent production planning and scheduling are of paramount importance to ensure refinery profitability, logistic reliability and safety at the local and corporate levels. In Brazil, such activities play a particularly critical role, since the Brazilian downstream model is moving towards a demand-driven model rather than a supply-driven one. Moreover, new and specialized non-linear constraints are continuously being incorporated into these large-scale problems: increases in oil prices implying the need for processing poor quality crudes, increasing demand and new demand patterns for petroleum products, new stringent environmental regulations related to clean fuels and start-up of new production technologies embedded into more complex refining schemes. This paper aims at clarifying the central role of refinery planning and scheduling activities in the Petrobras refining business. Major past and present results are outlined and corporate long-term strategies to deal with present and future challenges are presented.

BTEX biodegradation by bacteria from effluents of petroleum refinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Mazzeo, Dânia Elisa Christofoletti; Levy, Carlos Emílio; de Angelis, Dejanira de Franceschi; Marin-Morales, Maria Aparecida

2010-09-15

Groundwater contamination with benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) has been increasing, thus requiring an urgent development of methodologies that are able to remove or minimize the damages these compounds can cause to the environment. The biodegradation process using microorganisms has been regarded as an efficient technology to treat places contaminated with hydrocarbons, since they are able to biotransform and/or biodegrade target pollutants. To prove the efficiency of this process, besides chemical analysis, the use of biological assessments has been indicated. This work identified and selected BTEX-biodegrading microorganisms present in effluents from petroleum refinery, and evaluated the efficiency of microorganism biodegradation process for reducing genotoxic and mutagenic BTEX damage through two test-systems: Allium cepa and hepatoma tissue culture (HTC) cells. Five different non-biodegraded BTEX concentrations were evaluated in relation to biodegraded concentrations. The biodegradation process was performed in a BOD Trak Apparatus (HACH) for 20 days, using microorganisms pre-selected through enrichment. Although the biodegradation usually occurs by a consortium of different microorganisms, the consortium in this study was composed exclusively of five bacteria species and the bacteria Pseudomonas putida was held responsible for the BTEX biodegradation. The chemical analyses showed that BTEX was reduced in the biodegraded concentrations. The results obtained with genotoxicity assays, carried out with both A. cepa and HTC cells, showed that the biodegradation process was able to decrease the genotoxic damages of BTEX. By mutagenic tests, we observed a decrease in damage only to the A. cepa organism. Although no decrease in mutagenicity was observed for HTC cells, no increase of this effect after the biodegradation process was observed either. The application of pre-selected bacteria in biodegradation processes can represent a reliable and

The prospects for refinery profitability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weale, G. [European Energy Services, London (United Kingdom)

1997-05-01

The outlook for the European refining industry is assessed. The conclusion reached is that the industry is struggling for its existence. Over time, an unsatisfactory balance has grown between refinery capacity and market volumes. High exit barriers have prevented capacity being considerably lower than it is. In the future, a typical integrated oil company might be content to confine itself to retailing oil products without having to refine them. Given the reduction in gasoline demand in particular, it can be expected that 20-25% of capacity will be sold off in the next 15 years and much of it will be closed. (Author)

Refinery evaluation of optical imaging to locate fugitive emissions.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Donald R; Luke-Boone, Ronke; Aggarwal, Vineet; Harris, Buzz; Anderson, Eric; Ranum, David; Kulp, Thomas J; Armstrong, Karla; Sommers, Ricky; McRae, Thomas G; Ritter, Karin; Siegell, Jeffrey H; Van Pelt, Doug; Smylie, Mike

2007-07-01

Fugitive emissions account for approximately 50% of total hydrocarbon emissions from process plants. Federal and state regulations aiming at controlling these emissions require refineries and petrochemical plants in the United States to implement a Leak Detection and Repair Program (LDAR). The current regulatory work practice, U.S. Environment Protection Agency Method 21, requires designated components to be monitored individually at regular intervals. The annual costs of these LDAR programs in a typical refinery can exceed US$1,000,000. Previous studies have shown that a majority of controllable fugitive emissions come from a very small fraction of components. The Smart LDAR program aims to find cost-effective methods to monitor and reduce emissions from these large leakers. Optical gas imaging has been identified as one such technology that can help achieve this objective. This paper discusses a refinery evaluation of an instrument based on backscatter absorption gas imaging technology. This portable camera allows an operator to scan components more quickly and image gas leaks in real time. During the evaluation, the instrument was able to identify leaking components that were the source of 97% of the total mass emissions from leaks detected. More than 27,000 components were monitored. This was achieved in far less time than it would have taken using Method 21. In addition, the instrument was able to find leaks from components that are not required to be monitored by the current LDAR regulations. The technology principles and the parameters that affect instrument performance are also discussed in the paper.

Opportunities for Biorenewables in Oil Refineries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marker, T.L.

2005-12-19

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential for using biorenewable feedstocks in oil refineries. Economic analyses were conducted, with support from process modeling and proof of principle experiments, to assess a variety of potential processes and configurations. The study considered two primary alternatives: the production of biodiesel and green diesel from vegetable oils and greases and opportunities for utilization of pyrolysis oil. The study identified a number of promising opportunities for biorenewables in existing or new refining operations.

The changing refinery/vendor relationship: One tool for increased competitiveness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borowski, C.J.; Swett, G.H.

1996-01-01

The historic relationship between many petroleum refineries and vendors was adversarial. However, during the past 10 years, many industrial firms have found that working together with vendors is critical to reducing costs and improving quality--the two key elements required to maintain a competitive position. As refiners have begun working with their vendors more like partners, numerous benefits have accrued to the refining industry. This paper analyzes how the refiner-vendor relationship has changed. Specifically, the authors address the following issues: the competitive threat that has forced a different approach to contracting services and goods; how right-sizing and capacity creep have contributed to the need to re-examine historic practices; key elements in a successful refinery/vendor relationship; how does it work in real life; and implementing a partnering program

[Occupational accidents in an oil refinery in Brazil].

Science.gov (United States)

Souza, Carlos Augusto Vaz de; Freitas, Carlos Machado de

2002-10-01

Work in oil refineries involves the risk of minor to major accidents. National data show the impact of accidents on this industry. A study was carried out to describe accident profile and evaluate the adequacy of accident reporting system. Data on all accidents reported in an oil refinery in the state of Rio de Janeiro for the year 1997 were organized and analyzed. The study population consisted of 153 injury cases, 83 hired and 69 contracted workers. The variables were: type of accident, operation mode and position of the worker injured. Among hired workers, minor accidents predominated (54.2%) and they occurred during regular operation activities (62.9%). Among contracted workers, there also predominated minor accidents (75.5%) in a higher percentage, but they occurred mainly during maintenance activities (96.8%). The study results showed that there is a predominance of accidents in lower hierarchy workers, and these accidents occur mainly during maintenance activities. There is a need to improve the company's accident reporting system and accident investigation procedures.

A strategic review of the petroleum refinery industry sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-10-01

The report studies the environmental performance of the U.K. petroleum refinery industry sector with reference to world-wide best practice and describes the five most practical strategic options for emission reduction in the context of projected technology, cost, demand, capacity and legislation. (author)

Atmospheric BTEX concentrations in the vicinity of the crude oil refinery of the Baltic region.

Science.gov (United States)

Baltrėnas, Pranas; Baltrėnaitė, Edita; Serevičienė, Vaida; Pereira, Paulo

2011-11-01

Among chemical industries, petroleum refineries have been identified as large emitters of a wide variety of pollutants. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) form an important group of aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) because of their role in the troposphere chemistry and the risk posed to human health. A very large crude oil refinery of the Baltic States (200,000 bbl/day) is situated in the northern, rural part of Lithuania, 10 km from the town of Mažeikiai (Lithuania). The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine of atmospheric levels of BTEX in the region rural and urban parts at the vicinity of the crude oil refinery; and (2) to investigate the effect of meteorological parameters (wind speed, wind direction, temperature, pressure, humidity) on the concentrations measured. The averaged concentration of benzene varied from 2.12 ppbv in the rural areas to 2.75 ppbv in the urban areas where the traffic was determined to be a dominant source of BTEX emissions. Our study showed that concentration of benzene, as strictly regulated air pollutant by EU Directive 2008/50/EC, did not exceed the limit of 5 ppbv in the region in the vicinity of the crude oil refinery during the investigated period. No significant change in air quality in the vicinity of the oil refinery was discovered, however, an impact of the industry on the background air quality was detected. The T/B ratio (0.50-0.81) that was much lower than 2.0, identified other sources of pollution than traffic.

Feasibility of flare gas reformation to practical energy in Farashband gas refinery: no gas flaring.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahimpour, Mohammad Reaza; Jokar, Seyyed Mohammad

2012-03-30

A suggested method for controlling the level of hazardous materials in the atmosphere is prevention of combustion in flare. In this work, three methods are proposed to recover flare gas instead of conventional gas-burning in flare at the Farashband gas refinery. These methods aim to minimize environmental and economical disadvantages of burning flare gas. The proposed methods are: (1) gas to liquid (GTL) production, (2) electricity generation with a gas turbine and, (3) compression and injection into the refinery pipelines. To find the most suitable method, the refinery units that send gas to the flare as well as the required equipment for the three aforementioned methods are simulated. These simulations determine the amount of flare gas, the number of GTL barrels, the power generated by the gas turbine and the required compression horsepower. The results of simulation show that 563 barrels/day of valuable GTL products is produced by the first method. The second method provides 25 MW electricity and the third method provides a compressed natural gas with 129 bar pressure for injection to the refinery pipelines. In addition, the economics of flare gas recovery methods are studied and compared. The results show that for the 4.176MMSCFD of gas flared from the Farashband gas refinery, the electricity production gives the highest rate of return (ROR), the lowest payback period, the highest annual profit and mild capital investment. Therefore, the electricity production is the superior method economically. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of optimum conditions for modification of Kpautagi clay for application in petroleum refinery wastewater treatment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthew A. ONU

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Kautagi clay is a kaolin type deposit that is abundantly available in Niger State, Nigeria with potential for application in pollution control such as wastewater treatment. This study investigates the optimum conditions for modification of Kpautagi clay for application in refinery wastewater treatment. Sulphuric acid was used in the modification of the clay and the modification variables considered were acid concentration, activation time and temperature. To develop the optimum conditions for the modification variables, the sulphuric acid modified Kpautagi clay was applied in the treatment of refinery wastewater in column mode at a fixed flow rate and mass of adsorbent. The results obtained indicate that the optimum conditions for modification of Kpautagi clay for application in the treatment of petroleum refinery wastewater are: acid concentration of 4M; activation time of 120min and activation temperature of 100°C. Therefore, the optimum conditions developed in this study for modification of Kpautagi clay could be applied for improved performance in the treatment of petroleum refinery wastewater.

Toxicity identification evaluation methods for identification of toxicants in refinery effluents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barten, K.A.; Mount, D.R.; Hackett, J.R.

1993-01-01

During the last five years, the authors have used Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE) methods to characterize and identify the source(s) of toxicity in effluents from dozens of municipal and industrial facilities. In most cases, specific chemicals responsible for toxicity have been identified. Although generally successful, the initial experience was that for several refinery effluents, they were able only to qualitatively characterize the presence of organic toxicants; standard toxicant identification procedures were not able to isolate specific organic chemicals. They believe that organic toxicity in these refinery effluents is caused by multiple organic compounds rather than by just a few; evidence for this includes an inability to isolate toxicity in a small number of fractions using liquid chromatography and the presence of very large numbers of compounds in isolated fractions. There is also evidence that the toxicant(s) may be ionic, in that the toxicity of whole effluent and isolated fractions often show increasing toxicity with decreasing pH. Finally, positive-pressure filtration has also reduced toxicity in some samples. In this presentation the authors summarize their experiences with refinery effluents, focusing on typical patterns they have observed and alternative procedures they have used to better understand the nature of these toxicants

Superfund Record of Decision (EPA Region 2): Sinclair Refinery, Allegany County, Wellsville, NY. (Second remedial action), September 1991. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

The Sinclair Refinery site is a former refinery in Wellsville, Allegany County, New York. The site is composed of a 90-acre refinery area, 10-acre landfill area, and 14-acre offsite tank farm. From 1901 to 1958, the site was used to process Pennsylvania grade crude oil until a fire in 1958 halted operations. Currently, some private companies and the State University of New York occupy the site. A 1981 site inspection revealed that debris from the eroding landfill area has washed into and contaminated the Genesee River. The ROD addresses OU2, remediation of the remaining contaminated areas at the site located within the 90-acre refinery area and the offsite tank farm including the contaminated ground water beneath the refinery. The primary contaminants of concern affecting the soil and ground water are VOCs including benzene and xylenes, semi-volatile compounds including naphthalene and nitrobenzene, and metals including arsenic and lead. The selected remedial action for the site is included

Solar wind stream evolution at large heliocentric distances - Experimental demonstration and the test of a model

Science.gov (United States)

Gosling, J. T.; Hundhausen, A. J.; Bame, S. J.

1976-01-01

A stream propagation model which neglects all dissipation effects except those occurring at shock interfaces, was used to compare Pioneer-10 solar wind speed observations, during the time when Pioneer 10, the earth, and the sun were coaligned, with near-earth Imp-7 observations of the solar wind structure, and with the theoretical predictions of the solar wind structure at Pioneer 10 derived from the Imp-7 measurements, using the model. The comparison provides a graphic illustration of the phenomenon of stream steepening in the solar wind with the attendant formation of forward-reverse shock pairs and the gradual decay of stream amplitudes with increasing heliocentric distance. The comparison also provides a qualitative test of the stream propagation model.

Development of reduced crude processing technology in delayed coking units; Desenvolvimento da tecnologia de processamento de residuo atmosferico em unidade de coqueamento retardado

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soares, Gloria Maria Gomes; Bartros, Francisco Carlos da Costa; Goncalves, Natalie Jorge; Pala, Danielle Marins; Nadolni, Aline Voigt [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2008-07-01

Delayed Coking Technology can be described as thermal cracking of low value refinery residual streams into high-value products. This process has been applied in petroleum refining schemes in order to upgrade heavy and ultra-heavy crude oils. The typical feedstock is vacuum residue (VR). When we have an increasing medium distillates demand and refining schemes which have gas oil and VR excess, the simultaneous conversion of these streams becomes economically attractive, due mainly to the increase of diesel production. Thus, the processing of atmospheric residue (AR) in Delayed Coking Units (DCU) has fueled great interest for PETROBRAS. This work presents the results of industrial and pilot plant tests with AR and VR showing the increasing of diesel yields and decreasing of coke yields processing AR as feedstock. When we process all the AR in the DCU with high recycle rate we observe an increasing of 25% on refinery diesel production related to conventional schemes. The refining scheme of the new PETROBRAS refinery at Northeast of Brazil is based on this technology. This refinery will process heavy oils maximizing diesel production with minimum investment. (author)

Application of PIMS Software in Monthly Planning of Refinery Production

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2005-01-01

This article describes the application of the PIMS software in formulating monthly refining production plan. Application of the PIMS software can help to solve a series of problems related with monthly plan of refining production such as optimized selection of crude and feedstocks, optimized selection of production scale and processing scheme, identification of bottlenecks and their mitigation,optimized selection of turnaround time and optimized selection of operating regime, which have increased the economic benefits of refining enterprises. With the further development and improvement of models the PIMS software will play an increasingly important role in formulating monthly plans of refining operations and production management at refineries. This article also explores the problems existing in refinery monthly planning, and has made recommendations on developing and improving models and reporting system, enhancement of basic data acquisition, model maintenance personnel and staff training.

In vitro and in vivo investigation of the genotoxic potential of waters from rivers under the influence of a petroleum refinery (São Paulo State - Brazil).

Science.gov (United States)

Hara, Raquel Vaz; Marin-Morales, Maria Aparecida

2017-05-01

In recent years concern about the chemical composition of wastewater generated by the oil refining industry has increased, even after its treatment. These wastewaters contain substances that can harm both the entire aquatic ecosystem and the health of any exposed organisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the genotoxic and mutagenic potentials of the effluent generated by the largest Brazilian petroleum refinery, the effectiveness of the treatments used by the refinery, and whether its effluent can compromise the water quality of the river where it is discarded. Chromosomal aberration and micronucleus assays were performed in Allium cepa and micronucleus test in mammalian cell culture (CHO-K1). The samples were collected in three sites at the refinery: one site on the Jaguari River and two sites on the Atibaia Rivers (upstream and downstream of the discharged effluent), under three different climatic conditions. Tests with A. cepa showed increased frequencies of chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei in meristematic cells for the effluent after physico-chemical treatment, but the samples after treatment biological and stabilization pond presented none of these abnormalities. It was observed that the induced damage in the meristematic cells was not observed in the F 1 cells of A. cepa roots. The micronucleus test performed with mammalian cell culture also indicated that the effluent, after physico-chemical treatment, induced a significant increase in micronucleus frequencies. Plant and hamster cells exposed to the other samples collected inside the refinery and in the Jaguari and Atibaia Rivers did not present evidence of genotoxicity and mutagenicity in the tests performed. This study showed that the effluent treated carried out by the refinery (biological treatment followed by a stabilization pond) proved to be efficient for the removal of the toxic load still present after the physico-chemical treatment, since no change in the quality of the Atibaia

Current status of vegetation of six PETROBRAS refineries; Status dos fragmentos de vegetacao em seis refinarias da PETROBRAS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basbaum, Marcos Andre; Bonafini, Fabio Loureiro; Porciano, Patricia Pereira [SEEBLA, Servicos de Engenharia Emilio Baumgart Ltda., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Torggler, Bianca Felippe; Fernandes, Renato [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Engenharia; Vieira, Elisa Diniz Reis [PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2008-07-01

Most of refineries from PETROBRAS have significant vegetation areas within their limits. The purpose of this study was to develop a preliminary assessment study of the vegetation fragments on six refineries, including the quantification of permanent preservation areas (Brazilian environmental law requirement). Besides that, the authors propose potential recovery areas and some reforestation techniques. The methodology was based on Rapid Ecological Assessment, that consists on the selection of target areas by image analysis (satellite or aerial photos) and expedite fieldwork - three days on each refinery. The main features of vegetation, like phytophysiognomy and successional stage were obtained, and registered on a specific form developed to be used at fieldwork. The results achieved show that 44,7% of the areas from these six refineries were occupied by vegetation. The most representative categories of vegetation were Atlantic forest fragments and mangroves, as well as to permanent preservation areas. (author)

Analysis of hydraulic characteristics for stream diversion in small stream

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahn, Sang-Jin; Jun, Kye-Won [Chungbuk National University, Cheongju(Korea)

2001-10-31

This study is the analysis of hydraulic characteristics for stream diversion reach by numerical model test. Through it we can provide the basis data in flood, and in grasping stream flow characteristics. Analysis of hydraulic characteristics in Seoknam stream were implemented by using computer model HEC-RAS(one-dimensional model) and RMA2(two-dimensional finite element model). As a result we became to know that RMA2 to simulate left, main channel, right in stream is more effective method in analysing flow in channel bends, steep slope, complex bed form effect stream flow characteristics, than HEC-RAS. (author). 13 refs., 3 tabs., 5 figs.

Reformulated gasoline: Costs and refinery impacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hadder, G.R.

1994-02-01

Studies of reformulated gasoline (RFG) costs and refinery impacts have been performed with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Refinery Yield Model (ORNL-RYM), a linear program which has been updated to blend gasolines to satisfy emissions constraints defined by preliminary complex emissions models. Policy makers may use the reformulation cost knee (the point at which costs start to rise sharply for incremental emissions control) to set emissions reduction targets, giving due consideration to the differences between model representations and actual refining operations. ORNL-RYM estimates that the reformulation cost knee for the US East Coast (PADD I) is about 15.2 cents per gallon with a 30 percent reduction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The estimated cost knee for the US Gulf Coast (PADD III) is about 5.5 cents per gallon with a VOC reduction of 35 percent. Reid vapor pressure (RVP) reduction is the dominant VOC reduction mechanism. Even with anti-dumping constraints, conventional gasoline appears to be an important sink which permits RFG to be blended with lower aromatics and sulfur contents in PADD III. In addition to the potentially large sensitivity of RFG production to different emissions models, RFG production is sensitive to the non-exhaust VOC share assumption for a particular VOC model. ORNL-RYM has also been used to estimate the sensitivity of RFG production to the cost of capital; to the RVP requirements for conventional gasoline; and to the percentage of RFG produced in a refining region

Optimization of operating conditions of distillation columns: an energy saving option in refinery industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alireza Fazlali

2010-01-01

Full Text Available While energy prices continue to climb, it conservation remains the prime concern for process industries. The daily growth of energy consumption throughout the world and the real necessity of providing it, shows that optimization of energy generation and consumption units is an economical and sometimes vital case. Hence, the optimization of a petroleum refinery is aimed towards great production and an increase in quality. In this research, the atmospheric distillation unit of the Iran-Arak-Shazand petroleum refinery was subject to optimization efforts. It was performed by the means of using a simulator with the aim to earn more overhead products. In the next step the optimization results from the simulators were carried out in the real world, at the above mentioned unit. Results demonstrate that the changes in the real operating conditions increase the overhead products with desirable quality. Finally, a net economical balance between the increments of the overhead products and the energy consumption shows an energy saving in this refinery.

Treatability studies on different refinery wastewater samples using high-throughput microbial electrolysis cells (MECs)

KAUST Repository

Ren, Lijiao; Siegert, Michael; Ivanov, Ivan; Pisciotta, John M.; Logan, Bruce E.

2013-01-01

High-throughput microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) were used to perform treatability studies on many different refinery wastewater samples all having appreciably different characteristics, which resulted in large differences in current generation. A de-oiled refinery wastewater sample from one site (DOW1) produced the best results, with 2.1±0.2A/m2 (maximum current density), 79% chemical oxygen demand removal, and 82% headspace biological oxygen demand removal. These results were similar to those obtained using domestic wastewater. Two other de-oiled refinery wastewater samples also showed good performance, with a de-oiled oily sewer sample producing less current. A stabilization lagoon sample and a stripped sour wastewater sample failed to produce appreciable current. Electricity production, organics removal, and startup time were improved when the anode was first acclimated to domestic wastewater. These results show mini-MECs are an effective method for evaluating treatability of different wastewaters. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Emergency Response Program Designing Based On Case Study ERP Regulations In Ilam Gas Refinery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehdi Tahmasbi

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The study of Emergency response plan designing is one of the most important prevention approaches in crisis management. This study aims to design emergency response plan based on case study ERP regulations in Ilam gas refinery. On the basis of risk assessment and identification techniques such as HAZOP and FMEA in Ilam gas refinery the risks have been prioritized and then according to this prioritization the design of possible scenarios which have the highest rate of occurrence and the highest level of damage has been separated. Possible scenarios were simulated with PHAST software. Then emergency response program has been designed for the special mode or similar cases. According to the internal emergency response plan for Ilam gas refinery and predictable conditions of the process special instructions should be considered at the time of the incident to suffer the least damage on people and environment in the shortest time possible.

Treatability studies on different refinery wastewater samples using high-throughput microbial electrolysis cells (MECs)

KAUST Repository

Ren, Lijiao

2013-05-01

High-throughput microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) were used to perform treatability studies on many different refinery wastewater samples all having appreciably different characteristics, which resulted in large differences in current generation. A de-oiled refinery wastewater sample from one site (DOW1) produced the best results, with 2.1±0.2A/m2 (maximum current density), 79% chemical oxygen demand removal, and 82% headspace biological oxygen demand removal. These results were similar to those obtained using domestic wastewater. Two other de-oiled refinery wastewater samples also showed good performance, with a de-oiled oily sewer sample producing less current. A stabilization lagoon sample and a stripped sour wastewater sample failed to produce appreciable current. Electricity production, organics removal, and startup time were improved when the anode was first acclimated to domestic wastewater. These results show mini-MECs are an effective method for evaluating treatability of different wastewaters. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Oil refinery wastewater treatment using coupled electrocoagulation and fixed film biological processes

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez, Laura S.; Rodriguez, Oscar M.; Reyna, Silvia; Sánchez-Salas, José Luis; Lozada, J. Daniel; Quiroz, Marco A.; Bandala, Erick R.

2016-02-01

Oil refinery wastewater was treated using a coupled treatment process including electrocoagulation (EC) and a fixed film aerobic bioreactor. Different variables were tested to identify the best conditions using this procedure. After EC, the effluent was treated in an aerobic biofilter. EC was capable to remove over 88% of the overall chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the wastewater under the best working conditions (6.5 V, 0.1 M NaCl, 4 electrodes without initial pH adjustment) with total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal slightly higher than 80%. Aluminum release from the electrodes to the wastewater was found an important factor for the EC efficiency and closely related with several operational factors. Application of EC allowed to increase the biodegradability of the sample from 0.015, rated as non-biodegradable, up to 0.5 widely considered as biodegradable. The effluent was further treated using an aerobic biofilter inoculated with a bacterial consortium including gram positive and gram negative strains and tested for COD and TPH removal from the EC treated effluent during 30 days. Cell count showed the typical bacteria growth starting at day three and increasing up to a maximum after eight days. After day eight, cell growth showed a plateau which agreed with the highest decrease on contaminant concentration. Final TPHs concentration was found about 600 mgL-1 after 30 days whereas COD concentration after biological treatment was as low as 933 mgL-1. The coupled EC-aerobic biofilter was capable to remove up to 98% of the total TPH amount and over 95% of the COD load in the oil refinery wastewater.

Meteorologically estimated exposure but not distance predicts asthma symptoms in schoolchildren in the environs of a petrochemical refinery: a cross-sectional study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roberts Wesley

2009-09-01

4.79-16.63. Conclusion The results support the hypothesis of an increased prevalence of asthma symptoms among children in the area as a result of refinery emissions and provide a substantive basis for community concern. The methodology also provides a low cost means of testing hypotheses about point source pollutant effects on surrounding populations of children.

Authentication for Propulsion Test Streaming Video

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — A streaming video system was developed and implemented at SSC to support various propulsion projects at SSC. These projects included J-2X and AJ-26 rocket engine...

Pyrolysis oil upgrading for Co-processing in standard refinery units

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Miguel Mercader, F.

2010-01-01

This thesis considers the route that comprises the upgrading of pyrolysis oil (produced from lingo-cellulosic biomass) and its further co-processing in standard refineries to produce transportation fuels. In the present concept, pyrolysis oil is produced where biomass is available and then

Environmental impact of illegal refineries on the vegetation of the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... aesthetic scenery of the forest, regeneration of plant species and destruction of wildlife habitat, disruption of water cycle and loss of medicinal plant species. Youth empowerment, through vocational training and environmental education can ameliorate the situation. Keywords: Environmental degradation, Illegal Refineries, ...

Olefin recovery from FCC off-gas can pay off

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brahn, M.G.

1992-01-01

This paper reports on olefins recovery from refinery FCC offgas streams which offers an attractive cash flow from olefins from a tail-gas stream that has typically been consumed as refinery fuel. Such recovery schemes can be employed in refineries or olefins plants, and can be tailored to fit individual requirements. Mobil Chemical Co. has operated such a dephlegmator-based off-gas recovery unit at its Beaumont, Tex., olefin plant since 1987. It reported that the project was paid out within 11 months of initial start-up

Occupational exposure to benzene at the ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown, TX (1978-2006).

Science.gov (United States)

Gaffney, Shannon H; Panko, Julie M; Unice, Ken M; Burns, Amanda M; Kreider, Marisa L; Gelatt, Richard H; Booher, Lindsay E; Paustenbach, Dennis J

2011-01-01

Although occupational benzene exposure of refinery workers has been studied for decades, no extensive analysis of historical industrial hygiene data has been performed focusing on airborne concentrations at specific refineries and tasks. This study characterizes benzene exposures at the ExxonMobil Baytown, TX, refinery from 1978 to 2006 to understand the variability in workers' exposures over time and during different job tasks. Exposures were grouped by operational status, job title, and tasks. More than 9000 industrial hygiene air samples were evaluated; approximately 4000 non-task (> 3 h) and 1000 task-related (work areas, and 16 task bins (when applicable). Process technicians were sampled most frequently, resulting in the following mean benzene concentrations by area: hydrofiner (n=245, mean=1.3 p.p.m.), oil movements (n=286, mean=0.23 p.p.m.), reformer (n=575, mean=0.10 p.p.m.), tank farm (n=9, mean=0.65 p.p.m.), waste treatment (n=446, mean=0.13 p.p.m.), and other areas (n=460, mean=0.062 p.p.m.). The most frequently sampled task was sample collection (n=218, mean=0.40 p.p.m.). Job title and area did not significantly impact task-related exposures. Airborne concentrations were significantly lower after 1990 than before 1990. Results of this task-focused study may be useful when analyzing benzene exposures at other refineries.

Development of a Plasma Streaming System for the Mirror Fusion Test Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holdsworth, T.; Clark, R.N.; McCotter, R.E.; Rossow, T.L.; Cruz, G.E.

1979-01-01

The Plasma Streaming System (PSS) is an essential portion of the Mirror Fusion Test Facility (MFTF), scheduled for completion in October 1981. The PSS will develop a plasma density of at least 2 x 10 12 particles/cm 3 at the MFTF magnet centerline by injecting particles along the field lines. The plasma will have a midplane plasma radius as large as 40 cm with variable plasma particle energy and beam geometry. Minimum amounts of impurities will be injected, with emphasis on minimizing high Z materials. Each of the 60 PSS units will consist of a gun magnet assembly (GMA) and a power supply. Each GMA consists of a plasma streaming gun, a pulse magnet that provides variable beam shaping, and a fast reaction pulse gas valve

Opportunities and challenges at the interface between petrochemistry and refinery. Preprints

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ernst, S.; Leitner, W.; Lercher, J.A.; Nees, F.; Perego, C.; Rupp, M.; Santacesaria. E. (eds.)

2007-07-01

Within the DGMK/SCI-Conference 'Opportunities and Challenges at the Interface between Petrochemistry and refinery' between 10th and 12th October, 2007, in Hamburg (Federal Republic of Germany) the following lectures were held: (a) Maximizing petrochemicals from refineries (B. Glover, T. Foley, S. Frey); (b) Opportunities and challenges at the interface between petrochemistry and refinery - the OMV view (J. Lichtscheidl); (c) Aspects of petrochemistry in a fuels refinery (J. Essler, J. Mielicke, T. Maier); (d) Enhanced propylene production in FCC by novel catalytic materials (C.P. Kelkar, D. Harris, M. Xu, J. Fu); (e) Retrofit of an MTBE-unit to ETBE (A. Rix, U. Peters); (f) Opportunities and challenges at the interface between petrochemistry and refinery - The BASF perspectives (H.-J. Blankertz); (g) Light olefins - challenges from new production routes? (H. Zimmermann); (h) Conversion of heavy aromatic hydrocarbons to valuable synthetic feed for steamcrackers (A. Cesana, L. Dalloro, F. Rivetti, R. Buzzoni, R. Bignazzi); (i) C{sub 4} olefin/paraffin separation over the metal organic framework material Cu{sub 3}BTC{sub 2} (S. Kunz, O. Tangermann, M. Hartmann); (j) Glycerol tertiary butyl ethers via etherification of glycerol with isobutene (A. Behr); (k) Biorefineries: From concepts to reality? (K. Wagemann); (l) Modern concepts in reactor and separation technologies (D. Agar); (m) Innovative reactive distillation process for the production of the MTBE substitute isooctane from isobutene (M. Chalakova, R. Kaur, H. Freund, S. Mahajani, K. Sundmacher); (n) Supported ionic liquid phase (SILP) systems - novel fixed bed reactor concepts for homogeneous catalysis (A. Riisager, R. Fehrmann, M. Haumann, M. Jakuttis, J. Joni, P. Wasserscheid); (o) Selective oxidations to industrial intermediates (S. Schunck); (p) Perspectives of industrial realization for propane oxidative dehydrogenation over chromium oxide catalysts (A.L. Lapidus, N.A. Gaidai, Yu. A. Agafonov, M

Particulate matters modelling: Participation to Eurodelta and application at a refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raffort, Valentin

2017-01-01

the month of April 2013, in the vicinity of the Total refinery of Grandpuits, Seine-et-Marne. Model performance is evaluated at the regional scale, with the refinery sources treated with the Plume-in-Grid representation. The refinery contribution to local inhalable particle concentrations, in interaction with local sources, is analyzed. Next, the model is applied to two measurement campaigns of the TEMMAS project ('Tele-detection, Measure, Modeling of Atmospheric pollutants on industrial sites'), conducted in the vicinity of the Total refinery at La Mede, Bouches-du-Rhone, in September 2015 and February 2016. The performance of the Polyphemus Plume-in-Grid model is evaluated with intensive measurements of mass concentrations, number concentrations, and chemical composition of particles in the vicinity of the refinery. (author) [fr

Occupational health experience with a contractor uranium refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heatherton, R.C.

1975-01-01

This paper presents information related to the occupational exposure of workers in uranium refinery operations at the Feed Materials Production Center since 1958. Included are: a brief history of the FMPC; a description of the operations and the principal sources of exposure; airborne uranium, urinary excretion, in vivo monitoring and tissue analysis data; and some observations regarding the exposure and health status of employees

WATER PINCH TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION TO MINIMIZE SULPHUROUS WASTEWATER IN AN OIL REFINERY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel Orlando Lobelles Sardiñas

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In oil refining industries there is a high water consumption, which influences the high production costs and impacts the environment due to the discharge of their wastes. It is known that there are no technological conditions for the reuse of industrial water at the oil refineries, based on hydroskimming processes. The objective of this study is to implement the process integration methodology, Water Pinch, to a sour water stripper unit, as a unitary process of an oil refinery, to minimize the amount of sulphurous waste water and reduce contamination of the bay that receives these wastes. The technology is applied to evaluate the volume of sulphurous wastewater generated in the Cienfuegos oil refinery. This technology allows identifying opportunities for recovery and reuse of water, based on concentration ranges of contaminants. To achieve this purpose, a sour water stripper tower was assessed with the help of Water Pinch software, which provided an optimized distribution network, as a proposed technological improvement. This facilitated to recover and reuse 667 757, 28 m3 of water per year, and 1 035 023, 78 CUC were saved, at the same time the amount of polluting effluents decreased in approximately 2 % of non-reusable treated water.

Study theorizes use of geothermal sources for energy in refineries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Golombok, M.; Beintema, K.

2008-01-01

Geothermal sources for direct heating can theoretically serve as an alternative source of high-temperature heat in processing plants. Cutting CO2 emissions from a refinery requires reducing the amount of fuel burned. Heat obtained from geothermal energy is more efficiently used for directly powering

Biodegradation of oil refinery wastes under OPA and CERCLA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banipal, B.S.; Myers, J.M.; Fisher, C.W.

1995-01-01

Land treatment of oil refinery wastes has been used as a disposal method for decades. More recently, numerous laboratory studies have been performed attempting to quantify degradation rates of more toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds (PAHs). This paper discusses the results of the full-scale aerobic biodegradation operations using land treatment at the Macmillan Ring-Free Oil refining facility. The tiered feasibility approach in the evaluation of using biodegradation as a treatment method to achieve site-specific clean-up including pilot scale biodegradation operations is included in an earlier paper. Analytical results of biodegradation indicate that degradation rates observed in the laboratory can be met and exceeded under field conditions and that the site-specific cleanup criteria can be attained within a proposed project time. Also presented are degradation rates and half-lives for PAHs for which cleanup criteria has been established. PAH degradation rates and half-life values are determined and compared with the laboratory degradation rates and half-life values which used similar oil refinery wastes by other investigators (API 1987)

Oil-refinery and automotive emissions of rare earth elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitto, M.E.; Gordon, G.E.; Anderson, D.L.; Olmez, I.

