James G. Speight

Fouling in Refineries is an important and ongoing problem that directly affects energy efficiency resulting in increased costs, production losses, and even unit shutdown, requiring costly expenditures to clean up equipment and return capacity to positive levels. This text addresses this common challenge for the hydrocarbon processing community within each unit of the refinery. As refineries today face a greater challenge of accepting harder to process heavier crudes and the ongoing flow of the lighter shale oil feedstocks, resulting in bigger challenges to balance product stability within their process equipment, this text seeks to inform all relative refinery personnel on how to monitor fouling, characterize the deposits, and follow all available treatments. With basic modeling and chemistry of fouling and each unit covered, users will learn how to operate at maximum production rates and elongate the efficiency of their refinery’s capacity.

This book details the various approaches to the production of hydrogen in petroleum refining. The need for hydrogen is addressed, and then the differences between the processes are detailed. This practical and accessible guide is written for managers, professionals, and technicians as well as graduate students transitioning into the refining industry.Key Features:Describes hydrogen purification methods and processes, providing relevant process data and fully describing process operationsDescribes hydrogen purification methods and processes, detailing the types of feedstock that can be used and exploring the options and parameters of each process Details commercial processes, including gasification pretreatment and reactions and considers next-generation processes and developments

This book focuses on the various solvent processes that are used in crude oil refineries. It presents the differences between each type of process and discusses the types of feedstock that can be used for the processes. This accessible guide is written for managers, professionals, and technicians as well as graduate students transitioning into the refining industry.Key Features:Describes the various steps that are necessary for the solvent treatment of various feedstocks in crude oil refineriesBrings the reader up to date and adds more dataProvides an extensive glossaryConsiders next-generation processes and developments

Written by an industry expert with over 50 years of experience, this book details the various solvent processes that are used in crude oil refineries. Providing an in-depth exploration of the different types of processes, as well as the types of feedstocks that can be used with them, this book prepares readers for changes as the industry evolves.Key Features:Describes feedstock evaluation and the effects of elemental, chemical, and fractional compositionContains an extensive glossary of all related concepts in hydrotreating and hydrocracking processesConsiders next-generation processes and developmentsThis book is an essential guide for engineers, scientists, and students in the field of petroleum processing and refining technology, including professionals, technicians, management personnel, and academics.

Over the last several decades, the petroleum industry has experienced significant changes in resource availability, petro-politics, and technological advancements dictated by the changing quality of refinery feedstocks. However, the dependence on fossil fuels as the primary energy source has remained unchanged. Refinery Feedstocks addresses the problems of changing feedstock availability and properties; the refining process; and solids deposition during refining. This book will take the reader through the various steps that are necessary for crude oil evaluation and refining including the potential for the use of coal liquids, shale oil, and non-fossil fuel materials (biomass) as refinery feedstocks. Other features: Describes the various types of crude oil and includes a discussion of extra heavy oil and tar sand bitumen Includes basic properties and specifications of crude oil and the significance in refinery operations This book is a handy reference for engineers, scientists, and students who want an update on crude oil refining and on the direction the industry must take to assure the refinability of various feedstocks and the efficiency of the refining processes in the next fifty years. Non-technical readers, with help from the extensive glossary, will also benefit from reading this book.

Biomass Processes and Chemicals is written to assist the reader in understanding the options available for the production of chemicals from biomass. Petroleum-based and natural gas-based chemicals are well-established products that have served industry and consumers for more than one hundred years. However, time is running out and natural gas and petroleum are now being depleted. Thus, the need for alternative technologies to produce chemicals is necessary. Chemicals produced from sources are now coming into place for the establishment of a chemicals-from-biomass industry, hence this book covers these advancements.

Over the last several decades, the petroleum industry has experienced significant changes in resource availability, petro-politics, and technological advancements dictated by the changing quality of refinery feedstocks. However, the dependence on fossil fuels as the primary energy source has remained unchanged. Refinery Feedstocks addresses the problems of changing feedstock availability and properties; the refining process; and solids deposition during refining. This book will take the reader through the various steps that are necessary for crude oil evaluation and refining including the potential for the use of coal liquids, shale oil, and non-fossil fuel materials (biomass) as refinery feedstocks. Other features: Describes the various types of crude oil and includes a discussion of extra heavy oil and tar sand bitumen Includes basic properties and specifications of crude oil and the significance in refinery operations This book is a handy reference for engineers, scientists, and students who want an update on crude oil refining and on the direction the industry must take to assure the refinability of various feedstocks and the efficiency of the refining processes in the next fifty years. Non-technical readers, with help from the extensive glossary, will also benefit from reading this book.

