Lee Nichols, Vice President, Content/Editor-in-Chief
The global refining industry continues to adapt and evolve to changing markets, policies and regulations. However, this is nothing new. As the old saying goes, “The only constant in life is change,” and the refining industry can certainly attest to that notion—it has been changing, evolving and optimizing operations for more than 170 yr.
For more than 100 yr, Hydrocarbon Processing has been following and publishing these advancements in processing, service and equipment technologies. Even within the past decade, new technologies (e.g., refining processes, catalysts) are being developed and deployed to increase processing efficiencies, yields and product specifications. These technologies are not only optimizing processing operations, enhancing safety and increasing profitability, but they are also producing higher-quality products for the global marketplace.
Due to the importance of the refining industry and the technologies that are imperative to its success, Hydrocarbon Processing devotes its pages each month to the latest advancements in the global refining industry. In fact, the publication was built on this premise, covering the emergence of a new thermal cracking process in the early 1920s—i.e., the Dubbs process. Since the inaugural issue in 1922, the publication has continued to focus on the everchanging global refining sector, and this issue is no different.
This month’s Special Focus section details new technologies, processing pathways and engineering that have optimized operations. This includes how a Middle Eastern refiner adapted during the COVID pandemic to improve gasoline production, a novel separator technology to increase refining profits and how certain design elements influence ejector system performance. These Special Focus articles are complemented by other technical articles on advanced process controls, coordinating global megaprojects, a better flaring system design, mitigating corrosion during biofuels production, a better way to measure reactor temperatures in a sulfur plant, the new preventive maintenance job plan and the best approach for storage tank thermal inbreathing rates.
As the refining industry continues to evolve, so will the way Hydrocarbon Processing covers and disseminates these advancements to our global audience. This pathway is imperative to share how the industry is changing to the betterment of the global population. HP