1991-01-01

The concentration pattern of rare-earth elements (REEs) in emissions from oil refineries and newer-model automobiles shows a distortion from the crustal abundance pattern. The REEs arise from the zeolite cracking catalysts used in petroleum refining and emission-control substrates used in automobile catalytic converters, respectively. Ten petroleum cracking catalysts from four countries and 12 catalytic converters from five automobile manufacturers were characterized for their REE content. The cracking catalysts are highly enriched in light REEs, whereas the automobile catalysts are enriched primarily in Ce. Incorporation of zeolite catalysts into refined oil provides new atmospheric elemental signatures for tracing emissions from refineries and oil-fired power plants on a regional scale. Though both have enhanced La/REE ratios, emissions from these two sources can be distinguished by their La/V ratios. Although REE demand by the petroleum industry has dropped considerably in recent years, automobile catalytic converters containing REEs are expected to increase dramatically as more stringent emission regulations are adopted in Europe, Japan and the US

Effect of adoption of gas turbine in oil refinery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tamai, Hiroto

1988-08-01

With progress in energy saving, and increase in automation in facilities, the dependence on electric power increases relative steam power. Further in order to reduce the production cost, the adoption of gas turbine combined cycle system, mainly aimed at power generation, is considered to be most suitable. This adoption, accompanied with the utilization of refinery offgas, dresults in a reduction in unit power generation cost, by increasing the ratio of domestic power generation. The gas turbine using deethanizing tower offgas as main fuel and butane as auxillary fuel, the combined cycle system, where steam produced from the turbine waste heat boiler drives the existing back pressure turbine, was constituted. The generator is 118 kVA in capacity. Against the maximum power demand being 16,500 kWh in the oil refinery, the obtainment of 11,000 kWh by the gas turbine and 2,500 kWh by the back pressure turbine was assured, with a considerable lowering in power to be purchased. (7 figs, 1 tab, 1 ref)

Biodegradation of oil refinery wastes under OPA and CERCLA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gamblin, W.W.; Banipal, B.S.; Myers, J.M. [Ecology and Environment, Inc., Dallas, TX (United States)] [and others

1995-12-31

Land treatment of oil refinery wastes has been used as a disposal method for decades. More recently, numerous laboratory studies have been performed attempting to quantify degradation rates of more toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds (PAHs). This paper discusses the results of the fullscale aerobic biodegradation operations using land treatment at the Macmillan Ring-Free Oil refining facility. The tiered feasibility approach of evaluating biodegradation as a treatment method to achieve site-specific cleanup criteria, including pilot biodegradation operations, is discussed in an earlier paper. Analytical results of biodegradation indicate that degradation rates observed in the laboratory can be met and exceeded under field conditions and that site-specific cleanup criteria can be attained within a proposed project time. Also prevented are degradation rates and half-lives for PAHs for which cleanup criteria have been established. PAH degradation rates and half-life values are determined and compared with the laboratory degradation rates and half-life values which used similar oil refinery wastes by other in investigators (API 1987).

The impact of CO2 taxation on the configuration of new refineries: An application to Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gomes, Gabriel Lourenco; Szklo, Alexandre; Schaeffer, Roberto

2009-01-01

This article evaluates the impact of pricing CO 2 emissions over the configuration of new refinery complexes in their conceptual phase. Two refineries' schemes were simulated through a linear programming optimization model in order to compare the optimum configuration obtained before and after the input of different CO 2 prices. The cases analyzed represent refining projects to be located in Brazil, a growing market for fuels and petrochemical feedstocks, as well as an oil producing country with rising crude exports. After 2012, emerging countries, such as Brazil, may adopt carbon emission reduction targets. Therefore, it is worth analyzing the impact of pricing CO 2 emissions in these countries, where the majority of new refining projects will be located. Our findings indicate that the initial refinery configurations proposed are quite rigid technologically for CO 2 prices up to US$ 100/t CO 2 . For CO 2 prices higher than US$ 100/t CO 2 , refineries reduced their emissions by increasing the consumption of natural gas used to produce hydrogen, and through changes in the original configurations towards less-energy consuming process units. Promising technological advances, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), can also diminish the rigidity of the model and facilitate actions to curb carbon emissions.

Assessment of the effect of effluent discharge from coffee refineries ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The ecohydrological quality of water resource of Ethiopia is declining at an alarming rate, resulting in severe environmental degradation. This study finds out the effects of effluent discharge from intensive coffee refineries on river water quality based on physicochemical parameters and benthos assemblages as biological ...

Integrated refinery waste management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shieh, Y -S [ETG Environmental, Inc., Blue Bell, PA (US); Sheehan, W J [Separation and Recovery Systems, Inc., Irvine, CA (US)

1992-01-01

In response to the RCRA land ban regulations and TC rule promulgated by the U.S. Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1988-1990, an Integrated Refinery Waste Management (IRWM) program has been developed to provide cost-effective solutions to petroleum industry customers. The goal of IRWM is to provide technology based remediation treatment services to manage sludges and wastewaters generated from the oil refining processes, soils contaminated with petroleum distillates and groundwater contaminated with fuels. Resource recovery, volume reduction and waste minimization are the primary choices to mitigate environmental problems. Oil recovery has been performed through phase separation (such as centrifugation and filtration) and heating of heavy oils. Volume reduction is achieved by dewatering systems such as centrifuges and filter presses, and low temperature thermal treatment. Waste minimization can be accomplished by bioremediation and resource recovery through a cement kiln. (Author).

Material resources, energy, and nutrient recovery from waste: are waste refineries the solution for the future?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tonini, Davide; Martinez-Sanchez, Veronica; Astrup, Thomas Fruergaard

2013-01-01

Waste refineries focusing on multiple outputs of material resources, energy carriers, and nutrients may potentially provide more sustainable utilization of waste resources than traditional waste technologies. This consequential life cycle assessment (LCA) evaluated the environmental performance....... Overall, the waste refinery provided global warming (GW) savings comparable with efficient incineration, MBT, and bioreactor landfilling technologies. The main environmental benefits from waste refining were a potential for improved phosphorus recovery (about 85%) and increased electricity production (by...

Upgrading refineries performance: a necessity at the time of lean kine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1995-01-01

The increasing problem of petroleum refining in Europe and France has been debated during a seminar organized by the ENSPM (Ecole Nationale Superieure des Petroles et Moteurs) Formation Industrie at Rueil-Malmaison (France) on June 15, 1995. For a new modern refinery, the processing cost for one ton of crude oil can reach 40 US $ and exceeds the refining gross profit. Introduction of unleaded gasoline and the forthcoming 0.05% sulfur gas oil represent additional investments of about 20 US $/t. The increasing production of lighter crude oils, which represent 2/3 of worldwide supplies, has increased the gas oil and fuel price difference. A better equilibrium between supply and demand and significant improvements of refineries performances are required to reduce processing costs. New methods and computerized systems have been developed in this way and presented during this seminar. (J.S.). 1 fig

Application of Integral Pumping Tests to estimate the influence of losing streams on groundwater quality

Science.gov (United States)

Leschik, S.; Musolff, A.; Reinstorf, F.; Strauch, G.; Schirmer, M.

2009-05-01

Urban streams receive effluents of wastewater treatment plants and untreated wastewater during combined sewer overflow events. In the case of losing streams substances, which originate from wastewater, can reach the groundwater and deteriorate its quality. The estimation of mass flow rates Mex from losing streams to the groundwater is important to support groundwater management strategies, but is a challenging task. Variable inflow of wastewater with time-dependent concentrations of wastewater constituents causes a variable water composition in urban streams. Heterogeneities in the structure of the streambed and the connected aquifer lead, in combination with this variable water composition, to heterogeneous concentration patterns of wastewater constituents in the vicinity of urban streams. Groundwater investigation methods based on conventional point sampling may yield unreliable results under these conditions. Integral Pumping Tests (IPT) can overcome the problem of heterogeneous concentrations in an aquifer by increasing the sampled volume. Long-time pumping (several days) and simultaneous sampling yields reliable average concentrations Cav and mass flow rates Mcp for virtual control planes perpendicular to the natural flow direction. We applied the IPT method in order to estimate Mex of a stream section in Leipzig (Germany). The investigated stream is strongly influenced by combined sewer overflow events. Four pumping wells were installed up- and downstream of the stream section and operated for a period of five days. The study was focused on four inorganic (potassium, chloride, nitrate and sulfate) and two organic (caffeine and technical-nonylphenol) wastewater constituents with different transport properties. The obtained concentration-time series were used in combination with a numerical flow model to estimate Mcp of the respective wells. The difference of the Mcp's between up- and downstream wells yields Mex of wastewater constituents that increase

Revisiting diesel fuel formulation from Petroleum light and middle refinery streams based on optimized engine behavior

OpenAIRE

Ben Amara , Arij; Dauphin , Roland; Babiker , Hassan; Viollet , Yoann; Chang , Junseok; Jeuland , Nicolas; Amer , Amer

2016-01-01

International audience; The share of diesel fuel in European transport sector, which currently represents over 50% of total 11 demand, is increasing, requiring massive imports of this product, while at the same time, gasoline fuels are 12 today in surplus. In terms of air pollutant emissions, gasoline and kerosene streams have shown potential 13 in achieving lower emissions in Compression Ignition (CI) engines, particularly nitrogen oxides (NOx) 14 and particulates. A new fuel formulation app...

Lymphohematopoietic cancer mortality and morbidity of workers in a refinery/petrochemical complex in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Koh, Dong-Hee; Kim, Tae-Woo; Yoon, Yong-Hoon; Shin, Kyung-Seok; Yoo, Seung-Won

2011-03-01

The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to investigate the relationship between exposure of Korean workers to petrochemicals in the refinery/petrochemical industry and lymphohematopoietic cancers. The cohort consisted of 8,866 male workers who had worked from the 1960s to 2007 at one refinery and six petrochemical companies located in a refinery/petrochemical complex in Korea that produce benzene or use benzene as a raw material. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated for 1992-2007 and 1997-2005 based on the death rate and cancer incidence rate of the Korean male population according to job title (production, maintenance, laboratory, and office workers). The overall mortality and most cause-specific mortalities were lower among these workers than those of the general Korean population. Increased SMRs were observed for leukemia (4/1.45; SMR 2.77, 95% CI: 0.75-7.09) and lymphohematopoietic cancers (5/2.51; SMR 2, 95% CI: 0.65-4.66) in production workers, and increased SIRs were also observed in leukemia (3/1.34; SIR 2.24, 95% CI: 0.46-6.54) and lymphohematopoietic cancers (5/3.39; SIR 1.47, 95% CI: 0.48-3.44) in production workers, but the results were not statistically significant. The results showed a potential relationship between leukemia and lymphohematopoietic cancers and exposure to benzene in refinery/petrochemical complex workers. This study yielded limited results due to a short observational period; therefore, a follow-up study must be performed to elucidate the relationship between petrochemical exposure and cancer rates.

Electrochemical removal of phenol from oil refinery wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdelwahab, O; Amin, N K; El-Ashtoukhy, E-S Z

2009-04-30

This study explores the possibility of using electrocoagulation to remove phenol from oil refinery waste effluent using a cell with horizontally oriented aluminum cathode and a horizontal aluminum screen anode. The removal of phenol was investigated in terms of various parameters namely: pH, operating time, current density, initial phenol concentration and addition of NaCl. Removal of phenol during electrocoagulation was due to combined effect of sweep coagulation and adsorption. The results showed that, at high current density and solution pH 7, remarkable removal of 97% of phenol after 2h can be achieved. The rate of electrocoagulation was observed to increase as the phenol concentration decreases; the maximum removal rate was attained at 30 mg L(-1) phenol concentration. For a given current density using an array of closely packed Al screens as anode was found to be more effective than single screen anode, the percentage phenol removal was found to increase with increasing the number of screens per array. After 2h of electrocoagulation, 94.5% of initial phenol concentration was removed from the petroleum refinery wastewater. Energy consumption and aluminum Electrode consumption were calculated per gram of phenol removed. The present study shows that, electrocoagulation of phenol using aluminum electrodes is a promising process.

Identifying ideology: media representations of the Irving Oil Refinery strike, 1994-1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steuter, E.C.

1998-07-01

Media coverage of a strike at the Irving Oil Refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick which began in 1994 and lasted until 1996 is used as a background for the examination of ideology, used here in the more inclusive sense, one in which the term suggests a frame of mind without the coherence and easily recognized label usually associated with political ideology. Central issues such as monopoly ownership of the New Brunswick media by the Irving Group of Companies (also owners of the refinery) , the ideological presentation of strikes in general, and the representation of changing labour relations in a post-industrial, globally-oriented society are analyzed to show how these issues influenced media coverage. Four New Brunswick dailies as well as selected English-language dailies from other parts of Canada have been scrutinized in an effort to determine their ideological stand. It was found that restrictive ideologies such as liberalism or conservatism are on the decline; instead, more inclusive ideologies like defeatism and individualism were prominently featured especially by the St. John Telegraph-Journal in New Brunswick and other papers outside the province. The most striking finding was that if the media coverage of the Irving Refinery strike is representative of public opinion, the current organization of the provincial political economy is accepted as 'natural' by a majority of New Brunswickers.

Large scale and long term application of bioslurping: the case of a Greek petroleum refinery site.

Science.gov (United States)

Gidarakos, E; Aivalioti, M

2007-11-19

This paper presents the course and the remediation results of a 4-year application of bioslurping technology on the subsurface of a Greek petroleum refinery, which is still under full operation and has important and complicated subsurface contamination problems, mainly due to the presence of light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPL). About 55 wells are connected to the central bioslurping unit, while a mobile bioslurping unit is also used whenever and wherever is necessary. Moreover, there are about 120 additional wells for the monitoring of the subsurface of the facilities that cover a total area of 1,000,000 m(2). An integrated monitoring program has also been developed and applied on the site, including frequent LNAPL layer depth and thickness measurements, conduction of bail-down and recovery tests, sampling and chemical analysis of the free oil phase, etc., so as to evaluate the remediation technique's efficiency and ensure a prompt tracing of any new potential leak. Despite the occurrence of new leaks within the last 4 years and the observed entrapment of LNAPL in the vadoze zone, bioslurping has managed to greatly restrict the original plume within certain and relatively small parts of the refinery facilities.

Co-processing potential of HTL bio-crude at petroleum refineries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Claus Uhrenholt; Hoffmann, Jessica; Rosendahl, Lasse Aistrup

2016-01-01

An experimental study on hydrotreatment of ligno-cellulosic hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) bio-crude to achieve a bio-feed compatible for co-processing at a refinery was made to investigate the effect of operating temperature, pressure and hydrogen to oil ratio. Using a conventional NiMo/Al2O3 h...

A Study on the Preparation of Regular Multiple Micro-Electrolysis Filler and the Application in Pretreatment of Oil Refinery Wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Ruihong; Zhu, Jianzhong; Li, Yingliu; Zhang, Hui

2016-04-29

Through a variety of material screening experiments, Al was selected as the added metal and constituted a multiple micro-electrolysis system of Fe/C/Al. The metal proportion of alloy-structured filler was also analyzed with the best Fe/C/Al ratio of 3:1:1. The regular Fe/C/Al multiple micro-electrolysis fillers were prepared using a high-temperature anaerobic roasting method. The optimum conditions for oil refinery wastewater treated by Fe/C/Al multiple micro-electrolysis were determined to be an initial pH value of 3, reaction time of 80 min, and 0.05 mol/L Na₂SO₄ additive concentration. The reaction mechanism of the treatment of oil refinery wastewater by Fe/C/Al micro-electrolysis was investigated. The process of the treatment of oil refinery wastewater with multiple micro-electrolysis conforms to the third-order reaction kinetics. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) used to analyze the organic compounds of the oil refinery wastewater before and after treatment and the Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS) absorption spectrum analyzed the degradation process of organic compounds in oil refinery wastewater. The treatment effect of Fe/C/Al multiple micro-electrolysis was examined in the continuous experiment under the optimum conditions, which showed high organic compound removal and stable treatment efficiency.

Analysis of snow-cap pollution for air quality assessment in the vicinity of an oil refinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Krastinyte, Viktorija; Baltrenaite, Edita; Lietuvninkas, Arvydas

2013-01-01

Snow-cap can be used as a simple and effective indicator of industrial air pollution. In this study snow-cap samples were collected from 11 sites located in the vicinity of an oil refinery in Mazeikiai, a region in the north-west of Lithuania, in the winter of 2011. Analysis of snowmelt water and snow-dust was used to determine anthropogenic pollutants such as: sulphates and chlorides, nitrites, nitrates, ammonium nitrogen, total carbon, total nitrogen; heavy metals: lead (Pb), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd). Concentrations of heavy metals in snow-dust were detected thousands of times higher than those in the snowmelt water. In this study, analysis of heavy metal concentration was conducted considering different distances and the wind direction within the impact zone of the oil refinery. The sequence of heavy metals according to their mean concentrations in the snow-dust samples was the following: Pb > Cr > Cu > Cd. Heavy metals highly correlated among each other. The load of snow-dust was evaluated to determine the pollution level in the study area. The highest daily load of snow-dust was 45.81 +/- 12.35 mg/m2 in the north-western direction from the oil refinery. According to classification of the daily load of snow-dust a lower than medium-risk level of pollution was determined in the vicinity of the oil refinery.

Application of Ozone MBBR Process in Refinery Wastewater Treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Wang

2018-01-01

Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) is a kind of sewage treatment technology based on fluidized bed. At the same time, it can also be regarded as an efficient new reactor between active sludge method and the biological membrane method. The application of ozone MBBR process in refinery wastewater treatment is mainly studied. The key point is to design the ozone +MBBR combined process based on MBBR process. The ozone +MBBR process is used to analyze the treatment of concentrated water COD discharged from the refinery wastewater treatment plant. The experimental results show that the average removal rate of COD is 46.0%~67.3% in the treatment of reverse osmosis concentrated water by ozone MBBR process, and the effluent can meet the relevant standard requirements. Compared with the traditional process, the ozone MBBR process is more flexible. The investment of this process is mainly ozone generator, blower and so on. The prices of these items are relatively inexpensive, and these costs can be offset by the excess investment in traditional activated sludge processes. At the same time, ozone MBBR process has obvious advantages in water quality, stability and other aspects.

Implication of coastal refineries to the ecology of the Gulf of Kachchh

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Zingde, M.D.; Anand, N.M.

bank of the Gulf of Kachchh. An assessment of probable impact of establishment of these refineries to the rich biodiversity of the Gulf and suggestions to minimise these impacts have been made in this paper....

Isolation and Identification of Carcinogen Acenaphthene-Degrading Endemic Bacteria from Crude Oil Contaminated Soils around Abadan Refinery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farshid Kafilzadeh

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Background and Objective: PAHs are non-polar organic compounds consisting of two or more fused benzene multi-rings. Among these compounds, acenaphthene is a multi-ring hydrocarbon that occurs abundantly in nature. Use of microorganisms to clean the contaminations of soil can be cheap and effective. The most important acenaphthene-degrading bacteria are pseudomonas, micrococcus, and Bacillus. The goal of this study was to isolate and identify the bacteria which degrade acenaphthene in soils around Abadan Refinery and to investigate the relation between the levels of environmental pollution with acenaphthene. Materials and Methods: Soil samples were collected from three areas around Abadan Refinery. The number of the bacteria was counted on the nutrient agar culture with and without acenaphthene. Isolation of the bacteria was done by culturing the samples on acenaphthene broth with a mineral-salt medium, and on an acenaphthene agar medium. Then, the bacteria were identified via biochemical diagnostic tests. Results: The logarithm average of the bacteria was 4.786 ± 0.073 at a medium with acenaphthene, which was 6.671 ± 0.073 less than that of the control medium. The maximum number of degrading bacteria was 7.089 ± 0.089 at Station C, and the minimum number of the degrading bacteria was 4.485 ± 0.089 at Station B. In this study, Bacillus sp, Micrococcus Luteus, Corynebacterium sp, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Pseudomonas sp bacteria were isolated and identified in terms of frequency, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the soil around Abadan Refinery contained a great number of acenaphthene degrading bacteria, especially Bacillus and Micrococcus.

Evaluation the Phytoremediation of Oil-contaminated Soils Around Isfahan Oil Refinery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farida Iraji-Asiabadi

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Petroleum compounds are pollutants that most commonly occur in soils around oil refineries and that often find their ways into groundwater resources. Phytoremediation is a cost-effective alternative to physicochemical methods for oil-contaminated soil remediation, where feasible. In this study, a greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the phytoremediation of oil-contaminated soils around Isfahan Oil Refinery. Four different plants (namely, sorghum, barley, agropyron, and festuca were initially evaluated in terms of their germinability in both contaminated and control (non-contaminated soils. Sorghum and barley (recording the highest germinability values were chosen as the species for use in the phytoremediation experiments. Shoot and root dry weights, total and oil-degrading bacteria counts, microbial activity, and total concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs were determined at harvest 120 days after planting. A significant difference was observed in the bacterial counts (total and oil-degrading bacteria between the planted soils and the control. In contaminated soils, a higher microbial activity was observed in the rhizosphere of the sorghum soil than in that of barley. TPHs concentration decreased by 52%‒64% after 120 days in contaminated soil in which sorghum and barley had been cultivated. This represented an improvement of 30% compared to the contaminated soil without plants. Based on the results obtained, sorghum and barley may be recommended for the removal of petro-contaminants in areas close to Isfahan Oil Refinery. Nevertheless, caution must be taken as such cultivated lands may need to be protected against grazing animals.

Airborne concentrations of metals and total dust during solid catalyst loading and unloading operations at a petroleum refinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Ryan C; Gaffney, Shannon H; Le, Matthew H; Unice, Ken M; Paustenbach, Dennis J

2012-09-01

Workers handle catalysts extensively at petroleum refineries throughout the world each year; however, little information is available regarding the airborne concentrations and plausible exposures during this type of work. In this paper, we evaluated the airborne concentrations of 15 metals and total dust generated during solid catalyst loading and unloading operations at one of the largest petroleum refineries in the world using historical industrial hygiene samples collected between 1989 and 2006. The total dust and metals, which included aluminum, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, platinum, silicon, silver, vanadium, and zinc, were evaluated in relation to the handling of four different types of solid catalysts associated with three major types of catalytic processes. Consideration was given to the known components of the solid catalysts and any metals that were likely deposited onto them during use. A total of 180 analytical results were included in this analysis, representing 13 personal and 54 area samples. Of the long-term personal samples, airborne concentrations of metals ranged from refinery and perhaps other modern refineries during the timeframe examined. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Biodegradation testing of solidified low-level waste streams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Piciulo, P.L.; Shea, C.E.; Barletta, R.E.

1985-05-01

The NRC Technical Position on Waste Form (TP) specifies that waste should be resistant to biodegradation. The methods recommended in the TP for testing resistance to fungi, ASTM G21, and for testing resistance to bacteria, ASTM G22, were carried out on several types of solidified simulated wastes, and the effect of microbial activity on the mechanical strength of the materials tested was examined. The tests are believed to be sufficient for distinguishing between materials that are susceptible to biodegradation and those that are not. It is concluded that failure of these tests should not be regarded of itself as an indication that the waste form will biodegrade to an extent that the form does not meet the stability requirements of 10 CFR Part 61. In the case of failure of ASTM G21 or ASTM G22 or both, it is recommended that additional data be supplied by the waste generator to demonstrate the resistance of the waste form to microbial degradation. To produce a data base on the applicability of the biodegradation tests, the following simulated laboratory-scale waste forms were prepared and tested: boric acid and sodium sulfate evaporator bottoms, mixed-bed bead resins and powdered resins each solidified in asphalt, cement, and vinyl ester-styrene. Cement solidified wastes supported neither fungal nor bacterial growth. Of the asphalt solidified wastes, only the forms of boric acid evaporator bottoms did not support fungal growth. Bacteria grew on all of the asphalt solidified wastes. Cleaning the surface of these waste forms did not affect bacterial growth and had a limited effect on the fungal growth. Only vinyl esterstyrene solidified sodium sulfate evaporator bottoms showed viable fungi cultures, but surface cleaning with solvents eliminated fungal growth in subsequent testing. Some forms of all the waste streams solidified in vinyl ester-styrene showed viable bacteria cultures. 13 refs., 12 tabs

A Novel Transporting System Model for Oil Refinery

OpenAIRE

Razman M. Tahar; Waleed K. Abduljabbar

2010-01-01

Problem statement: Oil refineries are widely used to store various liquids and gases. Petroleum products are in high demand. Oil companies have abundant resources of petroleum products in pipelines and storage tanks. Approach: Included are storage tanks at retail gasoline station, home heating oil tanks, lubricant storage at automotive service facilities, propane tanks in all sorts of application, and oil company terminals across the world. The aim of this study is to present a model by which...

US refineries lament lack of final CAA rules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

Bush administration spokesman appeared unconvinced about the extent of the U.S. refining industry's problems at a Senate energy committee hearing. This paper reports that the oversight hearing examined various challenges facing refiners. Roger Beach, president of Unocal Refining and Marketing Division, testified for the National Petroleum Refiners Association, of which he is chairman. Beach the refineries still do not know what final Clean Air Act (CAA) amendments regulations will be, and state rules are changing, too

Control of occupational exposure to phenol in industrial wastewater treatment plant of a petroleum refinery in Alexandria, Egypt: An intervention application case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaki, Gehan R; El-Marakby, Fadia A; Ramadan, Alaa El-Din K; Issa, Ahmed I; Nofal, Faten H

2016-11-01

Phenol exposure is one of the hazards in the industrial wastewater treatment basin of any refinery. It additively interacts with hydrogen sulfide emitted from the wastewater basin. Consequently, its concentration should be greatly lower than its threshold limit value. The present study aimed at controlling occupational exposure to phenol in the work environment of wastewater treatment plant in a refinery by reducing phenolic compounds in the industrial wastewater basin. This study was conducted on both laboratory and refinery scales. The first was completed by dividing each wastewater sample from the outlets of different refinery units into three portions; the first was analyzed for phenolic compounds. The second and third were for laboratory scale charcoal and bacterial treatments. The two methods were compared regarding their simplicities, design, and removal efficiencies. Accordingly, bacterial treatment by continuous flow of sewage water containing Pseudomonas Aeruginosa was used for refinery scale treatment. Laboratory scale treatment of phenolic compounds revealed higher removal efficiency of charcoal [100.0(0.0) %] than of bacteria [99.9(0.013) %]. The refinery scale bacterial treatment was [99.8(0.013) %] efficient. Consequently, level of phenol in the work environment after refinery-scale treatment [0.069(0.802) mg/m(3)] was much lower than that before [5.700(26.050) mg/m(3)], with removal efficiency of [99.125(2.335) %]. From the present study, we can conclude that bacterial treatment of phenolic compounds in industrial wastewater of the wastewater treatment plant using continuous flow of sewage water containing Pseudomonas Aeruginosa reduces the workers' exposure to phenol.

The regulation of uranium refineries and conversion facilities in Canada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Didyk, J.P.

1986-04-01

The nuclear regulatory process as it applies to uranium refineries and conversion facilities in Canada is reviewed. In the early 1980s, Eldorado Resources Limited proposed to construct and operate new facilities for refining yellowcake and for the production of uranium hexafluoride (UF 6 ). These projects were subject to regulation by the Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB). A description of the AECB's comprehensive licensing process covering all stages of siting, construction, operation and eventual decommissioning of nuclear facilities is traced as it was applied to the Eldorado projects. The AECB's concern with occupational health and safety, with public health and safety and with the protection of the environment in so far as it affects public health and safety is emphasized. Some regulatory difficulties encountered during the project's development which led to opening up the licensing process to public input and closer coordination of regulatory activities with other provincial and federal regulatory agencies are described. The Board's regulatory operational compliance program for uranium refineries and conversion facilities is summarized

Shifting stream planform state decreases stream productivity yet increases riparian animal production

Science.gov (United States)

Venarsky, Michael P.; Walters, David M.; Hall, Robert O.; Livers, Bridget; Wohl, Ellen

2018-01-01

In the Colorado Front Range (USA), disturbance history dictates stream planform. Undisturbed, old-growth streams have multiple channels and large amounts of wood and depositional habitat. Disturbed streams (wildfires and logging tested how these opposing stream states influenced organic matter, benthic macroinvertebrate secondary production, emerging aquatic insect flux, and riparian spider biomass. Organic matter and macroinvertebrate production did not differ among sites per unit area (m−2), but values were 2 ×–21 × higher in undisturbed reaches per unit of stream valley (m−1 valley) because total stream area was higher in undisturbed reaches. Insect emergence was similar among streams at the per unit area and per unit of stream valley. However, rescaling insect emergence to per meter of stream bank showed that the emerging insect biomass reaching the stream bank was lower in undisturbed sites because multi-channel reaches had 3 × more stream bank than single-channel reaches. Riparian spider biomass followed the same pattern as emerging aquatic insects, and we attribute this to bottom-up limitation caused by the multi-channeled undisturbed sites diluting prey quantity (emerging insects) reaching the stream bank (riparian spider habitat). These results show that historic landscape disturbances continue to influence stream and riparian communities in the Colorado Front Range. However, these legacy effects are only weakly influencing habitat-specific function and instead are primarily influencing stream–riparian community productivity by dictating both stream planform (total stream area, total stream bank length) and the proportional distribution of specific habitat types (pools vs riffles).

Meteorologically estimated exposure but not distance predicts asthma symptoms in schoolchildren in the environs of a petrochemical refinery: a cross-sectional study

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

White, N

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Community concern about asthma prompted an epidemiological study of children living near a petrochemical refinery in Cape Town, South Africa. Because of resource constraints and the complexity of refinery emissions, neither direct environmental...

Discrete event simulation for petroleum transfers involving harbors, refineries and pipelines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martins, Marcella S.R.; Lueders, Ricardo; Delgado, Myriam R.B.S. [Universidade Tecnologica Federal do Parana (UTFPR), Curitiba, PR (Brazil)

2009-07-01

Nowadays a great effort has been spent by companies to improve their logistics in terms of programming of events that affect production and distribution of products. In this case, simulation can be a valuable tool for evaluating different behaviors. The objective of this work is to build a discrete event simulation model for scheduling of operational activities in complexes containing one harbor and two refineries interconnected by a pipeline infrastructure. The model was developed in Arena package, based on three sub-models that control pier allocation, loading of tanks, and transfers to refineries through pipelines. Preliminary results obtained for a given control policy, show that profit can be calculated by taking into account many parameters such as oil costs on ships, pier using, over-stay of ships and interface costs. Such problem has already been considered in the literature but using different strategies. All these factors should be considered in a real-world operation where decision making tools are necessary to obtain high returns. (author)

Implementation of NOx control technologies in petroleum refining applications, Mobil Torrance Refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Younis, M.P.

1994-01-01

Existing NO x technologies implemented by the Mobil Torrance refinery have been reviewed. Technologies utilized are Lo-NO x burners, Ultra-Lo-NO x burners and selective catalytic reduction in boilers and process heaters, as well as selective non-catalytic reduction in fluid catalytic cracker/CO boiler applications. With the implementation of the Regional Clean Air Incentives Market (RECLAIM), research at Mobil is directed towards reducing operational costs and improving efficiency in selective catalytic reduction with high and low temperature catalysts. Research is also directed at improved selective non-catalytic reduction efficiency in CO boiler applications and at further NO x reduction in fluid catalytic cracker regenerator offgases. The implementation of proven and enhanced technology is expected to reduce refinery NO x emissions from 1734 metric tons per yr to 487 metric tons per yr by the year 2003. 4 refs., 7 figs

Evaluating the performance of an integrated CALPUFF-MM5 modeling system for predicting SO{sub 2} emission from a refinery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdul-Wahab, Sabah Ahmed [Sultan Qaboos University, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, Muscat (Oman); Ali, Sappurd [National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM), Islamabad (Pakistan); Sardar, Sabir; Irfan, Naseem [Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad (Pakistan); Al-Damkhi, Ali [Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Department of Environmental Sciences College of Health Sciences, Salmiyah (Kuwait)

2011-12-15

Oil refineries are one of the proven sources of environmental pollution as they emit more than 100 chemicals into the atmosphere including sulfur dioxide (SO{sub 2}). The dispersion patterns of SO{sub 2} from emissions of Sohar refinery was simulated by employing California Puff (CALPUFF) model integrated with state of the art meteorological Mesoscale Model (MM5). The results of this simulation were used to quantify the ground level concentrations of SO{sub 2} in and around the refinery. The evaluation of the CALPUFF and MM5 modeling system was carried out by comparing the estimated results with that of observed data of the same area. The predicted concentrations of SO{sub 2} agreed well with the observed data, with minor differences in magnitudes. In addition, the ambient air quality of the area was checked by comparing the model results with the regulatory limits for SO{sub 2} set by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs (MECA) in Oman. From the analysis of results, it was found that the concentration of SO{sub 2} in the nearby communities of Sohar refinery is well within the regulatory limits specified by MECA. Based on these results, it was concluded that no health risk, due to SO{sub 2} emissions, is present in areas adjacent to the refinery. (orig.)

A Study on the Preparation of Regular Multiple Micro-Electrolysis Filler and the Application in Pretreatment of Oil Refinery Wastewater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruihong Yang

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Through a variety of material screening experiments, Al was selected as the added metal and constituted a multiple micro-electrolysis system of Fe/C/Al. The metal proportion of alloy-structured filler was also analyzed with the best Fe/C/Al ratio of 3:1:1. The regular Fe/C/Al multiple micro-electrolysis fillers were prepared using a high-temperature anaerobic roasting method. The optimum conditions for oil refinery wastewater treated by Fe/C/Al multiple micro-electrolysis were determined to be an initial pH value of 3, reaction time of 80 min, and 0.05 mol/L Na2SO4 additive concentration. The reaction mechanism of the treatment of oil refinery wastewater by Fe/C/Al micro-electrolysis was investigated. The process of the treatment of oil refinery wastewater with multiple micro-electrolysis conforms to the third-order reaction kinetics. The gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS used to analyze the organic compounds of the oil refinery wastewater before and after treatment and the Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–VIS absorption spectrum analyzed the degradation process of organic compounds in oil refinery wastewater. The treatment effect of Fe/C/Al multiple micro-electrolysis was examined in the continuous experiment under the optimum conditions, which showed high organic compound removal and stable treatment efficiency.

REDUCING ULTRA-CLEAN TRANSPORTATION FUEL COSTS WITH HYMELT HYDROGEN

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Donald P. Malone; William R. Renner

2003-07-31

This report describes activities for the third quarter of work performed under this agreement. Atmospheric testing was conducted as scheduled on June 5 through June 13, 2003. The test results were encouraging, however, the rate of carbon dissolution was below expectations. Additional atmospheric testing is scheduled for the first week of September 2003. Phase I of the work to be done under this agreement consists of conducting atmospheric gasification of coal using the HyMelt technology to produce separate hydrogen rich and carbon monoxide rich product stream. In addition smaller quantities of petroleum coke and a low value refinery stream will be gasified. DOE and EnviRes will evaluate the results of this work to determine the feasibility and desirability of proceeding to Phase II of the work to be done under this agreement, which is gasification of the above-mentioned feeds at a gasifier pressure of approximately 5 bar. The results of this work will be used to evaluate the technical and economic aspects of producing ultra-clean transportation fuels using the HyMelt technology in existing and proposed refinery configurations.