Gasification is one of the most important advancements that has ever occurred in energy production. Using this technology, for example, coal can be gasified into a product that has roughly half the carbon footprint of coal. On a large scale, gasification could be considered a revolutionary development, not only prolonging the life of carbon-based fuels, but making them “greener” and cleaner. As long as much of the world still depends on fossil fuels, gasification will be an environmentally friendlier choice for energy production. But gasification is not just used for fossil fuels. Waste products that would normally be dumped into landfills or otherwise disposed of can be converted into energy through the process of gasification. The same is true of biofeedstocks and other types of feedstocks, thus making another argument for the widespread use of gasification. The Handbook of Gasification Technology covers all aspects of the gasification, in a “one-stop shop,” from the basic science of gasification and why it is needed to the energy sources, processes, chemicals, materials, and machinery used in the technology. Whether a veteran engineer or scientist using it as a reference or a professor using it as a textbook, this outstanding new volume is a must-have for any library.

Petroleum refining involves refining crude petroleum as well as producing raw materials for the petrochemical industry. This book covers current refinery processes and process-types that are likely to come on-stream during the next three to five decades. The book includes (1) comparisons of conventional feedstocks with heavy oil, tar sand bitumen, and bio-feedstocks; (2) properties and refinability of the various feedstocks; (3) thermal processes versus hydroprocesses; and (4) the influence of refining on the environment.

Introduction to Petroleum Biotechnology introduces the petroleum engineer to biotechnology, bringing together the various biotechnology methods that are applied to recovery, refining and remediation in the uses of petroleum and petroleum products. A significant amount of petroleum is undiscoverable in reservoirs today using conventional and secondary methods. This reference explains how microbial enhanced oil recovery is aiding to produce more economical and environmentally-friendly metabolic events that lead to improved oil recovery. Meanwhile, in the downstream side of the industry, petroleum refining operators are facing the highest levels of environmental regulations while struggling to process more of the heavier crude oils since conventional physical and chemical refining techniques may not be applicable to heavier crudes. This reference proposes to the engineer and refining manager the concepts of bio-refining applications to not only render heavier crudes as lighter crudes through microbial degradation, but also through biodenitrogenation, biodemetallization and biodesulfurization, making more petroleum derivatives purified and upgraded without the release of more pollutants. Equipped for both upstream and downstream to learn the basics, this book is a necessary primer for today’s petroleum engineer.

Environmental Inorganic Chemistry for Engineers explains the principles of inorganic contaminant behavior, also applying these principles to explore available remediation technologies, and providing the design, operation, and advantages or disadvantages of the various remediation technologies. Written for environmental engineers and researchers, this reference provides the tools and methods that are imperative to protect and improve the environment. The book's three-part treatment starts with a clear and rigorous exposition of metals, including topics such as preparations, structures and bonding, reactions and properties, and complex formation and sequestering. This coverage is followed by a self-contained section concerning complex formation, sequestering, and organometallics, including hydrides and carbonyls. Part Two, Non-Metals, provides an overview of chemical periodicity and the fundamentals of their structure and properties.

Environmental Organic Chemistry for Engineers clearly defines the principles of environmental organic chemistry and the role they play in forming remediation strategies. In this reference, the author explores parameter estimation methods, the thermodynamics, and kinetics needed to predict the fate, transports, and reactivity of organic compounds in air, water, and soils. The book's four part treatment starts with the classification of organic molecules and physical properties of natural organic matter, halocarbons, phenols, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, organophosphates, and surfactants. An overview of remediation technologies and a discussion of the interactions that lead to physical properties that affect chemical distribution in the environment is also detailed, as are the important reaction classes of organic molecules, including substituent effects and structure and activity relationships found in Part Two and Three. Part four is devoted to the strengths and weaknesses of different remediation technologies and when they should be employed.

It is the continuous reports of unethical behavior in the form of data manipulation, cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of unacceptable behavior that draw attention to the issues of misconduct. The causes of misconduct are manifold whether it is the need to advance in a chosen discipline or to compete successfully for and obtain research funding. Disappointingly, individuals who are oriented to any form of dishonesty are individuals who had previously displayed little or no consideration for the feelings of others and are therefore more interested in themselves, at the expense of the students, and others recognizing them by any means necessary. This ground-breaking and honest examination of ethics in the university setting is unabashed in its descriptions of misconduct in the academic world. The text is well furbished with numerous citations that point to academic misconduct and the final chapter deals with the means by which misconduct can be mitigated, a strong reminder to everyone in the academic community that above board conduct must be part of our overall message of learning and part of the whole point of education in the first place. A must-have for academics and non-academics alike, this text is the second in a series of books on ethics by James G. Speight, and it is useful to anyone, in any industry, who is interested in ethical behavior and how to navigate the sometimes murky depths of our professional lives.

