A U.S. Energy Information Administration’s post, When was the last refinery built in the United States?, reveals that more than half the “newest refineries” in their list were built in the 1970s or 1980s, or 30 to 40+ years ago. And, with 137 operating U.S. oil refineries, the rest are even older. A lot has […]
As an oil & gas reservoir ages, the composition of the production often changes. For gas wells, this change is often from dry gas to a wetter gas. The wet components can be quite acidic due to CO2 and organic acids contained in this liquid phase. In an Oilfield Technology article, Mitigating corrosion in ageing […]
Crude oil from shale producing regions, also known as tight oils, are opportunity crudes for refineries. These differ from the traditional sources of crude oil from large reservoirs in their widely varying properties. These properties include specific gravity, sulfur content, total acid number (TAN), and more. In an AIChE’s CEP magazine article, Implement an Effective […]
Piping and vessel corrosion and erosion typically occur from the inside out, making it difficult to spot problems without some type of ongoing material thickness measurement program. A piping or vessel breach can lead to disastrous consequences, especially in processes with toxic or flammable materials. Traditionally, the maintenance staff has performed periodic manual measurements with […]
With the diversification of crude oil types brought about by U.S. shale production, refineries have increased risk for vessel and piping corrosion. Many of the aging refineries also are operating past the design life of some of their plant assets. In a Chemical Processing article, Refineries: Rethink Corrosion Monitoring, Emerson’s Jake Davies describes some of […]
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