Impact of PAH [Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons] outlets from an oil refinery on the receiving water area - sediment trap fluxes and multivariate statistical analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pettersen, Harald; Naef, Carina; Broman, Dag

1997-01-01

PAH concentrations (15 compounds) in settling particulate matter (SPM) collected in the waters outside a petroleum refinery on the Swedish Baltic coast, and in samples of particulate and dissolved fractions in the wastewater from the refinery were determined. SPM concentrations varied between 550 and 4250 ng x gdw -1 and the corresponding calculated fluxes varied between 0.1 and 3.7 ng x cm -2 x day -1 . Both concentrations and fluxes did not differ significantly from background coastal or offshore locations in the Baltic. PAH profiles of the SPM samples were compared with the wastewater samples and SPM samples from background areas in the Baltic, using pattern recognition techniques. This analysis showed that the SPM samples from the petroleum refinery displayed a PAH composition similar to that found in background reference sites in the Baltic, and that the SPM samples could not be connected to the wastewater samples from the refinery. This indicates that Nynas AB is not a significant source of PAHs to the waters in its immediate surroundings, i.e. the waters in the Nynashamn area, and/or that the hydraulic residence time of the water outside the refinery is low. A budget calculation showed that the wastewater outlet from Nynas AB is only a minor contributor of the PAH load to the waters outside the refinery. (Author)

Evaluation of the impact of Kaduna refinery effluent on river Romi ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The continuous global quest for management of the scarce water resources to make available to the human populace, portable water for drinking has necessitated this study. River Romi is the effluent discharge point of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited where the refinery waste water is disposed after ...

Production of ethanol from refinery waste gases. Phase 2, technology development, annual report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arora, D.; Basu, R.; Phillips, J.R.; Wikstrom, C.V.; Clausen, E.C.; Gaddy, J.L.

1995-07-01

Oil refineries discharge large volumes of H{sub 2}, CO, and CO{sub 2} from cracking, coking, and hydrotreating operations. This program seeks to develop a biological process for converting these waste gases into ethanol, which can be blended with gasoline to reduce emissions. Production of ethanol from all 194 US refineries would save 450 billion BTU annually, would reduce crude oil imports by 110 million barrels/year and emissions by 19 million tons/year. Phase II efforts has yielded at least 3 cultures (Clostridium ljungdahlii, Isolate O-52, Isolate C-01) which are able to produce commercially viable concentrations of ethanol from CO, CO{sub 2}, and H{sub 2} in petroleum waste gas. Single continuous stirred tank reactor studies have shown that 15-20 g/L of ethanol can be produced, with less than 5 g/L acetic acid byproduct. Culture and reactor optimization in Phase III should yield even higher ethanol concentrations and minimal acetic acid. Product recovery studies showed that ethanol is best recovered in a multi-step process involving solvent extraction/distillation to azeotrope/azeotropic distillation or pervaporation, or direct distillation to the azeotrope/azeotropic distillation or pervaporation. Projections show that the ethanol facility for a typical refinery would require an investment of about $30 million, which would be returned in less than 2 years.

Biostimulation of indigenous microbial community for bioremediation of petroleum refinery sludge.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jayeeta Sarkar

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Nutrient deficiency severely impairs the catabolic activity of indigenous microorganisms in hydrocarbon rich environments (HREs and limits the rate of intrinsic bioremediation. The present study aimed to characterize the microbial community in refinery waste and evaluate the scope for biostimulation based in situ bioremediation. Samples recovered from the wastewater lagoon of Guwahati refinery revealed a hydrocarbon enriched high total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH, oxygen-, moisture-limited, reducing environment. Intrinsic biodegradation ability of the indigenous microorganisms was enhanced significantly (>80% reduction in TPH by 90 days with nitrate amendment. Preferred utilization of both higher- (>C30 and middle- chain (C20-30 length hydrocarbons were evident from GC-MS analysis. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE and community level physiological profiling (CLPP analyses indicated distinct shift in community’s composition and metabolic abilities following nitrogen (N amendment. High throughput deep sequencing of 16S rRNA gene showed that the native community was mainly composed of hydrocarbon degrading, syntrophic, methanogenic, nitrate/iron/sulfur reducing facultative anaerobic bacteria and archaebacteria, affiliated to γ- and δ-Proteobacteria and Euryarchaeota respectively. Genes for aerobic and anaerobic alkane metabolism (alkB and bssA, methanogenesis (mcrA, denitrification (nirS and narG and N2 fixation (nifH were detected. Concomitant to hydrocarbon degradation, lowering of dissolve O2 and increase in oxidation-reduction potential (ORP marked with an enrichment of N2 fixing, nitrate reducing aerobic/facultative anaerobic members e.g., Azovibrio, Pseudoxanthomonas and Commamonadaceae members was evident in N amended microcosm. This study highlighted that indigenous community of refinery sludge was intrinsically diverse, yet appreciable rate of in situ bioremediation could be achieved by supplying adequate N sources.

Biostimulation of Indigenous Microbial Community for Bioremediation of Petroleum Refinery Sludge

Science.gov (United States)

Sarkar, Jayeeta; Kazy, Sufia K.; Gupta, Abhishek; Dutta, Avishek; Mohapatra, Balaram; Roy, Ajoy; Bera, Paramita; Mitra, Adinpunya; Sar, Pinaki

2016-01-01

Nutrient deficiency severely impairs the catabolic activity of indigenous microorganisms in hydrocarbon rich environments (HREs) and limits the rate of intrinsic bioremediation. The present study aimed to characterize the microbial community in refinery waste and evaluate the scope for biostimulation based in situ bioremediation. Samples recovered from the wastewater lagoon of Guwahati refinery revealed a hydrocarbon enriched [high total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH)], oxygen-, moisture-limited, reducing environment. Intrinsic biodegradation ability of the indigenous microorganisms was enhanced significantly (>80% reduction in TPH by 90 days) with nitrate amendment. Preferred utilization of both higher- (>C30) and middle- chain (C20-30) length hydrocarbons were evident from GC-MS analysis. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and community level physiological profiling analyses indicated distinct shift in community’s composition and metabolic abilities following nitrogen (N) amendment. High throughput deep sequencing of 16S rRNA gene showed that the native community was mainly composed of hydrocarbon degrading, syntrophic, methanogenic, nitrate/iron/sulfur reducing facultative anaerobic bacteria and archaebacteria, affiliated to γ- and δ-Proteobacteria and Euryarchaeota respectively. Genes for aerobic and anaerobic alkane metabolism (alkB and bssA), methanogenesis (mcrA), denitrification (nirS and narG) and N2 fixation (nifH) were detected. Concomitant to hydrocarbon degradation, lowering of dissolve O2 and increase in oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) marked with an enrichment of N2 fixing, nitrate reducing aerobic/facultative anaerobic members [e.g., Azovibrio, Pseudoxanthomonas and Comamonadaceae members] was evident in N amended microcosm. This study highlighted that indigenous community of refinery sludge was intrinsically diverse, yet appreciable rate of in situ bioremediation could be achieved by supplying adequate N sources. PMID:27708623

Amoco-US Environmental Protection Agency, pollution prevention project, Yorktown, Virginia: Yorktown refinery project workplan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curran, L.; Grieves, C.; Browning, R.; Hanlon, D.; Crane, C.

1990-09-01

The report provides a detailed workplan for obtaining data and analyzing results for a 2-year pollution prevention study of Amoco Oil Company's Yorktown Virginia Refinery. The study was jointly sponsored as a cooperative effort of Amoco Corporation and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The goals of the study include (1) a multi-media inventory of all releases entering the environment from the Refinery, (2) development of possible engineering options to reduce the releases, (3) analysis of each option in terms of release reduction potential, impact on human health risk, ecological impact, changes in future liability, etc. and (4) identification of obstacles and incentives for implementation of any of the options considered

Key outcomes from risk based assessment of pressure equipment in refineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Firth, D.; Lichti, K.; Hill, T.; Thomas, C.; Widrig, J.; Simmonds, G.; Karstensen, A.

2012-01-01

Risk based assessment (RBA) has become the best industry practice for management of pressure equipment reliability. Application of RBA programs significantly reduces risk and gives opportunity to optimize inspection programs and produce long term financial benefits. Quest Integrity Group have implemented risk based inspection programs n a variety of industries including ammonia, methanol, geothermal power, :combined cycle power, gas turbines, gas production facilities and refineries. This paper outlines the semi quantitative RBA procedures that have been followed and lists some of the specific technical outcomes. Advanced inspection and life assessment methods used in support of RBI in refineries ire discussed. Piping in refineries is a key risk issue and it is not uncommon for piping failures to result in major incidents. Specific inspection programs are available to monitor differing damage processes such as flow assisted corrosion, hydrogen damage and corrosion under insulation. During assessment it s often found that numerous pipes have never been inspected especially underground smaller diameter pipes which are frequently considered to be un-piggable using conventional technologies and difficult to inspect. Advanced high accuracy flexible miniaturized ultrasonic intelligent pigging combined with fitness for service assessment such as Invista TM is recommended for inspection of critical pipelines which previously have been un-piggable. The processing of crude oil from a range of sources can result in significant variations in the levels of contaminants such as chlorides and sulfides. Major failures have occurred as a result of very rapid increases in corrosion rates in hydrotreating processes due to rapid changes in chemistry. The outcome of the assessment of plants that have potentially high and variable levels of contaminants often results in a review the process chemistry, how it is monitored and development of a detailed corrosion monitoring program. Fired

Toward effective ecological risk-management of refinery corrective action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Metzger, B.H.; Rury, P.M.; Turton, D.; Archibald, B.; Clark, J.; Cura, J.

1995-01-01

Cleanup of complex industrial sites, such as refineries, requires risk-based decision tools to ensure that environmentally protective remediation is consistent with current and future land use. However, conventional ecological risk assessment approaches are not well suited for complex industrial sites. Site risk assessments focus on hypothetical chemical risk assuming diverse and undisturbed ecosystems, rather than industrial and disturbed area conditions. In addition, they offer little guidance as to how to make timely and effective risk management decisions. An innovative methodology is proposed to assist industry and regulatory risk managers with rapid EcoRisk reconnaissance and cost-effective remedial decision-making at complex industrial sites. Phase 1 comprises a three-step risk screening of areas of ecological concern at the site, which integrates habitat quality characteristics and potential chemical hazards. It yields an ordering of areas as follows: areas of no significant risk; areas of potentially significant risk; and areas of likely significant risk. A decision rule is then applied to determine appropriate risk management action, including: no action; additional study; and remedial or management action. In Phase 2, additional study is conducted for areas that exhibit potentially significant risk so as to facilitate risk management. This methodology is currently being applied at the 1,300 acre, former Exxon Bayway Refinery in New Jersey

Cathodic Protection Design Algorithms for Refineries Aboveground Storage Tanks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kosay Abdul sattar Majbor

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Storage tanks condition and integrity is maintained by joint application of coating and cathodic protection. Iraq southern region rich in oil and petroleum product refineries need and use plenty of aboveground storage tanks. Iraq went through conflicts over the past thirty five years resulting in holding the oil industry infrastructure behind regarding maintenance and modernization. The primary concern in this work is the design and implementation of cathodic protection systems for the aboveground storage tanks farm in the oil industry. Storage tank external base area and tank internal surface area are to be protected against corrosion using impressed current and sacrificial anode cathodic protection systems. Interactive versatile computer programs are developed to provide the necessary system parameters data including the anode requirements, composition, rating, configuration, etc. Microsoft-Excel datasheet and Visual Basic.Net developed software were used throughout the study in the design of both cathodic protection systems. The case study considered in this work is the eleven aboveground storage tanks farm situated in al-Shauiba refinery in southern IRAQ. The designed cathodic protection systems are to be installed and monitored realistically in the near future. Both systems were designed for a life span of (15-30 years, and all their parameters were within the internationally accepted standards.

Prevention of refinery tower plugging by residual oil gellant chemicals in crude : pilot plant evaluation of alternative oil gellants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Taylor, R.S.; Fyten, G.C.; Tamayo, C.; Funkhouser, G.P. [Haliburton, Houston, TX (United States); Lemieux, A.; Blackmore, T. [Omnicon Consultants Inc., Calgary, AB (Canada)

2007-07-01

Previous studies have described refinery plugging caused by volatile phosphorus components originating from phosphate ester oil gellants as well as two successful field trials of new phosphonate ester oil gellants, which were demonstrated to address this problem. Additional field testing of phosphonate ester gellants directed at optimization of cost and performance has also been previously studied. This paper presented the results of a follow-up study to these previous investigations, as new modified phosphate ester systems were expected to become commercial that would reduce volatile phosphorus. Several questions that required further investigation were discussed in this paper. These included the comparative ability of phosphonate and modified phosphate esters to control volatile phosphorus; tower fouling at higher temperatures in the presence of steam; and, organic halide formations under distillation tower conditions. The paper presented the results of full-scale pilot plant testing that was performed over several days with flowback captured after actual fracturing treatments in order to serve as a guide to the selection of oil gellant systems for reduction of refinery tower and heat exchanger fouling. The study measured fouling of a tray inserted in the pilot plant distillation tower as well as fouling of the packing material. Any changes in operating parameters such as rate, temperature, or pressure over the time of each test were also noted, as these could also be indicative of fouling. 3 refs., 2 tabs., 17 figs.

Psidium guajava as a bioaccumulator of nickel around an oil refinery, southern Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Trindade Perry, Carolina; Divan, Armando Molina; Raya Rodriguez, Maria Teresa; Lúcia Atz, Vera

2010-05-01

To evaluate the potential of Psidium guajava as a biological accumulator of air pollutants, saplings were exposed at nine sites receiving atmospheric emissions from an oil refinery (five within, four outside the industrial area) and another reference site located at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, 27 km from the refinery. Exposures lasted about 3 months each, coincided with the seasons, and totaled five exposures between 2005 and 2006. The following parameters were evaluated: dry weight of leaves, stems, and roots, leaf area, rate of relative height increase, Ni and S contents, maximum assimilation rate, and carboxylation efficiency invivo. P. guajava was found to be an efficient accumulator of Ni, since highly significant differences were observed (Pguajava is a good bioaccumulator for Ni. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Utilization of the waste gases from a petroleum refinery as fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torres Contreras, Jose Francisco

2012-01-01

The fuels waste gases that are burned in a flare stack were proposed as an alternative for its utilization. The current operation of the flare stack system of a petroleum refinery was analyzed. The historical information of the equipment and original design of the same was used. From the calculations that were performed, it is expected that the delivered heat for the flare gases approaching to 65 MJ/M 3 , so it would be an effective fuel for be used in furnaces and boilers. A new flare stack system and a system for recovery of the waste gases of process is proposed. The new flare stack system must have a liquid separator of 2,3 meters of diameter, a length of 6,4 meters and a capacity of 26,1 cubic meters. The velocity of the gas to the exit of the separator has been of 80,7 m/s. The liquid hydrocarbon flow that has exited the separator has been of 71 m 3 /h, with a speed of 0,91 m/s and a pump of 2,75 HP is required. The liquid seal of flare stack systems must have a minimum height of 1,05 m. The gas recovery system to burn in the flare stack should be located between the liquid separator and liquid seal of the flare stack systems. For an average consumption of 150 m 3 /h of fuel gas for furnaces and boilers, the gas recovery system must have with a compressor of 4,75 HP, a liquid separator of 50 m 3 and a pump of 2,50 HP. The gas recovery system has had with an absorber of 7 plates for washing of the stream acid gas with MEA, at 40 degrees celsius and an pressure of operating of 67 kPa, and a flow of 55,88 kg/h at amine solution. The flare gas flow has been recommended to be analyzed chemically, as well as the measurement of the flow of gas streams plant consumption and gases flare. A technical-economic feasibility study of the process should be realized. (author) [es

Effect of oil spills on coastal power plants, refineries, and desalination plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiefer, C.; Mussali, Y.

1992-01-01

Major oil spills such as those experienced in the Gulf War, in Alaska, and in the Gulf of Mexico have raised concern for the protection of coastal facilities which use seawater for cooling or process purposes such as power stations, refineries, and desalination plants. Because of the availability of large quantities of cooling water, many power stations and refineries are located along the coastline in the United States and throughout the world. In addition, many countries in the Middle East, the Caribbean, and other areas of the world depend on desalination plants located along the coast for the vital supply of drinking water. The objective of this paper is to determine the levels of oil contamination which will adversely affect plant performance or result in damage to specific plant equipment such as condensers, heat exchangers, pumps, screens, water treatment equipment, and other vital water handling mechanisms

Capital vs. service contract at Conoco Humber Refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Threlfall, Peter; Sperring, Simon

1999-01-01

The value of outsourcing for water treatment is illustrated through experience at the Conoco Humber refinery. A point was reached where the quality of water at the plant was so poor that demineralized water was brought to the site by tanker. The paper describes how and why it was decided to design, build, operate and maintain an outsourced system. It points out how the newer technologies can be environmentally friendly and, at the same time, reduce operating and maintenance costs, optimise manpower and cut management costs. (UK)

SPARO - A system for process analysis of refinery operations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kesler, M.G.; Graham, J.; Weissbrod, J.

1987-01-01

SPARO is a customized process simulator for the PC, designed to review as well as to guide operations of hydrocarbon processing units. It can be applied to: gas plants or refinery gas recovery units; crude/vacuum towers with associated heat exchange; light ends units, such as reforming, alkylation and isomerization; fractionation and heat exchange units of Ethylene plants; aromatics and styrene units, and others. The main uses of SPARO are discussed in this paper.

40 CFR 80.295 - How is a refinery sulfur baseline determined?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... of gasoline batch i. n = Total number of batches of gasoline produced during January 1, 1997 through... refinery, the total number of batches of gasoline produced and imported into the U.S. during January 1, 1997 through December 31, 1998, or, the total number of batches of gasoline produced and imported into...

Analysis of the sector petroleum refineries in energy scenarios for The Netherlands. Analyse van de sector raffinaderijen voor de Nationale Energie Verkenningen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Oostvoorn, F

1926-07-01

The calculations with regard to the oil sector in general and the petroleum refineries in particular of the energy scenarios for The Netherlands are described. Calculations have been made with the help of the energy models SELPE and SERUM, developed for the total energy scene of The Netherlands and the petroleum refineries respectively. The results of the calculations with respect to the petroleum refineries are compared. This resulted in adjustment of the parameters for the oil sector in the SELPE energy model and the consequences of these adjustments for the energy scenarios for The Netherlands. 3 figs., 15 tabs., 10 refs.

Test Report Emission Test Program EPA Information Collection Request for Delayed Coking Units 736 Coker Unit

Science.gov (United States)

ARI Environmental, Inc. (ARI) was retained by Houston Refining LP (HRO) to conduct an emission test program at their refinery located in Houston, Texas. The testing was conducted on on the 736 Delayed Coking Unit (DCU) in response to EPA's ICR.

Storage tank catchbasins at the Esso (S. A. F. ) Refinery in Fos-sur-Mer were made liquid-tight

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poteur, M; Magne, R

1978-12-01

The storage tank catch basins at the Esso (S.A.F.) Refinery in Fos-sur-Mer were made liquid-tight to prevent potential ground water pollution by leakage of petroleum product tanks, such as had occurred at this plant in Nov. 1976. Economic and technological studies showed that the sealing of a dike could best be achieved by incorporating, via injection and compaction by vibration, a thin, vertical, compliant, continuous clay-cement shield along the axis of the dike rather than by lining it with concrete, asphalt, or plastic sheets. About 13 km of dikes were treated by this technique, and a grout shield with an average depth of 3.5 m and a vertical surface of 45,000 sq m was constructed in just six months (Feb.-Aug. 1978). Tests showed that the permeability coefficient, relative to water and gasoline, of this grout shield did not exceed 0.00001 cm/sec or 1Vertical Bar3< of the value for peat. This method can also be used to seal off the subsoil of an entire refinery or other industrial plant from its surroundings.

Gasification in petroleum refinery of 21. century; La gazeification dans la raffinerie du petrole du 21. siecle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Furimsky, E. [IMAF Group, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)

1999-07-01

The worldwide trends in the crude oil supply indicate a continuous increase of the heavy crudes. The increase in the yield of distillation residues is complemented by an increase in their sulfur content. Additional distillates are produced by upgrading the residues. The upgrading step generates final residues, such as visbreaking tar, coke and asphalt which are produced by visbreaking, coking and de-asphalting, respectively. The final residues can be converted to usable products such as hydrogen, steam, electricity, ammonia and chemicals. For this purpose, gasification has emerged as the technology of choice because of its superior environmental performance when compared with the competing means for residue utilization. Also, refinery sludges can be co-gasified with the final residues and as such, be converted to usable products. If integrated with the petroleum refinery, gasification can diminish any environmental problems associated with residue and sludge disposal. The economic indicators of the refinery can improve as well. The trends in deregulation of the power market enable petroleum refineries to enter this lucrative market either alone or in a partnership with the utilities. The potential of co-production of chemicals and steam with electricity offers the flexibility to respond to market demands. Gasification technology is commercially proven. Among several types, entrained bed gasifiers are the gasifiers of choice. A number of commercial projects in Europe, Asia and United States use a gasifier employing either a slurry feeding system or a dry feeding system. (author)

Stream hydraulics and temperature determine the metabolism of geothermal Icelandic streams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Demars B. O.L.

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Stream ecosystem metabolism plays a critical role in planetary biogeochemical cycling. Stream benthic habitat complexity and the available surface area for microbes relative to the free-flowing water volume are thought to be important determinants of ecosystem metabolism. Unfortunately, the engineered deepening and straightening of streams for drainage purposes could compromise stream natural services. Stream channel complexity may be quantitatively expressed with hydraulic parameters such as water transient storage, storage residence time, and water spiralling length. The temperature dependence of whole stream ecosystem respiration (ER, gross primary productivity (GPP and net ecosystem production (NEP = GPP − ER has recently been evaluated with a “natural experiment” in Icelandic geothermal streams along a 5–25 °C temperature gradient. There remained, however, a substantial amount of unexplained variability in the statistical models, which may be explained by hydraulic parameters found to be unrelated to temperature. We also specifically tested the additional and predicted synergistic effects of water transient storage and temperature on ER, using novel, more accurate, methods. Both ER and GPP were highly related to water transient storage (or water spiralling length but not to the storage residence time. While there was an additional effect of water transient storage and temperature on ER (r2 = 0.57; P = 0.015, GPP was more related to water transient storage than temperature. The predicted synergistic effect could not be confirmed, most likely due to data limitation. Our interpretation, based on causal statistical modelling, is that the metabolic balance of streams (NEP was primarily determined by the temperature dependence of respiration. Further field and experimental work is required to test the predicted synergistic effect on ER. Meanwhile, since higher metabolic activities allow for higher pollutant degradation or uptake

High temperature degradation in power plants and refineries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Furtado Heloisa Cunha

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Thermal power plants and refineries around the world share many of the same problems, namely aging equipment, high costs of replacement, and the need to produce more efficiently while being increasingly concerned with issues of safety and reliability. For equipment operating at high temperature, there are many different mechanisms of degradation, some of which interact, and the rate of accumulation of damage is not simple to predict. The paper discusses the mechanisms of degradation at high temperature and methods of assessment of such damage and of the remaining safe life for operation.

Yearly refinery construction indexes listed for 68 years

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farrar, G.

1996-01-01

Yearly values are presented for the Nelson-Farrar refinery inflation cost index since 1926. They are based on 1946 as 100, since that was the date of index inception. Values from 1926 to 1945 were back calculated. Data are presented on indexed cost of materials, labor, and miscellaneous equipment for 1926 through 1994. A second table of itemized refining cost indexes for the years 1954, 1972, 1992--1994, and the first eight months of 1995 is also presented. This table subdivides materials, labor, and equipment into component costs

ASSESSMENT OF CO2 EMISSION MITIGATION FOR A BRAZILIAN OIL REFINERY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. N. Chan

Full Text Available Abstract Currently the oil refining sector is responsible for approximately 5% of the total Brazilian energy related CO2 emissions. Possibilities to reduce CO2 emissions and related costs at the largest Brazilian refinery have been estimated. The abatement costs related to energy saving options are negative, meaning that feasibility exists without specific income due to emission reductions. The assessment shows that short-term mitigation options, i.e., fuel substitution and energy efficiency measures, could reduce CO2 emissions by 6% of the total current refinery emissions. It is further shown that carbon capture and storage offers the greatest potential for more significant emission reductions in the longer term (up to 43%, but costs in the range of 64 to162 US$/t CO2, depending on the CO2 emission source (regenerators of FCC units or hydrogen production units and the CO2 capture technology considered (oxyfuel combustion or post-combustion. Effects of uncertainties in key parameters on abatement costs are also evaluated via sensitivity analysis.

Gamma ray scanning as troubleshooting tool for unusual and large diameter refinery vacuum columns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarkar, T.K.; Chawla, R.; Banik, S.; Chopra, S.J.; Singh, G.; Pant, H.J.; Sreeramakrishnan, P.; Dhar, D.C.; Pushpangathan, P.N.; Sharma, V.K.

1997-01-01

Gamma scanning of trayed and packed columns is widely used to obtain density profiles and identify on-line problems such as: damaged tray or packing, foaming, flooding, maldistribution, weeping and entrainment, etc. However, scanning of large diameter tray or packed columns requires expertise in handling high intensity gamma sources along with thorough understanding of distillation engineering. Engineers India Limited and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre undertook scanning of two such large diameter (8.4 m and 7.4 m) trayed and packed refinery vacuum distillation columns and successfully diagnosed the problems and suggested remedial actions. Radiography testing of small diameter columns can be used to confirm gamma scanning results. One such example for ammonia separator column is given

POSSIBILITIES OF CARBON DIOXIDE FIXATION BY MICROALGAE IN REFINERY

OpenAIRE

Šingliar, Michal; Mikulec, Jozef; Kušnir, Patrik; Polakovičova, Gabriela

2013-01-01

Capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide is one of the most critical challenges today for businesses and governments worldwide. Thousands of emitting power plants and industries worldwide face this costly challenge – reduce the CO2 emissions or pay penalties. One possibility for carbon dioxide sequestration is its fixation in microalgae. Microalgae can sequester CO2 from flue gases emitted from fossil fuel-fired refinery plants and units, thereby reducing emissions of a major greenhouse ga...

Optimal Renewable Energy Integration into Refinery with CO2 Emissions Consideration: An Economic Feasibility Study

Science.gov (United States)

Alnifro, M.; Taqvi, S. T.; Ahmad, M. S.; Bensaida, K.; Elkamel, A.

2017-08-01

With increasing global energy demand and declining energy return on energy invested (EROEI) of crude oil, global energy consumption by the O&G industry has increased drastically over the past few years. In addition, this energy increase has led to an increase GHG emissions, resulting in adverse environmental effects. On the other hand, electricity generation through renewable resources have become relatively cost competitive to fossil based energy sources in a much ‘cleaner’ way. In this study, renewable energy is integrated optimally into a refinery considering costs and CO2 emissions. Using Aspen HYSYS, a refinery in the Middle East was simulated to estimate the energy demand by different processing units. An LP problem was formulated based on existing solar energy systems and wind potential in the region. The multi-objective function, minimizing cost as well as CO2 emissions, was solved using GAMS to determine optimal energy distribution from each energy source to units within the refinery. Additionally, an economic feasibility study was carried out to determine the viability of renewable energy technology project implementation to overcome energy requirement of the refinery. Electricity generation through all renewable energy sources considered (i.e. solar PV, solar CSP and wind) were found feasible based on their low levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). The payback period for a Solar CSP project, with an annual capacity of about 411 GWh and a lifetime of 30 years, was found to be 10 years. In contrast, the payback period for Solar PV and Wind were calculated to be 7 and 6 years, respectively. This opens up possibilities for integrating renewables into the refining sector as well as optimizing multiple energy carrier systems within the crude oil industry

Preliminary life-cycle assessment of biomass-derived refinery feedstocks for reducing CO2 emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marano, J.J.; Rogers, S.; Spath, P.L.; Mann, M.K.

1995-01-01

The US by ratification of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has pledged to emit no higher levels of greenhouse gases in the year 2000 than it did in 1990. Biomass-derived products have been touted as a possible solution to the potential problem of global warming. However, past studies related to the production of liquid fuels, chemicals, gaseous products, or electricity from biomass, have only considered the economics of producing these commodities. The environmental benefits have not been fully quantified and factored into these estimates until recently. Evaluating the environmental impact of various biomass systems has begun using life-cycle assessment. A refinery Linear Programming model previously developed has been modified to examine the effects of CO 2 -capping on the US refining industry and the transportation sector as a whole. By incorporating the results of a CO 2 emissions inventory into the model, the economic impact of emissions reduction strategies can be estimated. Thus, the degree to which global warming can be solved by supplementing fossil fuels with biomass-derived products can be measured, allowing research and development to be concentrated on the most environmentally and economically attractive technology mix. Biomass gasification to produce four different refinery feedstocks was considered in this analysis. These biomass-derived products include power, fuel gas, hydrogen for refinery processing, and Fischer-Tropsch liquids for upgrading and blending into finished transportation fuels

[Factors of work environment and employment of workers in production of fuels and solvents at the oil refinery].

Science.gov (United States)

Chebotarev, P A; Kharlashova, N V

2012-01-01

Factors of the industrial environment and labor activity of workers of manufacture propellants and solvents at the oil refining enterprise. Working conditions of workers at all installations of manufacture No 1 JSC "Naftan" of Novopolotsk of Byelorussia (production of fuels and solvents). Hygienic evaluation of working conditions of persons working in the production of fuels and solvents at the oil refinery. Sanitary description of the production with hygienic analysis of project design and technological documentation, qualitative and quantitative characteristics of conventional methods in the work environment and working process of employees in the workplace for the main modes of operation of the equipment. The working environment of refineries is influenced by a number of simultaneously acting factors, which have different material nature and characteristics of the action on the human body, the workers in production of fuels and solvents at the refinery, are exposed to a variety of hazardous and dangerous factors of production, a chemical factor is prevalent, of course.

Combined environmental impacts from production and use of the products. An EIS-application project for refineries; Sammanvaegd miljoepaaverkan fraan produktion och anvaendning av produkterna. Ett MKB-tillaempningsprojekt foer raffinaderier

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kindbom, K; LoevbIad, G.; Stripple, H.

2001-12-01

At European refineries a change in production is planned in order to obtain better qualities of gasoline and diesel, from an environmental point of view. This change will, however, lead to higher emissions at the refineries. The present study of the combined effects of emissions at the refineries and the use of the products gives the opportunity for considering the entire system and gives a stronger positive signal than the traditional EIS would do. Three different methods were used: Net change in emissions to air; Exposure of men and ecosystems for air pollutants; and Exceeding norms and critical levels. The results for the Swedish refinery at Lysekil shows that the emissions from using the products are much higher than the emissions from the refinery for all cases studied. The net emissions from production and use of the products will be reduced for the new products compared to the present situation. Risks for exceeding norms and critical levels due to the changes at the refinery exist for emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides, but a lower background load will probably mean that the total future load will be reasonably close to the critical level in the area affected by the refinery. In the urban environment, reduced risks for exceeding the levels for benzen and low levels for toluene and xylene give greater advantages than the increased emissions of sulfur and nitrogen close to the refinery.

Effect of Novi Sad oil refinery bombardment and fires on soil properties in Vojvodina province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekulic, P.; Ralev, J.; Zeremski-Skoric, T.

2002-01-01

The bombing of the Novi Sad Oil Refinery in 1999 has lead to soil pollution by the products of burning oil and oil derivatives. These products were first carried by winds to the Rimski Sancevi Experiment Field of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops (located in the vicinity of the Novi Sad Oil Refinery), where they entered the soil via precipitation. Later, they spread to the city of Novi Sad, its vicinity, and the whole of the Vojvodina province, contaminating the soil. In the present study, we examined the extent to which this soil had been polluted. In 1999, we began to study the level of soil contamination at the Institute's Experiment Field at Rimski Sancevi. In 2000, we carried out the same kind of study in and around the city of Novi Sad, while in 2001 we expanded the study to the whole of Vojvodina. The studies' findings show that the soil reaction has not changed and that the levels of heavy metals in the soil have not exceeded the maximum tolerable concentration (MTC). The presence of PAHs at various concentrations was detected, however. This presence is a result of the fires at the Novi Sad Oil Refinery. (author)

Assessment and control design for steam vent noise in an oil refinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Monazzam, Mohammad Reza; Golmohammadi, Rostam; Nourollahi, Maryam; Momen Bellah Fard, Samaneh

2011-06-13

Noise is one of the most important harmful agents in work environment. Noise pollution in oil refinery industries is related to workers' health. This study aimed to determine the overall noise pollution of an oil refinery operation and its frequency analysis to determine the control plan for a vent noise in these industries. This experimental study performed in control unit of Tehran Oil Refinery in 2008. To determine the noise distributions, environmental noise measurements were carried out by lattice method according to basic information and technical process. The sound pressure level and frequency distribution was measured for each study sources subject separately was performed individually. According to the vent's specification, the measured steam noise characteristics reviewed and compared to the theoretical results of steam noise estimation. Eventually, a double expansion muffler was designed. Data analysis and graphical design were carried out using Excel software. The results of environmental noise measurements indicated that the level of sound pressure was above the national permitted level (85 dB (A)). The Mean level of sound pressure of the studied steam jet was 90.3 dB (L). The results of noise frequency analysis for the steam vents showed that the dominant frequency was 4000 Hz. To obtain 17 dB noise reductions, a double chamber aluminum muffler with 500 mm length and 200 mm diameter consisting pipe drilled was designed. The characteristics of steam vent noise were separated from other sources, a double expansion muffler was designed using a new method based on the level of steam noise, and principle sound frequency, a double expansion muffler was designed.

An investigation of the matrix sensitivity of refinery gas analysis using gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferracci, Valerio; Brown, Andrew S; Harris, Peter M; Brown, Richard J C

2015-02-27

The response of a flame ionisation detector (FID) on a gas chromatograph to methane, ethane, propane, i-butane and n-butane in a series of multi-component refinery gas standards was investigated to assess the matrix sensitivity of the instrument. High-accuracy synthetic gas standards, traceable to the International System of Units, were used to minimise uncertainties. The instrument response exhibited a small dependence on the component amount fraction: this behaviour, consistent with that of another FID, was thoroughly characterised over a wide range of component amount fractions and was shown to introduce a negligible bias in the analysis of refinery gas samples, provided a suitable reference standard is employed. No significant effects of the molar volume, density and viscosity of the gas mixtures on the instrument response were observed, indicating that the FID is suitable for the analysis of refinery gas mixtures over a wide range of component amount fractions provided that appropriate drift-correction procedures are employed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Stream processing health card application.

Science.gov (United States)

Polat, Seda; Gündem, Taflan Imre

2012-10-01

In this paper, we propose a data stream management system embedded to a smart card for handling and storing user specific summaries of streaming data coming from medical sensor measurements and/or other medical measurements. The data stream management system that we propose for a health card can handle the stream data rates of commonly known medical devices and sensors. It incorporates a type of context awareness feature that acts according to user specific information. The proposed system is cheap and provides security for private data by enhancing the capabilities of smart health cards. The stream data management system is tested on a real smart card using both synthetic and real data.

Automatic crude oil handling through a pressurized system from the wellhead to the refinery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davis, W.B.; Truman, P.W.; Groeneman, A.R.