According to NACE (National Association of Corrosion Engineers), the total annual cost of corrosion in petroleum refining takes up $3.7 billion in the US alone. Corrosion control is always a challenge for the downstream industry, but as the quality of feedstock is declining due to refineries accepting more of the heavy and shale gas and oil resources that are more readily available today, refinery managers, petroleum and natural gas engineers are unprepared for the new set of corrosion problems that are showing up in their equipment and processing units. Oil and Gas Corrosion Prevention: From Surface Facilities to Refineries quickly gets the engineer and manager up to speed on the latest types of corrosion common for these lower grade crude oils and gases as well as the best prevention methods for all of the major sections of the refinery, especially desalting and sulfur recovery units, which are the most common problem areas for unconventional feedstocks. Also covering the unique midstream sections, or point of entry to the refinery, as well as the major critical refinery equipment, Oil and Gas Corrosion Prevention: From Surface Facilities to Refineries offers the perfect quick cross-reference for the oil and gas community.

World gasification capacity is expected to grow by more than 70% by 2015. While gasification is not a new process, the higher price in crude has lead operators and refineries to look at all possible coal-based technologies for energy conversion, and with the flow of heavy oil, tar sands and other unconventional feedstocks making their way to the refineries for processing, refinery managers and engineers alike must be made aware of how to process these uncommon energy sources. Gasification of Unconventional Feedstocks addresses these unfamiliar feeds and provides a quick and up-to-date reference on the background, process technology and downstream applications required to help refineries maximize profits turning low-value feedstock to beneficial syngas and other fuel products. Clear and comprehensive, Gasification of Unconventional Feedstocks provides engineers and refinery managers with the tools needed to quickly adapt to the more unconventional feedstocks and still maximize their refineries potential.

The extraction of natural gas from shale formations is no simple task and perhaps the most expensive when compared to over unconventional gases. Although, its popularity has grown over the years, there is much to be done to make their production and processing more cost-effective. Brief but comprehensive, Shale Gas Production Processes begins with an overview of the chemistry, engineering and technology of shale gas. This is quickly followed by self-contained chapters concerning new and evolving process technologies and their applications as well as environmental regulations. Written in an easy to read format, Shale Gas Production Processes will prove useful for those scientists and engineers already engaged in fossil fuel science and technology as well as scientists, non-scientists, engineers, and non-engineers who wish to gain a general overview or update of the science and technology of shale gas. In addition, the book discusses methods used to reduce environmental footprint and improve well performance.

With petroleum-related spills, explosions, and health issues in the headlines almost every day, the issue of remediation of petroleum and petroleum products is taking on increasing importance, for the survival of our environment, our planet, and our future. This book is the first of its kind to explore this difficult issue from an engineering and scientific point of view and offer solutions and reasonable courses of action. This book will guide the reader through the various methods that are used for the bioremediation of petroleum and petroleum products. The text is easy to read and includes many up-to-date and topical references. This book introduces the reader to the science and technology of biodegradation—a key process in the bioremediation of petroleum and petroleum-based contaminants at spill sites. The contaminants of concern in the molecularly variable petroleum and petroleum products can be degraded under appropriate conditions. But the success of the process depends on the ability to determine the necessary conditions and establish them in the contaminated environment. Although the prime focus of the book is to determine the mechanism, extent, and efficiency of biodegradation, it is necessary to know the composition of the original petroleum or petroleum product. The laws of science dictate what can or cannot be done with petroleum and petroleum products to ensure that biodegradation (hence, bioremediation) processes are effective. The science of the composition of petroleum and petroleum products is at the core of understanding the chemistry of biodegradation and bioremediation processes. Hence, inclusion of petroleum analyses and properties along with petroleum product analyses and properties is a necessary part of this text. Bioremediation of Petroleum and Petroleum Products: Summarizes the pros and cons of remediation of petroleum and petroleum-based products, from an environmental perspectiveGives examples of unethical behavior and how they should be correctedOffers arguments and elucidates engineering considerations on all sides of these difficult environmental and economic issues

The combination of global warming and peak oil has made finding alternative sources of energy more important than ever. Written in an easy-to-read format, Oil Sands Production Processes provide the reader with an understandable overview of the chemistry, engineering, and technology of oil sands. The various chapters have been written to include the latest developments in the oil sands industry, including evolving and new processes as well as the various environmental regulations.

Shale Oil represents a huge additional global fossil fuel resource. However, extracting oil from the shale is no simple task; much still needs to be understood to make the process more cost-effective to increase economic flow rates. Clear and rigorous, Oil Shale Production Process will prove useful for those scientists and engineers already engaged in fossil fuel science and technology as well as scientists, non-scientists, engineers, and non-engineers who wish to gain a general overview or update of the science and technology of fossil fuels. Not only does the book discuss the production processes but also provides methods which should reduce environmental footprint by properly addressing: surface mining and extraction processes, in situ conversion process and hydrotreatment.