1967-01-01

Production from 51 wells completed in the 3 unitized formations of the Lost Soldier Field, Sweetwater Co., Wyoming, is brought to a central point through individual flow lines. Here the fluids are directed through separate automatic well testing and oil treating facilities, one for each formation. After separation of oil, gas and water, the oil goes to pressurized surge tanks and then to lease automatic custody transfer units. There is one surge tank and one LACT unit for each formation. The oil is automatically transferred to the Sinclair Pipe Line Co. for delivery to Sinclair's refinery at Sinclair, Wyoming, through a closed pipe line system. A central console provides: (1) supervisory control from the wellheads through the LACT units, (2) well test and production data logging, and (3) monitoring by activating alarms for abnormal conditions of flow, liquid levels, temperatures and pressures.

Identification of the cause of weak acute toxicity to rainbow trout at a petroleum refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arnold, W.R.; Zaleski, R.T.; Biddinger, G.R.

1995-01-01

The refinery in question performs flow through acute toxicity tests on its effluent four times per month using three fish species: fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus oculeatus) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Several months of monitoring data indicated a transient low level acute toxicity to rainbow trout. In most cases, several days were required for mortality to occur in the flow through tests and numerous attempts to reproduce toxicity in static and static renewal tests were unsuccessful. A decision was made to manipulate the effluent in an attempt to enhance the toxic effect in the static mode so that conventional methods could be used to identify the cause. these tests indicated that toxicity was pH dependent. Additional testing, using EPA's Phase 1 Toxicity Identification Evaluation methods suggested that the cause of toxicity was probably an organic acid. Experiments were subsequently begun to identify the specific cause and source of toxicity. This paper reviews the problems confronted during the various phases of the study and the decisions that were made that eventually led to an understanding of the basis of toxicity

Conceptual design and techno-economic evaluation of efficient oil shale refinery processes ingratiated with oil and gas products upgradation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Qingchun; Qian, Yu; Zhou, Huairong; Yang, Siyu

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Three integrated oil shale refinery processes are proposed. • Techno-economic performance of three proposed processes is conducted and compared. • Competitiveness of the three proposed processes is investigated at different scenarios. • A development direction for oil shale refinery industry is suggested. - Abstract: Compared with the petrochemical industry, oil shale refinery industry is still relatively backward and has many shortcomings, such as poor quality of shale oil, inefficient utilization of retorting gas, and the unsatisfactory economic performance. In the situation of the low oil price, many oil shale refinery plants are forced to stop or cut production. Thus, oil shale industry is facing a severe problem. How to relieve monetary loss or turn it into profits? This paper proposes three integrated oil shale refinery processes: an integrated with hydrogen production from retorting gas, an integrated with hydrogenation of shale oil, and an integrated with hydrogen production and oil hydrogenation. The techno-economic performance of the three different processes is conducted and compared with that of a conventional oil shale process. Results show the exergy destruction ratio of the oil shale process integrated with hydrogen production from retorting gas is the least, 41.6%, followed by the oil shale process integrated with hydrogen production and oil hydrogenation, 45.9%. Furthermore, these two proposed processes have the best economic performance. Especially they can turn losses of the conventional oil shale process into profits at the situation of low oil price. The oil shale process integrated with hydrogen production from retorting gas is recommended to the oil shale plants which use the oil shale with oil content lower than 12.9%, while the plants using oil shale with oil content higher than 12.9% are better to select the oil shale process integrated with hydrogen production and oil hydrogenation.

Enhanced treatment of refinery soils with open-system slurry reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blackburn, J.W.; Lee, M.K.; Horn, W.C.

1995-01-01

Refinery site cleanups of residual hydrocarbons arising from long-term operations have become a concern. Because contaminated soil has been generated over many years from spills of many types of materials, it is often difficult to identify the actual spilled material. Because many of these materials are weathered, the less degradable fractions can predominate, creating a challenge for bioremedial process solutions. Open-system slurry reactors were run with an aged refinery soil after a 6-month period of field bioremediation in which 23% TPH removal resulted. The open system (a system where the liquid medium was replaced daily and the solids were retained in the reactor for 2 weeks) achieved 60 to 80% total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal based on the initial, prefield bioremediation soil concentration. A process concept twice as effective as other bioremediation schemes has been devised that takes advantage of the formation and removal of small black particulate solids in an open or continuous slurry reactor configuration. These small black particles are chemically or biologically produced in the open system and with their small size and low density are easily elutriated from the bioreactor as the liquid medium is changed. A statistically designed experiment has determined optimal values of nutrients, temperature, and mixing

New methodology to investigate potential contaminant mass fluxes at the stream-aquifer interface by combining integral pumping tests and streambed temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalbus, E.; Schmidt, C.; Bayer-Raich, M.; Leschik, S.; Reinstorf, F.; Balcke, G.U.; Schirmer, M.

2007-01-01

The spatial pattern and magnitude of mass fluxes at the stream-aquifer interface have important implications for the fate and transport of contaminants in river basins. Integral pumping tests were performed to quantify average concentrations of chlorinated benzenes in an unconfined aquifer partially penetrated by a stream. Four pumping wells were operated simultaneously for a time period of 5 days and sampled for contaminant concentrations. Streambed temperatures were mapped at multiple depths along a 60 m long stream reach to identify the spatial patterns of groundwater discharge and to quantify water fluxes at the stream-aquifer interface. The combined interpretation of the results showed average potential contaminant mass fluxes from the aquifer to the stream of 272 μg m -2 d -1 MCB and 71 μg m -2 d -1 DCB, respectively. This methodology combines a large-scale assessment of aquifer contamination with a high-resolution survey of groundwater discharge zones to estimate contaminant mass fluxes between aquifer and stream. - We provide a new methodology to quantify the potential contaminant mass flux from an aquifer to a stream

Ground based measurements of SO2 and NO2 emissions from the oil refinery 'la Teja' in Montevideo city

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frins, Erna; Casaballe, Nicolas; Osorio, Matias; Arismendi, Federico; Ibrahim, Ossama; Wagner, Thomas; Platt, Ulrich

2011-01-01

We present preliminary results of ground based measurements of SO 2 and NO 2 emissions from 'La Teja' oil refinery located in the northern part of Montevideo Bay. Our study is part of a long term effort to localize and monitor relevant emission sources in the city area of Montevideo. These measurements were performed with a Miniature Multi AXis Differential Optical Absorption Spectrometry (MiniMAX-DOAS) instrument, which is basically a temperature controlled medium-resolution spectrometer (∼ 0.5 nm) equipped with a small telescope and a stepper motor allowing automatic scans in one dimension. We present a discussion about the evolution and transformation of both above species in the atmosphere. Our observation site was approximately 1.9 km away from the oil refinery and we were able to perform vertical and horizontal scans of the plume emitted (during our measurements) almost horizontally from its stacks. The maximum value of the SO 2 slant column density (SCD) was found to be ∼ 4x10 17 molec cm -2 directly over the oil refinery, decreasing as the plume disperses. In contrast, the NO 2 SCD peaks at ∼ 1x10 16 molec cm -2 directly over the source and increases continuously as the plume disperses. The SO 2 flux measured immediately downwind of the refinery was found to be about 1200 kg h -1 (±40% uncertainty).

Integrating planning and scheduling in an oil refinery with a rolling horizon approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zondervan, E.; Kaland, M.; van Elzakker, M.A.H.; Fransoo, J.C.; Meuldijk, J.; Klemes, J.J.; Varbanov, P.S.; Liew, P.Y.

2014-01-01

Decisions in an oil refinery are made at three levels: planning, scheduling and control. Existing facilities have to be operated close to their maximum capacity, while continuously responding to cost fluctuations. In many of the currently reported planning models each decision level has its own

Poland petroleum refinery sludge lagoon demonstration project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Altman, D.J.

2000-01-01

The US Department of Energy and the Institute for Ecology of Industrial Area have been working together to develop mutually beneficial, cost-effective environmental remediation technologies such as the demonstration of bioremediation techniques for the clean up of acidic petroleum sludge impacted soils at an oil refinery in southern Poland. After an expedited site characterization, treatability study, and a risk assessment study, a remediation strategy was devised. The waste material was composed primarily of high molecular weight paraffinic and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. A biopile design which employed a combination of passive and active aeration in conjunction with nutrient and surfactant application as used to increase the biodegradation of the contaminants of concern

Refinery expansion and upgrading: Trends and needs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sloan, D.E.

1993-01-01

Much of the world's reserves of heavy, high sulfur crude oil are located in the western hemisphere. One may look from north to south and find these types of crudes. in Canada, there are the vast deposits of tar sands and other heavy oils. In the United States we find heavy, high sulfur crude in California's San joaquin Valley, the Rockies' shale oil deposits and in other areas. Moving south, Mexico's Maya crude is well known to refiners, as are the heavy crudes of Venezuela's Orinoco Belt. On the other hand, many refineries outside the United States are limited in their ability to handle heavy, high sulfur crudes either because of metallurgy or processing configurations

Geohydrology, water quality, and simulation of ground-water flow in the vicinity of a former waste-oil refinery near Westville, Indiana, 1997-2000

Science.gov (United States)

Duwelius, Richard F.; Yeskis, Douglas J.; Wilson, John T.; Robinson, Bret A.

2002-01-01

Geohydrologic and water-quality data collected during 1997 through 2000 in the vicinity of a former waste-oil refinery near Westville, Indiana, define a plume of 1,4-dioxane in ground water that extends to the southwest approximately 0.8 miles from the refinery site. Concentrations of 1,4-dioxane in the plume ranged from 3 to 31,000 micrograms per liter. Ground water containing 1,4-dioxane is discharged to Crumpacker Ditch, approximately one-half mile west of the refinery site. Concentrations of 1,4-dioxane detected in surface water ranged from 8 to 140 micrograms per liter; 1,4-dioxane also is transported in ground water beneath the ditch.

Global Warming Potential Of A Waste Refinery Using Enzymatic Treatment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tonini, Davide; Astrup, Thomas

2010-01-01

and fossil resources. This is especially important with respect to the residual waste (i.e. the remains after source-separation and separate collection) which is typically incinerated or landfilled. In this paper the energy and Global Warming performance of a pilot-scale waste refinery for the enzymatic...... plants and utilization of the liquid fraction for biogas production turned out to be the best options with respect to energy and Global Warming performance....

Competitive strategy to provide technology and basic designs for the construction of new refineries premium of the PETROBRAS; Estrategia competitiva para prover tecnologias e projetos basicos para a construcao de novas refinarias premium da PETROBRAS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Claudia, Baptista M.L.A.; Adalberto, Barbalho S [Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (PETROBRAS), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2012-07-01

Nowadays, there are major incentives for the construction of new refineries in Brazil: the increase of the local market and the discovery of huge oil reserves in the southeastern Atlantic coast of Brazil. In this scenario, PETROBRAS decided to construct two new refineries, Premium I and II, with a total refining capacity of 900.000 BPSD. The refineries will be designed to process a mix of Brazilian national crudes. The main objects of this ambitious project are to produce high quality diesel and jet fuel from an elevated nitrogen content feedstock, minimizing capital expenditure and schedule. Both refineries will have the same flow scheme with a target to maximize Middle distillate production for the European and local markets. In order to assure that the refinery scheme and the technologies selected will provide the best Net Present Value (NPV), it was decided to perform a Design Competition process to select the company to provide the basic design for all Premium refineries. As the concepts behind a Design Competition were new for PETROBRAS a rigorous process was developed and followed, which entailed contracting three benchmark companies with outstanding knowledge and experience in hydroprocessing to provide independent conceptual studies for a 300.000 BPSD refinery called Premium II. The vision was to utilize the same refinery scheme in the construction of the Premium I refinery which will have two identical trains processing 300.000 BPD. The awarded company was selected based on technical and economic evaluations, supported by state of the art hydroprocessing technologies, block flow diagram optimization and heat integration. This strategy allowed PETROBRAS to acquire the best refinery scheme and process designs for the PREMIUM refineries. The present paper discusses the design competition process, the refinery scheme adopted and the results achieved. (author)

Reduction of heavy metals in refinery waste sludge using em treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmad, J.; Ahmad, F.; Saleemi, A.R.; Ahmad, I.

2005-01-01

This paper presents the efforts of National Cleaner Production Center (NCPC) and Attock Refinery Limited (ARL) Rawalpindi, to address the problem of refinery solid waste. A trial project was designed to treat and convert 1.7 m ton to oil sludge into environmental friendly residue (compost) under anaerobic conditions. The residue can be treated as bio fertilizer for agricultural purpose. The trial on bio remediation (anaerobic) of oily sludge of ARL, Rawalpindi within its premises using EM technology was successfully completed with the collaboration of effective microorganism research organization (EMRO), NCPC and ARL between 29th October to 10th December, 2002. The effective microorganisms transformed the undiluted oily sludge from ARL into bioactive sludge; which may be called as bio sludge. For heavy metal breakdown the trial data shows that Ba has been reduced by 85% in the EM. Treated oily sludge as compared to original ARL sludge, and Pb, Fe, Zn and Ni have been reduced by about 50% in the treated bio sludge. The contents of As, Cr, Cu and Mn showed no change. The residue obtained can be used as a bio fertilizer. (author)

Management and analysis of data from petroleum refinery wastewater treatment plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chapman, D T [Wastewater, Technology Centre, Burlington, ON (Canada); Grammas, J [SOHO, Lima, OH (USA)

1989-01-01

Current efforts to monitor trace contaminants in treated oil refinery wastewaters increase the need to implement systematic, clear, and consistent procedures for reporting and presenting all monitoring data. The ability to interpret trace contaminant data which is to be collected by the governments of the U.S. and Canada for regulations development will rely on information about operating procedures and the efficiency of removal of conventional pollutants. An overview is provided of the main issues which must be addressed in managing and analyzing data from wastewater treatment facilities. The objectives of enviromental data management and analysis are discussed from the point of view of both the plant operator or owner and the regulatory authority. Based on the examination of the 1985 records of flow and phenol concentrations from seven Canadian petroleum refineries, recommendations are made for improving existing databases. In analyzing environmental data to transform raw data into information, exploratory data analysis techniques should be used by engineers or operators who do not have formal statistical training. These methods employ simple statistical summaries and graphical data displays. The paper concludes with a brief discussion about future trends in environmental data management and analysis. 15 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.

Stream Lifetimes Against Planetary Encounters

Science.gov (United States)

Valsecchi, G. B.; Lega, E.; Froeschle, Cl.

2011-01-01

We study, both analytically and numerically, the perturbation induced by an encounter with a planet on a meteoroid stream. Our analytical tool is the extension of pik s theory of close encounters, that we apply to streams described by geocentric variables. The resulting formulae are used to compute the rate at which a stream is dispersed by planetary encounters into the sporadic background. We have verified the accuracy of the analytical model using a numerical test.

The impact of the maintenance management system: a case study of the PetroSA GTL refinery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mahlangu, Bafana Petrus

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This research study investigated the impact of the maintenance management system (MMS on production output and profitability (PO&P at the PetroSA GTL refinery, a state-owned company. The two groups that participated were the maintenance group, consisting of 56 respondents, and the production group, with 38 respondents. The main findings of the research study suggested that the MMS impacts positively on PO&P at the PetroSA GTL refinery. The maintenance scorecard assessment tool – consisting of six perspectives – was used to assess the gap between the MMS and PO&P. The positivism paradigm, the deductive process, a cross-sectional quantitative survey, and descriptive statistics were used to conduct the research study.

Parametric analysis of neutron streaming through major penetrations in the 0.914 m TFTR test cell floor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ku, L.P.; Liew, S.L.; Kolibal, J.G.

1985-09-01

Neutron streaming through penetrations in the 0.914 m TFTR test cell floor has two distinct features: (1) the oblique angle of incidence; and (2) the high order of anisotropy in the angular distribution for incident neutrons with energies > 10 keV. The effects of these features on the neutron streaming into the TFTR basement were studied parametrically for isolated penetrations. Variations with respect to the source energies, angular distributions, and sizes of the penetrations were made. The results form a data base from which the spatial distribution of the neutron flux in the basement due to multiple penetrations may be evaluated

REMOTE SENSING DAMAGE ASSESSMENT OF CHEMICAL PLANTS AND REFINERIES FOLLOWING HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA

Science.gov (United States)

The massive destruction brought by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita also impacted the many chemical plants and refineries in the region. The achievement of this rapid analysis capability highlights the advancement of this technology for air quality assessment and monitoring. Case st...

Assessing refinery capacity and readiness to take Canadian product : is Canadian crude pushing or pulling?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friesner, J.M.

2005-01-01

This presentation addressed some of the challenges facing oil sands production in Canada. Refinery products and refining investments were discussed, as was the impact of alternative crude supply on the markets and pricing of oil sands. The oils sands products discussed include various qualities of sweet synthetic crude oil produced via upgraders; virgin and cracked intermediate products from oil sands upgraders; mined or Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) produced bitumen blended products; and synthetic heavy crude produced via hydrocracking. Products were listed in terms of ease of production, and a rationale for generic ranking was provided. A chart of 2003 characteristics of non-Canadian imports to the mid-west United States was provided. Various marketing strategies for different oil sands products were discussed, as well as issues concerning logistics. Strategies for the development of a bigger market include producer investment in refining capability; the acquisition of refining assets; investment in refiners' upgrading capability; and securing a long term supply deal. Core and extended markets for Western Canadian oil sands products were reviewed. A chart of North American refining capacity was presented. Details of a refinery with both coking and cracking capacity were examined. An increase in hydro processing capacity and expanded coking capacity, as well as an upgrade of metallurgy were suggested as possible upgrading options. Various refinery configurations were discussed in relation to lower cost feedstocks and clean fuels specifications. Issues concerning crude supply were examined with reference to pricing parity points and declines in traditional crude production. Specific supply issues concerning oil sands production were discussed, including transportation costs; adequate refining capacity; and availability of supply. Various logistic investments were considered. A map of BP's 5 U.S. refineries was presented. A forecast of expected changes in

Legitimacy in Green: Pollution vs. Profit in Canadian Oil Refineries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vanessa Magness

2007-06-01

light of changing societal expectations have created an external environment that encourages the development of new technologies that promote cost efficiencies and good environmental performance simultaneously.  Russo and Fouts (1997 argued that industries subject to rapid technological advance are well suited to respond to these changes in the external environment. The findings of this paper suggest that the petroleum refinery sector of the oil and gas industry may be meeting the challenge of the environmental movement.

Increasing the complexity of a refinery: a analysis of the economic impacts of the introduction of new process in refineries; O aumento da complexidade de uma refinaria: uma analise dos impactos economicos da introducao de novos processos em refinarias

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fontes, Cristiane M; Seidl, Peter R [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Escola de Quimica

2008-07-01

The importance of the refining segment in the oil productive chain turns decision making on production and investment to be made at refineries dependent upon general context of the oil industry. Several technical and economic factors limit the possibilities to be foreseen by the managers. The ultimate goal of a refinery is to meet market demand in a region. Moreover, the type of processed oil and refining techniques will shape the profile of the production of derivatives. In a segment dynamic and full of uncertainties, such as refining, where the type of oil supplied to processing, specifications of products, and their demands, changes in the course of time, how to keep refining margins acceptable? This paper presents the relationship between the characteristics and the use of different kinds of oil, the characteristics of the national market of derivatives, and some characteristics of the refining processes considered in the study. The possible economic impacts that the introduction of different processes can bring to a refinery are analysed and alternatives for expansion are evaluated. To achieve these goals, a methodology for analysis considering the yield of Marlin oil refining for different schemes has been developed. (author)

Dunkerque`s refinery. Mobil-BP-Elf: matrimonial triangle with background anxiety; Raffinerie de Dunkerque. Mobil-BP-Elf: menage a trois sur fond d`inquietude

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vogue, A. de

1997-08-01

The annual production of the Dunkerque`s refinery (France) represents 330000 t of lubricants, 16000 t of paraffins, 17000 t of wax, 34000 t of extracts, 304000 t of diesel fuel and 300000 t of bitumens. From the legal aspect, Mobil is operator of the unit which belongs to an independent company held by BP (60%) and Elf (40%). After the BP-Mobil agreement was signed, the Dunkerque`s refinery entered into new Mobil`s network of 6 lubricants refineries which represent an overall over-capacity of 400000 t/year. This over-capacity is a consequence of export limitations due to profits reduction. (J.S.)

Future fuels: Canada's coast-to-coast network of refineries is emerging from a $3-billion-plus spending binge to take the lead in producing low sulphur gasoline

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lunan, D.

2004-01-01

A series of investments to convert Canada's 22 operating refineries to produce low-sulphur gasoline are discussed. The investment involves more than $3-billion that will transform Canada's portfolio of aging refineries into one of the most efficient in the western world, and in the process reduce sulphur content in Canadian gasoline to 30 ppm. In some cases the refitting will be completed years ahead of the required 2005 deadline. Total refining capacity in Canada is about 2.5 million barrels per day of crude oil, which includes 580,000 barrels per day of capacity that is dedicated to upgrading bitumen into synthetic crude oil. The initiative to update the refineries was led by Irving Oil, which launched a one billion dollar refit of its 250,000 barrels per day Saint John refinery in the year 2000. Irving Oil's efforts were driven by the company's marketing program in the United States where regional fuel quality standards are higher than national standards either in Canada or the United States. Shell Canada and Imperial Oil are also on track to meet the 30 ppm sulphur level ahead of schedule. For example, Shell Canada is cooperating with Suncor Energy Products in the construction of a hydrotreater at Suncor's Sarnia refinery which will be used to reduce sulphur content of diesel from both the Shell and Suncor refineries, while Imperial Oil is investing over $520 million to refit its refineries in Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia. Petro-Canada too, has embarked on a $450 million capital program late in 2003 to introduce low sulphur gasoline; this was in addition to the $1.2 billion program to integrate its bitumen production, upgrading and refining operations. Ultramar launched its $300 million desulphurization program in late 2002; the project is now nearing completion. Refit of Ultramar's Jean Gaulin refinery on Quebec's South Shore will also include a 30,000 barrels per day continuous regeneration platformer to provide a second hydrogen source for the

Salamander occupancy in headwater stream networks

Science.gov (United States)

Grant, E.H.C.; Green, L.E.; Lowe, W.H.

2009-01-01

1. Stream ecosystems exhibit a highly consistent dendritic geometry in which linear habitat units intersect to create a hierarchical network of connected branches. 2. Ecological and life history traits of species living in streams, such as the potential for overland movement, may interact with this architecture to shape patterns of occupancy and response to disturbance. Specifically, large-scale habitat alteration that fragments stream networks and reduces connectivity may reduce the probability a stream is occupied by sensitive species, such as stream salamanders. 3. We collected habitat occupancy data on four species of stream salamanders in first-order (i.e. headwater) streams in undeveloped and urbanised regions of the eastern U.S.A. We then used an information-theoretic approach to test alternative models of salamander occupancy based on a priori predictions of the effects of network configuration, region and salamander life history. 4. Across all four species, we found that streams connected to other first-order streams had higher occupancy than those flowing directly into larger streams and rivers. For three of the four species, occupancy was lower in the urbanised region than in the undeveloped region. 5. These results demonstrate that the spatial configuration of stream networks within protected areas affects the occurrences of stream salamander species. We strongly encourage preservation of network connections between first-order streams in conservation planning and management decisions that may affect stream species.

Stabilization of Bio-Oil Fractions for Insertion into Petroleum Refineries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, Robert C. [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States); Smith, Ryan [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States); Wright, Mark [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States); Elliott, Douglas [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Resasco, Daniel [Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (United States); Crossley, Steven [Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (United States)

2014-09-28

This project is part of a collaboration effort between Iowa State University (ISU), University of Oklahoma (OK) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The purpose of this project is to stabilize bio-oil fractions and improve their suitability for insertion into petroleum refineries. Bio-oil from fast pyrolysis of biomass is a complex mixture of unstable organic compounds. These organic compounds react under standard room conditions resulting in increases in bio-oil viscosity and water content – both detrimental for bio-oil storage and transportation. This study employed fractionation and upgrading systems to improve the stability of bio-oil. The fractionation system consists of a series of condensers, and electrostatic precipitators designed to separate bio-oil into five fractions: soluble carbohydrates (SF1&2), clean phenolic oligomers (CPO) and middle fraction (SF3&4), light oxygenates (SF5). A two-stage upgrading process was designed to process bio-oil stage fractions into stable products that can be inserted into a refinery. In the upgrading system, heavy and middle bio-oil fractions were upgraded into stable oil via cracking and subsequent hydrodeoxygenation. The light oxygenate fraction was steam reformed to provide a portion of requisite hydrogen for hydroprocessing. Hydrotreating and hydrocracking employed hydrogen from natural gas, fuel gas and light oxygenates reforming. The finished products from this study consist of gasoline- and diesel-blend stock fuels.

Source identification of underground fuel spills in a petroleum refinery using fingerprinting techniques and chemo-metric analysis. A Case Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kanellopoulou, G.; Gidarakos, E.; Pasadakis, N.

2005-01-01

Crude oil and its refining products are the most frequent contaminants, found in the environment due to spills. The aim of this work was the identification of spill source(s) in the subsurface of a petroleum refinery. Free phase samples were analyzed with gas chromatography and the analytical results were interpreted using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method. The chemical analysis of groundwater samples from the refinery subsurface was also employed to obtain a comprehensive picture of the spill distribution and origin. (authors)

Development and test of a free-streaming readout chain for the CBM time of flight wall

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loizeau, Pierre-Alain

2014-01-01

This thesis presents the development and test of a free-streaming readout chain for the Time of Flight (TOF) Wall of the Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment. In order to contribute to the exploration of the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter, CBM aims at the measurement of rare probes, whose yields and phase space distributions are significantly influenced by their environment. Many of the possible signals, of which the antiprotons was investigated within this thesis, require an excellent Particle Identification (PID) and a new readout paradigm called free-streaming. In CBM, the PID for charged particles is provided by a TOF wall based on Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPC). Within the thesis, a central component of the TOF readout chain, the free-streaming ASIC-TDC, was evaluated and pushed from the prototype level to a close to final design, for which it could be demonstrated that it fulfill all the CBM requirements: resolution, rate capability and stability. Additionally, the CBM TOF software in the CBMROOT software framework was reorganized to merge the processing and analysis of real and simulated data. A data unpacker and a realistic digitizer were implemented with a common output data format. The digitizer was used to estimate the data rates and number of components in a free-streaming readout chain for the full wall.

Radioactive tracer method as an instrument for testing effectiveness of effluent treatment installations and mixing patterns in natural streams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szpilowski, S; Strzelczak, G; Winnicki, R [Institute of Nuclear Research, Warsaw (Poland)

1976-01-01

The radiotracer methods of evaluation of sewage flow rate, testing of effluent treatment plants and mixing patterns in natural streams have been described. Experimental works were carried out for industrial installations and natural streams. As a tracer of liquid phase an aqueous KBr solution labelled with /sup 82/Br have been used. The sediment materials have been labelled with /sup 198/Au in the form of colloidal gold. The results of investigations have been utilized for treatment process analysis and water pollution control.

Streams with Strahler Stream Order

Data.gov (United States)

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources — Stream segments with Strahler stream order values assigned. As of 01/08/08 the linework is from the DNR24K stream coverages and will not match the updated...

Production of advanced biofuels: co-processing of upgraded pyrolysis oil in standard refinery units

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Miguel Mercader, F.; de Miguel Mercader, F.; Groeneveld, M.J.; Hogendoorn, Kees; Kersten, Sascha R.A.; Way, N.W.J.; Schaverien, C.J.

2010-01-01

One of the possible process options for the production of advanced biofuels is the co-processing of upgraded pyrolysis oil in standard refineries. The applicability of hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) was studied as a pyrolysis oil upgrading step to allow FCC co-processing. Different HDO reaction end

Fiscal 1999 basic survey report for promotion of joint implementation. Study on energy saving and CO2 reduction at Balikpapan refinery; 1999 nendo Balikpapan seiyusho ni okeru shoene CO{sub 2} sakugen chosa hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-03-01

Concerning the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions for the embodiment of clean development mechanisms (CDMs) in Indonesia, a survey is conducted about energy saving and CO2 reduction at its Balikpapan refinery. At the refinery, a crude-oil atmospheric distillation unit operates at 200,000 BPSD (barrels per stream day) and a vacuum distillation unit at 81,000 BPSD, with the fuel consumed by the two units discharging approximately 470,000 tons/year of CO2. The result of the survey discloses that there is need for some improvement in relation with heat recovery and that the great distance between the two distillation units presents a problem in relation with heat efficiency. To settle the problems, heat recovery will be enhanced and the fuel to be burned in the heating furnace will be reduced. A plan to modify the heat exchanger system is worked out using JGC Corporation's energy-saving technology, and a rough design is drafted for the modification. When the modification is carried out, there will be a CO2 reduction of 18,636-61,597 tons/year. The Pertamina also wants the plan to be realized, wishing that technical and financial aids will be available. The plan when realized will serve as a stimulus to the local community and to the industry as a whole. (NEDO)

Agar Sediment Test for Assessing the Suitability of Organic Waste Streams for Recovering Nutrients by the Aquatic Worm Lumbriculus variegatus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bob Laarhoven

Full Text Available An agar sediment test was developed to evaluate the suitability of organic waste streams from the food industry for recovering nutrients by the aquatic worm Lumbriculus variegatus (Lv. The effects of agar gel, sand, and food quantities in the sediment test on worm growth, reproduction, and water quality were studied. Agar gel addition ameliorated growth conditions by reducing food hydrolysis and altering sediment structure. Best results for combined reproduction and growth were obtained with 0.6% agar-gel (20 ml, 10 g. fine sand, 40 g. coarse sand, and 105 mg fish food (Tetramin. With agar gel, ingestion and growth is more the result of addition of food in its original quality. Final tests with secondary potato starch sludge and wheat bran demonstrated that this test is appropriate for the comparison of solid feedstuffs and suspended organic waste streams. This test method is expected to be suitable for organic waste studies using other sediment dwelling invertebrates.

Amoco-US Environmental Protection Agency, pollution prevention project, Yorktown, Virginia: Surface water data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baloo, S.

1991-08-01

The report summarizes the surface water sampling program at the Amoco Refinery at Yorktown, Virginia. This was undertaken as a part of the joint project between Amoco Corporation and the United States Environmental Protection Agency to review pollution prevention alternatives at a petroleum refinery. The surface water data provides a snapshot of surface water pollutant generation and discharge from the refinery. Different process units contribute to the total wastewater flow of 460 GPM in the refinery. Water in the ditch system, which is non-process water, is free of organic contamination. Oil and grease, phenols, ammonia and sulfides are the significant components measured in the process wastewater. The concentrations of organics in most water streams leaving the individual process units are relatively low, in the 1-5 parts per million (ppm) range. A few individual streams such as the crude desalter brine and tank water draws have high pollutant loadings. Concentrations of metals in the refinery wastewater are very low. The wastewater treatment plant is very effective in reducing the pollutant loading in the water with overall removal efficiencies greater than 99% for most organics and inorganics

Refinery boom in Southeast Asia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gruson, J.F.; Virondaud, C.

1996-01-01

The Asia demand for oil is increasing dramatically, particularly in the non OECD countries, which represent, today more than 15 % of the world oil market. The expected economic growth in these areas should contribute to a rise in oil demand by about 5.4 per year and hence to a significant increase of this share to 25 % in 2010; virtually a large part of this evolution will come from the transportation sector. The proceeding investments of the regional, refining industry are very high (some evaluations come to around 140 billion of dollars), all the more the protection of the environment takes an increasing significant place. Accordingly the most important challenge to be taken up by these countries will be to mobilize long term fundings to develop and adapt the capabilities of the refineries to meet the growth of gasoline and gas oil demand. The contribution of private operators or capital will be necessary, but will depend strongly on refining margin improvement and on progress of free market areas announced by several countries. (authors)

Evaluation of the dispersion of oil refinery liquid effluent; Avaliacao da dispersao de efluente liquido de refinaria de petroleo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mariano, Adriano Pinto; Silva, Ariovaldo Jose da; Oliveira, Valdenilson Jose Alves de; Angelis, Dejanira de Franceschi de [Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Rio Claro, SP (Brazil). Dept. de Bioquimica e Microbiologia. Inst. de Biociencias], e-mail: adrianomariano@yahoo.com.br

2010-07-15

In this paper, two techniques to evaluate the dispersion of the effluent of an oil refinery are presented. Thus, the dispersion plume was characterized by field measurements of electrical conductivity and by computational simulation (Cormix simulator). An oil refinery whose effluent is discharged on the Atibaia river (Paulinia/SP) is taken as study case. The behavior of the effluent was evaluated until 1000 m after the discharge. The results show that the measurement of electrical conductivity is a suitable technique to evaluate the dispersion of oil refinery wastewaters, since they have high conductivity and for this reason there is a strong contrast between the values of the wastewater and the ambient background. Furthermore, other water quality parameters had a dispersion behavior similar to that shown by the conductivity. The dispersion plume generated by the computational simulator showed high concordance with the field data. In this manner, computational simulation can be a useful tool to evaluate the dispersion of discharges considering hypothetical scenarios, as well as to design the discharge channel. (author)

Mesocosm trials of bioremediation of contaminated soil of a petroleum refinery: comparison of natural attenuation, biostimulation and bioaugmentation.

Science.gov (United States)

Couto, M Nazaré P F S; Monteiro, Emanuela; Vasconcelos, M Teresa S D

2010-08-01

Contamination with petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC) is a global problem with environmental implications. Physico-chemical treatments can be used for soil cleanup, but they are expensive, and can have implications for soil structure and environment. Otherwise, biological remediation treatments are cost-effective and restore soil structure. Several remediation experiments have been carried out in the lab and in the field; however, there is the challenge to achieve as good or better results in the field as in the laboratory. In the ambit of a project aiming at investigating suitable biological remediation approaches for recovering a refinery contaminated soil, we present here results obtained in bioremediation trials. The approaches biostimulation and bioaugmentation were tested, in parallel, and compared with natural attenuation. For this purpose, mesocosm experiments were carried out inside the refinery area, which constitutes a real asset of this work. Soil contaminated with crude oil was excavated, re-contaminated with turbine oil, homogenised and used to fill several 0.5 m(3) high-density polyethylene containers. The efficiency of procedures as follows: (1) natural attenuation; (2) manual aeration; (3) biostimulation by adding (3.1) only nutrients; and (3.2) nutrients and a non-ionic surfactant; and (4) bioaugmentation in the presence of added (4.1) nutrients or (4.2) nutrients and a non-ionic surfactant were evaluated after a 9-month period of experiment. For bioaugmentation, a commercial bacterial product was used. In addition to physico-chemical characterization, initial and final soil contents in total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) (by Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry) and the total number of bacteria (by total cell counts) were carried out. For TPH degradation evaluation the soil was divided in four fractions corresponding to different depths: 0-5; 5-10; 10-15; and 15-20 cm. Mean values of percentages of PHC degradation varied between 20 and 50% at

Bioenergy, material, and nutrients recovery from household waste: Advanced material, substance, energy, and cost flow analysis of a waste refinery process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tonini, Davide; Dorini, Gianluca; Astrup, Thomas Fruergaard

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We modeled material, substance, energy, and cost flows of a waste refinery process. • Ca. 56% of 1 Mg dry waste input can be recovered as bioliquid yielding 6.2 GJ biogas. • Nutrients and carbon recovery in the bioliquid was estimated to 81–89%. • The biogenic carbon in the input waste was 63% of total carbon based on 14 C analyses. • The quality of the digestate may be critical with respect to use on land. - Abstract: Energy, materials, and resource recovery from mixed household waste may contribute to reductions in fossil fuel and resource consumption. For this purpose, legislation has been enforced to promote energy recovery and recycling. Potential solutions for separating biogenic and recyclable materials are offered by waste refineries where a bioliquid is produced from enzymatic treatment of mixed waste. In this study, potential flows of materials, energy, and substances within a waste refinery were investigated by combining sampling, analyses, and modeling. Existing material, substance, and energy flow analysis was further advanced by development of a mathematical optimization model for determination of the theoretical recovery potential. The results highlighted that the waste refinery may recover ca. 56% of the dry matter input as bioliquid, yielding 6.2 GJ biogas-energy. The potential for nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and biogenic carbon recovery was estimated to be between 81% and 89% of the input. Biogenic and fossil carbon in the mixed household waste input was determined to 63% and 37% of total carbon based on 14 C analyses. Additional recovery of metals and plastic was possible based on further process optimization. A challenge for the process may be digestate quality, as digestate may represent an emission pathway when applied on land. Considering the potential variability of local revenues for energy outputs, the costs for the waste refinery solution appeared comparable with alternatives such as direct incineration

STREAMTO: Streaming Content using a Tamper-Resistant Token

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cheng, Jieyin; Chong, C.N.; Doumen, J.M.; Etalle, Sandro; Hartel, Pieter H.; Nikolaus, Stefan

2004-01-01

StreamTo uses tamper resistant hardware tokens to generate the key stream needed to decrypt encrypted streaming music. The combination of a hardware token and steaming media effectively brings tried and tested PayTV technology to the Internet. We provide a security analysis and present two prototype

WPC (Madrid): Block Downstream and Petrochemicals - Best Practices session: novel approaches to improve energy efficiency at refineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2008-01-01

This session: 'Novel approaches to improve energy efficiency at refineries', includes two key-note addresses. During the first one, entitled 'refinery energy efficiency today', Zoran Milosevic (KBC) has reported a survey of the current situation and of the improvements margins for the future. Hereafter, this work takes again in developing them, the main messages of the address of Jean-Bernard Sigaud, whose aim was to attract attention on the requirement of a rigorous methodological approach in order to avoid that the decisions taken to abate the energy consumption or the CO 2 releases at the local level, result in fine to the inverse result of those of the world level. This work shows particularly why the traditional perception of a refinery energy balance, which consists to assimilate the fuel consumption to an energy consumption, can lead to deep misinterpretations. It shows too in what the hydrogen transfer amounts to de-localize the energy consumption (which occurs essentially where the hydrogen is consumed) compared to the corresponding CO 2 releases which are produced where hydrogen is produced. At last, a comparison between the different channels for the electric power production and the synthesized fuels, illustrates the crucial importance to use each technology deliberately, while underlining the character sometimes under-intuitive of the good decision. (O.M.)

Reconstruction of refinery industry in Chechen Republic on the resource- and energy-saving basis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Geieva, L.A.; Meshalkin, V.P.; Sarkissov, P.D. [Mendeleev Univ. of Chemical Technology of Russia, Moscow (Russian Federation); Hadzhiev, S.N. [Inst. of Petrochemical Synthesis of Russian Academy of Sciences after A.V. Topchiev (Russian Federation)

2003-07-01

In 2000, the Russian Federation implemented measures to increase oil production in the Chechen Republic from 73 thousand metric tons to 1.5 million metric tons by 2002. As a result, the oil refining industry in the Chechen Republic is currently in a state of crisis. More advanced and effective refining processes are required along with a reduction in production costs. The reconstruction program for refineries in Grozny requires new process system designs that can handle the appropriate petroleum products in the correct quantities and required qualities. There is also a need to balance the use of natural resources with fixed facilities and operating costs. The challenge to design optimal process systems for refineries in Grozny is both multicriterial and complex. The design will have to consider the use of various crudes and petroleum products. Advances in refining capability and resource conservation technologies would lead to greater energy consumption resulting from additional petroleum production.

Cleaning up gasoline will increase refinery hydrogen demand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pretorius, E.B.; Muan, A.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that hydrogen needs will increase two to five times as the world turns its attention to cleaning up engine exhaust. The subject of fuel trends and hydrogen needs at Foster Wheeler USA Corp.'s Hydrogen Plant Conference, June 2--4, in Orlando was addressed. The conference was attended by more than 100 people from 12 different countries. Drawing on knowledge from over 1 billion scfd of total installed hydrogen plant capacity, Foster Wheeler experts presented papers in the fields of steam reforming, partial oxidation (with all feedstocks, from natural gas to resids and coal), and steam reformer design. Other industry specialists gave papers on refinery balances, markets, coal feedstocks, utility systems, and components for hydrogen plants

Inhibition of dehydrogenase activity in petroleum refinery wastewater bacteria by phenolic compounds

OpenAIRE

Gideon C. Okpokwasili; Christian Okechukwu Nweke

2010-01-01

The toxicity of phenol, 2-nitrophenol, 4-nitrophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, 2-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, 4-bromophenol and 3,5-dimethylphenol on Pseudomonas, Bacillus and Escherichia species isolated from petroleum refinery wastewater was assessed via inhibition of dehydrogenase enzyme activity. At low concentrations, 2-nitrophenol, 2-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, 4-bromophenol and 3,5-dimethylphenol stimulated dehydrogenase activity and at sufficient concentrations, phenolic compounds inhibi...

BLOSTREAM: A HIGH SPEED STREAM CIPHER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ALI H. KASHMAR

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Although stream ciphers are widely utilized to encrypt sensitive data at fast speeds, security concerns have led to a shift from stream to block ciphers, judging that the current technology in stream cipher is inferior to the technology of block ciphers. This paper presents the design of an improved efficient and secure stream cipher called Blostream, which is more secure than conventional stream ciphers that use XOR for mixing. The proposed cipher comprises two major components: the Pseudo Random Number Generator (PRNG using the Rabbit algorithm and a nonlinear invertible round function (combiner for encryption and decryption. We evaluate its performance in terms of implementation and security, presenting advantages and disadvantages, comparison of the proposed cipher with similar systems and a statistical test for randomness. The analysis shows that the proposed cipher is more efficient, high speed, and secure than current conventional stream ciphers.

Agar Sediment Test for Assessing the Suitability of Organic Waste Streams for Recovering Nutrients by the Aquatic Worm Lumbriculus variegatus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laarhoven, Bob; Elissen, H.J.H.; Temmink, H.; Buisman, C.J.N.

2016-01-01

An agar sediment test was developed to evaluate the suitability of organic waste streams from the food industry for recovering nutrients by the aquatic worm Lumbriculus variegatus (Lv). The effects of agar gel, sand, and food quantities in the sediment test on worm growth, reproduction, and water

Electrometallurgy of copper refinery anode slimes

Science.gov (United States)

Scott, J. D.

1990-08-01

High-selenium copper refinery anode slimes form two separate and dynamically evolving series of compounds with increasing electrolysis time. In one, silver is progressively added to non-stoichiometric copper selenides, both those originally present in the anode and those formed subsequently in the slime layer, and in the other, silver-poor copper selenides undergo a dis-continuous crystallographic sequence of anodic-oxidative transformations. The silver-to-selenium molar ratio in the as-cast anode and the current density of electrorefining can be used to construct predominance diagrams for both series and, thus, to predict the final bulk “mineralogy” of the slimes. Although totally incorrect in detail, these bulk data are sufficiently accurate to provide explanations for several processing problems which have been experienced by Kidd Creek Division, Falconbridge Ltd., in its commercial tankhouse. They form the basis for a computer model which predicts final cathode quality from chemical analyses of smelter feed.

Model-centered approach to early planning and design of an eco-industrial park around an oil refinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiangping; Strømman, Anders H; Solli, Christian; Hertwich, Edgar G

2008-07-01

Industrial symbiosis promises environmental and economic gains through a utilization of the waste of some processes as a resource for other processes. Because of the costs and difficulties of transporting some wastes, the largest theoretical potential for industrial symbiosis is given when facilities are colocated in an eco-industrial park (EIP). This study proposes a model-centered approach with an eight-step procedure for the early planning and design of an eco-industrial park considering technical and environmental factors. Chemical process simulation software was used to model the energy and material flows among the prospective members and to quantify the benefits of integration among different firms in terms of energy and resources saved as compared to a reference situation. Process simulation was based on a combination of physical models of industrial processes and empirical models. The modeling allows for the development and evaluation of different collaboration opportunities and configurations. It also enables testing chosen configurations under hypothetical situations or external conditions. We present a case study around an existing oil and gas refinery in Mongstad, Norway. We used the approach to propose the colocation of a number of industrial facilities around the refinery, focused on integrating energy use among the facilities. An EIP with six main members was designed and simulated, matching new hypothetical members in size to the existing operations, modeling material and energy flows in the EIP, and assessing these in terms of carbon and hydrogen flows.

STUDY OF EFFECTIVENESS OF BREAKWATER STRUCTURES OF THE “EASTERN PETROCHEMICAL COMPANY” JSC OIL REFINERY AND PETROCHEMICAL PLANTS PORT COMPLEX

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prikhod’ko Oleg Alekseevich

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The article presents the research of MGSU Corporation for testing of design solutions of the “Eastern petrochemical company” JSC oil refinery and petrochemical plants port complex using the physical modeling method. Construction of the marine terminal of the oil refinery and petrochemical plants port complex is planned to be on the Eastern shore of the Vostok Bay which is the part of Peter the Great Bay in the Sea of Japan. The port area is created by means of an artificial land site. The water area of the terminal will be guarded against sea waves by a breakwater. Experiments on the study of wave propagation in the port model water area at the Eastern and Western breakwaters were performed in the laboratory wave basin in three-dimensional layout, with the aim of obtaining of data about wave heights at berthing facilities. Effectiveness of the breakwater designs was studied in two-dimensional layout in a wave flume. During the port model construction all the designed waterworks as well as the project bathymetry of the port water area were reproduced at a scale of 1:100. Analysis of the experiment results with the slope protection embodiment version demonstrates that this engineering solution is able to withstand waves of the design parameters.

Regeneration and reuse waste from an edible oil refinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Boukerroui, Abdelhamid; Belhocine, Lydia; Ferroudj, Sonia

2017-08-21

A spent bleaching earth (SBE) from an edible oil refinery has been regenerated by thermal processing in oven, followed by washing with a cold solution of hydrochloric acid (1M). Optimal regeneration conditions have been controlled by decolorization tests of degummed and neutralized soybean oil. Optimal values of treatment (temperature 350°C, carbonization time 01 h, and HCl concentration 1M) gave a very efficient material. After bleaching oil by regenerated spent bleaching earth (RSBE), the chlorophyll-a and β-carotenes contained in crude edible oil and observed respectively at 430, 454, and 483 nm, value of λ max , are very much decreased. The results obtained after decolorization of edible oil by RSBE material indicate, that, during the process, the bleaching oil did not undergo any changes in the free fatty acid content. The peroxide value (PV) was reduced from 4.2 to 1.8 meq O 2 /kg, and the color has been improved (Lovibond color yellow/red: from 50/0.5 to 2.7/0.3, respectively). The RSBE material obtained was characterized by several techniques (FTIR, SEM). The results show that the heat treatment did not affect the mineral structure of RSBE, and the regenerated material recovered its porous structure.

Repair procedure used in removing corroded pits in the distillation towers of the Getulio Vargas Refinery Unit 2100

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lordelos, H.M.; Santin, J.L.

1977-07-01

A description is given of the corrosion pits on ASTM A240, Type 405 steel cladded to carbon steel plates used in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.'s Getulio Vargas Refinery Unit 2100 distillation towers; the repair procedure used, including sand blasting of the corroded surfaces, grinding of the pits, and welding of those pits whose depth was above a maximum limit, and the use of liquid penetrant to check the repairs made; and hydrostatic testing of the T2201 catalytic cracking unit, which used also cladded metals and on which the pits were much smaller in size and number than those on the distillation units.

Stretch-minimising stream surfaces

KAUST Repository

Barton, Michael; Kosinka, Jin; Calo, Victor M.

2015-01-01

We study the problem of finding stretch-minimising stream surfaces in a divergence-free vector field. These surfaces are generated by motions of seed curves that propagate through the field in a stretch minimising manner, i.e., they move without stretching or shrinking, preserving the length of their arbitrary arc. In general fields, such curves may not exist. How-ever, the divergence-free constraint gives rise to these 'stretch-free' curves that are locally arc-length preserving when infinitesimally propagated. Several families of stretch-free curves are identified and used as initial guesses for stream surface generation. These surfaces are subsequently globally optimised to obtain the best stretch-minimising stream surfaces in a given divergence-free vector field. Our algorithm was tested on benchmark datasets, proving its applicability to incompressible fluid flow simulations, where our stretch-minimising stream surfaces realistically reflect the flow of a flexible univariate object. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Stretch-minimising stream surfaces

KAUST Repository

Barton, Michael

2015-05-01

We study the problem of finding stretch-minimising stream surfaces in a divergence-free vector field. These surfaces are generated by motions of seed curves that propagate through the field in a stretch minimising manner, i.e., they move without stretching or shrinking, preserving the length of their arbitrary arc. In general fields, such curves may not exist. How-ever, the divergence-free constraint gives rise to these \\'stretch-free\\' curves that are locally arc-length preserving when infinitesimally propagated. Several families of stretch-free curves are identified and used as initial guesses for stream surface generation. These surfaces are subsequently globally optimised to obtain the best stretch-minimising stream surfaces in a given divergence-free vector field. Our algorithm was tested on benchmark datasets, proving its applicability to incompressible fluid flow simulations, where our stretch-minimising stream surfaces realistically reflect the flow of a flexible univariate object. © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Methods for removing radioactive isotopes from contaminated streams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoy, D.R.; Hickey, T.N.; Spulgis, I.S.; Parish, H.C.

1979-01-01

Methods for removing radioactive isotopes from contaminated gas streams for use in atmospheric containment and cleanup systems in nuclear power plants are provided. The methods provide for removal of radioactive isotopes from a first portion of the contaminated stream, separated from the remaining portion of the stream, so that adsorbent used to purify the first portion of the contaminated stream by adsorption of the radioactive isotopes therefrom can be tested to determine the adsorbing efficacy of the generally larger portion of adsorbent used to purify the remaining portion of the stream

Purification and detoxification of petroleum refinery wastewater by electrocoagulation process.

Science.gov (United States)

Gousmi, N; Sahmi, A; Li, H Z; Poncin, S; Djebbar, R; Bensadok, K

2016-09-01

The treatment of synthetic oily wastewater having the characteristics of a typical petroleum refinery wastewater (PRW) by electrocoagulation (EC) using iron and aluminum electrodes was conducted in an electrolytic reactor equipped with fluid recirculation. During the treatment, the emulsion stability was followed by the measurement of Zeta potential and particle sizes. Effects of some operating conditions such as electrodes material, current density and electrolysis time on removal efficiencies of turbidity, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were investigated in detail. The PRW purification by the EC process was found to be the most effective using aluminum as the anode and cathode, current density of 60 A/m(2) and 30 min of electrolysis time. Under these conditions, the process efficiencies were 83.52% and 99.94%, respectively, for COD and turbidity removals which correspond to final values of 96 mg O2/L and 0.5 NTU. A moderate energy consumption (0.341 kWh) was needed to treat 1 m(3) of PRW. Besides, the ecotoxicity test proved that toxic substances presented in the PRW, and those inhibiting the germination growth of whet, were eliminated by the EC technique.

Prospective techno-economic and environmental assessment of carbon capture at a refinery and CO

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fernandez Dacosta, C.; Van Der Spek, Mijndert; Hung, Christine Roxanne; Oregionni, Gabriel David; Skagestad, Ragnhild; Parihar, Prashant; Gokak, D. T.; Strømman, Anders Hammer; Ramirez Ramirez, C.A.

2017-01-01

CO₂ utilisation is gaining interest as a potential element towards a sustainable economy. CO₂ can be used as feedstock in the synthesis of fuels, chemicals and polymers. This study presents a prospective assessment of carbon capture from a hydrogen unit at a refinery, where

Lymphohematopoietic Cancer Mortality and Morbidity of Workers in a Refinery/Petrochemical Complex in Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dong-Hee Koh

2011-03-01

Conclusion: The results showed a potential relationship between leukemia and lymphohematopoietic cancers and exposure to benzene in refinery/petrochemical complex workers. This study yielded limited results due to a short observational period; therefore, a follow-up study must be performed to elucidate the relationship between petrochemical exposure and cancer rates.

The guava tree as bioindicator during the process of fuel replacement of an oil refinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Simone F; Meirelles, Sérgio T; Moraes, Regina M

2013-05-01

This study was performed to verify whether the exchange of the fuel used in the boilers of a crude oil refinery located in Cubatão (SE Brazil) would result in alterations on gas exchange, growth and leaf injuries in saplings of Psidium guajava 'Paluma'. The purpose of the refinery was to reduce the SO2 emission, but using natural gas as fuel could increase the concentrations of O3 precursors in the atmosphere. Thus a biomonitoring was performed with a native species sensitive to O3. The plants were exposed in five areas (CM1, CM5, CEPEMA, Centro, and RP) at different distances to the refinery, both before and after the fuel exchange. We performed six exposures under environmental conditions, with length of ca. 90 days each. With the utilization of natural gas, the saplings presented reductions in carbon assimilation rate under saturating light conditions (Asat, μmolCO2m(-2)s(-1)) and the stomatal conductance (gs, molH2Om(-2)s(-1)), and increase in height, number of leaves, and dry mass of leaves and shoots. There were also reductions in root dry mass and in the root/shoot ratio. The saplings also presented O3-induced leaf injuries. The responses of P. guajava 'Paluma' were altered after the fuel exchange as a result of a new combination of pollutants in the atmosphere. The fuel exchange has not resulted in environmental benefit to the surrounding forest; it has only altered the contamination profile of the region. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Environmental and economic sustainability of integrated production in bio-refineries : The thistle case in Sardinia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yazan, Devrim; Mandras, Giovanni; Garau, Giorgio

2016-01-01

This paper aims at evaluating the environmental and economic sustainability of bio-refineries that produce multiple products through their supply chains (SCs). A physical enterprise input-output (EIO) model is used to quantify the material/energy/waste flows and integrated to the monetary EIO model

Scale Model Acoustic Test Validation of IOP-SS Water Prediction using Loci-STREAM-VoF

Science.gov (United States)

Nielsen, Tanner; West, Jeff

2015-01-01

The Scale Model Acoustic Test (SMAT) is a 5% scale test of the Space Launch System (SLS), which is currently being designed at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). SMAT consists of a 5% scale representation of the ignition overpressure sound-suppression system (IOP-SS) that is being tested to quantify the water flow and induced air entrainment in and around the mobile launcher exhaust hole. This data will be compared with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations using the newly developed Loci-STREAM Volume of Fluid (VoF) methods. Compressible and incompressible VoF methods have been formulated, and are currently being used to simulate the water flow of SMAT IOP-SS. The test data will be used to qualitatively and quantitatively assess and validate the VoF methods.

Present day engines pollutant emissions: proposed model for refinery bases impact; Emissions de polluants des moteurs actuels: modelisation de l'impact des bases de raffinage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hochart, N.; Jeuland, N.; Montagne, X. [Institut Francais du Petrole (IFP), Div. Techniques d' Applications Energetiques, 92 - Rueil-Malmaison (France); Raux, S. [Institut Francais du Petrole (IFP), Div. Techniques d' Applications Energetiques, Centre d' Etudes et de Developpement Industriel, Rene Navarre, 69 - Vernaison (France); Belot, G.; Cahill, B. [PSA-Peugiot-Citroen, 92 - La Garenne-Colombes (France); Faucon, R.; Petit, A. [Renault, 91 - Lardy (France); Michon, S. [Renault Trucks Powertrain, 69 - Saint Priest (France)

2003-07-01

Air quality improvement, especially in urban areas, is one of the major concerns for the coming years. For this reason, car manufacturers, equipment manufacturers and refiners have explored development issues to comply with increasingly severe anti-pollution requirements. In such a context, the identification of the most promising improvement options is essential. A research program, carried out by IFP (Institut francais du petrole), and supported by the French Ministry of Industry, PSA-Peugeot-Citroen, Renault and RVI (Renault Vehicules Industriels), has been built to study this point. It is based on a 4-year program with different steps focused on new engine technologies which will be available in the next 20 years in order to answer to more and more severe pollutant and CO{sub 2} emissions regulations. This program is divided into three main parts: the first one for Diesel car engines, the second for Diesel truck engines and the third for spark ignition engines. The aim of the work reported here is to characterize the effect of fuel formulation on pollutant emissions and engine tuning for different engine technologies. The originality of this study is to use refinery bases as parameters and not conventional physical or chemical parameters. The tested fuels have been chosen in order to represent the major refinery bases expected to be produced in the near future. These results, expressed with linear correlations between fuel composition and pollutant emissions, will help to give a new orientation to refinery tool. The engines presented in this publication are, for spark ignition engines, an EuroII lean-burn engine (Honda VTEC which equips the Honda Civic) and an EuroIII 1.8 l stoichiometric-running Renault engine which equips the Laguna vehicles, and, for diesel engines, an EuroII Renault Laguna 2.2 l indirect injection diesel engine and an EuroII RVI truck engine. For the fuel formulation, an original approach is proposed: while the classical studies are based

Relation Between Job Stress Dimensions and Job Satisfaction in Workers of a Refinery Control Room

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehdi Behjati Ardakani

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Job stress can result from an imbalance between job demands and the abilities to cope them. Stress can affect individuals and lead to job dissatisfaction. This study was conducted to assess the influence of different job stress dimensions on job satisfaction in workers of a refinery control room located at the south of Iran. Materials & Methods: In this cross sectional study all 100 workers of an oil refinery control room were studied. Job stress and job satisfaction was measured using standard questionnaires provided by national institute of mental health (NIMH and Robbins respectively. After collecting, data were analyzed using SPSS ver.16 software. A general linear model was used to estimate the effect of different job stress dimensions on the job satisfaction. Results: In this study 62.08 percent of workers were categorized as having high level of stress. In job satisfaction case, 9.2, 27.6, 28.7, 16.1 and 18.4 of workers were classified as totally dissatisfied, dissatisfied, not satisfied nor dissatisfied, satisfied and totally satisfied, respectively. A Pearson correlation test revealed a significant negative correlation between job satisfaction and all studied dimensions of job stress (p= 0.01. In the general regression model, partial Eta squared was 0.03, 0.3 and 0.23 for respectively interpersonal relationships, physical conditions of work and job interest. Conclusion: This study showed that job satisfaction is mostly influenced by physical conditions and job interest dimensions of job stress. Therefore, for improvement of job satisfaction in workers, different parameters of these two dimensions of job stress should be considered.

ENHANCEMENT OF PHENOL REMOVAL EFFICIENCY IN DORA REFINERY WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salah F. Sharif

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Because the sanctions imposed on Iraq by the United Nations, programmed maintenance and wearing parts replacement has not been performed according to schedules in DORA Refinery Wastewater Unit, which resulted in higher phenol content and BOD5 in effluents disposed to river. The investigations showed that two main reasons were behind this problem: Firstly, increased emissions of hydrocarbons in the complexity of refinery equipment and Secondly, the decreased efficiency of the aerators in the biological. During the last few months, phenol average concentration in the effluent, after biological treatment was found to be between 0.06-0.13 mg/L, while COD was exceeding 110 mg/L after treatment in the same period. Considerable enhancement, has been indicated recently, after the following performances: First: Recycling wastewater from some heat exchangers, and the segregation of low and high strength of wastewaters, Second: Minimizing emissions of hydrocarbons from fluid catalytic cracking and steam cracking, Third: Replacement of driving motors of the aerators in the biological treatment unit. After replacement of these units, a significant decrease in phenol concentration was obtained in purified water (0.03-0.05 mg/L and COD of 60 mg/L before the tertiary treatment. It is concluded that a better quality of effluents has been obtained after a series of emissions control and wastewater treatment unit equipment maintenance performances.

Energy saving in refineries and petrochemical complexes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verde, L

1975-01-01

Possible measures applicable in the design of refineries and petrochemical complexes, to effect energy savings were investigated. This was not limited to the single process unit problems, on the contrary the attention is mainly addressed to the identification of the interrelations between different units, emphasizing possible integrations. Particularly, the optimization of the pressure levels and number of the utility networks for steam distribution inside plant facilities, is considered, in order to maximize heat recovery in the process units, and electric power production in the central steampower generation plant. A computer program of general application, based on profitability evaluation at various fuel oil prices and different project configurations, has been developed for these purposes. The general measures applicable within certain limits are then briefly examined. The task of the process engineer is discussed in the perspective of the ''energy saving'' goal.

Gas turbine application in power plants of Mexican refineries; Aplicacion de turbinas de gas en plantas de fuerza de refinerias mexicanas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alcaraz Calderon, A. M.; Rodriguez Martinez, H.; Garcia Paredes, Job; Morales Guillen, Magdalena; Manzanares Papayanapolous, Emilio [Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas, Cuernavaca, Morelos (Mexico)]. E-mail: malcaraz@iie.org.mx; jhrm@iie.org.mx; jgarcia@iie.org.mx; mmmg@iie.org.mx; emp@iie.org.mx

2010-11-15

This article presents an overview of the application to have the gas turbine power generation systems, electric and steam for Mexican refineries. First there is a general description of the gas turbines and heat recovery (system components CHP) and CHP schemes are based on gas turbines capable of use in Mexican refineries. Subsequently referred to the characteristics of energy consumption (steam and electricity) from Mexican refineries and performs a technical analysis of CHP schemes based on gas turbines from the point of view of rates Q/W, power efficiencies and combined concluded that by their nature are very useful for refinery and gives some recommendations for improved implementation. [Spanish] En este articulo se presenta una vision general de la aplicacion que tienen las turbinas de gas en sistemas de generacion de energia electrica y vapor para refinerias mexicanas. Primeramente se da una descripcion general de las turbinas de gas y recuperadores de calor (componentes principales del sistema de cogeneracion) y se muestran los esquemas de cogeneracion basados en turbinas de gas susceptibles de utilizar en refinerias mexicanas. Posteriormente se mencionan las caracteristicas de consumos energeticos (vapor y energia electrica) de las refinerias mexicanas y se realiza un analisis tecnico de los esquemas de cogeneracion basado en turbinas de gas desde el punto de vista de tasas Q/W, eficiencias electricas y combinadas, concluyendose que por sus caracteristicas son muy utiles para refinerias y se dan algunas recomendaciones para su mejor aplicacion.

Radiation doses and hazards from processing of crude oil at the Tema oil refinery in Ghana

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Darko, E. O.; Kpeglo, D. O.; Akaho, E. H. K.; Schandorf, C.; Adu, P. A. S.; Faanu, A.; Abankwah, E.; Lawluvi, H.; Awudu, A. R.

2012-01-01

Processing of crude oil has been carried out in Ghana for more than four decades without measures to assess the hazards associated with the naturally occurring radionuclides in the raw and processed materials. This study investigates the exposure of the public to 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K in crude oil, petroleum products and wastes at the Tema oil refinery in Ghana using gamma-ray spectrometry. The study shows higher activity concentrations of the natural radionuclides in the wastes than the crude oil and the products with estimated hazard indices less than unity. The values obtained in the study are within recommended limits for public exposure indicating that radiation exposure from processing of the crude oil at the refinery does not pose any significant radiological hazard but may require monitoring to establish long-term effect on both public and workers. (authors)

Radiation doses and hazards from processing of crude oil at the Tema oil refinery in Ghana.

Science.gov (United States)

Darko, E O; Kpeglo, D O; Akaho, E H K; Schandorf, C; Adu, P A S; Faanu, A; Abankwah, E; Lawluvi, H; Awudu, A R

2012-02-01

Processing of crude oil has been carried out in Ghana for more than four decades without measures to assess the hazards associated with the naturally occurring radionuclides in the raw and processed materials. This study investigates the exposure of the public to (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K in crude oil, petroleum products and wastes at the Tema oil refinery in Ghana using gamma-ray spectrometry. The study shows higher activity concentrations of the natural radionuclides in the wastes than the crude oil and the products with estimated hazard indices less than unity. The values obtained in the study are within recommended limits for public exposure indicating that radiation exposure from processing of the crude oil at the refinery does not pose any significant radiological hazard but may require monitoring to establish long-term effect on both public and workers.

Diesel 10: impact on yield of the Brazilian refining park; Diesel S10: impacto sobre o rendimento do parque de refino brasileiro

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bonfa, Marcio H.P. [Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (PETROBRAS), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Szklo, Alexandre [Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia (PPE/COPPE/UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Programa de Planejamento Energetico

2012-07-01

This paper assesses the impact associated with the introduction of S10 diesel specification in Brazilian refineries, focusing on yield loss for diesel. An overview of S10 diesel specification presents the most restrictive parameters: sulfur content, density and distillation curve. A model of the Brazilian refining, considering the most relevant characteristics of intermediate streams that are combined into diesel, has been developed, into which projects foreseen for the following years have been included. Therefore, yield loss for diesel through 2020 could be estimated, ranging from 3.3%, with new planned refineries and an increase in severe hydrotreating capacity to process all diesel production, and 73.5%, when new refineries are not considered and with current hydrotreating capacity. The increase in hydrotreating capacity beyond the already planned expansion as well as adjustments in intermediate streams in order to meet new distillation curve restrictions are required and some additional mitigating proposals have been proposed for the supply side (additional new refineries, oil selection and biofuels) and the demand side (vehicle efficiency, alternative fuels, mode switching and vehicle inspection and scrappage programs). (author)

Detection of impurities in fluid flowing in refinery pipeline or oil production operations using nuclear techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

Chlorine (from salt water) and sulphur are determined in crude oil in a well head conduit or refined product in a petroleum refinery by bombardment with neutrons and measuring the gamma rays emitted by neutron capture reactions. (U.K.)

Bioremediation at a petroleum refinery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carson, A.W.; Jarvis, J.; Richardson, K.E.

1994-01-01

This paper presents a summary of three projects at the Mobil Refinery in Torrance, California where bioremediation technologies were successfully employed for the remediation of hydrocarbon contaminated soil. The three projects represent variations of implementation of bioremediation, both in-situ and ex-situ. Soil from all of the projects was considered non-hazardous designated waste under the California Code of Regulations, Title 23, section 2522. The projects were permitted and cleanup requirements were defined with the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. In all of the projects, different methods were used for supplying water, oxygen, and nutrients to the hydrocarbon degrading bacteria to stimulate growth. The Stormwater Retention Basin Project utilized in-situ mechanical mixing of soils to supply solid nutrients and oxygen, and a self-propelled irrigation system to supply water. The Tank Farm Lake project used an in-situ active bioventing technology to introduce oxygen, moisture, and vapor phase nutrients. The Tank 1340X247 project was an ex-situ bioventing remediation project using a drip irrigation system to supply water and dissolved nutrients, and a vapor extraction system to provide oxygen

Defense Waste Processing Facility Recycle Stream Evaporation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

STONE, MICHAEL

2006-01-01

tank farm by eliminating all recycle transfers to the tank farm except a small purge stream. The test program performed by the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) consisted of four phases: (1) Radioactive characterization of the recycle streams, (2) OLI modeling, (3) simulant testing, and (4) radioactive testing. The evaluation determined that the operation of a dedicated recycle evaporator is feasible, but some technical and operational issues must be resolved. These issues are incorporation of the higher solids from the cleaning solution, foaming during the evaporation process, and higher than acceptable levels of mercury, nitrate, I-129, and organic carbon in the condensate for some of the potential recycle streams. This paper will focus on the simulant testing

Scheduling of Crude Oil Operations in Refinery without Sufficient Charging Tanks Using Petri Nets

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan An

2017-05-01

Full Text Available A short-term schedule for crude oil operations in a refinery should define and sequence the activities in detail. Each activity involves both discrete-event and continuous variables. The combinatorial nature of the scheduling problem makes it difficult to solve. For such a scheduling problem, charging tanks are a type of critical resources. If the number of charging tanks is not sufficient, the scheduling problem is further complicated. This work conducts a study on the scheduling problem of crude oil operations without sufficient charging tanks. In this case, to make a refinery able to operate, a charging tank has to be in simultaneous charging and feeding to a distiller for some time, called simultaneously-charging-and-feeding (SCF mode, leading to disturbance to the oil distillation in distillers. A hybrid Petri net model is developed to describe the behavior of the system. Then, a scheduling method is proposed to find a schedule such that the SCF mode is minimally used. It is computationally efficient. An industrial case study is given to demonstrate the obtained results.

Alignment data streams for the ATLAS inner detector

CERN Document Server

Pinto, B; Pereira, P; Elsing, M; Hawkings, R; Schieck, J; García, S; Schaffer, A; Ma, H; Anjos, A

2008-01-01

The ATLAS experiment uses a complex trigger strategy to be able to reduce the Event Filter rate output, down to a level that allows the storage and processing of these data. These concepts are described in the ATLAS Computing Model which embraces Grid paradigm. The output coming from the Event Filter consists of four main streams: physical stream, express stream, calibration stream, and diagnostic stream. The calibration stream will be transferred to the Tier-0 facilities that will provide the prompt reconstruction of this stream with a minimum latency of 8 hours, producing calibration constants of sufficient quality to allow a first-pass processing. The Inner Detector community is developing and testing an independent common calibration stream selected at the Event Filter after track reconstruction. It is composed of raw data, in byte-stream format, contained in Readout Buffers (ROBs) with hit information of the selected tracks, and it will be used to derive and update a set of calibration and alignment cons...

Industrial waste management - a case study at Attock oil refinery Ltd., Rawalpindi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramay, M.I.; Hussain, S.; Tanveer, A.; Jabeen, Z.; Ehsann, S.

2009-01-01

As far as waste is concerned, industry has a two fold position: on the one hand industry produces waste during the production processes and on the other hand most of the industrial products become waste after being used. From environment perspective waste management and minimization at the source has become important issue all over the world. Waste minimization leading to cleaner production is the process and the policy of reducing the amount of waste produced by Industry at the source and remaining should be managed.The core objective of this research paper is to examine the impact of waste minimization, waste management and the planning of effective waste utilization that increases organizations profitability and green image. The case study will present the Recycle, Reuse, Reduce strategy that waste management is not only necessary to keep the environment healthy but it also brings the financial savings to the organization. It is obvious that there is significant relationship between waste management and profitability. Attock Refinery Limited (ARL) has done significant work in the field of industrial waste management. The stratified sampling has also used during a survey to gather primary data i.e. congregated by administering questionnaires to employees of different departments that shows positive attitude towards waste minimization and management. The interventions regarding industrial waste management are in full practice at ARL to meet the National Environmental Quality Standards. In 1993, prominent step has been taken to address the environmental issues and waste management. After carrying out the detailed survey of effluent waste water system during 1995-1996, Effluent Treatment Plants were installed to meet the NEQS. Keeping the continuity of efforts 'Zero Discharge' of effluent waste from the refinery was targeted. This project is recycling the waste water resulting environment conservation and saving money that was being spent for water pumping from

Control valves for critical applications in refineries; Stellventile bei kritischen Prozessbedingungen in Raffinerien

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kiesbauer, J. [Samson AG, Frankfurt am Main (Germany)

2001-09-01

In refineries, the process media flowing through valves are primarily liquids. With liquids, critical operating conditions caused by cavitation or flashing may occur. Symptoms are, for instance, increased noise emission, erosion of valve and pipe components or low-frequency mechanical vibration in the valve and the connected pipeline. Under these conditions, in particular, neglecting details can result in negative influences on the plant performance and the costs of ownership. Unfortunately, it is a common practice nowadays to select control valves in a ''quick and dirty'' fashion, because the phases of planning, bidding and order processing are connected with significant pressures of cost and time. This article presents the basic principles underlying the above problems and shows how to eliminate them based on practical examples from refineries. Moreover, a new throttling element is introduced, which is especially suited to the reduction of noise emission produced by cavitation. This new throttling element is implemented in refineries with increasing success. (orig.) [German] In Raffinerien werden Stellgeraete oft mit Fluessigkeiten durchstroemt. Dadurch koennen sich kritische Betriebszustaende als Folge von Kavitation oder Flashing ergeben. Dies aeussert sich z. B. in erhoehter Schallemission, in Erosion an Ventil- und Rohrleitungsbauteilen oder in niederfrequenten mechanischen Vibrationen im Ventil und der angeschlossenen Rohrleitung. Werden solche Einfluesse nicht von Anfang an richtig erfasst und ernst genommen, dann kann sich dies aeusserst negativ auf die Anlagen- und Prozesszuverlaessigkeit auswirken, verbunden mit deutlich erhoehten ''costs of ownership''. Leider ist es gerade heutzutage ueblich, Stellventile ''quick and dirty'' auszulegen, weil die Phasen der Planung, des Angebots und der Bestellung einem sehr starken Zeit- und Kostendruck unterliegen. Dieser Beitrag stellt die wesentlichen

Decision 99-8 : Shell Canada Limited application to construct and operate an oil sands bitumen upgrader in the Fort Saskatchewan area : Shell Canada Products Limited application to amend refinery approval in the Fort Saskatchewan area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-01-01

The Alberta Energy and Utilities Board considered an application by Shell Canada Limited to construct and operate an oil sands bitumen upgrader on Shell's property adjoining the existing Scotford refinery in the County of Strathcona. The upgrader would process bitumen from Shell's proposed Muskeg River Mine, located 70 km north of Fort McMurray, and other feedstocks available in the area. The Board also considered an application for an amendment to the existing Scotford refinery approval, Industrial Development Permit 89-10, for the processing of 3.75 million cubic metres per year of sour conversion feedstock. Under a coordinated application process, Shell filed a joint Shell Scotford Upgrader application/Environmental Impact Assessment. Issues considered with respect to these applications were: technology selection, air/health, sulphur recovery, noise/traffic, and land use conflict. Shell stated that its Scotford refinery is the most energy efficient refinery in the Americas and that is has the highest liquid yield per unit volume of crude oil feedstock of any refinery in the world. The refinery's hydrocracking capacity would make it possible to use hydro-conversion technology for its upgrader which is environmentally advantageous. After examining all of the evidence pertaining to the applications, the Board found the projects to be in the public interest and is prepared to approve the Scotford Upgrader and Scotford Refinery modifications assuming that certain prescribed conditions are met

Flooding in ephemeral streams: incorporating transmission losses

Science.gov (United States)

Stream flow in semiarid lands commonly occurs as a form of flash floods in dry ephemeral stream beds. The goal of this research is to couple hydrological and hydraulic models treats channel transmission losses and test the methodology in the USDA-ARS Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed (WGEW). For h...

Fuzzy-based Prioritization of Health, Safety, and Environmental Risks: The Case of a Large Gas Refinery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Auob Mirsaeidi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this study was to develop a fuzzy–based framework for the prioritization of health, safety and environment related risks posed against employees, working conditions, and process equipment in large gas refineries. The First Refinery at Pars Special Economic Energy Zone in South of Iran was taken as a case study. For this purpose, health, safety and environment related risks were determined based on the three criteria of impact severity, occurrence probability, and detect-ability using a questionnaire of 33 identified failures. The values obtained were processed by a so-called ‘contribution coefficient’. The results were then subjected to fuzzification and fuzzy rules were defined to calculate the risk level indices as the model outputs, which was then employed to facilitate the management decision-making process by prioritizing the management options. The prioritization values were then classified in six categories in the order of risk severity. Results revealed that failure in a combustion furnace had the highest rank while failure in the slug catcher ranked the lowest among the risk sources. It was also found that about 0.4% of the identified risks prioritized as “intolerable”, 79% as “major”, 20% as “tolerable”, and 0.7% as “minor”. Thus, most of the risks (more than 79% associated with the refinery has the potential of significant risks. The results indicated that the risk of the pollutant emissions from the combustion furnaces is the highest. Exposures to harmful physical, chemical, psychological, and ergonomic substances are the other risks, respectively.

DM100 AND DM1200 MELTER TESTING WITH HIGH WASTE LOADING FORMULATIONS FOR HANFORD HIGH-ALUMINUM HLW STREAMS, TEST PLAN 09T1690-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruger, A.A.; Matlack, K.S.; Kot, W.K.; Pegg, I.L.; Joseph, I.

2009-01-01

This Test Plan describes work to support the development and testing of high waste loading glass formulations that achieve high glass melting rates for Hanford high aluminum high level waste (HLW). In particular, the present testing is designed to evaluate the effect of using low activity waste (LAW) waste streams as a source of sodium in place ofchemical additives, sugar or cellulose as a reductant, boehmite as an aluminum source, and further enhancements to waste processing rate while meeting all processing and product quality requirements. The work will include preparation and characterization of crucible melts in support of subsequent DuraMelter 100 (DM 100) tests designed to examine the effects of enhanced glass formulations, glass processing temperature, incorporation of the LAW waste stream as a sodium source, type of organic reductant, and feed solids content on waste processing rate and product quality. Also included is a confirmatory test on the HLW Pilot Melter (DM1200) with a composition selected from those tested on the DM100. This work builds on previous work performed at the Vitreous State Laboratory (VSL) for Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of River Protection (ORP) to increase waste loading and processing rates for high-iron HLW waste streams as well as previous tests conducted for ORP on the same waste composition. This Test Plan is prepared in response to an ORP-supplied statement of work. It is currently estimated that the number of HLW canisters to be produced in the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) is about 12,500. This estimate is based upon the inventory ofthe tank wastes, the anticipated performance of the sludge treatment processes, and current understanding of the capability of the borosilicate glass waste form. The WTP HLW melter design, unlike earlier DOE melter designs, incorporates an active glass bubbler system. The bubblers create active glass pool convection and thereby improve heat transfer and

Removal of Oil and Grease as Emerging Pollutants of Concern (EPC in Wastewater Stream

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alade Abass O

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Wastewater characteristics, which depend on wastewater source, are increasingly becoming more toxic in recent times. The concentrations of oil and grease in wastewater streams have been observed to increase in wastewater stream with increasing adverse effects on the ecology. This results from the increasing use of oil and grease in high-demanded oil-processed foods, establishment and expansion of oil mills and refineries worldwide, as well as indiscriminate discharge of oil and grease into the water drains, domestically and industrially. This study reports the applications, efficiencies and challenges of the wastewater treatment techniques currently employed in the removal of oil and grease from the industrial wastewater and municipal water stream. The results shows that the concentrations of oil and grease injected into the ecosystem are of higher environmental impact and this needs to be given the desired attention. The desired development for effective removal of oil and grease as emerging pollutants of concern (EPC in wastewater stream are thus proposed. ABSTRAK: Ciri-ciri air sisa, bergantung kepada punca air sisa tersebut, menjadi semakin toksik akhir-akhir ini. Kepekatan minyak dan gris dalam air sisa anak sungai dilihat makin bertambah dalam air sisa anak sungai dengan bertambahnya kesan negatif ke atas ekologi. Ini disebabkan oleh peningkatan penggunaan minyak dan gris dalam makanan berproses yang tinggi permintaannya, penubuhan dan perkembangan kilang pertroleum dan loji penapisan di seluruh dunia. Minyak dan gris juga dibuang sewenang-wenangnya ke dalam parit air, dari kalangan domestik dan industry. Kajian ini membentangkan tentang aplikasi, keberkesanan dan teknik cabaran rawatan air buangan yang kini digunakan dalam pembuangan minyak dan gris dari air sisa industry dan air sungai perbandaran. Keputusan menunjukkan kepekatan minyak dan gris yang wujud dibuang ke dalam ekosistem mempunyai impak yang lebih tinggi terhadap persekitaran

Data on evolutionary relationships between hearing reduction with history of disease and injuries among workers in Abadan Petroleum Refinery, Iran.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammadi, Mohammad Javad; Ghazlavi, Ebtesam; Gamizji, Samira Rashidi; Sharifi, Hajar; Gamizji, Fereshteh Rashidi; Zahedi, Atefeh; Geravandi, Sahar; Tahery, Noorollah; Yari, Ahmad Reza; Momtazan, Mahboobeh

2018-02-01

The present work examined data obtained during the analysis of Hearing Reduction (HR) of Abadan Petroleum Refinery (Abadan PR) workers of Iran with a history of disease and injuries. To this end, all workers in the refinery were chosen. In this research, the effects of history of disease and injury including trauma, electric shock, meningitis-typhoid disease and genetic illness as well as contact with lead, mercury, CO 2 and alcohol consumption were evaluated (Lie, et al., 2016) [1]. After the completion of the questionnaires by workers, the coded data were fed into EXCELL. Statistical analysis of data was carried out, using SPSS 16.

Treating refinery wastewaters in microbial fuel cells using separator electrode assembly or spaced electrode configurations

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Fang

2014-01-01

The effectiveness of refinery wastewater (RW) treatment using air-cathode, microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was examined relative to previous tests based on completely anaerobic microbial electrolysis cells (MECs). MFCs were configured with separator electrode assembly (SEA) or spaced electrode (SPA) configurations to measure power production and relative impacts of oxygen crossover on organics removal. The SEA configuration produced a higher maximum power density (280±6mW/m2; 16.3±0.4W/m3) than the SPA arrangement (255±2mW/m2) due to lower internal resistance. Power production in both configurations was lower than that obtained with the domestic wastewater (positive control) due to less favorable (more positive) anode potentials, indicating poorer biodegradability of the RW. MFCs with RW achieved up to 84% total COD removal, 73% soluble COD removal and 92% HBOD removal. These removals were higher than those previously obtained in mini-MEC tests, as oxygen crossover from the cathode enhanced degradation in MFCs compared to MECs. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Reconstruction of historical exposures at a Welsh nickel refinery (1953-2000).

Science.gov (United States)

Sivulka, Donna J; Seilkop, Steven K; Lascelles, Keith; Conard, Bruce R; Jones, Sian F; Collinson, Eric C

2014-07-01

Past epidemiological studies of workers in a nickel refinery in Clydach, Wales, have shown evidence of large excess respiratory cancer mortality risks [lung cancer relative risk (RR) ≈ 3; nasal cancer RR ≈ 140] in those employed prior to 1930, with risks dropping dramatically in workers hired subsequently. The pre-1930 risks have generally been attributed to high exposures to mixtures of nickel compounds. More recent studies of this refinery's workers have focused on those first hired in 1953, when many of the operations that presumably gave rise to the high exposures were no longer in operation. While these studies have shown greatly decreased lung cancer risks overall (RR ≈ 1.4), and no substantive evidence of increased nasal cancer risk, the absence of reliable exposure estimates have made it difficult to ascertain whether the increased lung cancer risks are nickel related or due to other factors. This study uses nickel measurements from the 1970s to the present, documentation of process changes, and dust measurements taken around the 1950s to construct an exposure matrix for the recent cohort. It provides evidence of at least 30-fold decreases in levels of nickel exposure from the 1950s to the present, with estimated inhalable nickel concentrations in the 1950s in excess of 5mg Ni m(-3). © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.

Potential and optimization of two-phase anaerobic digestion of oil refinery waste activated sludge and microbial community study

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qinghong; Liang, Ying; Zhao, Peng; Li, Qing X.; Guo, Shaohui; Chen, Chunmao

2016-01-01

Oil refinery waste activated sludge produced from oil wastewater biological treatment is a major industrial sludge. Two-phase anaerobic digestion of oil refinery waste activated sludge was studied for the first time. Thermal pretreatment under 170 °C is effective on sludge solubilization. At the optimum hydrolytic-acidogenic condition which was pH of 6.5, temperature of 55 °C and HRT of 2 days, 2754 mg/L volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were produced and acetic acid and butyric acid were the key components. Comparative studies of single-phase and two-phase anaerobic digestion in terms of organic removal, biogas production and methane concentration were conducted. The cumulative methane production and soluble COD (SCOD) removal efficiency in the two-phase system were 228 mL/g COD added and 77.8%, respectively, which were 1.6 and 2.1 times higher than those in single-phase anaerobic digestion. Such improved performance is attributed to intensification of dominant microbial population in separated reactors. Caloramator, Ureibacillus, Dechloromonas, Petrobacter, and T78 played important roles in hydrolytic-acidification and oil-organics degradation. Syntrophic bacteria in the family Porphyromonadaceae and the genus Anaerobranca provide acetate for methanogen. The results demonstrated the potential and operating condition of two-phase anaerobic digestion in treatment of oil refinery waste activated sludge. PMID:27905538

Gasoline toxicology: overview of regulatory and product stewardship programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Swick, Derek; Jaques, Andrew; Walker, J C; Estreicher, Herb

2014-11-01

Significant efforts have been made to characterize the toxicological properties of gasoline. There have been both mandatory and voluntary toxicology testing programs to generate hazard characterization data for gasoline, the refinery process streams used to blend gasoline, and individual chemical constituents found in gasoline. The Clean Air Act (CAA) (Clean Air Act, 2012: § 7401, et seq.) is the primary tool for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate gasoline and this supplement presents the results of the Section 211(b) Alternative Tier 2 studies required for CAA Fuel and Fuel Additive registration. Gasoline blending streams have also been evaluated by EPA under the voluntary High Production Volume (HPV) Challenge Program through which the petroleum industry provide data on over 80 refinery streams used in gasoline. Product stewardship efforts by companies and associations such as the American Petroleum Institute (API), Conservation of Clean Air and Water Europe (CONCAWE), and the Petroleum Product Stewardship Council (PPSC) have contributed a significant amount of hazard characterization data on gasoline and related substances. The hazard of gasoline and anticipated exposure to gasoline vapor has been well characterized for risk assessment purposes. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Petroleum Refineries (Catalytic Cracking, Catalytic Reforming and Sulfur Recovery Units): National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)

Science.gov (United States)

learn more about the NESHAP for catalytic cracking and reforming units, as well as sulfur recovery units in petroleum refineries by reading the rule history, rule summary, background information documents, and compliance information

Data Stream Clustering With Affinity Propagation

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Xiangliang

2014-07-09

Data stream clustering provides insights into the underlying patterns of data flows. This paper focuses on selecting the best representatives from clusters of streaming data. There are two main challenges: how to cluster with the best representatives and how to handle the evolving patterns that are important characteristics of streaming data with dynamic distributions. We employ the Affinity Propagation (AP) algorithm presented in 2007 by Frey and Dueck for the first challenge, as it offers good guarantees of clustering optimality for selecting exemplars. The second challenging problem is solved by change detection. The presented StrAP algorithm combines AP with a statistical change point detection test; the clustering model is rebuilt whenever the test detects a change in the underlying data distribution. Besides the validation on two benchmark data sets, the presented algorithm is validated on a real-world application, monitoring the data flow of jobs submitted to the EGEE grid.

Data Stream Clustering With Affinity Propagation

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Xiangliang; Furtlehner, Cyril; Germain-Renaud, Cecile; Sebag, Michele

2014-01-01

Data stream clustering provides insights into the underlying patterns of data flows. This paper focuses on selecting the best representatives from clusters of streaming data. There are two main challenges: how to cluster with the best representatives and how to handle the evolving patterns that are important characteristics of streaming data with dynamic distributions. We employ the Affinity Propagation (AP) algorithm presented in 2007 by Frey and Dueck for the first challenge, as it offers good guarantees of clustering optimality for selecting exemplars. The second challenging problem is solved by change detection. The presented StrAP algorithm combines AP with a statistical change point detection test; the clustering model is rebuilt whenever the test detects a change in the underlying data distribution. Besides the validation on two benchmark data sets, the presented algorithm is validated on a real-world application, monitoring the data flow of jobs submitted to the EGEE grid.

Troubleshooting vacuum systems steam turbine surface condensers and refinery vacuum towers

CERN Document Server

Lieberman, Norman P

2012-01-01

Vacuum systems are in wide spread use in the petrochemical plants, petroleum refineries and power generation plants. The existing texts on this subject are theoretical in nature and only deal with how the equipment functions when in good mechanical conditions, from the viewpoint of the equipment vendor.  In this much-anticipated volume, one of the most well-respected and prolific process engineers in the world takes on troubleshooting vacuum systems, and especially steam ejectors, an extremely complex and difficult subject that greatly effects the profitability of the majority of the world'

Catalytic hydrotreatment of refinery waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1989-01-01

The object of the project is to produce liquid hydrocarbons by the catalytic hydroprocessing of solid refinery wastes (hard pitches) in order to improve the profitability of deep conversion processes and reduce the excess production of heavy fuels. The project was mostly carried out on the ASVAHL demonstration platform site, at Solaize, and hard pitches were produced primarily by deasphalting of atmospheric or vacuum distillation residues. The project includes two experimental phases and an economic evaluation study phase. In phase 1, two granular catalysts were used to transform pitch into standard low sulphur fuel oil: a continuously moving bed, with demetallation and conversion catalyst; a fixed bed, with hydrorefining catalyst. In phase 2 of the project, it was proven that a hydrotreatment process using a finely dispersed catalyst in the feedstock, can, under realistic operating conditions, transform with goods yields hard pitch into distillates that can be refined through standard methods. In phase 3 of the project, it was shown that the economics of such processes are tightly linked to the price differential between white and black oil products, which is expected to increase in the future. Furthermore, the evolution of environmental constraints will impel the use of such methods, thus avoiding the coproduction of polluting solid residues.

Testing a Cloud Provider Network for Hybrid P2P and Cloud Streaming Architectures

OpenAIRE

Cerviño Arriba, Javier; Rodríguez, Pedro; Trajkovska, Irena; Mozo Velasco, Alberto; Salvachúa Rodríguez, Joaquín

2011-01-01

The number of online real-time streaming services deployed over network topologies like P2P or centralized ones has remarkably increased in the recent years. This has revealed the lack of networks that are well prepared to respond to this kind of traffic. A hybrid distribution network can be an efficient solution for real-time streaming services. This paper contains the experimental results of streaming distribution in a hybrid architecture that consist of mixed connections among P2P and Clou...

Solid waste management : a case study of National Refinery Limited

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Syed, A.H.; Syed, Z.R. [National Refinery Ltd., Karachi (Pakistan); NED Univ. of Engineering and Technology, Karachi (Pakistan)

2000-07-01

A study was conducted to quantify and classify the waste generated at the National Refinery Limited (NRL). This refinery, located in Karachi, Pakistan, produces naphtha, motor gasoline, diesel, kerosene and lubricating oils and much more. Various units such as crude oil storage, thermal cracking, catalytic cracking and others were surveyed to assess the source and nature of the pollution. It was found that the major contributor to air pollution was the sulfur released through the burning of fuel oil during day-to-day operations. It was determined that approximately 2000 metric tons of solid waste were produced each day, along with 0.55 million gallons of waste water. In addition, sulfur, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide were also released in the atmosphere. The solid waste was composed of municipal waste, sludges from the API and other discarded materials. The authors then proceeded to determine the heavy metals contents in samples obtained from combined sludge dumping areas on the premises. The sludges contained sulfur (0-1.26 wt per cent), lead (0-0.156 wt per cent), iron (0.01-3.4 wt per cent), chromium (0-0.159 per cent), copper (0-0.05 wt per cent), cadmium (0-0.0034 wt per cent), nickel (0-0.168 wt per cent), and manganese (0.0015-0.0776 wt per cent). It was recommended that hazardous and non-hazardous wastes be segregated, that a separate feasibility study be undertaken to determine the best possible course of action to dispose of solid waste, and that government guidelines be established on the same topic. 5 refs., 4 tabs.

Report on the degradation of the environment at the site of NIS Novi Sad oil refinery and remediation measures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pavlovic, P.; Pavlovic, M.; Ivankovic, M.; Sokolovic, S.

2002-01-01

Before the NATO bombing, Refinery had available 149 tanks for the storage of crude oil, intermediate and final products, additives etc. All tanks are placed within the impermeable embankments of concrete or soil and connected to the storm and oil sewerage systems which enables the monitoring and control of of oil leakage and storm waste. During the NATO bombing practically all processing units were either destroyed or damaged. The summary of damages inflicted to the processing units is given. During the NATO bombing campaign over 51% of the available storage capacity was destroyed and over 34% of it was severely damaged. A summary of available, destroyed and damaged tank capacities in the NIS Novi Sad Oil Refinery is given. (author)

Treatment of Mineral Oil Refinery Wastewater in Microbial Fuel Cells Using Ionic Liquid Based Separators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hasna Addi

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Microbial fuel cells (MFCs are an environmentally friendly technology that can recover electricity directly from several wastes at ambient temperatures. This work explores the use of mineral oil refinery wastewater as feedstock in single-chamber air-cathode MFC devices. A polymer inclusion membrane based on the ionic liquid methyltrioctylammonium chloride, [MTOA+][Cl−], at a concentration of 70% w/w, was used as separator, showing a good efficiency in power production and chemical oxygen demand (COD removal. The power and the chemical oxygen demand removal reached values of 45 mW/m3 and over 80%, respectively. The evolution of other parameters of the wastewater including nitrites, phosphates and sulphates were also studied. Kjeldahl nitrogen and sulphates were significantly reduced during MFC operation. The results show that mineral oil refinery wastewater can be used as feedstock in air breathing cathode-microbial fuel cells based on polymer ionic liquid inclusion membranes. This configuration could represent a good alternative for wastewater depuration while producing energy during the process.

Oxidative Stress and Depression among Male Shift Workers in Shahid Tondgouyan Refinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Khajehnasiri, Farahnaz; Akhondzadeh, Shahin; Mortazavi, Seyed Bagher; Allameh, Abdolamir; Khavanin, Ali; Zamanian, Zahra

2014-04-01

The aim of this study was to determine the oxidative stress; serum level of Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC)and Malondialdehyde (MDA) level and the depression score among the depressed rotational shift workers in Shahid Tondgouyan Refinery in Tehran (Iran). A cross-sectional study was conducted among all the 189 shift workers in Shahid Tondgouyan oil refinery who were eligible to participate in the study. They did not take any antidepressants for two months or any supplements for two weeks prior to the study entry. Written consent was obtained from the participants. 21- Item Beck Depression Inventory was used to measure the depression level. Furthermore, body weight, height and systolic and diastolic blood pressure were collected from all the participants. The levels of Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured by 8 ml fasting blood sample. MDA was determined by thiobarbituric acid reaction. Serum total antioxidants were measured using the spectrophotometric ABTS. In the ABTS test, 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-acid) (ABTS) is converted into its radical cation (ABTS•+) by addition of sodium persulphate. This blue-green radical cation absorbs light at 734 nm. ABTS•+ is reactive towards most antioxidants. Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, ANCOVA and regression tests and correlation were used to analyze the data using SPSS software version 16. The age of the participants ranged from 21 to 52 years. The mean age of the participants was 30.58 year (±6.97yr). Of all the participants, 28% (n= 53) had no depression symptoms (depression score between 0 and 9), 65.1% (n=123) were categorized as having mild depression (depression score between 10 and 18) and 6.9% (n=13) were categorized as having moderate depression (depression score between 19 and 29). The participants' BMI ranged from 15.9 to 34.3; the mean BMI of the participants was 24.82 kg/m(2) (+ 3.81 kg/m(2)). The mean of the serum TAC level was 2.51 (± 0.56) mg/dl, and the

Recovery of krypton-85 from dissolver off-gas streams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Law, J.P.; Lamb, K.M.

1988-01-01

The Rare Gas Plant at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant Recovers fission product krypton and xenon from dissolver off gas streams. Recently the system was upgraded to allow processing of hydrogen rich dissolver off-gas streams. A trickle bed hydrogen recombiner was installed and tested. The Rare Gas Plant can now safely process gas streams containing up to 80% hydrogen

Deforestation and stream warming affect body size of Amazonian fishes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ilha, Paulo; Schiesari, Luis; Yanagawa, Fernando I; Jankowski, KathiJo; Navas, Carlos A

2018-01-01

Declining body size has been suggested to be a universal response of organisms to rising temperatures, manifesting at all levels of organization and in a broad range of taxa. However, no study to date evaluated whether deforestation-driven warming could trigger a similar response. We studied changes in fish body size, from individuals to assemblages, in streams in Southeastern Amazonia. We first conducted sampling surveys to validate the assumption that deforestation promoted stream warming, and to test the hypothesis that warmer deforested streams had reduced fish body sizes relative to cooler forest streams. As predicted, deforested streams were up to 6 °C warmer and had fish 36% smaller than forest streams on average. This body size reduction could be largely explained by the responses of the four most common species, which were 43-55% smaller in deforested streams. We then conducted a laboratory experiment to test the hypothesis that stream warming as measured in the field was sufficient to cause a growth reduction in the dominant fish species in the region. Fish reared at forest stream temperatures gained mass, whereas those reared at deforested stream temperatures lost mass. Our results suggest that deforestation-driven stream warming is likely to be a relevant factor promoting observed body size reductions, although other changes in stream conditions, like reductions in organic matter inputs, can also be important. A broad scale reduction in fish body size due to warming may be occurring in streams throughout the Amazonian Arc of Deforestation, with potential implications for the conservation of Amazonian fish biodiversity and food supply for people around the Basin.

Deforestation and stream warming affect body size of Amazonian fishes

Science.gov (United States)

Yanagawa, Fernando I.; Jankowski, KathiJo; Navas, Carlos A.

2018-01-01

Declining body size has been suggested to be a universal response of organisms to rising temperatures, manifesting at all levels of organization and in a broad range of taxa. However, no study to date evaluated whether deforestation-driven warming could trigger a similar response. We studied changes in fish body size, from individuals to assemblages, in streams in Southeastern Amazonia. We first conducted sampling surveys to validate the assumption that deforestation promoted stream warming, and to test the hypothesis that warmer deforested streams had reduced fish body sizes relative to cooler forest streams. As predicted, deforested streams were up to 6 °C warmer and had fish 36% smaller than forest streams on average. This body size reduction could be largely explained by the responses of the four most common species, which were 43–55% smaller in deforested streams. We then conducted a laboratory experiment to test the hypothesis that stream warming as measured in the field was sufficient to cause a growth reduction in the dominant fish species in the region. Fish reared at forest stream temperatures gained mass, whereas those reared at deforested stream temperatures lost mass. Our results suggest that deforestation-driven stream warming is likely to be a relevant factor promoting observed body size reductions, although other changes in stream conditions, like reductions in organic matter inputs, can also be important. A broad scale reduction in fish body size due to warming may be occurring in streams throughout the Amazonian Arc of Deforestation, with potential implications for the conservation of Amazonian fish biodiversity and food supply for people around the Basin. PMID:29718960

An investigation on the thorium lung burden and its health effects on the workers in a rare-earth refinery factory, Baotou, China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Xing-an; Chen, Yong-e

2008-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to present the thorium lung burden and its health effects among the workers of Huamei Rare-earth Refinery Factory, Baotou, China. The methods used is a combination between exhaled thoron activity measurement and the physical examination (peripheral blood counts, hepatic function tests, lung function tests, chest X-ray radiograph) as well as the measurement of dust concentrations, radon and thoron short lived progeny concentration in the air of the workshops. The results showed that the four workshops are thought to be the radiological workplaces. The dust air concentrations in different workshops range from 1.34∼8.17 mg/m 3 . The average a potential energy value of radon short-lived progeny are in the range from 24 to 285 MeV/L; while the average a-progeny are in the range from 159 to 5972 MeV/L. The thorium lung burdens of 9 dust-exposed workers are higher than one investigation level (2.22 Bq) and the highest one is 3.33 Bq. The results of radiography, hematological parameters and hepatic parameters for the dust exposed workers examined are all within the normal range, while the lung function of 27 cases among the 91 dust exposed workers are abnormal. Our conclusion is that the radiological protection problems are existed in rare-earth refinery factory, mainly the high thorium-containing dust air concentration and the high a potential energy of the thoron short-lived progeny in the air of different workshops. Ventilation should be improved. Long-term follow-up study is necessary. (author)

Multiple Intelligence Scores of Science Stream Students and Their Relation with Reading Competency in Malaysian University English Test (MUET)

Science.gov (United States)

Razak, Norizan Abdul; Zaini, Nuramirah

2014-01-01

Many researches have shown that different approach needed in analysing linear and non-linear reading comprehension texts and different cognitive skills are required. This research attempts to discover the relationship between Science Stream students' reading competency on linear and non-linear texts in Malaysian University English Test (MUET) with…

Microbial enhanced separation of oil from a petroleum refinery sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph, P J; Joseph, Ammini

2009-01-15

Petroleum refineries around the world have adopted different technological options to manage the solid wastes generated during the refining process and stocking of crude oil. These include physical, chemical and biological treatment methods. In this investigation bacterial mediated oil separation is effected. Two strains of Bacillus were isolated from petroleum-contaminated soils, and inoculated into slurry of sludge, and sludge-sand combinations. The bacteria could effect the separation of oil so as to form a floating scum within 48h with an efficiency of 97% at < or =5% level of sludge in the sludge-sand mixture. The activity was traced to the production of biosurfactants by bacteria.

ELIMINATION OF THE CHARACTERIZATION OF DWPF POUR STREAM SAMPLE AND THE GLASS FABRICATION AND TESTING OF THE DWPF SLUDGE BATCH QUALIFICATION SAMPLE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amoroso, J.; Peeler, D.; Edwards, T.

2012-05-11

A recommendation to eliminate all characterization of pour stream glass samples and the glass fabrication and Product Consistency Test (PCT) of the sludge batch qualification sample was made by a Six-Sigma team chartered to eliminate non-value-added activities for the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) sludge batch qualification program and is documented in the report SS-PIP-2006-00030. That recommendation was supported through a technical data review by the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and is documented in the memorandums SRNL-PSE-2007-00079 and SRNL-PSE-2007-00080. At the time of writing those memorandums, the DWPF was processing sludge-only waste but, has since transitioned to a coupled operation (sludge and salt). The SRNL was recently tasked to perform a similar data review relevant to coupled operations and re-evaluate the previous recommendations. This report evaluates the validity of eliminating the characterization of pour stream glass samples and the glass fabrication and Product Consistency Test (PCT) of the sludge batch qualification samples based on sludge-only and coupled operations. The pour stream sample has confirmed the DWPF's ability to produce an acceptable waste form from Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) blending and product composition/durability predictions for the previous sixteen years but, ultimately the pour stream analysis has added minimal value to the DWPF's waste qualification strategy. Similarly, the information gained from the glass fabrication and PCT of the sludge batch qualification sample was determined to add minimal value to the waste qualification strategy since that sample is routinely not representative of the waste composition ultimately processed at the DWPF due to blending and salt processing considerations. Moreover, the qualification process has repeatedly confirmed minimal differences in glass behavior from actual radioactive waste to glasses fabricated from simulants or batch chemicals. In

Elimination Of The Characterization Of DWPF Pour Stream Sample And The Glass Fabrication And Testing Of The DWPF Sludge Batch Qualification Sample

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amoroso, J.; Peeler, D.; Edwards, T.

2012-01-01

A recommendation to eliminate all characterization of pour stream glass samples and the glass fabrication and Product Consistency Test (PCT) of the sludge batch qualification sample was made by a Six-Sigma team chartered to eliminate non-value-added activities for the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) sludge batch qualification program and is documented in the report SS-PIP-2006-00030. That recommendation was supported through a technical data review by the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and is documented in the memorandums SRNL-PSE-2007-00079 and SRNL-PSE-2007-00080. At the time of writing those memorandums, the DWPF was processing sludge-only waste but, has since transitioned to a coupled operation (sludge and salt). The SRNL was recently tasked to perform a similar data review relevant to coupled operations and re-evaluate the previous recommendations. This report evaluates the validity of eliminating the characterization of pour stream glass samples and the glass fabrication and Product Consistency Test (PCT) of the sludge batch qualification samples based on sludge-only and coupled operations. The pour stream sample has confirmed the DWPF's ability to produce an acceptable waste form from Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) blending and product composition/durability predictions for the previous sixteen years but, ultimately the pour stream analysis has added minimal value to the DWPF's waste qualification strategy. Similarly, the information gained from the glass fabrication and PCT of the sludge batch qualification sample was determined to add minimal value to the waste qualification strategy since that sample is routinely not representative of the waste composition ultimately processed at the DWPF due to blending and salt processing considerations. Moreover, the qualification process has repeatedly confirmed minimal differences in glass behavior from actual radioactive waste to glasses fabricated from simulants or batch chemicals. In contrast, the

The Stream-Catchment (StreamCat) and Lake-Catchment ...

Science.gov (United States)

Background/Question/MethodsLake and stream conditions respond to both natural and human-related landscape features. Characterizing these features within contributing areas (i.e., delineated watersheds) of streams and lakes could improve our understanding of how biological conditions vary spatially and improve the use, management, and restoration of these aquatic resources. However, the specialized geospatial techniques required to define and characterize stream and lake watersheds has limited their widespread use in both scientific and management efforts at large spatial scales. We developed the StreamCat and LakeCat Datasets to model, predict, and map the probable biological conditions of streams and lakes across the conterminous US (CONUS). Both StreamCat and LakeCat contain watershed-level characterizations of several hundred natural (e.g., soils, geology, climate, and land cover) and anthropogenic (e.g., urbanization, agriculture, mining, and forest management) landscape features for ca. 2.6 million stream segments and 376,000 lakes across the CONUS, respectively. These datasets can be paired with field samples to provide independent variables for modeling and other analyses. We paired 1,380 stream and 1,073 lake samples from the USEPAs National Aquatic Resource Surveys with StreamCat and LakeCat and used random forest (RF) to model and then map an invertebrate condition index and chlorophyll a concentration, respectively. Results/ConclusionsThe invertebrate

Determination of the self purification of streams using tracers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salviano, J.S.

1982-04-01

A methodology for the 'in situ' evaluation of the self purification of streams is discussed. It consists of the simultaneous injection of two tracers into the stream. One of the tracers is oxidized by biochemical processes. It can be either artificially supplied to the stream or a naturally present component can be used. This tracer is used for the determination of the self purification parameters. The other tracer is conservative and allows for the hydrodynamic effects. Tests have been carried out in two streams with quite different hydrodynamic and physicochemical conditions. In the first stream, with a flow-rate of about 0.9 m 3 /s, urea was used as the nonconservative tracer. In the other stream, which had a flow-rate of about 5 m 3 /s, only a radioactive tracer has been used, and the rate of biochemical oxidation has been determined from BOD measurements. Calculations have been implemented on a digital computer. In both cases it was found that the reoxygenation rate is more conveniently determined by empirical formulas. Results from both tests have been deemed realistic by comparison with similar experiments. (Author) [pt

Development of habitat suitability criteria for Neotropical stream fishes and an assessment of their transferability to streams with different conservation status

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabrício Barreto Teresa

Full Text Available We assessed the preference of 10 fish species for depth and velocity conditions in forested streams from southeastern Brazil using habitat suitability criteria (HSC curves. We also tested whether preference patterns observed in forested streams can be transferred to deforested streams. We used data from fish sampled in 62 five-meter sites in three forested streams to construct preference curves. Astyanax altiparanae, A. fasciatus, Knodus moenkhausii, and Piabina argentea showed a preference for deep slow habitats, whereas Aspidoras fuscoguttatus, Characidium zebra, Cetopsorhamdia iheringi, Pseudopimelodus pulcher, and Hypostomus nigromaculatus showed an opposite pattern: preference for shallow fast habitats. Hypostomus ancistroides showed a multimodal pattern of preference for depth and velocity. To evaluate whether patterns observed in forested streams may be transferred to deforested streams, we sampled 64 five-meters sites in three deforested streams using the same methodology. The preference for velocity was more consistent than for depth, as success in the transferability criterion was 86% and 29% of species, respectively. This indicates that velocity is a good predictor of species abundance in streams, regardless of their condition

Improving cost-effectiveness for the furnace in a full-scale refinery plant with reuse of waste tail gas fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Chien-Li [Department of Leisure and Recreation Management, Diwan University, Tainan (China); Hou, Shuhn-Shyurng [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kun Shan University (China); Lee, Wen-Jhy [Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University (China); Jou, Chih-Ju G. [Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology, 2, Juoyue Rd., Nantz District, Kaohsiung 811 (China)

2010-02-15

The waste tail gas fuel emitted from refinery plant in Taiwan e.g. catalytic reforming unit, catalytic cracking unit and residue desulfurization unit, was recovered and reused as a replacement fuel. In this study, it was slowly added to the fuel stream of a heater furnace to replace natural gas for powering a full-scale distillation process. The waste tail gas fuel contained on average 60 mol% of hydrogen. On-site experimental results show that both the flame length and orange-yellowish brightness decrease with increasing proportion of waste gas fuel in the original natural gas fuel. Moreover, the adiabatic flame temperature increases as the content of waste gas fuel is increased in the fuel mixture since waste gas fuel has a higher adiabatic flame temperature than that of natural gas. The complete replacement of natural gas by waste gas fuel for a heater furnace operating at 70% loading (i.e. 3.6 x 10{sup 7} kcal/h of combustion capacity) will save 5.8 x 10{sup 6} m{sup 3} of natural gas consumption, and 3.5 x 10{sup 4} tons (or 53.4%) of CO{sub 2} emission annually. Recovering and reusing the waste tail gas fuel as natural gas replacement will achieve tremendous savings of natural gas usage and effectively lower the emission of carbon dioxide. (author)

Streaming Pool: reuse, combine and create reactive streams with pleasure

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2017-01-01

When connecting together heterogeneous and complex systems, it is not easy to exchange data between components. Streams of data are successfully used in industry in order to overcome this problem, especially in the case of "live" data. Streams are a specialization of the Observer design pattern and they provide asynchronous and non-blocking data flow. The ongoing effort of the ReactiveX initiative is one example that demonstrates how demanding this technology is even for big companies. Bridging the discrepancies of different technologies with common interfaces is already done by the Reactive Streams initiative and, in the JVM world, via reactive-streams-jvm interfaces. Streaming Pool is a framework for providing and discovering reactive streams. Through the mechanism of dependency injection provided by the Spring Framework, Streaming Pool provides a so called Discovery Service. This object can discover and chain streams of data that are technologically agnostic, through the use of Stream IDs. The stream to ...

Interaction between stream temperature, streamflow, and groundwater exchanges in alpine streams

Science.gov (United States)

Constantz, James E.

1998-01-01

Four alpine streams were monitored to continuously collect stream temperature and streamflow for periods ranging from a week to a year. In a small stream in the Colorado Rockies, diurnal variations in both stream temperature and streamflow were significantly greater in losing reaches than in gaining reaches, with minimum streamflow losses occurring early in the day and maximum losses occurring early in the evening. Using measured stream temperature changes, diurnal streambed infiltration rates were predicted to increase as much as 35% during the day (based on a heat and water transport groundwater model), while the measured increase in streamflow loss was 40%. For two large streams in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, annual stream temperature variations ranged from 0° to 25°C. In summer months, diurnal stream temperature variations were 30–40% of annual stream temperature variations, owing to reduced streamflows and increased atmospheric heating. Previous reports document that one Sierra stream site generally gains groundwater during low flows, while the second Sierra stream site may lose water during low flows. For August the diurnal streamflow variation was 11% at the gaining stream site and 30% at the losing stream site. On the basis of measured diurnal stream temperature variations, streambed infiltration rates were predicted to vary diurnally as much as 20% at the losing stream site. Analysis of results suggests that evapotranspiration losses determined diurnal streamflow variations in the gaining reaches, while in the losing reaches, evapotranspiration losses were compounded by diurnal variations in streambed infiltration. Diurnal variations in stream temperature were reduced in the gaining reaches as a result of discharging groundwater of relatively constant temperature. For the Sierra sites, comparison of results with those from a small tributary demonstrated that stream temperature patterns were useful in delineating discharges of bank storage following

Effects of logging on macroinvertebrates in streams with and without buffer strips

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Newbold, J D; Erman, D C; Roby, K B

1980-01-01

The impact of logging with and without buffer strip protection on stream macroinvertebrates was examined through comparisons of community structure in commercially logged and control watersheds throughout northern California. A nonparametric test of community dissimilarities within matched blocks of two control and one or two treated stations showed significant (P < 0.05) logging effects on unprotected streams when Euclidean distance and mutual information were used as dissimilarity indices, but not when chord distance was used. Shannon diversity in unprotected streams was lower (P < 0.01) than in control (unlogged) streams; densities of total macroinvertebrate fauna and of Chironomidae, Baetis, and Nemoura were higher in unprotected streams than in controls (P <0.05). Streams with narrow buffer strips (<30 m) showed significant effects by the Euclidean distance test, but diversity varied widely and was not significantly different from that in either unprotected or control streams than in controls (P < 0.05). Macroinvertebrate communities in streams with wide buffers (greater than or equal to 30m) could not be distinguished from those of controls by either Euclidean distance or diversity; however, diversity in wide-buffered streams was significantly greater than in streams without buffer strips, indicating effective protection from logging effects.

Dispersal and colonisation of plants in lowland streams: success rates and bottlenecks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Riis, Tenna

2008-01-01

-rich lowland streams. Rather, I conclude that primary colonisation is the main constraint to regaining vegetation in lowland streams in general and in vegetation-free rehabilitated streams in particular. Therefore, if plant colonisation is a target for stream rehabilitation, it is important to enhance......Plant dispersal and colonisation, including rates of dispersal, retention, colonisation and survival of dispersed propagules (shoots and seeds), were studied in a 300-m stream reach in a macrophyte-rich lowland stream during one growing season. Relationships between colonisation processes...... and simple flow parameters were tested. Each fortnight during a growing season, the number of dispersed plant propagules and the number of new and lost plant colonisations since the last sampling day were recorded. The retention of dispersing shoots was tested on two occasions during the growing season...

Multivariate approach to assessing ecotoxicity on abandoned oil refinery environments: Study site description

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lochmiller, R.L.; Yates, G.W.

1993-01-01

Ecology risk assessment requires a clear understanding of how complex mixtures of environmental contaminants impact terrestrial ecosystems. This assessment process could be more universally applied to terrestrial ecosystems with better defined assay systems for evaluating impacts of exposure on organisms, populations, and communities. The authors objective was to define and assess the efficacy of a battery of assays incorporating both standard biological toxicity test and in situ biomonitors for evaluating ecological risks on terrestrial environments contaminated with complex mixtures of petrochemicals on a 160 acre abandoned oil refinery in central Oklahoma. Three suspected contaminated and three uncontaminated reference sites were selected for intensive study. Habitat on each study site is representative of disturbed tall-grass prairie and supports dense, diverse small mammal communities. Soil samples were subjected to aqueous extraction and resulting leachates analyzed for heavy metals, selected ions, and organics. Analytical results support their initial assessment that toxic study sites were contaminated with complex mixtures including lead, zinc, arsenic, chloride, sulfate, potassium, and complex mixtures of polar and non-polar organics

Relation between Streaming Potential and Streaming Electrification Generated by Streaming of Water through a Sandwich-type Cell

OpenAIRE

Maruyama, Kazunori; Nikaido, Mitsuru; Hara, Yoshinori; Tanizaki, Yoshie

2012-01-01

Both streaming potential and accumulated charge of water flowed out were measured simultaneously using a sandwich-type cell. The voltages generated in divided sections along flow direction satisfied additivity. The sign of streaming potential agreed with that of streaming electrification. The relation between streaming potential and streaming electrification was explained from a viewpoint of electrical double layer in glass-water interface.

Risk assessment of occupational exposure to benzene using numerical simulation in a complex geometry of a reforming unit of petroleum refinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Bayatian, Majid; Ashrafi, Khosro; Azari, Mansour Rezazadeh; Jafari, Mohammad Javad; Mehrabi, Yadollah

2018-04-01

There has been an increasing concern about the continuous and the sudden release of volatile organic pollutants from petroleum refineries and occupational and environmental exposures. Benzene is one of the most prevalent volatile compounds, and it has been addressed by many authors for its potential toxicity in occupational and environmental settings. Due to the complexities of sampling and analysis of benzene in routine and accidental situations, a reliable estimation of the benzene concentration in the outdoor setting of refinery using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) could be instrumental for risk assessment of occupational exposure. In the present work, a computational fluid dynamic model was applied for exposure risk assessment with consideration of benzene being released continuously from a reforming unit of a refinery. For simulation of benzene dispersion, GAMBIT, FLUENT, and CFD post software are used as preprocessing, processing, and post-processing, respectively. Computational fluid dynamic validation was carried out by comparing the computed data with the experimental measurements. Eventually, chronic daily intake and lifetime cancer risk for routine operations through the two seasons of a year are estimated through the simulation model. Root mean square errors are 0.19 and 0.17 for wind speed and concentration, respectively. Lifetime risk assessments of workers are 0.4-3.8 and 0.0096-0.25 per 1000 workers in stable and unstable atmospheric conditions, respectively. Exposure risk is unacceptable for the head of shift work, chief engineer, and general workers in 141 days (38.77%) in a year. The results of this study show that computational fluid dynamics is a useful tool for modeling of benzene exposure in a complex geometry and can be used to estimate lifetime risks of occupation groups in a refinery setting.

Headwater streams in the EU Water Framework Directive: Evidence-based decision support to select streams for river basin management plans

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Baattrup-Pedersen, Annette; Larsen, Søren Erik; Andersen, Dagmar K.

2018-01-01

, however, it is intensely debated whether the small size and low slopes, typical of Danish streams, in combination with degraded habitat conditions obstruct their ability to fulfill the ecological quality objectives required by the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD). The purpose of this studywas to provide...... an analytically based framework for guiding the selection of headwater streams for RBMP. Specifically, the following hypotheses were addressed: i) stream slope, width, planform, and general physical habitat quality can act as criteria for selecting streams for the next generation of RBMPs, and ii) probability......-based thresholds for reaching good ecological status can be established for some or all of these criteria, thus creating a sound, scientifically based, and clear selection process. The hypotheses were tested using monitoring data on Danish streams from the period 2004–2015. Significant linear relationships were...

StreamMap: Smooth Dynamic Visualization of High-Density Streaming Points.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chenhui; Baciu, George; Han, Yu

2018-03-01

Interactive visualization of streaming points for real-time scatterplots and linear blending of correlation patterns is increasingly becoming the dominant mode of visual analytics for both big data and streaming data from active sensors and broadcasting media. To better visualize and interact with inter-stream patterns, it is generally necessary to smooth out gaps or distortions in the streaming data. Previous approaches either animate the points directly or present a sampled static heat-map. We propose a new approach, called StreamMap, to smoothly blend high-density streaming points and create a visual flow that emphasizes the density pattern distributions. In essence, we present three new contributions for the visualization of high-density streaming points. The first contribution is a density-based method called super kernel density estimation that aggregates streaming points using an adaptive kernel to solve the overlapping problem. The second contribution is a robust density morphing algorithm that generates several smooth intermediate frames for a given pair of frames. The third contribution is a trend representation design that can help convey the flow directions of the streaming points. The experimental results on three datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of StreamMap when dynamic visualization and visual analysis of trend patterns on streaming points are required.

Analyzing indicators of stream health for Minnesota streams

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, U.; Kocian, M.; Wilson, B.; Bolton, A.; Nieber, J.; Vondracek, B.; Perry, J.; Magner, J.

2005-01-01

Recent research has emphasized the importance of using physical, chemical, and biological indicators of stream health for diagnosing impaired watersheds and their receiving water bodies. A multidisciplinary team at the University of Minnesota is carrying out research to develop a stream classification system for Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) assessment. Funding for this research is provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. One objective of the research study involves investigating the relationships between indicators of stream health and localized stream characteristics. Measured data from Minnesota streams collected by various government and non-government agencies and research institutions have been obtained for the research study. Innovative Geographic Information Systems tools developed by the Environmental Science Research Institute and the University of Texas are being utilized to combine and organize the data. Simple linear relationships between index of biological integrity (IBI) and channel slope, two-year stream flow, and drainage area are presented for the Redwood River and the Snake River Basins. Results suggest that more rigorous techniques are needed to successfully capture trends in IBI scores. Additional analyses will be done using multiple regression, principal component analysis, and clustering techniques. Uncovering key independent variables and understanding how they fit together to influence stream health are critical in the development of a stream classification for TMDL assessment.

FY 2000 report on the potential survey of implementation of a model project for improvement of thermal efficiency and energy conservation in refineries of Indonesia; 2000 nendo chosa hokokusho. Indonesia ni okeru seiyujo netsukoritsu kojo shoenergy model jigyo jisshi kanosei chosa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-07-01

For the purpose of heightening the thermal efficiency in oil refineries in Indonesia, survey was conducted of two main refineries of Pertamina (Cilacap Refinery and Balikpapan Refinery), and a potentiality of spreading energy conservation technology was studied. As a result of the study, the following were found out. In Cilacap Refinery, there is a possibility of energy conservation by enhancing the efficiency of the atmospheric distillation system and rationalizing utility facilities. As to Balikpapan Refinery, when effects of energy conservation are calculated by effectively using the by-producing off-gas emitted from the oil refining process which was recovered as on-site fuel, the amount of reduction in fuel consumption became 2.3 KL-FOE/h, and the year of simple investment recovery 1.7 years. Further, by recovering/effectively using hydrogen in the separation gas emitted from the hydrocracking unit, fuel/raw material in the hydrogen producing facilities were reduced, and the energy conservation effect became 2.98 KL-FOE/h in the amount of reduction in fuel consumption and 2.9 years in the year of simple investment recovery. (NEDO)

IDENTIFYING STAR STREAMS IN THE MILKY WAY HALO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

King, Charles III; Brown, Warren R.; Geller, Margaret J.; Kenyon, Scott J., E-mail: cking@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: wbrown@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: mgeller@cfa.harvard.edu, E-mail: skenyon@cfa.harvard.edu [Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)

2012-05-01

We develop statistical methods for identifying star streams in the halo of the Milky Way that exploit observed spatial and radial velocity distributions. Within a great circle, departures of the observed spatial distribution from random provide a measure of the likelihood of a potential star stream. Comparisons between the radial velocity distribution within a great circle and the radial velocity distribution of the entire sample also measure the statistical significance of potential streams. The radial velocities enable construction of a more powerful joint statistical test for identifying star streams in the Milky Way halo. Applying our method to halo stars in the Hypervelocity Star (HVS) survey, we detect the Sagittarius stream at high significance. Great circle counts and comparisons with theoretical models suggest that the Sagittarius stream comprises 10%-17% of the halo stars in the HVS sample. The population of blue stragglers and blue horizontal branch stars varies along the stream and is a potential probe of the distribution of stellar populations in the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy prior to disruption.

IDENTIFYING STAR STREAMS IN THE MILKY WAY HALO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, Charles III; Brown, Warren R.; Geller, Margaret J.; Kenyon, Scott J.

2012-01-01

We develop statistical methods for identifying star streams in the halo of the Milky Way that exploit observed spatial and radial velocity distributions. Within a great circle, departures of the observed spatial distribution from random provide a measure of the likelihood of a potential star stream. Comparisons between the radial velocity distribution within a great circle and the radial velocity distribution of the entire sample also measure the statistical significance of potential streams. The radial velocities enable construction of a more powerful joint statistical test for identifying star streams in the Milky Way halo. Applying our method to halo stars in the Hypervelocity Star (HVS) survey, we detect the Sagittarius stream at high significance. Great circle counts and comparisons with theoretical models suggest that the Sagittarius stream comprises 10%-17% of the halo stars in the HVS sample. The population of blue stragglers and blue horizontal branch stars varies along the stream and is a potential probe of the distribution of stellar populations in the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy prior to disruption.

Energy markets : refinery outages can have varying gasoline price impacts, but gaps in federal data limit understanding of impacts.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-07-01

In 2008, GAO reported that, with : the exception of the period : following Hurricanes Katrina and : Rita, refinery outages in the United : States did not show discernible : trends in reduced production : capacity, frequency, and location : from 2002 ...

The Shell gasification technology offers clean solutions for refineries and utility companies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vlaswinkel, E.E.; Posthuma, S.A.; Zuideveld, P.L. [Shell International Oil Products BV, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

1997-12-31

Shell has developed two dedicated gasification technologies, the Shell Gasification Process (SGP) for gaseous and liquid feed stocks and the Shell Coal Gasification Process (SCGP) for coal, lignite and petroleum coke. These processes are described. One of the most recent applications of SGP is the PER+ Shell Refinery project in the Netherlands which is nearly completed. A 250 MWe coal gasification combined cycle plant based on SCGP has recently been built by Demkolec, a development partnership of the Dutch Electricity Generating Board (N.V. Sep). These two projects are discussed.

Do biofilm communities respond to the chemical signatures of fracking? A test involving streams in North-central Arkansas.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Wilson H; Douglas, Marlis R; Lewis, Jeffrey A; Stuecker, Tara N; Carbonero, Franck G; Austin, Bradley J; Evans-White, Michelle A; Entrekin, Sally A; Douglas, Michael E

2017-02-03

Unconventional natural gas (UNG) extraction (fracking) is ongoing in 29 North American shale basins (20 states), with ~6000 wells found within the Fayetteville shale (north-central Arkansas). If the chemical signature of fracking is detectable in streams, it can be employed to bookmark potential impacts. We evaluated benthic biofilm community composition as a proxy for stream chemistry so as to segregate anthropogenic signatures in eight Arkansas River catchments. In doing so, we tested the hypothesis that fracking characteristics in study streams are statistically distinguishable from those produced by agriculture or urbanization. Four tributary catchments had UNG-wells significantly more dense and near to our sampling sites and were grouped as 'potentially-impacted catchment zones' (PICZ). Four others were characterized by significantly larger forested area with greater slope and elevation but reduced pasture, and were classified as 'minimally-impacted' (MICZ). Overall, 46 bacterial phyla/141 classes were identified, with 24 phyla (52%) and 54 classes (38%) across all samples. PICZ-sites were ecologically more variable than MICZ-sites, with significantly greater nutrient levels (total nitrogen, total phosphorous), and elevated Cyanobacteria as bioindicators that tracked these conditions. PICZ-sites also exhibited elevated conductance (a correlate of increased ion concentration) and depressed salt-intolerant Spartobacteria, suggesting the presence of brine as a fracking effect. Biofilm communities at PICZ-sites were significantly less variable than those at MICZ-sites. Study streams differed by Group according to morphology, land use, and water chemistry but not in biofilm community structure. Those at PICZ-sites covaried according to anthropogenic impact, and were qualitatively similar to communities found at sites disturbed by fracking. The hypothesis that fracking signatures in study streams are distinguishable from those produced by other anthropogenic effects

Fiscal 1999 feasibility study on energy conservation at Novo-oil refinery in Ufa City

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-03-31

An energy conservation plan was examined for Novo oil refinery of Bashneftechim Company in Ufa City, Bashkortstan, Russia for the purpose of making the plan tied to the COP3 joint implementation. The objective units in the study include an atmospheric and vacuum distillation unit with throughput of 7.8 million tons/year, a visbreaker and a vacuum gas oil hydrodesulfurization unit (for feedstock of FCC in Lenin Refinery), and a catalytic cracking unit, for example. Energy conservation measures are improvement and revamping of heating furnace to control excess air ratio in furnace, installation of air pre-heater or heat recovery boiler to recover heat from exhaust gas of heating furnace, additional installation of heat exchangers to recover heat from product oils, and efficiency improvement of overall operation by modernization of instrumentation and controlling equipment. The policy is not complete rebuilding of the facilities but utilizing the existing facilities by improving energy efficiency as far as possible. The study shows that investment for energy saving will be recovered within 3-6 years in many cases while total investment is estimated to be 1.5-3.0 billion yen. Total reduction of fuel consumption will be 500-800 million yen. Yearly reduction of CO2 emission will amount to 0.29 million tons (23%). (NEDO)

Influence of operating conditions on the air gasification of dry refinery sludge in updraft gasifier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmed, R; Sinnathambi, C M

2013-01-01

In the present work, details of the equilibrium modeling of dry refinery sludge (DRS) are presented using ASPEN PLUS Simulator in updraft gasifier. Due to lack of available information in the open journal on refinery sludge gasification using updraft gasifier, an evaluate for its optimum conditions on gasification is presented in this paper. For this purpose a Taguchi Orthogonal array design, statistical software is applied to find optimum conditions for DRS gasification. The goal is to identify the most significant process variable in DRS gasification conditions. The process variables include; oxidation zone temperature, equivalent ratio, operating pressure will be simulated and examined. Attention was focused on the effect of optimum operating conditions on the gas composition of H 2 and CO (desirable) and CO 2 (undesirable) in terms of mass fraction. From our results and finding it can be concluded that the syngas (H 2 and CO) yield in term of mass fraction favors high oxidation zone temperature and at atmospheric pressure while CO 2 acid gas favor at a high level of equivalent ratio as well as air flow rate favoring towards complete combustion.

Assessment and planning of the electrical systems in Mexican refineries by 2014

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruiz Flores, Luis Ivan; Rodriguez Martinez, Jose Hugo [Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas, Cuernavaca, Morelos (Mexico); Dario Taboada; Guillermo; Pano Jimenez, Javier [PEMEX, (Mexico)

2012-07-01

Nowadays the refining sector in Mexico needs to increase the quantity and quality of produced fuels by installing new process plants for gasoline and ultra-low sulphur diesel. These plants require the provision of electricity and steam, among other services to function properly, which can be supplied by the power plants currently installed in each refinery through an expansion of their generation capacity. These power plants need to increase its production of electricity and steam at levels above their installed capacity, which involves the addition of new power generating equipment (gas or steam turbo-generators) as well as the raise of the electrical loads. Currently, the Mexican Petroleum Company (PEMEX) is planning to restructure their electrical and steam systems in order to optimally supply the required services for the production of high quality fuels. In this paper the present status of the original electrical power systems of the refineries is assessed and the electrical integration of new process plants in the typical schemes is analyzed. Also this paper shows the conceptual schemes proposed to restructure the electrical power system for two refineries and the strategic planning focused on implement the modifications required for the integration of new process plants that will demand about 20 MW for each refinery by 2014. The results of the analysis allowed to identify the current conditions of the electrical power systems in the oil refining industry or National Refining Industry (NRI), and thereby to offer technical solutions that could be useful to engineers facing similar projects. [Spanish] Hoy en dia, el sector de refinacion en Mexico necesita aumentar la cantidad y calidad de los combustibles producidos, mediante la instalacion de nuevas plantas de proceso para la gasolina y el diesel ultra bajo en azufre. Estas plantas requieren el suministro de electricidad y vapor de agua, entre otros servicios, para que funcione correctamente, los cuales pueden

Composition of diesl fuels from German refinery. Products of summer 2003; Zusammensetzung von Dieselkraftstoffen aus deutschen Raffinerien. Sommerware 2003

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Froehling, J.C. [ARAL Forschung GmbH, Bochum (Germany)

2004-08-01

DGMK research project 583-1 investigates the composition of sulfur-free Diesel fuels as a supplement to DGMK report 583 published in 2002, which reports the composition of Diesel fuels with a sulfur content of max. 350 mg/kg. Thereby the effect of desulfurisation on the composition of Diesel fuels was determined. In summer 2003 fuels from German refineries were sampled and examined. In contrast to the first survey, the number of tests was reduced significantly. Only those parameters were considered that were likely to have changed due to the modified refining processes. Since sulfur-free products have to this extent been investigated for the first time, the results will give a significant contribution to questions regarding application techniques and ecology. (orig.)

STREAM2016: Streaming Requirements, Experience, Applications and Middleware Workshop

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fox, Geoffrey [Indiana Univ., Bloomington, IN (United States); Jha, Shantenu [Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, NJ (United States); Ramakrishnan, Lavanya [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2016-10-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC) facilities including accelerators, light sources and neutron sources and sensors that study, the environment, and the atmosphere, are producing streaming data that needs to be analyzed for next-generation scientific discoveries. There has been an explosion of new research and technologies for stream analytics arising from the academic and private sectors. However, there has been no corresponding effort in either documenting the critical research opportunities or building a community that can create and foster productive collaborations. The two-part workshop series, STREAM: Streaming Requirements, Experience, Applications and Middleware Workshop (STREAM2015 and STREAM2016), were conducted to bring the community together and identify gaps and future efforts needed by both NSF and DOE. This report describes the discussions, outcomes and conclusions from STREAM2016: Streaming Requirements, Experience, Applications and Middleware Workshop, the second of these workshops held on March 22-23, 2016 in Tysons, VA. STREAM2016 focused on the Department of Energy (DOE) applications, computational and experimental facilities, as well software systems. Thus, the role of “streaming and steering” as a critical mode of connecting the experimental and computing facilities was pervasive through the workshop. Given the overlap in interests and challenges with industry, the workshop had significant presence from several innovative companies and major contributors. The requirements that drive the proposed research directions, identified in this report, show an important opportunity for building competitive research and development program around streaming data. These findings and recommendations are consistent with vision outlined in NRC Frontiers of Data and National Strategic Computing Initiative (NCSI) [1, 2]. The discussions from the workshop are captured as topic areas covered in this report's sections. The report

Process analytical chemistry applied to actinide waste streams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Day, R.S.

1994-01-01

The Department of Energy is being called upon to clean up it's legacy of waste from the nuclear complex generated during the cold war period. Los Alamos National Laboratory is actively involved in waste minimization and waste stream polishing activities associated with this clean up. The Advanced Testing Line for Actinide Separations (ATLAS) at Los Alamos serves as a developmental test bed for integrating flow sheet development of nitric acid waste streams with process analytical chemistry and process control techniques. The wastes require processing in glove boxes because of the radioactive components, thus adding to the difficulties of making analytical measurements. Process analytical chemistry methods provide real-time chemical analysis in support of existing waste stream operations and enhances the development of new waste stream polishing initiatives. The instrumentation and methods being developed on ATLAS are designed to supply near-real time analyses on virtually all of the chemical parameters found in nitric acid processing of actinide waste. These measurements supply information on important processing parameters including actinide oxidation states, free acid concentration, interfering anions and metal impurities

Management of waste generation in the oil refining industry. The PETROBRAS - Henrique Lage Refinery experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coelho, J I; Machado, J B; Linhares, C A; Mazarino, P R [PETROBRAS, Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil). REVAP. Refinaria Henrique Lage

1994-12-31

The PETROBRAS - Henrique Lages Refinery - located in Sao Paulo State (Southeast Brazil), has been developing for many years a systematic program for solid, liquid and gaseous wastes generation reduction. The waste minimization management program success has been built due to the structure behavioural modifications due to the new environment protection and quality politics; the training and equipment investments, and operational procedures changes. (author). 7 figs., 3 tabs.

Management of waste generation in the oil refining industry. The PETROBRAS - Henrique Lage Refinery experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Coelho, J.I.; Machado, J.B.; Linhares, C.A.; Mazarino, P.R. [PETROBRAS, Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil). REVAP. Refinaria Henrique Lage

1993-12-31

The PETROBRAS - Henrique Lages Refinery - located in Sao Paulo State (Southeast Brazil), has been developing for many years a systematic program for solid, liquid and gaseous wastes generation reduction. The waste minimization management program success has been built due to the structure behavioural modifications due to the new environment protection and quality politics; the training and equipment investments, and operational procedures changes. (author). 7 figs., 3 tabs.

Larval aquatic insect responses to cadmium and zinc in experimental streams.

Science.gov (United States)

Mebane, Christopher A; Schmidt, Travis S; Balistrieri, Laurie S

2017-03-01

To evaluate the risks of metal mixture effects to natural stream communities under ecologically relevant conditions, the authors conducted 30-d tests with benthic macroinvertebrates exposed to cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) in experimental streams. The simultaneous exposures were with Cd and Zn singly and with Cd+Zn mixtures at environmentally relevant ratios. The tests produced concentration-response patterns that for individual taxa were interpreted in the same manner as classic single-species toxicity tests and for community metrics such as taxa richness and mayfly (Ephemeroptera) abundance were interpreted in the same manner as with stream survey data. Effect concentrations from the experimental stream exposures were usually 2 to 3 orders of magnitude lower than those from classic single-species tests. Relative to a response addition model, which assumes that the joint toxicity of the mixtures can be predicted from the product of their responses to individual toxicants, the Cd+Zn mixtures generally showed slightly less than additive toxicity. The authors applied a modeling approach called Tox to explore the mixture toxicity results and to relate the experimental stream results to field data. The approach predicts the accumulation of toxicants (hydrogen, Cd, and Zn) on organisms using a 2-pK a bidentate model that defines interactions between dissolved cations and biological receptors (biotic ligands) and relates that accumulation through a logistic equation to biological response. The Tox modeling was able to predict Cd+Zn mixture responses from the single-metal exposures as well as responses from field data. The similarity of response patterns between the 30-d experimental stream tests and field data supports the environmental relevance of testing aquatic insects in experimental streams. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:749-762. Published 2016 Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the

Economic impacts of oil spills: Spill unit costs for tankers, pipelines, refineries, and offshore facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The impacts of oil spills -- ranging from the large, widely publicized Exxon Valdez tanker incident to smaller pipeline and refinery spills -- have been costly to both the oil industry and the public. For example, the estimated costs to Exxon of the Valdez tanker spill are on the order of $4 billion, including $2.8 billion (in 1993 dollars) for direct cleanup costs and $1.125 billion (in 1992 dollars) for settlement of damages claims caused by the spill. Application of contingent valuation costs and civil lawsuits pending in the State of Alaska could raise these costs appreciably. Even the costs of the much smaller 1991 oil spill at Texaco's refinery near Anacortes, Washington led to costs of $8 to 9 million. As a result, inexpensive waming, response and remediation technologies could lower oil spin costs, helping both the oil industry, the associated marine industries, and the environment. One means for reducing the impact and costs of oil spills is to undertake research and development on key aspects of the oil spill prevention, warming, and response and remediation systems. To target these funds to their best use, it is important to have sound data on the nature and size of spills, their likely occurrence and their unit costs. This information could then allow scarce R ampersand D dollars to be spent on areas and activities having the largest impact. This report is intended to provide the ''unit cost'' portion of this crucial information. The report examines the three key components of the US oil supply system, namely, tankers and barges; pipelines and refineries; and offshore production facilities. The specific purpose of the study was to establish the unit costs of oil spills. By manipulating this key information into a larger matrix that includes the size and frequency of occurrence of oil spills, it will be possible' to estimate the likely future impacts, costs, and sources of oil spills

Free-living dinitrogen-fixing bacteria isolated from petroleum refinery oily sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laguerre, G.; Bossand, B.; Bardin, R.

1987-01-01

Dinitrogen-fixing activity (acetylene reduction and 15 N 2 fixation) was found in an oily sludge originating from a petroleum refinery. Two representative dinitrogen-fixing bacterial strains were isolated from this oily waste. Their nitrogenase activity was effective when they were cultivated on sterilized sludge or simple carbon substrates (organic acid salts, sugars). Using the classical methods, these strains could not be unambiguously related to other diazotrophic taxa. The landfarming process is widely used for oily sludge disposal; this study shows that oily sludges are more than a simple carbon input into the soil but that they must also be considered as real sources of dinitrogen-fixing and probably degradative microorganisms

Development of Bio-Oil Commodity Fuel as a Refinery Feedstock from High Impact Algae Biomass

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kastner, James [Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States). Dept. of Biochemical Engineering; Mani, Sudhagar [Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States). Dept. of Biochemical Engineering; Das, K. C. [Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States). Dept. of Biochemical Engineering; Hilten, Roger [Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States). Dept. of Biochemical Engineering; Jena, Umakanta [Desert Research Inst. (DRI), Reno, NV (United States)

2014-11-30

A two-stage hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) process was developed to 1) reduce nitrogen levels in algal oil, 2) generate a nitrogen rich stream with limited inhibitors for recycle and algae cultivation, and 3) improve downstream catalytic hydrodenitrogenation and hydrodeoxygenation of the algal oil to refinery intermediates. In the first stage, low temperature HTL was conducted at 125, 175, and 225°C at holding times ranging from 1 to 30 min (time at reaction temperature). A consortium of three algal strains, namely Chlorella sorokiniana, Chlorella minutissima, and Scenedesmus bijuga were used to grow and harvest biomass in a raceway system – this consortium is called the UGA Raceway strain throughout the report. Subsequent analysis of the final harvested product indicated that only two strains predominated in the final harvest - Chlorella sorokiniana and Scenedesmus bijuga. Two additional strains representing a high protein (Spirulina platensis) and high lipid algae (Nannochloropsis) strains were also used in this study. These strains were purchased from suppliers. S. platensis biomass was provided by Earthrise Nutritionals LLC (Calipatria, CA) in dry powder form with defined properties, and was stored in airtight packages at 4°C prior to use. A Nannochloropsis paste from Reed Mariculture was purchased and used in the two-stage HTL/HDO experiments. The solids and liquids from this low temperature HTL pretreatment step were separated and analyzed, leading to the following conclusions. Overall, these results indicate that low temperature HTL (200-250°C) at short residence times (5-15 min) can be used to lyse algae cells and remove/separate protein and nitrogen before subsequent higher temperature HTL (for lipid and other polymer hydrolysis) and HDO. The significant reduction in nitrogen when coupled with low protein/high lipid algae cultivation methods at scale could significantly improve downstream catalytic HDO results. However, significant barriers and

Partial Key Grouping: Load-Balanced Partitioning of Distributed Streams

OpenAIRE

Nasir, Muhammad Anis Uddin; Morales, Gianmarco De Francisci; Garcia-Soriano, David; Kourtellis, Nicolas; Serafini, Marco

2015-01-01

We study the problem of load balancing in distributed stream processing engines, which is exacerbated in the presence of skew. We introduce PARTIAL KEY GROUPING (PKG), a new stream partitioning scheme that adapts the classical “power of two choices” to a distributed streaming setting by leveraging two novel techniques: key splitting and local load estimation. In so doing, it achieves better load balancing than key grouping while being more scalable than shuffle grouping. We test PKG on severa...

Alignment data streams for the ATLAS inner detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinto, B; Amorim, A; Pereira, P; Elsing, M; Hawkings, R; Schieck, J; Garcia, S; Schaffer, A; Ma, H; Anjos, A

2008-01-01

The ATLAS experiment uses a complex trigger strategy to be able to reduce the Event Filter rate output, down to a level that allows the storage and processing of these data. These concepts are described in the ATLAS Computing Model which embraces Grid paradigm. The output coming from the Event Filter consists of four main streams: physical stream, express stream, calibration stream, and diagnostic stream. The calibration stream will be transferred to the Tier-0 facilities that will provide the prompt reconstruction of this stream with a minimum latency of 8 hours, producing calibration constants of sufficient quality to allow a first-pass processing. The Inner Detector community is developing and testing an independent common calibration stream selected at the Event Filter after track reconstruction. It is composed of raw data, in byte-stream format, contained in Readout Buffers (ROBs) with hit information of the selected tracks, and it will be used to derive and update a set of calibration and alignment constants. This option was selected because it makes use of the Byte Stream Converter infrastructure and possibly gives better bandwidth usage and storage optimization. Processing is done using specialized algorithms running in the Athena framework in dedicated Tier-0 resources, and the alignment constants will be stored and distributed using the COOL conditions database infrastructure. This work is addressing in particular the alignment requirements, the needs for track and hit selection, and the performance issues

Alignment data stream for the ATLAS inner detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinto, B

2010-01-01

The ATLAS experiment uses a complex trigger strategy to be able to achieve the necessary Event Filter rate output, making possible to optimize the storage and processing needs of these data. These needs are described in the ATLAS Computing Model, which embraces Grid concepts. The output coming from the Event Filter will consist of three main streams: a primary stream, the express stream and the calibration stream. The calibration stream will be transferred to the Tier-0 facilities which will allow the prompt reconstruction of this stream with an admissible latency of 8 hours, producing calibration constants of sufficient quality to permit a first-pass processing. An independent calibration stream is developed and tested, which selects tracks at the level-2 trigger (LVL2) after the reconstruction. The stream is composed of raw data, in byte-stream format, and contains only information of the relevant parts of the detector, in particular the hit information of the selected tracks. This leads to a significantly improved bandwidth usage and storage capability. The stream will be used to derive and update the calibration and alignment constants if necessary every 24h. Processing is done using specialized algorithms running in Athena framework in dedicated Tier-0 resources, and the alignment constants will be stored and distributed using the COOL conditions database infrastructure. The work is addressing in particular the alignment requirements, the needs for track and hit selection, timing and bandwidth issues.

DM100 AND DM1200 MELTER TESTING WITH HIGH WASTE LOADING GLASS FORMULATIONS FOR HANFORD HIGH-ALUMINUM HLW STREAMS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

KRUGER AA; MATLACK KS; KOT WK; PEGG IL; JOSEPH I

2009-12-30

This Test Plan describes work to support the development and testing of high waste loading glass formulations that achieve high glass melting rates for Hanford high aluminum high level waste (HLW). In particular, the present testing is designed to evaluate the effect of using low activity waste (LAW) waste streams as a source of sodium in place ofchemical additives, sugar or cellulose as a reductant, boehmite as an aluminum source, and further enhancements to waste processing rate while meeting all processing and product quality requirements. The work will include preparation and characterization of crucible melts in support of subsequent DuraMelter 100 (DM 100) tests designed to examine the effects of enhanced glass formulations, glass processing temperature, incorporation of the LAW waste stream as a sodium source, type of organic reductant, and feed solids content on waste processing rate and product quality. Also included is a confirmatory test on the HLW Pilot Melter (DM1200) with a composition selected from those tested on the DM100. This work builds on previous work performed at the Vitreous State Laboratory (VSL) for Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of River Protection (ORP) to increase waste loading and processing rates for high-iron HLW waste streams as well as previous tests conducted for ORP on the same waste composition. This Test Plan is prepared in response to an ORP-supplied statement of work. It is currently estimated that the number of HLW canisters to be produced in the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) is about 12,500. This estimate is based upon the inventory ofthe tank wastes, the anticipated performance of the sludge treatment processes, and current understanding of the capability of the borosilicate glass waste form. The WTP HLW melter design, unlike earlier DOE melter designs, incorporates an active glass bubbler system. The bubblers create active glass pool convection and thereby improve heat

Vegetal test-system investigation on cytotoxicity of water from urban streams located in the northeastern region of Maringá, Paraná State, Brazil - doi: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v33i1.4924 Vegetal test-system investigation on cytotoxicity of water from urban streams located in the northeastern region of Maringá, Paraná State, Brazil - doi: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v33i1.4924

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcus Eduardo Kamide Gonçalves

2011-02-01

Full Text Available The increase in consumption of water, the destruction of riparian forests and the pollution caused by humans, have severely degraded several water resources. Numerous stream crisscross the city of Maringá, Paraná state, Brazil and most of their sources are scattered through the urban region. Current analysis assesses the cytotoxic potential of water from the Corregozinho, Isalto, Morangueira and Ozório streams, located within the high-populated northeastern region of Maringá, inside the urban perimeter. Root meristematic cells of Allium cepa were used as test-system. The roots of onion were prepared by Feulgen’s reaction and stained with Schiff's reagent. Results showed that there were no statistically significant changes evaluated by the chi-square test on the rates of cell division in cells of Allium cepa roots treated with the water of the streams when compared to data from controls. However, further analyses should be undertaken at different times for a periodic assessment of conditions in the streams, coupled with an awareness of the population on the environment.The increase in consumption of water, the destruction of riparian forests and the pollution caused by humans, have severely degraded several water resources. Numerous stream crisscross the city of Maringá, Paraná state, Brazil and most of their sources are scattered through the urban region. Current analysis assesses the cytotoxic potential of water from the Corregozinho, Isalto, Morangueira and Ozório streams, located within the high-populated northeastern region of Maringá, inside the urban perimeter. Root meristematic cells of Allium cepa were used as test-system. The roots of onion were prepared by Feulgen’s reaction and stained with Schiff's reagent. Results showed that there were no statistically significant changes evaluated by the chi-square test on the rates of cell division in cells of Allium cepa roots treated with the water of the streams when compared to

EFFECTS OF STREAM RESTORATION ON DENITRIFICATION In AN URBANIZING WATERSHED

Science.gov (United States)

Increased delivery of nitrogen due to urbanization and stream ecosystem degradation is contributing to eutrophication in coastal regions of the eastern United States. We tested whether geomorphic restoration involving hydrologic “reconnection” of a stream to its floodplain could ...

CO{sub 2} capture from oil refinery process heaters through oxyfuel combustion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

M.B. Wilkinson; J.C. Boden; T. Gilmartin; C. Ward; D.A. Cross; R.J. Allam; N.W.Ivens [BP, Sunbury-on-Thames (United Kingdom)

2003-07-01

BP has a programme to develop technologies that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, by the capture and storage of CO{sub 2} from existing industrial boilers and process heaters. One generic technology under development is oxyfuel combustion, with flue gas recycle. Previous studies, by three of the authors, have concluded that refinery steam boilers could be successfully converted to oxyfuel firing. Fired heaters, however, differ from boilers in several respects and so it was decided to study the feasibility of converting process heaters. Three heaters, located on BP s Grangemouth refinery, were chosen as examples, as they are typical of large numbers of heaters worldwide. In establishing the parameters of the study, it was decided that the heat fluxes to the process tubes should not be increased, compared to conventional air firing. For two of the heaters this was achieved by proposing a slightly higher recycle rate than for the boiler conversion studied earlier - the heater duty would be retained with no changes to the tubes. For the third heater, where the process duty uses only the radiant section, the CO{sub 2} capture cost and the firing rate could be reduced by lowering the recycle rate. Some air in leakage to these heaters was considered inevitable, despite measures to control it, and therefore plant to remove residual inerts from the CO{sub 2} product was designed. Cryogenic oxygen production was selected for two heaters, but for the smallest heater vacuum swing adsorption was more economic. 3 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.

Bio-Refineries Bioprocess Technologies for Waste-Water Treatment, Energy and Product Valorization

Science.gov (United States)

Keith Cowan, A.

2010-04-01

Increasing pressure is being exerted on communities and nations to source energy from forms other than fossil fuels. Also, potable water is becoming a scarce resource in many parts of the world, and there remains a large divide in the demand and utilization of plant products derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and non-GMOs. The most extensive user and manager of terrestrial ecosystems is agriculture which is also the de facto steward of natural resources. As stated by Miller (2008) no other industry or institution comes close to the comparative advantage held for this vital responsibility while simultaneously providing food, fiber, and other biology-based products, including energy. Since modern commercial agriculture is transitioning from the production of bulk commodities to the provision of standardized products and specific-attribute raw materials for differentiated markets, we can argue that processes such as mass cultivation of microalgae and the concept of bio-refineries be seen as part of a `new' agronomy. EBRU is currently exploring the integration of bioprocess technologies using microalgae as biocatalysts to achieve waste-water treatment, water polishing and endocrine disruptor (EDC) removal, sustainable energy production, and exploitation of the resultant biomass in agriculture as foliar fertilizer and seed coatings, and for commercial extraction of bulk commodities such as bio-oils and lecithin. This presentation will address efforts to establish a fully operational solar-driven microalgae bio-refinery for use not only in waste remediation but to transform waste and biomass to energy, fuels, and other useful materials (valorisation), with particular focus on environmental quality and sustainability goals.

Shifting stream planform state decreases stream productivity yet increases riparian animal production

Science.gov (United States)

Venarsky, Michael P.; Walters, David M.; Hall, Robert O.; Livers, Bridget; Wohl, Ellen

2018-01-01

In the Colorado Front Range (USA), disturbance history dictates stream planform. Undisturbed, old-growth streams have multiple channels and large amounts of wood and depositional habitat. Disturbed streams (wildfires and logging production, emerging aquatic insect flux, and riparian spider biomass. Organic matter and macroinvertebrate production did not differ among sites per unit area (m−2), but values were 2 ×–21 × higher in undisturbed reaches per unit of stream valley (m−1 valley) because total stream area was higher in undisturbed reaches. Insect emergence was similar among streams at the per unit area and per unit of stream valley. However, rescaling insect emergence to per meter of stream bank showed that the emerging insect biomass reaching the stream bank was lower in undisturbed sites because multi-channel reaches had 3 × more stream bank than single-channel reaches. Riparian spider biomass followed the same pattern as emerging aquatic insects, and we attribute this to bottom-up limitation caused by the multi-channeled undisturbed sites diluting prey quantity (emerging insects) reaching the stream bank (riparian spider habitat). These results show that historic landscape disturbances continue to influence stream and riparian communities in the Colorado Front Range. However, these legacy effects are only weakly influencing habitat-specific function and instead are primarily influencing stream–riparian community productivity by dictating both stream planform (total stream area, total stream bank length) and the proportional distribution of specific habitat types (pools vs riffles).

ADAPTIVE STREAMING OVER HTTP (DASH UNTUK APLIKASI VIDEO STREAMING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I Made Oka Widyantara

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper aims to analyze Internet-based streaming video service in the communication media with variable bit rates. The proposed scheme on Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH using the internet network that adapts to the protocol Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP. DASH technology allows a video in the video segmentation into several packages that will distreamingkan. DASH initial stage is to compress the video source to lower the bit rate video codec uses H.26. Video compressed further in the segmentation using MP4Box generates streaming packets with the specified duration. These packages are assembled into packets in a streaming media format Presentation Description (MPD or known as MPEG-DASH. Streaming video format MPEG-DASH run on a platform with the player bitdash teritegrasi bitcoin. With this scheme, the video will have several variants of the bit rates that gave rise to the concept of scalability of streaming video services on the client side. The main target of the mechanism is smooth the MPEG-DASH streaming video display on the client. The simulation results show that the scheme based scalable video streaming MPEG-DASH able to improve the quality of image display on the client side, where the procedure bufering videos can be made constant and fine for the duration of video views

The evolution of streams in a time-dependent potential

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buist, Hans J. T.; Helmi, Amina

2015-01-01

We study the evolution of streams in a time-dependent spherical gravitational potential. Our goal is to establish what are the imprints of this time evolution on the properties of streams as well as their observability. To this end, we have performed a suite of test-particle experiments for a host

Electroacoustic isoelectric point determinations of bauxite refinery residues: different neutralization techniques and minor mineral effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Freire, Tiago S S; Clark, Malcolm W; Comarmond, M Josick; Payne, Timothy E; Reichelt-Brushett, Amanda J; Thorogood, Gordon J

2012-08-14

Bauxite refinery residue (BRR) is a highly caustic, iron hydroxide-rich byproduct from alumina production. Some chemical treatments of BRR reduce soluble alkalinity and lower residue pH (to values work shows that minor mineral components in complex mineral systems may have a disproportionate effect on the observable bulk IEP. Furthermore, this work shows the appropriateness of electroacoustic techniques in investigating samples with significant soluble mineral components (e.g., ANC).

Stream pH as an abiotic gradient influencing distributions of trout in Pennsylvania streams

Science.gov (United States)

Kocovsky, P.M.; Carline, R.F.

2005-01-01

Elevation and stream slope are abiotic gradients that limit upstream distributions of brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and brown trout Salmo trutta in streams. We sought to determine whether another abiotic gradient, base-flow pH, may also affect distributions of these two species in eastern North America streams. We used historical data from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's fisheries management database to explore the effects of reach elevation, slope, and base-flow pH on distributional limits to brook trout and brown trout in Pennsylvania streams in the Appalachian Plateaus and Ridge and Valley physiographic provinces. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) was used to calculate a canonical axis that separated allopatric brook trout populations from allopatric brown trout populations and allowed us to assess which of the three independent variables were important gradients along which communities graded from allopatric brook trout to allopatric brown trout. Canonical structure coefficients from DFA indicated that in both physiographic provinces, stream base-flow pH and slope were important factors in distributional limits; elevation was also an important factor in the Ridge and Valley Province but not the Appalachian Plateaus Province. Graphs of each variable against the proportion of brook trout in a community also identified apparent zones of allopatry for both species on the basis of pH and stream slope. We hypothesize that pH-mediated interspecific competition that favors brook trout in competition with brown trout at lower pH is the most plausible mechanism for segregation of these two species along pH gradients. Our discovery that trout distributions in Pennsylvania are related to stream base-flow pH has important implications for brook trout conservation in acidified regions. Carefully designed laboratory and field studies will be required to test our hypothesis and elucidate the mechanisms responsible for the partitioning of brook trout and

Large-scale laboratory testing of bedload-monitoring technologies: overview of the StreamLab06 Experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Marr, Jeffrey D.G.; Gray, John R.; Davis, Broderick E.; Ellis, Chris; Johnson, Sara; Gray, John R.; Laronne, Jonathan B.; Marr, Jeffrey D.G.

2010-01-01

A 3-month-long, large-scale flume experiment involving research and testing of selected conventional and surrogate bedload-monitoring technologies was conducted in the Main Channel at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory under the auspices of the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics. These experiments, dubbed StreamLab06, involved 25 researchers and volunteers from academia, government, and the private sector. The research channel was equipped with a sediment-recirculation system and a sediment-flux monitoring system that allowed continuous measurement of sediment flux in the flume and provided a data set by which samplers were evaluated. Selected bedload-measurement technologies were tested under a range of flow and sediment-transport conditions. The experiment was conducted in two phases. The bed material in phase I was well-sorted siliceous sand (0.6-1.8 mm median diameter). A gravel mixture (1-32 mm median diameter) composed the bed material in phase II. Four conventional bedload samplers – a standard Helley-Smith, Elwha, BLH-84, and Toutle River II (TR-2) sampler – were manually deployed as part of both experiment phases. Bedload traps were deployed in study Phase II. Two surrogate bedload samplers – stationarymounted down-looking 600 kHz and 1200 kHz acoustic Doppler current profilers – were deployed in experiment phase II. This paper presents an overview of the experiment including the specific data-collection technologies used and the ambient hydraulic, sediment-transport and environmental conditions measured as part of the experiment. All data collected as part of the StreamLab06 experiments are, or will be available to the research community.

Determination of levels nd interfaces in oil refinery fractioning towers, with neutron retrodispersion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz, F; Henriquez, P; Vega, P

2003-01-01

In the petrochemical industry and, especially, in oil refineries measurement and the control of levels and interfaces in tanks, fractioning towers and processing equipment, in general, are extremely important for managing and knowing about the different fluids that are processed in the plants. Usually there is on-line instrumentation at the plant's critical points, like floaters, external glass columns and, even, gamma radiation sources through the transmission system. A problem arises with the need for a system that can rapidly and non destructively measure levels and interfaces, outside the system to be inspected and verify the functioning of the on-line instrumentation and in places where there is no instrumentation. This work presents a methodology based on the retrodispersion of neutrons that have been used in 3 breakdown towers at the Petrox Oil Refinery, Region VIII in Chile, to identify levels and interfaces in different points in order to verify the functioning of a gamma level meter, glass column meters and to observe on site and in real time the variations in level and interfaces when carrying out different operations that will modify the values in the towers. The set of instruments used include a 1010 GBq Americium-Beryllium source and a measuring system consisting of a BF 3 (boron trifluoride) detector and its electronically related Model 2241 from Ludlum Instruments. The set is placed in a geometry that permits precise measurements (Cw)

Image Encryption Using a Lightweight Stream Encryption Algorithm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saeed Bahrami

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Security of the multimedia data including image and video is one of the basic requirements for the telecommunications and computer networks. In this paper, we consider a simple and lightweight stream encryption algorithm for image encryption, and a series of tests are performed to confirm suitability of the described encryption algorithm. These tests include visual test, histogram analysis, information entropy, encryption quality, correlation analysis, differential analysis, and performance analysis. Based on this analysis, it can be concluded that the present algorithm in comparison to A5/1 and W7 stream ciphers has the same security level, is better in terms of the speed of performance, and is used for real-time applications.

Tritium in well waters, streams and atomic lakes in the East Kazakhstan Oblast of the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitchell, Peter I; Vintró, Luis León; Omarova, Aigul; Burkitbayev, Mukhambetkali; Nápoles, Humberto Jiménez; Priest, Nicholas D

2005-06-01

The concentration of tritium has been determined in well waters, streams and atomic lakes in the Sarzhal, Tel'kem, Balapan and Degelen Mountains areas of the Semipalatinsk Test Site. The data show that levels of tritium in domestic well waters within the settlement of Sarzhal are extremely low at the present time with a median value of 4.4 Bq dm(-3) (95% confidence interval:4.1-4.7 Bq dm(-3)). These levels are only marginally above the background tritium content in surface waters globally. Levels in the atomic craters at Tel'kem 1 and Tel'kem 2 are between one and two orders of magnitude higher, while the level in Lake Balapan is approximately 12,600 Bq dm(-3). Significantly, levels in streams and test-tunnel waters sourced in the Degelen Mountains, the site of approximately 215 underground nuclear tests, are a further order of magnitude higher, being in the range 133,000--235,500 Bq dm(-3). No evidence was adduced which indicates that domestic wells in Sarzhal are contaminated by tritium-rich waters sourced in the Degelen massif, suggesting that the latter are not connected hydrologically to the near-surface groundwater recharging the Sarzhal wells. Annual doses to humans arising from the ingestion of tritium in these well waters are very low at the present time and are of no radiological significance.

Akamai Streaming

OpenAIRE

ECT Team, Purdue

2007-01-01

Akamai offers world-class streaming media services that enable Internet content providers and enterprises to succeed in today's Web-centric marketplace. They deliver live event Webcasts (complete with video production, encoding, and signal acquisition services), streaming media on demand, 24/7 Webcasts and a variety of streaming application services based upon their EdgeAdvantage.

Removal of benzene and toluene from a refinery waste air stream by water sorption and biotrickling filtration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paolo Viotti

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the results of an analysis of a two-stage pilot plant for the removal of toluene and benzene from the exhaust air of an industrial wastewater treatment plant (WWTP. The two-stage air process combines a water scrubber and a biotrickling filter (BTF in sequence, and treats air stripped from the liquid phase compartments of the WWTP. During the experimental period, the pilot plant treated an airflow of 600 Nm3h-1. Average concentrations of the waste air stream entering the water scrubber were 10.61 mg Nm-3 benzene and 9.26 mg Nm-3 toluene. The water scrubber obtained medium-high removal efficiencies (averages 51% and 60%, for benzene and toluene, respectively. Subsequent passage through the BTF allowed a further reduction of average concentrations, which decreased to 2.10 mg Nm-3 benzene and to 0.84 mg Nm-3 toluene, thereby allowing overall average removal efficiencies (REs of 80% and 91% for benzene and toluene, respectively. Results prove the benefits obtained from a combination of different removal technologies: water scrubbers to remove peak concentrations and soluble compounds, and BTFs to remove compounds with lower solubility, due to the biodegradation performed by microorganisms.

Nuclear refinery - advanced energy complex for electricity generation, clean fuel production, and heat supply

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McDonald, C.F.

1992-01-01

In planning for increased U.S. energy users' demand after the year 2000 there are essentially four salient vectors: (1) reduced reliance on imported crude oil; (2) provide a secure supply with stable economics; (3) supply system must be in concert with improved environment goals; and (4) maximum use to be made of indigenous resources. For the last decade of this century the aforementioned will likely be met by increasing utilization of natural gas. Early in the next century, however, in the U.S. and the newly industrializing nations, the ever increasing energy demand will only be met by the combined use of uranium and coal. The proposed nuclear refinery concept is an advanced energy complex that has at its focal point an advanced modular helium reactor (MHR). This nuclear facility, together with a coal feedstock, could contribute towards meeting the needs of the four major energy sectors in the U.S., namely electricity, transportation, industrial heating and chemical feedstock, and space and water heating. Such a nuclear/coal synergistic system would be in concert with improved air quality goals. This paper discusses the major features and multifaceted operation of a nuclear refinery concept, and identifies the enabling technologies needed for such an energy complex to become a reality early in the 21st century. (Author)

Optimization of petroleum refinery effluent treatment in a UASB reactor using response surface methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rastegar, S.O.; Mousavi, S.M.; Shojaosadati, S.A.; Sheibani, S.

2011-01-01

Highlights: ► A UASB was successfully used for treatment of petroleum refinery effluent. ► Response surface methodology was applied to design and analysis of experiments. ► System was modeled between efficient factors include HRT, influent COD and V up . ► UASB was able to remove about 76.3% influent COD at optimum conditions. - Abstract: An upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) bioreactor was successfully used for the treatment of petroleum refinery effluent. Before optimization, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal was 81% at a constant organic loading rate (OLR) of 0.4 kg/m 3 d and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 48 h. The rate of biogas production was 559 mL/h at an HRT of 40 h and an influent COD of 1000 mg/L. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to predict the behaviors of influent COD, upflow velocity (V up ) and HRT in the bioreactor. RSM showed that the best models for COD removal and biogas production rate were the reduced quadratic and cubic models, respectively. The optimum region, identified based on two critical responses, was an influent COD of 630 mg/L, a V up of 0.27 m/h, and an HRT of 21.4 h. This resulted in a 76.3% COD removal efficiency and a 0.25 L biogas/L feed d biogas production rate.

Characterizing exposures to airborne metals and nanoparticle emissions in a refinery.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Arthur; Drake, Pamela L; Hintz, Patrick; Habjan, Matt

2010-07-01

An air quality survey was conducted at a precious metals refinery in order to evaluate worker exposures to airborne metals and to provide detailed characterization of the aerosols. Two areas within the refinery were characterized: a furnace room and an electro-refining area. In line with standard survey practices, both personal and area air filter samples were collected on 37-mm filters and analyzed for metals by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. In addition to the standard sampling, measurements were conducted using other tools, designed to provide enhanced characterization of the workplace aerosols. The number concentration and number-weighted particle size distribution of airborne particles were measured with a fast mobility particle sizer (FMPS). Custom-designed software was used to correlate particle concentration data with spatial location data to generate contour maps of particle number concentrations in the work areas. Short-term samples were collected in areas of localized high concentrations and analyzed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) to determine particle morphology and elemental chemistry. Analysis of filter samples indicated that all of the workers were exposed to levels of silver above the Occupational Safety and Health Administration permissible exposure limit of 0.01 mg m(-3) even though the localized ventilation was functioning. Measurements with the FMPS indicated that particle number concentrations near the furnace increased up to 1000-fold above the baseline during the pouring of molten metal. Spatial mapping revealed localized elevated particle concentrations near the furnaces and plumes of particles rising into the stairwells and traveling to the upper work areas. Results of TEM/EDS analyses confirmed the high number of nanoparticles measured by the FMPS and indicated the aerosols were rich in metals including silver, lead, antimony, selenium, and zinc. Results of

Benchmarking of refinery CO2 emissions. The CWT methodology provides a way forward

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larive, J.F. [CONCAWE, Brussels (Belgium)

2009-10-01

The EU Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme foresees a number of mechanisms for distributing emission allowances amongst market players. For those economic sectors exposed to international competition, a portion of the required allowances will be distributed free of charge. In order to do this in an equitable manner, the amount of free allowances will be based on a sectoral benchmark representing best practice in the sector. In cooperation with Solomon Associates, CONCAWE has developed the so-called Complexity Weighted Tonne (CWT) methodology which provides a common and balanced basis for comparing the performance of refineries.

Inhibition of β-galactosidase and α-glucosidase synthesis in petroleum refinery effluent bacteria by phenolic compounds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gideon C. Okpokwasili

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Inhibition of α-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.20 and β-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23 biosynthesis by phenolic compounds (phenol, 2-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, 4-bromophenol and 3,5-dimethylphenol in Escherichia coli, Bacillus and Pseudomonas species isolated from petroleum refinery wastewater was assessed. At sufficient concentrations, phenols inhibited the induction of α-glucosidase and β-galactosidase. The patterns of these toxic effects can be mathematically described with logistic and sigmoid dose-response models. The median inhibitory concentrations (IC50 varied among the phenols, the bacteria and enzymes. Quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR models based on the logarithm of the octanol–water partition coefficient (log10Kow were developed for each bacterium. The correlation coefficients varied between 0.84and 0.99 for the enzymes. The test results indicated α-glucosidase and β-galactosidase biosynthesis as important microbial indices for evaluation of toxicity of phenolic compounds.

MBBR evaluation for oil refinery wastewater treatment, with post-ozonation and BAC, for wastewater reuse.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, E E; Cerqueira, A C F P; Dezotti, M

2011-01-01

This work evaluated the performance of a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) in the treatment of an oil refinery wastewater. Also, it investigated the possibility of reuse of the MBBR effluent, after ozonation in series with a biological activated carbon (BAC) column. The best performance of the MBBR was achieved with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6 hours, employing a bed to bioreactor volume ratio (V(B)/V(R)) of 0.6. COD and N-NH₄(+) MBBR effluent concentrations ranged from 40 to 75 mg L⁻¹ (removal efficiency of 69-89%) and 2 to 6 mg L⁻¹ (removal efficiency of 45-86%), respectively. Ozonation carried out for 15 min with an ozone concentration of 5 mg L⁻¹ was able to improve the treated wastewater biodegradability. The treatment performance of the BAC columns was practically the same for ozonated and non ozonated MBBR effluents. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) content of the columns of the activated carbon columns (CAG) was in the range of 2.1-3.8 mg L⁻¹, and the corresponding DOC removal efficiencies were comprised between 52 and 75%. The effluent obtained at the end of the proposed treatment presented a quality, which meet the requirements for water reuse in the oil refinery.

Hydroprocessing and premium II refinery: a new refining philosophy for an era of clean fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Delgaudio, Caio Veiga Penna; Pinotti, Rafael [Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (PETROBRAS), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2012-07-01

This paper discusses a brief history of Brazilian's emission and fuel specifications, since the appearance of PROCONVE until the late stages of the program for vehicles powered by gasoline and diesel. The development of the Brazilian refining is analyzed taking into account the emission and specification evolutions, and it can be perceived that the system's complexity increases while new constraints are imposed by the regulator. This aspect is even more apparent when the detailed scheme of the Premium II refinery and its main unit, the catalytic hydrocracker (HCC, which has not yet been part of PETROBRAS' refining park and will appear in three of the four new refineries of the company) is described. The new projects represent the culmination of the intensive use of energy and raw material for obtaining the products with the new specifications. There is a price for this development, both in investments and increased operating costs due to greater complexity of the system. To adapt to the era of clean fuels, refiners will present a series of challenges that will lead them to seek for more efficient processes and operational excellence (and ongoing efforts to reduce their emissions) in order to ensure positive refining margins. (author)

The Midwest Stream Quality Assessment—Influences of human activities on streams

Science.gov (United States)

Van Metre, Peter C.; Mahler, Barbara J.; Carlisle, Daren M.; Coles, James F.

2018-04-16

Healthy streams and the fish and other organisms that live in them contribute to our quality of life. Extensive modification of the landscape in the Midwestern United States, however, has profoundly affected the condition of streams. Row crops and pavement have replaced grasslands and woodlands, streams have been straightened, and wetlands and fields have been drained. Runoff from agricultural and urban land brings sediment and chemicals to streams. What is the chemical, physical, and biological condition of Midwestern streams? Which physical and chemical stressors are adversely affecting biological communities, what are their origins, and how might we lessen or avoid their adverse effects?In 2013, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted the Midwest Stream Quality Assessment to evaluate how human activities affect the biological condition of Midwestern streams. In collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Rivers and Streams Assessment, the USGS sampled 100 streams, chosen to be representative of the different types of watersheds in the region. Biological condition was evaluated based on the number and diversity of fish, algae, and invertebrates in the streams. Changes to the physical habitat and chemical characteristics of the streams—“stressors”—were assessed, and their relation to landscape factors and biological condition was explored by using mathematical models. The data and models help us to better understand how the human activities on the landscape are affecting streams in the region.

Testing the effects of in-stream sediment sources and sinks on simulated watershed sediment yield using the coupled U.S. Army Corps of Engineers GSSHA Model and SEDLIB Sediment Transport Library

Science.gov (United States)

Floyd, I. E.; Downer, C. W.; Brown, G.; Pradhan, N. R.

2017-12-01

The Gridded Surface Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis (GSSHA) model is the US Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE)'s only fully coupled overland/in-stream sediment transport model. While the overland sediment transport formulation in GSSHA is considered state of the art, the existing in-stream sediment transport formulation is less robust. A major omission in the formulation of the existing GSSHA in-stream model is the lack of in-stream sources of fine materials. In this effort, we enhanced the in-stream sediment transport capacity of GSSHA by linking GSSHA to the SEDLIB sediment transport library. SEDLIB was developed at the Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) under the System Wide Water Resources Program (SWWRP) and Flood and Coastal (F&C) research program. It is designed to provide a library of sediment flux formulations for hydraulic and hydrologic models, such as GSSHA. This new version of GSSHA, with the updated in-stream sediment transport simulation capability afforded by the linkage to SEDLIB, was tested in against observations in an experimental watershed that had previously been used as a test bed for GSSHA. The results show a significant improvement in the ability to model in-stream sources of fine sediment. This improved capability will broaden the applicability of GSSHA to larger watersheds and watersheds with complex sediment dynamics, such as those subjected to fire hydrology.

Data Stream Classification Based on the Gamma Classifier

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abril Valeria Uriarte-Arcia

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The ever increasing data generation confronts us with the problem of handling online massive amounts of information. One of the biggest challenges is how to extract valuable information from these massive continuous data streams during single scanning. In a data stream context, data arrive continuously at high speed; therefore the algorithms developed to address this context must be efficient regarding memory and time management and capable of detecting changes over time in the underlying distribution that generated the data. This work describes a novel method for the task of pattern classification over a continuous data stream based on an associative model. The proposed method is based on the Gamma classifier, which is inspired by the Alpha-Beta associative memories, which are both supervised pattern recognition models. The proposed method is capable of handling the space and time constrain inherent to data stream scenarios. The Data Streaming Gamma classifier (DS-Gamma classifier implements a sliding window approach to provide concept drift detection and a forgetting mechanism. In order to test the classifier, several experiments were performed using different data stream scenarios with real and synthetic data streams. The experimental results show that the method exhibits competitive performance when compared to other state-of-the-art algorithms.

Free-living dinitrogen-fixing bacteria isolated from petroleum refinery oily sludge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laguerre, G.; Bossand, B.; Bardin, R.

1987-07-01

Dinitrogen-fixing activity (acetylene reduction and /sup 15/N/sub 2/ fixation) was found in an oily sludge originating from a petroleum refinery. Two representative dinitrogen-fixing bacterial strains were isolated from this oily waste. Their nitrogenase activity was effective when they were cultivated on sterilized sludge or simple carbon substrates (organic acid salts, sugars). Using the classical methods, these strains could not be unambiguously related to other diazotrophic taxa. The landfarming process is widely used for oily sludge disposal; this study shows that oily sludges are more than a simple carbon input into the soil but that they must also be considered as real sources of dinitrogen-fixing and probably degradative microorganisms.

Analysis of accidents in nine Iranian gas refineries: 2007-2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehrdad, R; Bolouri, A; Shakibmanesh, A R

2013-10-01

Occupational accidents are one of the major health hazards in industries and associated with high mortality, morbidity, spiritual damage and economic losses in the world. To determine the incidence of occupational accidents in 9 Iranian gas refineries between March 2007 and February 2011. Data on all occupational accidents occurred between March 2007 and February 2011, as well as other possible associated variables including time of accident, whether the accident was due to a personal or systemic fault, type of accident and its outcomes, age and gender of the victim, the injured parts of the body, job experience, and type of employment, were extracted from HSE reports and notes of health care services. Based on these data, we calculated the incidence rate of accidents and assessed the associated factors. During the 5 studied years, 1129 accidents have been recorded. The incidence of fatal accidents was 1.64 per 100 000 and of nonfatal accidents was 1857 per 100 000 workers per year. 99.4% of injured workers were male. The mean±SD age of injured people was 29.6±7.3 years. Almost 70% of injured workers aged under 30 years. The mean±SD job experience was 5.3±5.3 years. Accidents occurred more commonly around 10:00. More than 60% of accidents happened between 8:00 and 15:00. July had the highest incidence rate. The most common type of accident was being struck by an object (48%). More than 94% of accidents are caused by personal rather than systemic faults. Hands and wrists were the most common injured parts and involved in more than one-third of accidents. 70% of injured workers needed medical treatment and returned to work after primary treatment. The pattern of occupational accidents in Iranian gas refineries is similar to other previous reports in many ways. The incidence did not change significantly over the study period. Establishment of an online network for precise registration, notification and meticulous data collection seems necessary.

Functional differentiation between fish assemblages from forested and deforested streams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabrício Barreto Teresa

Full Text Available We tested the hypothesis that streams in deforested areas shelter different fish communities to nearby forested areas, and that these disparities are due to environmental parameters that limit or benefit different species according to their functional traits. We compared the community composition of three south east Brazilian streams flanked by riparian forest with three nearby streams in deforested areas. The following functional traits were considered: diet, habitat use, water flow preference, size, and hypoxia tolerance. Differentiation between forested and deforested streams corresponded with the different contributions of three functional groups. Species reported in the literature to be hypoxia tolerant, and exhibiting a variable combination of the other traits prevailed in deforested streams, although we did not find substantial differences in oxygen levels between forested and deforested streams. In forested streams, benthic species associated with a high water flow and an insectivorous diet were dominant. Changes in streams induced by deforestation which are associated with habitat availability, food resources, and physicochemical conditions appear to restrict the occurrence of specialized species and instead benefit tolerant generalists.

The metaphors we stream by: Making sense of music streaming

OpenAIRE

Hagen, Anja Nylund

2016-01-01

In Norway music-streaming services have become mainstream in everyday music listening. This paper examines how 12 heavy streaming users make sense of their experiences with Spotify and WiMP Music (now Tidal). The analysis relies on a mixed-method qualitative study, combining music-diary self-reports, online observation of streaming accounts, Facebook and last.fm scrobble-logs, and in-depth interviews. By drawing on existing metaphors of Internet experiences we demonstrate that music-streaming...